International Technical consultant on ESG and value chain due diligence

Output 1, by 31st September 2026 In-depth training and coaching delivered to selected cooperatives and MSMEs in Uganda, Honduras and DRC as per agreed capacity building plans (CLEAR) Output 2, by 31st November 2026 Readiness assessments conducted for ASEAN cooperatives and MSMEs; Individual action plans developed (ASEAN Scope) Output 3, by 31st January 2027 Readiness assessments conducted for RBC Africa countries; Individual action plans reviewed Output 4, by 31st March 2027 Inputs provided to ASEAN Cohort presentation; Customized capacity building materials developed for ASEAN cohort (ASEAN Scope) Output 5, by 31st May 2027 In-depth training and coaching delivered to selected cooperatives and MSMEs in Uganda (cocoa), Ghana (cocoa) and Ethiopia (coffee) as per agreed capacity building plans (ACP) Output 6, by 31st July 2027 Accompaniment and monitoring of performance indicators supported for all companies and cohorts; with presentations and written updates for coordination meetings and meetings with national technical personnel and partners in ESG and DD provided.

Home-based (with possible travel)

12 months from ASAP

The International Trade Centre (ITC) is the joint agency of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN). It is the only multilateral agency fully dedicated to supporting the internationalization of SMEs. ITC's mission is to foster inclusive and sustainable growth and development through trade and international business development. ITC projects and programmes contribute to the global efforts to achieve UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development and the Aid for Trade agenda. Developing countries seeking to integrate into global value chains are increasingly being required to comply with and implement various sustainability requirements to access target markets and attract investments. These measures, however, can be challenging for developing countries, particularly MSMEs, seeking to engage in international trade. It is important to ensure that in the course of the rapid developments in linking trade to sustainability considerations, developing countries are not left behind, as otherwise, businesses from these countries would be constrained in their ability to engage in international trade and this, in turn, can have adverse impacts on their sustainable development. The Green and Inclusive Value Chains (GIVC) section is responsible for developing and disseminating sector-level expertise for sustainable market-driven solutions in ITC, including the Alliances for Action (A4A) methodology. A4A is a participatory partnership model that engages smallholder farmers and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to manage risk and facilitate networks that provide the required technical expertise and capacity building. With A4A, ITC aims at achieving resilience and growth for farmers and MSMEs through more mindful and responsible trade, production and consumption systems and improved opportunities to compete on a global market. This includes building resilience and competitiveness of MSMEs and enabling sustainable market linkages and value addition. Piloting Innovative alliances to address root causes of Child labour in supply chains The "Ending child labour in supply chains: Addressing the root causes of child labour in supply chains through an area-based approach" (CLEAR Supply Chains) project, co-funded by the European Union, brings together the International Labour Organization (ILO) as the leading UN agency, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to address jointly the root causes of child labour, with a primarily focus on the coffee supply chain. ITC aims to provide support to farmer organizations and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the implementation of strategy options for increasing commercial value, sustainability, Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) alignment and incomes for smallholder farmers in the coffee supply chain and associated crops. The aim is not only to increase but also to diversify farmers and MSMEs income, through product and market diversification targeting value addition, coffee products and associated crops. This project will promote resilient and sustainable global value chains for all by providing strong accompanying support, especially for supply chain actors in producer countries where the most salient adverse impacts occur. Hence, training and technical guidance will be provided to advance market development aligned with HREDD and to de-risk investment, in the coffee and other supply chain for all relevant actors, including farmers’ organizations and MSMEs. The African Caribbean Pacific Business Friendly Programme The “Support to Business Friendly and Inclusive National and Regional Policies, and Strengthening Productive Capabilities and Value Chains” Programme aims to complement the European Union support for private sector development in ACP countries. With major focus on the development of agriculture and agri-business value chains, the Programme is designed to achieve two key outcomes: (1) adopting and implementing business-friendly, inclusive and responsible national policies and legal frameworks, and (2) strengthening productive, processing, promoting and marketing capabilities and value chains. ITC is collaborating with UNIDO and the World Bank in the implementation of the program. ITC will lead the implementation of the micro pillar level of the Programme, which will focus on two core themes: 1) Promoting inclusive productive and commercial Alliances and investment to strengthen VC governance and MSMEs competitiveness; and 2) Increase small farmers and processors value addition, productivity and competitiveness. ASEAN SCOPE Trade Project The overall objective (impact) of the 5-year project is to improve sustainable connectivity between the EU and ASEAN, and within ASEAN with a focus on trade, economic connectivity and sustainable value chains. The specific objective (outcome) of the project is to improve regulatory frameworks, dialogue and institutional capacities in key areas of trade and economic connectivity with a focus on resilient, socially, economically and environmentally sustainable value chains and on better conditions for trade and investment flows. The three outputs of the project are: • Output 1: Improved policies and regulatory environment for fair and sustainable market, trade and investment in ASEAN; • Output 2: Improved capacities of ASEAN for digital connectivity; • Output 3: Increased knowledge and capacities for ensuring environmental, economic and social value chain sustainability among ASEAN/ASEAN Member States institutions and the private sector. Output 3.4 focuses upon providing capacity building to actors and MSMEs along specific value chains, to understand and adapt to Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence requirements and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D). Responsible Business Conduct in Africa The project Responsible Business Conduct in Africa aims to strengthen aims to the capacity of value chain across 11 African countries by aligning national policies, business practices, and value chains with EU and international standards on due diligence, sustainability, labour rights, and corporate accountability. The Overall Objective of this action is to promote smart and inclusive growth and sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by supporting responsible business practices, in line with existing internationally agreed standards and frameworks set out in the UN, ILO and OECD instruments and taking into account EU regulatory and policy developments on RBC. The project seeks to enhance compliance with emerging EU regulations, support economic diversification, promote decent work, and improve the competitiveness of African enterprises in regional and global markets. The Project will address increasing regulatory expectations from the EU on sustainability, due diligence, deforestation, forced labour, carbon border measures, and financial disclosure; low awareness and limited capacity of African SMEs and institutions to meet these requirements risking loss of market access; weak governance, limited enforcement capacity, civic space restrictions, and lack of access to remedy mechanisms; structural economic challenges including high informality, youth unemployment, gender inequality, reliance on primary commodities, weak infrastructure, and low digitalization; human rights and environmental risks linked to extractive industries and other high-risk sectors; and the need for stronger integration of RBC standards in trade, investment, and industrial policies under AfCFTA and AU frameworks. The project is jointly implemented by ITC, ILO, OHCHR, OECD and UNDP to promote smart and inclusive growth and sustainable development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by supporting responsible business practices, in line with existing internationally agreed standards and frameworks set out in the UN, ILO and OECD instruments and taking into account EU regulatory and policy developments on RBC. For ITC, the implementation is being led through the Alliances for Action methodology, starting with a six (6) month inception phase. Assignment by the consultant under this project is subject to the signature of the project. For these projects, capacity building on Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) and Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD) is of central importance. For HREDD to be effective, a system of shared responsibility must be adopted to identify, prevent, mitigate and remediate risks and harms. In addition, the focus should go beyond non-compliance to identify areas of improvement in sourcing, procurement and production practices that would prevent risk and harms, following holistic approach that ensures that value chain actors, particularly MSMEs, are not left behind in the practical implementation of HREDD systems to drive competitiveness and resilience. In this regard, ITC is seeking a technical consultant to provide targeted due diligence assessments and capacity building to SMEs and value chain operators (including MSMEs, farmer-support organizations, cooperatives, suppliers, government, and private sector). Description of Duties/Responsibilities Under the overall guidance of the Head of Inclusive Agribusiness Systems (DSIT/GIVC) and direct supervision of Programme Officer (Alliances for Action), in close collaboration with RBC project teams both in country and HQ; the Consultant will be responsible for the following duties: • Conduct in-depth training and coaching for selected cooperatives/ SMEs in Uganda (coffee), Honduras (coffee) and DRC (cobalt) in implementation of accompanying measures to due diligence systems, living incomes and environmental impact, among others, under the CLEAR Supply Chains project • Conduct in-depth training and coaching for selected cooperatives/ SMEs in Uganda (cocoa), Ghana (cocoa) and Ethiopia in implementation of accompanying measures to due diligence systems, living incomes and environmental impact, among others, under the ACP Project • Conduct 15-20 Due diligence readiness assessments with selected cooperatives and MSMEs in the context of the ASEAN Scope Trade Project • Develop 15-20 individual readiness reports and action plans on the gaps and risks identified at the company level for selected cooperatives and MSMEs vis-à-vis the due diligence requirements for the ASEAN Scope Trade Project • Support and provide inputs to a presentation of assessment results for ASEAN Scope Trade Cohort • Develop capacity building resources for the ASEAN Scope Trade Cohort, with inputs from experts, regional teams and partners, including ToT manuals and supporting materials • Support the implementation of 15-20 Due diligence readiness assessments per country with selected cooperatives and MSMEs in the context of the RBC Africa project, in coordination with National RBC consultants • Review individual readiness reports and action plans, developed by ITC online tools, on the gaps and risks identified at the company level for selected cooperatives and MSMEs vis-à-vis the due diligence requirements for the RBC Africa project • Support and provide inputs to a presentation of assessment results for RBC Africa country cohorts • Review and update capacity building resources for the RBC Africa cohorts, with inputs from experts, regional teams and partners, including ToT manuals, e-learning and supporting materials • Provide accompaniment and monitoring of performance indicators developed with the selected companies and cooperatives. • Prepare presentations and written updates for coordination meetings and meetings with national technical personnel and partners in ESG and DD. Copyright Clause: The consultant must secure all necessary intellectual property rights and permissions required to perform their services and enable ITC's unrestricted dissemination of the work. Documented proof of these rights must be submitted to ITC, and the consultant must obtain prior written approval before incurring any third-party copyright or licensing fees. ITC champions workforce diversity, inclusion, and gender parity, ensuring equal consideration for all qualified individuals. All candidates, including persons with disabilities, are evaluated fairly without discrimination or prejudice of any kind.

• Master’s degree in international law, human rights, development or a related field • Extensive relevant experience may be accepted in lieu of the university degree. • A minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience in project management, human rights, sustainability, agricultural and rural development, including knowledge of agri-business and participatory approaches. • Experience of working with international/donor organizations or in national development agencies. • Experience in sustainability, environment and inclusiveness. Experience as trainer desirable

Fluency in English and Spanish required.

Not available.

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.