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UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Consultant – Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) Programme Coordinator

Geneva

  • Organization: UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme
  • Location: Geneva
  • Grade: Consultancy - International Consultant - Internationally recruited Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Development Cooperation and Sustainable Development Goals
    • Statistics
    • Physics and Mathematics
    • Banking and Finance
    • Environment
    • Procurement
    • Sexual and reproductive health
    • Project and Programme Management
    • Managerial positions
  • Closing Date: Closed

Result of Service

The ultimate result of the services is the effective and efficient management, delivery, implementation, promotion, and coordination of the PSI global work programme, in line with the PSI’s purpose to better understand, prevent and reduce environmental, social and governance risks, and better manage opportunities to provide quality and reliable risk protection; and the PSI’s vision of a risk aware world, where the insurance industry is trusted and plays its full role in enabling a healthy, safe, resilient and sustainable society.

Work Location

Remote and/or Geneva, Switzerland

Expected duration

12 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Established in 1972, 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 UN system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.

Founded in 1992, UNEP’s Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is a partnership between UNEP and the global financial sector to mobilise private sector finance for sustainable development. UNEP FI works with more than 450 members—banks, insurers, and investors—and over 100 supporting institutions—to help create a financial sector that serves people and planet while delivering positive impacts.

Endorsed by the UN Secretary-General and insurance industry CEOs, the Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) serve as a global framework for the insurance industry to address environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks and opportunities—such as climate change, biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation, pollution and social inequality—as risk managers, insurers and investors. The PSI is a global initiative to strengthen the insurance industry’s contribution to building resilient, inclusive and sustainable communities and economies on a healthy planet in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Paris Climate Agreement, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Developed by UNEP’s Finance Initiative, the PSI was launched at the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) and has led to the largest collaborative initiative between the UN and the insurance industry. As of March 2023, more than 240 organisations have joined the PSI, including insurers representing about one-third of world premium and USD 15 trillion in assets under management, and the most extensive global network of insurance and stakeholder organisations committed to addressing sustainability challenges. The PSI also hosts the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance and the Sustainable Insurance Facility of the Vulnerable Twenty Group of Finance Ministers (V20).

Under the direction and supervision of the PSI Programme Leader, the Consultant will support the management, delivery, implementation, promotion and coordination of the PSI global work programme.

As risk managers, insurers and investors, the insurance industry is uniquely positioned to promote economic, social and environmental sustainability—in other words, sustainable development.

The four Principles for Sustainable Insurance, including a list of possible actions, provide a common aspiration and global framework for the insurance industry to manage sustainability issues, and to strengthen its contribution to building resilient, inclusive and sustainable communities and economies on a healthy planet. The Principles are structured according to the spheres of influence of an insurance company, from core business strategies and operations, through to business partners, governments, regulators and other key stakeholders. Furthermore, the Principles promote accountability and transparency.

PSI global work programme

The Consultant will support the PSI Programme Leader, wider PSI and UNEP FI team, PSI members and partner organisations in the management, delivery, implementation, promotion and coordination of the PSI global work programme. The work programme comprises collaborative projects and activities structured around 8 priority work areas, which support the implementation of UNEP’s Medium-Term Strategy 2022-2025 – on the road to 2030.

a. Climate change mitigation and adaptation: Net zero, resilience and inclusive insurance

¿ Supporting the development, implementation and promotion of the different work streams of the Net-Zero Insurance Alliance (NZIA) established by the PSI in 2021. The NZIA aims to transition insurance and reinsurance underwriting portfolios to net-zero emissions by 2050 in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2100, in line with the aims of the Paris Agreement. As of March 2023, 30 insurers and reinsurers from across the globe have joined the NZIA, representing about 15% of world premium. The NZIA builds on the climate leadership of insurers and reinsurers as investors through their membership in the UN-convened Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance (NZAOA) established in 2019.

¿ Supporting the development, implementation and promotion of climate, disaster risk and inclusive insurance solutions to build the resilience of vulnerable communities, primarily via the PSI-hosted Vulnerable Twenty Group of Ministers of Finance (V20) Sustainable Insurance Facility (SIF) and its contributions to the goals of the InsuResilience Global Partnership, Global Shield Against Climate Risks, and UNFCCC Loss & Damage Fund. The V20-SIF project office at the PSI is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation & Development (BMZ). The V20 comprises 58 climate-vulnerable economies with a combined population of 1.5 billion people and a 5% share of global emissions. Other relevant initiatives include the PSI-supported Nairobi Declaration on Sustainable Insurance, Financial Sector Deepening (FSD) Africa, Microinsurance Network, ILO Impact Insurance Facility, Insurance Development Forum, and Munich Climate Insurance Initiative.

¿ Supporting the UNFCCC process related to the design and operationalisation of the UNFCCC Loss & Damage Fund, including providing input and coordinating input from PSI members and stakeholders

¿ Supporting the implementation and promotion of the recommendations of the Financial Stability Board’s (FSB) Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) through the key findings and outcomes of the PSI’s TCFD pilot project on climate-related physical, transition and litigations risks in the context of insurance portfolios; TCFD piloting by Brazilian insurers; and a TCFD paper on life & health insurance business.


b. Sustainable insurance frameworks

¿ Supporting the implementation and promotion of the first global insurance industry guide developed by the PSI to manage environmental, social and governance risks in non-life insurance business.

¿ Supporting the implementation and promotion of the first global insurance industry guide developed by the PSI to manage environmental, social and governance risks in life & health insurance business.

¿ Supporting the development, implementation and promotion of sustainable insurance business definitions, thinking, practices and metrics in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to shape “Insurance SDGs” and align insurance portfolios with the SDGs.

c. Nature positive: Biodiversity, ecosystems and pollution prevention

¿ Supporting the implementation and promotion of pioneering global insurance industry guidance and studies:

o The guide developed by the PSI, WWF and UNESCO to protect World Heritage Sites
o The guide developed by the PSI and Oceana to tackle illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing
o The guide developed by the PSI to tackle the risks of plastic pollution, marine plastic litter and microplastics
o The study by the PSI and sponsored by DB Insurance on how to harness environmental pollution liability insurance for a sustainable economy
o The PSI-supported guide by WWF on how the insurance industry can tackle high-impact hydropower projects and support the transition to a nature-positive economy
o The PSI-supported study by the Minderoo Foundation on social costs and corporate liabilities relevant to plastic pollution, and further work in this area

¿ Supporting the development and promotion of a white paper on nature-positive insurance thinking and practices.

¿ Supporting the establishment of a Nature-Positive Insurance Alliance that will shape and advance nature-positive insurance globally, including nature-related risk assessment tools tailored for the insurance business, and metrics to measure and disclose nature-related impacts associated with insurance underwriting portfolios.

¿ Supporting the agenda of aligning insurance and financial portfolios with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and initiatives such as the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and UNEP FI Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative.


d. Life & health

¿ Supporting the promotion of the guide for managing ESG risks in life & health insurance business.

¿ Supporting the development and promotion of a research paper focused on the role of life and health insurers in facilitating a more inclusive and preventative healthcare model globally.

¿ Supporting the promotion and implementation of the Tobacco-Free Finance Pledge for banks, insurers and investors and exploring guidance on tobacco-free insurance.

e. Cities

¿ Supporting the implementation and promotion of the Insurance Industry Development Goals for Cities developed by the PSI and ICLEI to help achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 on resilient and sustainable cities.

f. Sustainable insurance roadmaps and strategies

¿ Supporting the development, implementation and promotion of sustainable insurance roadmaps and strategies in several countries and jurisdictions, including the following:

o California Sustainable Insurance Roadmap
o PSI Canadian Sustainable Insurance Taskforce
o Nairobi Declaration on Sustainable Insurance
o Costa Rican Insurance Industry’s Protocol for Responsible Business Conduct

g. Policy, supervision and regulation

¿ Supporting the PSI/UNEP FI’s engagement with the UN-convened Sustainable Insurance Forum (SIF), the global leadership group of insurance supervisors and regulators working together to strengthen understanding and responses to sustainability issues.

¿ Supporting the PSI/UNEP FI’s engagement with the European Commission’s Climate Resilience Dialogue to strengthen the understanding between insurers, policymakers and other stakeholders and close the climate protection gap.

¿ Supporting the PSI/UNEP FI’s engagement with the UNEP-led intergovernmental process to forge an international legally-binding agreement to end plastic pollution.

¿ Supporting UNEP FI’s work on sustainable finance policy, supervision and regulation, and UN processes relevant to sustainable finance (e.g. climate change, nature/biodiversity, oceans, plastics)

h. Shaping the sustainable insurance agenda and knowledge sharing

¿ Supporting the development, implementation and promotion of the sustainable insurance agenda by convening insurance industry leaders and practitioners, regulators and supervisors, companies across industry sectors, and other key stakeholders nationally, regionally and internationally through events and webinars. Examples include the PSI 10th anniversary event in 2022, the PSI Sustainable Insurance Series for COP26 (2021) and COP27 (2022), the Nature-Positive Insurance Series of the PSI and UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2021 in support of the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15), the PSI-Swiss Re virtual event series in 2020 on sustainability leadership in insurance, and the PSI CEO sustainability leadership series launched during Climate Week NYC and the UN Biodiversity Summit in 2020.

The Consultant will support the PSI Programme Leader in the delivery, implementation, promotion, and coordination of the PSI global work programme, including the following main output expectations and performance indicators:

¿ Strategy and action plan to support PSI members in implementing the Principles for Sustainable Insurance

¿ Commitments, methodologies and target-setting protocol to achieve net-zero insurance underwriting portfolios, including relevant resources and processes to update them as necessary

¿ At least 10% increase in NZIA membership

¿ Publication of the NZIA white paper on life & health insurance business

¿ Completion of the NZIA collaboration with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), including funding and legal agreements

¿ Initial concrete outputs of the V20 Sustainable Insurance Facility in several V20 countries and its contributions to the goals of the InsurResilience Global Partnership, Global Shield Against Climate Risks, and UNFCCC Loss & Damage Fund

¿ Substantive PSI support for and input to the UNFCCC process related to the design and operationalisation of the UNFCCC Loss & Damage Fund

¿ Completion of the PSI collaboration with the Munich Climate Insurance Initiative (MCII), including funding and legal agreements

¿ Publication of the findings of the PSI-TCFD pilot by Brazilian insurers and the PSI-TCFD paper on life & health insurance business

¿ Publication of the PSI research paper on the role of life & health insurers in facilitating a more inclusive and preventative healthcare model globally

¿ Publication of the PSI white paper on nature-positive insurance

¿ Strategy and action plan to establish a Nature-Positive Insurance Alliance

¿ Publication of a PSI paper defining sustainable insurance business and how insurance portfolios can contribute to achieving the SDGs

¿ PSI priority work streams integrated into the UNEP FI Regional Roundtables and UNEP FI Global Roundtable

¿ At least 10% increase in PSI membership

¿ Well-managed governance processes across and relevant to the PSI global work programme, including PSI Board meetings, NZIA Steering Group and All-Members meetings, V20 Sustainable Insurance Facility meetings, and UNEP FI Global Steering Committee meetings

¿ Well-coordinated communications on key outputs of PSI projects and activities to PSI, NZIA and UNEP FI members and key stakeholders globally

duties and responsibilities. In doing so, the Consultant will liaise with the wider PSI/UNEP FI team, particularly the PSI Programme Implementation Officer, PSI/NZIA Communications Officer, NZIA Project Manager, NZIA Project Coordinator (and other NZIA roles in the future), V20-SIF Global Coordinator and Regional Coordinators (and other V20-SIF roles in the future), and PSI interns.

¿ Delivering, implementing, promoting, and coordinating priority work areas in the PSI global work programme and their links and contributions to the UNEP Medium-Term Strategy 2022-2025 and relevant global frameworks, particularly the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Climate Agreement, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

¿ Assessing the needs and pain points of PSI members in implementing the Principles for Sustainable Insurance and developing the appropriate implementation support services

¿ Growing the PSI and NZIA global membership by identifying and recruiting PSI and NZIA signatory companies and supporting institutions across developing and developed countries, assessing their applications, and onboarding them to the PSI and NZIA.

¿ Developing, implementing, promoting, and updating strategies, approaches, commitments, methodologies, metrics and targets relevant to achieving net-zero, nature-positive, inclusive and sustainable insurance underwriting portfolios.

¿ Developing, implementing, and promoting climate, disaster risk and inclusive insurance solutions to build the resilience of vulnerable communities, primarily via the V20 Sustainable Insurance Facility and its contributions to the goals of the InsuResilience Global Partnership, Global Shield Against Climate Risks, and UNFCCC Loss & Damage Fund.

¿ Providing substantive PSI support for and input to the UN process related to the design and operationalisation of the UNFCCC Loss & Damage Fund; and UN processes relevant to other key sustainability issues (e.g. nature/biodiversity, oceans, plastics)

¿ Contributing to, reviewing and editing PSI publications (e.g. reports, guides, studies, white papers, protocols, technical documents).

¿ Coordinating PSI, NZIA and V20-SIF communications across projects and activities, including press releases, global announcements, social media promotion; and updating the PSI, NZIA, V20-SIF and UNEP FI websites.

¿ Administering funding and legal agreements, publication processes, human resource/recruitment plans, and travel plans and requests

¿ Organising, coordinating, and participating in PSI Board, NZIA Steering Group and V20 Sustainable Insurance Facility (V20-SIF) meetings that will shape and monitor the PSI, NZIA and V20-SIF strategy and work programme.

¿ Coordinating and preparing for elections of PSI, NZIA and UNEP FI governance bodies, and coordinating with such governance bodies on activities supporting the implementation of the PSI programme.

¿ Organising, communicating and participating in PSI, NZIA, V20-SIF and UNEP FI events (e.g. all-members events, market events, anniversary events, global and regional roundtables, AGMs) and knowledge-sharing webinars on best, current and emerging sustainable insurance thinking and practices.

¿ Coordinating and working with UNEP FI thematic leads (e.g. climate change, nature, social issues, positive impact), UNEP FI regional coordinators (i.e. Africa & Middle East, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America & the Caribbean, North America), net-zero alliances (e.g. Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance, Net-Zero Banking Alliance, Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, UN Race to Zero campaign), partners and/or donors (e.g. PCAF, SBTi, V20, MCII, BMZ) on PSI, NZIA and V20-SIF activities and UNEP FI financial sector-wide activities.

The Consultant will report to and be supervised by PSI Programme Leader, and the overall responsibility will rest with UNEP FI Head of Unit.

Qualifications/special skills

Academic: An advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent degree) in risk management, insurance, finance, business, development economics, environmental/sustainability issues, urban studies, international relations, administration or related fields. A first-level university degree in combination with at least nine (9) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Professional experience: At least seven (7) years of progressively responsible experience in the insurance industry or the broader financial or business sector and/or organisations involved in promoting sustainable insurance, investment, finance and/or business strategies and operations. Prior experience at the international level in programme management and stakeholder engagement is required.

Special skills/knowledge: The Consultant should have strong analytical and programme management skills, excellent spoken and written communication skills; and should be able to cope with and manage heavy workloads, time pressure, and multiple and diverse projects and activities in an organised and timely manner. Attention to detail is essential. The Consultant should be a team player and able to communicate and interact effectively with various internal and external stakeholders in the private and public sectors, across multiple cultural and professional backgrounds. This role entails critical thinking and strong relationship building and communication skills. The Consultant should demonstrate the UN’s core values—integrity, professionalism, and respect for diversity—at all times.

Languages

Language: English is the working language of the PSI and UNEP FI Secretariat, so oral and written fluency in English is required. Fluency in other languages, particularly official UN languages, is highly desirable.

No Fee

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.

This vacancy is now closed.
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