Climate Services Financing Framework and Business Model (national)

The consultant is expected to work closely with the International Consultant - Climate Services Financing Framework and Business Model, UNEP Project Management Unit, the National Executing Entity, Technical Partners, National Service Providers and development partners to prepare inputs and support the development of the following ultimate outputs: 1. Identify, collect, review and summarise relevant documentation for use by international consultant in preparing the inception report. 2. Organise and document stakeholder consultations to scope opportunities for sectors and business segments to utilise climate services. 3. Organise, co-facilitate and document an in-country workshop on the draft Financing Framework and business model. 4. Facilitate final review and validation of the Financing Framework and business model by MoTC and other relevant stakeholders.

Dili, Timor Leste, part-time

9 months (Part Time)

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. This consultancy is managed by UNEP’s Climate Change Division (CCD). CCD engages with the Member States and Partners to accelerate and support a just transition by addressing climate change mitigation and adaptation through enhancing implementation capacity, provision of data information and knowledge, access to finance and technology and building resilience. The National Consultant - Climate Services Financing Framework and Business Model, will report to the Chief Technical Advisor in the Project Management Unit in Dili, Timor Leste, and work under the supervision of the International Consultant - - Climate Services Financing Framework and Business Model. The consultant will serve to implement portions of the USD 21.7m Project “Enhancing Early Warning Systems to build greater resilience to hydro meteorological hazards in Timor-Leste”. The Project addresses the urgent need for integrated and end-to-end climate information services and Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems (MHEWS) in Timor-Leste through comprehensive institutional, technical and technological capacity building from national to local level to generate and disseminate robust climate data and information at all stages of the climate services value chain. Under Sub Activity Sub-Activity 1.1.5 “Establish a financial framework and business model for sustainable climate services” the consultant will develop a financial framework to ensure that DNMG has the means to sustain and ensure the ongoing operation of its mandated services in order to mitigate weather-, climate-, and water-related risks beyond the term of the Project. Long term sustained financing for National Meteorological and Hydrological Service (NMHS), especially in Small Island Developing States, remains a constant challenge. The consultancy will support the overall sustainability of DNMG with the investment provided through the UNEP CIEWS Project. The Financial Framework will be informed by a scoping activity, examining opportunities for sectors and business segments to utilise the strengthened climate services and identify opportunities to develop value-added climate products and services (e.g. targeting a particular sector such as agriculture or health, or related to a particular climate-related hazard); and potential for public-private partnerships and private investment in climate services. The scoping exercise will be led by an international consultant with strategic support provided by the national consultant; the role of the national consultant in the scoping exercise will be to identify and facilitate engagement with relevant stakeholders in country and to identify and gain access to relevant documentation. The Financial Framework should be linked to the National Meteorological and Geophysics Act (draft awaiting Ministerial approval), the National Meteorological and Geophysics Strategy (draft awaiting Ministerial approval), the National Framework for Climate Services (draft awaiting Ministerial approval), Climate Services Action and Communications Plan (2025), the National Roadmap for Anticipatory Action (2025), FbF/AA financing mechanism and SOFF. The role of the national consultant is to facilitate an understanding by relevant stakeholders of these linkages between new policy documents, through engagements during this consultancy. The national consultant should also provide strategic support to the international consultant in the exploring potential to establish a National Climate Fund as a mechanism to support Timor-Lete to manage its engagement with climate finance, through facilitating access to relevant stakeholders. Given the specific circumstances of Timor Leste and its relatively small economy and remote location, the financing framework will be carefully developed to ensure it is tailored to the local context. The intention is that by the end of the Project, DNMG will be ready to negotiate cost recovery for new climate information products, have a concrete sustainability plan for the investments made in upgrading meteorological observations, and have a concrete Financing Action Plan, to ensure value added and sustainability of the Programme Investments. Under supervision of the the Chief Technical Advisor, PMU-TL, Climate Early Warning Section, UNEP’s Climate Change Division, based in Dili, Timor Leste the consultant is expected to work closely with the International Consultant - Climate Services Financing Framework and Business Model, UNEP Project Management Unit, the National Executing Entity, Technical Partners, National Service Providers and development partners to prepare inputs and support the development of the following ultimate outputs: 1. Identify, collect, review and summarise relevant documentation for use by international consultant in preparing the inception report. 2. Organise and document stakeholder consultations to scope opportunities for sectors and business segments to utilise climate services. 3. Organise, co-facilitate and document an in-country workshop on the draft Financing Framework and business model. 4. Facilitate final review and validation of the Financing Framework and business model by MoTC and other relevant stakeholders. Output 1 – Identify, collect, review and summarise relevant documentation for use by international consultant in preparing the inception report Tasks: • Identify and review documentation: identify, collect, review and summarise relevant local documentation relevant to the assignment for use by the international consultant in preparing the inception report. • Consult: with UNEP, PMU and focal points on the assignment. • Prepare inputs to the inception report: detailing the methodology to be followed, and timeline for the accomplishment of the tasks of the assignment. Output 2 – Organise and document stakeholder consultations to scope opportunities for sectors and business segments to utilise climate services Tasks: • Prepare inputs to the assessment of finance requirements/needs: to operate and maintain meteorological infrastructure used by DNMG and deliver climate information and early warning services. • Identify and collect information on current funding sources for climate services, expenditures and financial management practices of DNMG. • Organise and document stakeholder consultations: to scope opportunities for sectors and business segments to utilize the strengthened climate services and identify opportunities to develop value-added climate products and services; and potential for public-private partnerships and private investment in climate services. As part of the stakeholder consultations, consult with potential clients/customers on the type of services/products currently being produced by DNMG and any other services/products that clients/customers would be willing to pay for. • Prepare inputs to the scoping and development of potential funding mechanisms: Explore various options for sustainable funding such as: o Government budget allocations. o User fees: implementing cost recovery for specific value-added services used by commercial entities, government agencies or other stakeholders. o Public-private partnerships. o Climate finance: accessing funds from regional and international climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives. o Innovative financing: investigate realistic emerging financial instruments, if any. o Coordination and/or integration of financing for climate services and disaster risk management to establish adequate and reliable funding for disaster risk reduction and preparedness activities, including Forecast-based Financing/Anticipatorily Action financing mechanism. o Potential to establish a National Climate Fund. o Potential for continues support from the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) Output 3: Organise, co-facilitate and document an in-country workshop on the draft Financing Framework and business model • Provide inputs to the draft Financing Framework and business model: based on the financial analysis and scoping of opportunities, National Framework for Climate Services (draft), Meteorological Act and Strategy (draft) and existing information. • Organise, co-facilitate and document an in-country workshop: to review, update and validate the draft Financing Framework and business model. • Provide inputs to the Financing Framework to include Action Plan: for national rollout and implementation. The Action Plan should focus on priority revenue generation sectors/ areas and outline actions needed; requirements; partners involved; how it will be implemented. • Provide inputs on donor engagement strategies: (local, regional, international) and provide recommendations for strategic partnerships to increase financial sustainability. • Provide inputs to the Financing Framework in line with World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) guidance to consider the following: o Opportunities for greater cooperation between the public and private sectors and academia given that many economic sectors increasingly depend on meteorological information for safe and efficient operations. o Opportunities for win-win situations that fulfil the public sector responsibility to help the economically disadvantaged while meeting the needs of enterprises for climate services. To this end, the Project will ensure government are made aware of the economic value of climate information in, for instance, reducing the need for dangerous marine rescues, and reducing the costs of recovery from damage by floods and storms. o Opportunities to coordinate and/or integrate financing for climate services and disaster risk management to strengthen existing disaster relief funds and establish reliable funding for anticipatory action and disaster preparedness activities, which are often limited to ad-hoc donor funding. This would facilitate a more efficient and streamlined approach to implementing often overlapping actions for climate change adaptation and disaster risk management. This will incorporate the Timor-Leste National Anticipatory Action Financing Mechanism developed under this Project. o Identification of the elements of a sustainable business model for DNMG based on the climate services value chain, which highlights the different roles of NMHSs in providing basic forecasts and warnings to protect society from the adverse effects of severe weather (a public good typically supported by governments, for which predictable national budget allocations need to be ensured) but also in providing specialized value-added services to sectoral government agencies and individual businesses (which may offer opportunities for cost-recovery from governmental and non-governmental sources beyond the term of the Project). The business model will identify opportunities for DNMG to provide specialized value-added services to government agencies and individual businesses. As services are established and valued, the Project will also assist DNMG to identify potential options for cost-recovery, recognizing the need to be able to first demonstrate the value, reliability and utility of climate information products. o Potential for continued support from the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) as part of the Alliance for Hydromet Development, which was launched in December 2019 by 12 international organizations including UNEP. The SOFF is envisaged to ensure provision of basic systematic observations as a global public good by providing equitable, predictable, sustainable, and performance-based finance as well as technical assistance to developing countries for the provision of foundational observational data as per the Global Basic Observing Network (GBON) standard adopted by the WMO Congress. GBON aims to improve the global availability of the most essential surface-based data by defining the obligation for countries to implement a minimal set of surface-based observations for which international exchange of observational data will be mandatory. Timor Leste has secured SOFF support to value of USD 6.3 million for five years from 2024. • Capacity building: provide inputs to the identification of any capacity gaps within DNMG related to financial management and resource mobilization and develop a practical action plan to address them. • Risk Assessment: provide inputs to the identification of potential financial risks such as changes in government priorities or development partners funding patterns; and developing mitigation strategies. • Reporting and Monitoring: provide inputs to the establishment of clear reporting and monitoring mechanisms to track the implementation of the Action Plan and its impacts on the sustainability of the DNMG. • Support the international consultant in finalising the Financing Framework after Government approval. Output 4: Facilitate final review and validation of the Financing Framework and business model by MoTC and other relevant stakeholders Tasks: • Facilitate final review and validation of the Financing Framework and business model by MoTC and other relevant stakeholders. • Provide inputs to the compilation of recommendations: from the assignment for UNEP and the Government of Timor Leste • Provide inputs to development of a final presentation on the Financing Framework and business model in PowerPoint format.

An advanced university degree (master’s or equivalent) in public policy or economics/finance or a related field is required.  A first-level university degree, combined with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree A minimum of 4 years demonstrated experience in developing national frameworks in the context of donor/development assistance in Timor Leste. Experience in working and collaborating with government and development partners in the climate information services sector in Timor Leste is desirable. Experience in developing financing policies, business models or sustainability and cost recovery plans is desirable. Demonstrated knowledge of climate information services or multi hazard early warning systems is desirable. Experience undertaking similar activities in Timor Leste is highly desirable.

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THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.