Adaptation Specialist Consultant – PAF Paraguay

The Consultant’s ultimate results of services will be to provide specialized technical and coordination support to strengthen the adaptation component of Paraguay’s NDC 3.0 and advance the integration of adaptation priorities into the national technology planning process. This will include reviewing and updating adaptation action lines across priority sectors, strengthening their alignment with the Belém indicators of the Paris Agreement, and incorporating technical inputs and feedback from relevant national stakeholders. The Consultant will also support follow-up with sectoral institutions responsible for adaptation actions, identifying key gaps, challenges, and needs for advancing implementation, and contributing to the preparation and follow-up of the AFOLU Technology Action Plan. This will include supporting the organization of technical meetings, workshops, consultations, and validation processes, as well as the consolidation and documentation of their results. The Consultant will coordinate closely with the Technical Advisor on NDCs and Transversal Facilitator, Mitigation Specialist Consultant, Technology Needs Specialist Consultant, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, relevant sectoral institutions and stakeholders, and UNEP’s technical team to ensure that technical inputs are coherent, coordinated, and responsive to national priorities. The Consultant will ultimately contribute to strengthening Paraguay’s capacity to monitor, advance, and prioritize adaptation actions and technological solutions, supporting the implementation of NDC 3.0 and the country’s climate resilience objectives. Specific tasks and responsibilities • Review existing technical inputs, documents, and sectoral information. • Support inputs and feedback from relevant sectoral focal points and stakeholders. • Update and consolidate adaptation action-line “fichas”. • Ensure consistency and alignment with Belém indicators. • Identify and track key gaps, challenges, and technical needs. • Coordinate meetings, workshops, consultations, and validation sessions. • Support in the preparation of agendas, presentations, technical inputs, and other meeting materials. • Systematize feedback, agreements, recommendations, and follow-up actions. • Maintain records, including minutes, attendance lists, supporting materials, and other means of verification. • Support the development and follow-up of the AFOLU Technology Action Plan. • Prepare consolidated reports, tracking matrices, and supporting documentation, according to Section 3 “Work Plan”. Timely delivery of outputs as outlined in the Terms of Reference. Quality of design work, materials, and reports produced, as well as the approval of products/ deliverables/ outputs by the consultant’s reporting officer, Jérôme Malavelle, Project Management Officer, UNEP.

Home-based in Asunción, Paraguay and MADES Offices (Hybrid format)

3 months from October 2026 to January 2027

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the international 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. The NDC Act & Invest Initiative is a global programme led by UNEP and currently funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and the NDC Partnership’s Partnership Action Fund (PAF) multi-donor trust fund. It is designed to help countries raise their climate ambition and translate their new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted in 2025 into actionable, investable plans. The Paris Agreement represents a landmark global commitment to address climate change through strengthened mitigation, adaptation, and resilience efforts. As a country highly dependent on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, forestry, water resources, and energy, Paraguay faces increasing challenges associated with climate variability and extreme weather events. Droughts, floods, land degradation, and ecosystem pressures threaten livelihoods, economic productivity, food security, and the resilience of vulnerable communities and territories. These challenges highlight the urgent need to strengthen institutional capacities, improve climate governance, and accelerate the implementation of coordinated climate action across sectors and levels of government. In November 2025, the Republic of Paraguay submitted its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), reaffirming its commitment to the Paris Agreement through an integrated approach to mitigation, adaptation, and sustainable development. Paraguay’s NDC 3.0 establishes an unconditional target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10%, with an additional 10% reduction contingent on international support. The updated NDC also strengthens adaptation priorities in key sectors including agriculture, land-use and forests, water management, and territorial resilience, while promoting environmental governance, inclusivity, and the integration of scientific, technical, traditional, and ancestral knowledge into climate action. Despite this progress, the effective operationalization of NDC 3.0 requires enhanced technical, institutional, and financial capacities. The implementation of sectoral measures demands stronger inter-institutional coordination, improved information and data systems, broader stakeholder participation, and increased access to climate finance opportunities. In particular, there is a need to strengthen communication and outreach strategies that facilitate the dissemination of climate-related information, support stakeholder engagement processes, and promote greater understanding of climate priorities and implementation pathways among public institutions, local actors, academia, the private sector, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society. In this context, the support provided through the NDC Partnership’s Partnership Action Fund (PAF), implemented by UNEP, represents a strategic opportunity to support Paraguay in translating its climate commitments into concrete and implementable actions. The project seeks to reinforce institutional capacities, strengthen multisectoral coordination, improve climate data and information systems, and support the integration of evidence-based and technological solutions across mitigation and adaptation priorities. The intervention will also contribute to strengthening national communication and engagement efforts to ensure that climate action processes are inclusive, transparent, and effectively disseminated among key stakeholders. In this sense, UNEP is recruiting an Adaptation Specialist Consultant in Paraguay to provide technical support for the strengthening of the adaptation component of Paraguay’s NDC 3.0 and the revision and updating of the national Technology Needs Plan. The Consultant will contribute to the technical review of relevant climate adaptation considerations, identifying gaps, priorities, and opportunities to strengthen the integration of adaptation into the NDC 3.0 process and related sectoral inputs. The Consultant will coordinate closely with the Technical Advisor on NDCs and Transversal Facilitator, Mitigation Specialist Consultant, Technology Needs Specialist Consultant, International Reviewers, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, and relevant national stakeholders to ensure coherence and complementarity between adaptation priorities, mitigation measures, and identified technology needs. The Consultant will be supervised by UNEP’s NDC Act & Invest Global Coordinator and will work under a hybrid work model, enabling the Consultant to work from home while participating in in-person meetings, workshops, and stakeholder consultations as required in Asunción, Paraguay.

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental management, engineering, environmental sciences, economics, or a related field (Required). • Postgrad in environmental management, engineering, environmental sciences, economics, political science, public administration, or a related field (Required). • Minimum seven (7) years of relevant work experience in environmental management is (Required). • Minimum four (4) years of relevant experience in planning, implementing, and/or monitoring development initiatives, policies, and programs related to climate change adaptation in Paraguay and/or actions for NDC (Desirable). • Demonstrated analytical capacity to contribute to developing technical products as reviews and gap assessments related to climate change planning and implementation (Desirable). • In-depth knowledge of Paraguay’s climate change regulatory and planning framework, including processes and initiatives at the national and local levels (Desirable). • Demonstrated experience working with the public institutions in Paraguay related to climate change planning (Desirable). • Relevant experience integrating gender considerations into formulating, planning, and implementing projects or public policies will be considered an advantage. This includes designing gender-sensitive methodologies to collect and evaluate baseline data, evaluate products, and monitor project results where appropriate (Desirable). • Demonstrated experience in preparing policy and strategy reports for national governments and in the technical review of national reports and relevant international documents (Desirable).

• Fluency in Spanish (Required). • Confident in English (Desired). • Confident in Guarani (Desired).

SPECIAL SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE PROFESSIONALISM • Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. • Management of the gender, intercultural and human rights approach of indigenous peoples. • Management of Office tools and digital platforms. • Excellent writing and teamwork skills. • Proactive capacity, responsibility and commitment. • Excellent understanding of national climate change commitments. • Knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to climate change, indigenous peoples and adaptation planning. • Ability to identify, analyze and participate in resolving issues/problems. Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work, and manage conflicting priorities. • Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results. • Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns. • Shows persistence when faced with complex problems or challenges. • Remains calm in stressful situations. TEAMWORK • Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. • Solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise. • Willing to learn from others and supports final group decisions, even when they may not entirely reflect own position. • Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. PLANNING AND ORGANIZING • Develops clear goals consistent with agreed strategies. • Identifies priority activities and assignments, adjusting priorities as required. • Allocates appropriate time and resources for completing work. • Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. • Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. • Uses time efficiently.

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.