Technical Advisor for Global Climate Fund - GCF and UNDP's REDD+ safeguards

This Project is based on Results Based Payments received from the Green Climate Fund for emissions reduction from deforestation in Brazil already achieved in the period of 2014-2015. The use of proceeds will contribute to the conservation and valuation of the standing forests of the Brazilian Amazon.

Moreover, the results-based payments received by Brazil from the GCF will contribute to the implementation of the forest sector actions of Brazil’s NDC. This project proposal has two main outputs, which will also contribute to the achievement of the ENREDD+ overall objective and the Brazil’s NDC:

1. Development of a pilot of an Environmental Services Incentive Program for Conservation and Recovery of Native Vegetation (Floresta+); and
2. Strengthen the implementation of Brazil’s ENREDD+ through improvements in its governance structure and systems.

The Floresta+ is a new and innovative pilot program that aims to provide incentives for environmental services (IES) in the Legal Amazon region, in accordance with Brazil’s Forest Code, the ENREDD+ and Brazil’s NDC. This IES pilot program will have the following specific objectives:

1. provide monetary compensation to incentivize native vegetation conservation and recovery and improvement of ecosystems that generate environmental services (including but not limited to carbon);
2. prevent the occurrence of deforestation, forest degradation and forest fires through financial incentives;
3. incentivize the recovery of native vegetation of rural properties, conservation areas, indigenous lands, land settlements and traditional people and community lands;
4. value the actions of landowners, land users, settlers, indigenous peoples and traditional communities in conservation and recovery of native vegetation;
5. promote compliance with the environmental legislation, especially that related to the protection and recovery of native vegetation (Forest Code);
6. offer a financial mechanism to foster the development and implementation of public policies aimed at conservation and recovery of native vegetation.

The target audience for the Floresta+ Pilot Program is comprised of:

• small farmers, according to art. 3º, V, of the Forest Code (Law nº 12.651/2012), up to 4 fiscal modules
• indigenous peoples;
• traditional peoples and communities according to Art. 3º of decree nº 6.040/2007 (that use their territory collectively); and
• public institutions or agencies (including States and municipalities), civil associations, cooperatives and private law foundations that act in topics related to conservation and recovery of native vegetation.

The prioritization of areas to be selected as beneficiaries for the Floresta+ pilot program will consider:

1. regions with high pressure from deforestation, forest degradation and forest fires;
2. priority areas for biodiversity conservation and for the recovery of native vegetation, according to norms defined by the MMA;
3. buffer zones around protected areas;
4. regions with higher density of small farmers;
5. regions with higher concentration of traditional peoples and communities;
6. integration with other public policies related to the conservation and recovery of native vegetation.

As for output 2, the resources received by Brazil from the GCF through REDD+ payments will be in part directed to support the: (1) Expansion of the forest monitoring system and MRV to include additional REDD+ activities, pools and gases, considering the mapping products produced under the Brazilian Biomes Environmental Monitoring Program, for all biomes, as appropriate, following the guidance from the Working Group of Technical Experts on REDD+. The aim is to submit a national FREL to the UNFCCC by the end of 2021; (2) Development of a tool to monitor and measure the impacts of REDD+ policies and investments and inform decision-making regarding the forest component of Brazil´s NDC; (3) Improvement Brazil’s SISREDD+ and its ombudsman, making it more complete, transparent and accessible; (4) Enhancement of the capacities and access of the various stakeholders for participating in the ENREDD+ governance, including the revision of the National REDD+ Strategy in 2020; and (5) Support exchanges among countries to ensure that this impact beyond the national boundaries is maintained in the long-run.

Applicable Standards and Safeguards

The project will comply with UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards (SES), which came into effect 1 January 2015. The SES underpin UNDP’s commitment to mainstream social and environmental sustainability in its Programmes and Projects to support sustainable development. The objectives of the standards are to:

• Strengthen the social and environmental outcomes of Programmes and Projects
• Avoid adverse impacts to people and the environment
• Minimize, mitigate, and manage adverse impacts where avoidance is not possible
• Strengthen UNDP, and partner capacities (in this case, MMA) for managing social and environmental risks
• Ensure full and effective stakeholder engagement, including through a mechanism to respond to complaints from project-affected people

The SES are an integral component of UNDP’s quality assurance and risk management approach to programming. This includes the Social and Environmental Screening Procedure.

The standards are underpinned by an Accountability Mechanism with two key functions:

1. A Stakeholder Response Mechanism (SRM) that ensures individuals, peoples, and communities affected by UNDP projects have access to appropriate procedures for hearing and addressing project-related grievances; and
2. 2) A Compliance Review process to respond to claims that UNDP is not in compliance with UNDP’s social and environmental policies.

Through the GCF Accreditation Process, the SES are acknowledged to be in line with the GCF’s Environment and Social Standards.

The project will also comply with the UNFCCC REDD+ safeguard requirements, including the ‘Cancun ‘safeguards’.  COP16 (Cancun) in 2010 agreed that a set of seven safeguards, commonly referred to as the Cancun Safeguards, should be promoted and supported when undertaking REDD+ activities. The safeguards in Appendix 1 of decision 1/CP.16 indicate that when undertaking activities referred to in paragraph 70 of decision 1/CP.16, the following safeguards should be promoted and supported:

1. That actions complement or are consistent with the objectives of national forest programmes and relevant international conventions and agreements;
2. Transparent and effective national forest governance structures, taking into account national legislation and sovereignty;
3. Respect for the knowledge and rights of indigenous peoples and members of local communities, by taking into account relevant international obligations, national circumstances and laws, and noting that the United Nations General Assembly has adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;
4. The full and effective participation of relevant stakeholders, in particular indigenous peoples and local communities, in the actions referred to in paragraphs 70 and 72 of this decision;
5. That actions are consistent with the conservation of natural forests and biological diversity, ensuring that the actions referred to in paragraph 70 of this decision are not used for the conversion of natural forests, but are instead used to incentivize the protection and conservation of natural forests and their ecosystem services, and to enhance other social and environmental benefits;
6. Actions to address the risks of reversals;
7. Actions to reduce displacement of emissions.

While it’s considered that Cancun safeguards (f) and (g) are implicitly captured in the UNDP Social and Environmental Standards and Policies (See Demonstrating Consistency: UNDP Social and Environmental Standards and Policies and UNFCCC Cancun Safeguards), it is important to consider these Cancun safeguards separately in the SESP, ESIA and ESMP because they: 1) are not explicitly referenced in the UNDP standards; 2) are unique, assumed risks for forest and land use; and 3) should be reflected separately in the national reporting of the SIS/SOI. 

The applicable national and international legal framework is outlined in Environmental and Social Management Framework, referred to below, as well as in the Environmental and Social Assessment undertaken as part of the Funding Proposal submission to the Green Climate Fund (see links on left side of page, here).

The purpose of this Term of Reference is to hire a Project Manager for the Project Management Unit - PMU. This project manager will be a full member of the PMU and will work under the overall leadership of the Project Coordinator.  The Project Specialist will be responsible for assisting the Project Board (MMA, PNUD and ABC) in making decisions for the Project, in line with and respecting the safeguards of REDD+, of the GCF and of UNDP.

The Project manager on ESIA and ESMP will be, according to the following topics, responsible for:

• Stakeholder Engagement and Communication: Contribute to ensuring relevant stakeholders are informed and participate in the design and decision-making processes related to project activities that may affect them.

• Support the supervision of the implementation of Environmental and Social Management Plan, ESMP (and associated plans): contribute to ensuring ESIA outputs (ESMP and associated plans) are incorporated into Modality Operational Manuals, ToRs of responsible parties, monitoring and reporting framework.  Contribute to the effective implementation of ESMP.

• Grievance Mechanism: Contribute to building an effective mechanism in place to receive, respond, monitor and report on project-related grievances

-  Assess existing GRM capacities and functions to support their use in the context of the project

- Assess existing GRM capacities against Guiding Principles, outlined in UNDP Guidance on GRMs

- Support technically the proposal of structure and functions for project-level GRM, in line with UNDP SES

-  Contribute to ensuring the project-level GRM is effective in the following functions:

o    Informing project stakeholders about GRM

o    Receiving complaints, referring it to relevant bodies

o    Tracking complaints and ensuring effective response

o    Monitoring and reporting on response outcomes

- Promote links with national GRM processes, where relevant

- Contribute to strengthening capacities across responsible parties to implement and use GRM

- Contribute to raising awareness among beneficiaries and project stakeholders on access and using the GRM

-  Contribute to ensuring public complaints relating to project implementation are addressed with corrective action and adequately documented

- Prepare annual report on complaints received and responses made by the project management team

• Monitoring & Reporting on safeguards implementation (ESMP and associated plans, safeguards indicators)

-  Provide technical input to  the implementation of the mitigation measures in conjunction with stakeholders in various parts of the project, these include including relevant national and sub-national government departments, NGO/CSOs, indigenous people’s representatives, traditional community and family farmers organizations, private sector and partner associations. 

- Contribute to the permanent and participatory implementation and monitoring of impacts and mitigation measures, in accordance with ESMP

- Contribute to the monitoring and reporting of implementation management plans

- Contribute to the monitoring and reporting of quality criteria associated with project objectives

- Contribute to the preparation of annual reports on safeguards implementation

- Support the elaboration of questions and data requests from GCF related to safeguards implementation (e.g. documentation of consultation and consent processes, social and environmental studies, management plans, grievances received and responded to, etc.)

-Provide technical support for regular review meetings with responsible parties and visit selected project sites to monitor implementation of the safeguards instruments

• UNFCCC Safeguard Requirements and Synergies with National Safeguards Processes: Provide advice to strengthen Brazil’s SISREDD+ and contribute, if applicable, to prepare for Brazil’s next Summary of Information on how safeguards are being addressed and respected (SOI)

- Provide recommendations to strengthening the implementation of SISREDD+, including exploring synergies with the ESMP, Grievance Redress Mechanism, and UNDP’s social and environmental safeguards requirements.

-  Support systematization of information on how REDD+ safeguards are addressed and respected within the scope of project implementation.

- Summarize project-level safeguards information and data, which could be considered as inputs for the development of Brazil’s next SOI.

- Where appropriate, contribute to create synergies with jurisdictional approaches to REDD+ safeguards.  

• Evaluate and report to PMU and Project Board the impacts of the Project GCF REDD+ implementation;
• Assist the Project Board (MMA, PNUD, and ABC) in the decision-making process, in line with and respecting GCF and UNDP's REDD+ safeguards. 

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity and alignment with UN ethical values and standards.

• Promotes UNDP's vision, mission, and strategic objectives.

• Displays cultural sensitivity, adaptability, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age.

• Demonstrate common sense.

• Demonstrate ethics and integrity.

• Self-development and initiative.

• Acts and facilitate teamwork.

• Learn and share knowledge and encourage the learning of others.

Functional skills:

• Highly organized person, sets priorities, produces quality results, meets deadlines, and manages time efficiently.

• Ability to maintain an overview of complex work situations.

• Able to collect and process data and information.

• Ability to identify opportunities, conceptualize, and develop project reports.

• Ability to analyze situations and act accordingly.

• Excellent interpersonal skills for communication between the team and other institutions.

• Shares knowledge and is willing to provide support to others who ask for advice or help.

• Works towards creative solutions, analyzing problems carefully and logically.

• Maintains professional relationships with supervisors, co-workers, and customers.

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Sciences or Environmental Sciences, Agriculture, Forest Engineering, Rural Development or related field.

• 5-year demonstrated knowledge and experience in the application of social and environmental safeguards or monitoring and evaluation;
• 5-year demonstrated experience engaging with local communities and indigenous peoples.
• Demonstrated ability to engage stakeholders’ participation and commitment for effective implementation to contribute to long term sustainability of the project and familiarity with stakeholder engagement methods and processes (including gender responsive approaches);
• Experience in working comfortably in Brazil at national, sub-national and community levels with diverse range of stakeholders on forest, land-use and climate related issues. Familiarity with the relevant Government procedures and regulations;
• Up-to-date knowledge of REDD+, broader climate change issues and national forest legislation is an asset;
• Knowledge of UNFCCC, UNDP, GCF safeguards, or IFC Performance Standards is an asset.

• Fluency, both oral and written English and Portuguese, is required.

Important applicant information

All posts in the SC categories are subject to local recruitment.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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UNDP is committed to achieving diversity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified applicants, irrespective of gender, nationality, disabilities, sexual orientation, culture, religious and ethnic backgrounds to apply. All applications will be treated in the strictest confidence.

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