Governance Specialist

In Asia and the Pacific, UNDP is increasingly being requested to provide governance related services that support governments in articulating their response to climate change. These services include strengthening government’s institutional and administrative framework to be able to deliver integrated climate policy and programming within a range of sectors; strengthening government’s planning and budgeting processes to be able to account transparently for climate relate services; strengthening parliament and civil society’s roles in holding governments to account for their response to climate change and supporting local governments in integrating climate related services into their programming. There is also an increasing urgency to ensure that the needs, priorities, and interests of all people, including women, the poor, youth, and minorities and others who are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts are included and that these people participate in the governance of a climate change response: in all stages of policy formulation, programme implementation and processes of accountability that determine a response to climate change.

To respond to the growing demands, in 2009 BRH established a multi-disciplinary team to deliver services which can support governments develop comprehensive approaches to govern the challenge of climate change in ways that support their overall development, particularly in the context of Rio+20 follow up and post 2015 development agenda. This team works across practices within UNDP and HQ, BRH, UNDP country offices and in partnership with a range of development partners at the regional level, to deliver this support.

Beginning 2014, UK Aid has financed will finance a 3 year sub-regional programme titled “Strengthening the Governance of Climate Change Finance to Benefit the Poor and Vulnerable in South Asia”, which has been further extended until the March 31, 2019  This programme is based around three mutually reinforcing outputs – the first looks to strengthen the policies and institutional arrangements which will enable central government, particularly Ministries of Finance to FORMULATE CLIMATE COMPATIBLE BUDGETS that will lead to effective prioritization of  climate change finance; the second output looks at strengthening capacity of Ministry of Finance to TRACK AND REPORT CLIMATE CHANGE EXPENDITURE with relevant ministries; and the third output will work to SHARE EXPERIENCE ACROSS STAKEHOLDERS including governments, civil society, development partners and international organizations across the region and globally aligned with international process. The programme is being implemented in Pakistan and Nepal.

Summary of key functions:

The Governance Specialist will work together with specialists in Public Financial Management, Climate Change, to provide technical expertise required to implement the programme.

The Governance Specialist will provide substantive and administrative support to the Governance of Climate Finance Cross Practice Team and will report directly to the Governance of Climate Change Finance and Development Effectiveness Advisor with key functions as follows:

Ensures follow-up of recommendations emanating from the provincial CPEIRs in Pakistan (focusing on Khyber Pakthunkwa) and from the district level CPEIR in Nepal. 

• Conduct the organization of country level and sub-national stakeholder consultations and contribute significantly to CPEIR final report production and launch;
• Provide regional advice and direct technical assistance to develop local level capacities to develop climate compatible budgets in Pakistan and Nepal;
• Together with the PFM specialist, ensure capacity building efforts on integrating climate markers in sub-national budgeting processes, including results indicators, and monitoring and evaluation, keeping in mind political and governance reforms taking place in each country.  

Ensure the  tracking and reporting of climate change expenditure at the local level

• Provide technical assistance and advice to  local governments to develop or strengthen existing mechanisms to track and report on climate change expenditure at sub-national and national level, including by establishing partnerships with CSOs, including think-tanks;
• Coordinate the development of comprehensive and analytical public expenditure reports at the national and sub-national level which can inform subsequent budget formulation;
• Ensure capacity development of different stakeholders at national and sub-national level – government, CSOs, think-tanks, and others -  to review climate change expenditures.

Ensures effective Climate Change Finance initiatives regionally.

• Provide overview and technical expertise in reviewing regional knowledge products which synthesize country analysis produced;
• Contribute and strengthen partnerships among stakeholders working on climate change finance at the national and sub-national levels, including with by establishing national and regional partnerships to undertake high quality research on the socio-economic impacts of climate change finance investments;
• Develop and support innovative South-South issues which strengthen climate finance in South Asia and South East Asia (through the sister SIDA programme);
• Contribute to the regional dialogues and communities of practice. 

Impact of Results

Ultimately the work in the areas mentioned in section III will have the long-term impact of supporting countries of the region in to more effectively govern their response to climate change with a particular focus on the transparent and accountable delivery of climate change finance. Climate change finance, in particular, is a high-profile area of support for the United Nations and one in which the combination of expertise from governance and public finance is critically important for the UN´s credibility and for the achievement of an adequate climate change response nationally, regionally and globally.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrate the integrity and fairness by modeling UN/UNDP value’s and ethical standard;
• Promote the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Display culture, gender, religious, race, nationality and age sensitivities and adaptability.

Technical/Functional Competencies:

Management and Leadership

• Good managerial and leading skills;
• Demonstrate strong coordination skill;
• Consistently approaches to work with energy and a positive and constructive attitude.

Communication

• Good communication skill both in writing and oral including networking and interpersonal skills;
• Proven ability to persuade and influence others to cooperate.

Client Orientation

• Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion;
• Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines;
• Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships within the work unit and with internal and external clients;
• Proven ability to build strong relations with partners, clients for positive feed back.

Education:

• Master’s degree in political science, public administration, social sciences, international policy, development studies, or closely related field.  

Experience:

• At least 7 years of experience in areas related to governance and local governance (i.e., governance planning support, capacity development support, technical and policy advice, governance assessments, monitoring and evaluation etc.), with an excellent understanding of developing country context;
• Proven experience of working successfully with governments in the Asia on local governance. Experiences of linking governance with other areas, such as climate change is advantageous;
• Previous experiences in South Asia an advantage;
• Excellent analytical and writing skills;
• Excellent organizational and communication skills;
• Proven experience in overseeing and ensuring technical soundness of research and analysis products;
• Work experience in an international organization is an advantage;
• Extensive knowledge of UNDP’s policies, procedures and practice is an asset;
• Ability to work as a part of a team, sharing information and coordinating efforts within the team;
• Full computer literacy in internet searching and Microsoft Office programmes i.e. MS-Word, MS-Excel and MS-Power Point. Website management experience is an asset..

Language Requirements:

• Excellent knowledge of English, both spoken and written. Fluency in other languages spoken in the region is an asset.