Technical Specialist in Climate Change Adaptation Finance

Result of Service

The main objective of the position of the Technical Specialist on Climate Change Adaptation Finance is to contribute specifically to the execution of the following activities included in the project:

Outcome 1 - Country institutional and technical capacity, and stakeholder engagement strengthened
Output 1.3 - Climate information at appropriate scales and timeframe and in successful communication with key public and private sector stakeholders
Activity 1.3.3 - Develop and foster a strategy to engage private sector and attract private investment opportunities to increase the resilience on climate change

Outcome 3 - Financial flows and investment for adaptation measures under the NAP and NDC fostered
Output 3.1 - Financial strategy for the National Adaptation Plan developed
- Activity 3.1.1 - Validation and prioritization of the project ideas identified in the NAP, through a participatory consultation process
- Activity 3.1.2 - Carry out a cost-benefit analysis and co-benefit analysis of the 5 NAP project ideas prioritized
- Activity 3.1.3 - Develop a financial strategy and investment plan for the National Adaptation Plan
- Activity 3.1.4 - Development of conceptual notes based on the prioritized project ideas, with input from key institutions who might implement them

Output 3.2 - Cost analysis of the adaptation NDC developed
- Activity 3.2.1 - Carry out an analysis of the total cost of the adaptation measures included in the updated adaptation NDC to attract future funds and investments, especially from the private sector, to enhance resilience
- Activity 3.2.2 - Assess the cost of Business as Usual (no adaptation measures deployed) in 3-5 key private sector activities

Output 3.3 - Promoted links with other climate financial initiatives in the country
- Activity 3.3.1 - Hold periodic meetings (quarterly) and organize workshops with the Cooperation Committee for Strategic Adaptation Planning to ensure synergies between these projects and the proposed project’s prioritized concept notes
- Activity 3.3.2 - Work on liaison with the Finance Secretary (e.g. use the Climate Public and Expenditure Review performed during 2016 to establish a track of the financial support provided and received for adaptation actions and efforts) promoting and ensuring links between the project inputs and the finance initiatives in the country. actions and efforts) promoting and ensuring links between the project inputs and the finance initiatives in the country.

Additionally, the Technical Specialist on Climate Change Adaptation Finance is expected to work with the National Project Coordinator and the Project Management Unit in the development and implementation of other project-related activities, including, but not limited to, attending national, regional, and local meetings, as required.

The Technical Specialist on Climate Change Adaptation Finance will contribute to the effective implementation of the project by performing the following tasks:

1. To organize at least two meetings or workshops with relevant stakeholders for the validation and prioritization of project ideas, through a participatory process (Activity 3.1.1).
2. To lead the process of carrying out a cost-benefit analysis and co-benefit analysis of the five prioritized project ideas (Activity 3.1.2).
3. Work closely with the consultant responsible for developing a financial strategy and investment plan for the National Adaptation Plan and adaptation measures in the updated NDC, and the development of the National Climate Finance Policy (Activity 3.1.3).
4. Organize meetings and workshops with relevant stakeholders involved in the implementation of the NAP and the NDC for the development of the financial strategy.
5. To prepare Terms of Reference for a consultancy to develop concept notes based on prioritized project ideas (Activity 3.1.4), and to provide technical guidance and feedback to this process.
6. To assess the process of analysis of the total cost of the adaptation measures included in the updated NDC (Activity 3.2.1). Conduct meetings or workshops with relevant stakeholders to develop the methodology to quantify the total costs of the adaptation measures.
7. To conduct meetings or workshops to determine the 3-5 private sector activities to assess their cost of Business as Usual (Activity 3.2.2), linked to the development of a strategy to engage private sector and attract private investment opportunities (Activity 1.3.3).
8. To work closely with the Finance Secretary (Department of Public Investment, Department of Public Credit, and the Climate Change Economic and Financial Management Unit) to establish a track of the financial support provided and received for adaptation actions and efforts, carry out a climate expenditure review and analysis of the Honduran national budget, and provide recommendations to increase allocations for adaptation (Activity 3.3.2).
9. To prepare Terms of Reference for a consultancy package to develop and foster a strategy to engage the private sector in adaptation and attract private investment to increase resilience to climate change (Activity 1.3.3), and to provide technical guidance and feedback to this process.
10. To facilitate the organization of workshops and training courses on matters related to climate adaptation finance (Activity 1.2.3).
11. To contribute to the activities of the adaptation cooperation round table on matters related to climate finance (Activities 1.4.2 and 1.4.3).
12. To contribute with the activities related to fostering the adoption of prioritized adaptation measures, and the design of regional and sectoral adaptation strategies (Activities 2.1.2, 2.1.3, and 2.1.4), particularly regarding the financing of these measures and strategies.
13. To contribute with the activities related to the development of roadmaps for the adaptation measures included in the updated NDC (Activity 2.2.1), particularly regarding the financing of these measures.
14. To contribute with the activities of elaborating the adaptation communication including adaptation priorities, implementation and support needs, plans and actions (Activity 5.2.2), particularly regarding the financing aspects.
15. To take stock and analyze climate change adaptation cost information and identify existing information gaps in the country.
16. To identify funding options for climate change adaptation that consider innovative financial mechanisms that include public budgets and private-public partnerships, as well as international cooperation opportunities.
17. To provide technical advice, and expertise to the National Designated Authority (NDA) on national and international climate change matters and negotiations in the context of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change agenda (e.g., climate finance, Article 6, enhanced transparency framework, adaptation and loss and damage).
18. Prepare materials for project activities as may be required.

Work Location

Project Management Unit at Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Expected duration

15 months and 25 day

Duties and Responsibilities

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 United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global Environment.

UNEP, through its Latin America and the Caribbean Office (LAC Office) located in Panama City, works closely with the 33 countries of the region - including 16 Small Island Developing States - with a population of about 588 million people, to implement the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the UNFCCC Paris Agreement and the priority actions defined in countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The office works to serve the needs of the region and its activities are integrated into the Medium-Term Strategy and the Programme of Work approved by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).

In terms of supporting countries in the region to attain the global commitments signed within the framework of the Paris Agreement, UNEP’s Latin America and the Caribbean Sub-programme on Climate Change aims at strengthening the ability of countries to move towards climate-resilient and low emission strategies for sustainable development and human well-being. In this framework, the UNEP Sub-programme on Climate Change, through its Climate Change Unit leads and supports several initiatives oriented at designing, promoting, and implementing innovative mitigation and adaptation solutions at the national and subnational levels, and strengthening the transparency framework of the countries.

The expected accomplishment regarding climate change adaptation is that adaptation approaches, including the ecosystem-based approach, are implemented, and integrated into key sectoral and national development strategies to reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience to climate change impacts. Furthermore, UNEP’s Sub-programme on Climate Change is also committed to ensuring that cross-cutting issues such as gender equity and women’s empowerment are effectively integrated into the development of its tasks to guarantee equitable development in line with its adaptation objectives.

In this context, the Secretariat of State for Energy, Natural Resources, Environment and Mining of Honduras and UNEP have agreed on the implementation of the project Enabling environments to effectively plan, implement, monitor and report strategic National Adaptation Processes in Honduras, framed within the Readiness program of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The project aims to sustainably build country capacity in identifying, prioritizing, planning and implementing measures that address medium and long-term adaptation needs considering UNFCCC decisions 1/CP.16 and 5/CP.17 and all elements of the UNFCCC Technical Guidelines for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). The ultimate objective of the project is to reduce the vulnerability of Honduras to the impacts of climate variability and change, by building adaptive capacity and resilience through the integration of climate change adaptation into planning and implementation within all relevant sectors and at different levels, as appropriate, including the different line ministries, local governments, private sector, and civil society organizations.

The project seeks to achieve its components and objective through:
• Strengthening the institutional, legal, policy and planning framework.
• Engaging key stakeholders in climate change adaptation planning and implementation.
• Financial flows and investment for adaptation measures under the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) fostered.
• Producing high-quality and pertinent knowledge.
• Building capacity at different levels.

In this sense, to fulfill the objectives of the project, the UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office is recruiting a Technical Specialist in Climate Change Adaptation Finance to work in close collaboration with the National Project Coordinator and the Project Management Unit in the delivery of several processes and activities related to adaptation financing.

The Technical Specialist in Climate Change Adaptation Finance will operate under the overall supervision of the Adaptation Programme Officer at the UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office and will work closely with the National Project Coordinator in the execution of the project. Additionally, he/she will work in close collaboration with the National Climate Change Directorate of the Ministry for Energy, Natural Resources, Environment and Mining of Honduras, the Climate Change Economic and Financial Management Unit of the Ministry of Finance, other national consultants, and governmental and non-governmental counterparts.

The Technical Specialist on Climate Change Adaptation Finance is expected to work full-time 40 hours per week. The consultant will work in the Project Management Unit in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Qualifications/special skills

ACADEMIC:

• A Bachelor’s degree in business, administration, finance, economy, environment sciences, engineering or a closely related field is required.
• A Master’s degree or an equivalent or higher academic degree in climate change adaptation finance, climate finance, environmental economics, finance or closely related field is required.

PROFESSIONAL:

• A minimum of 5 years of work experience in project financing, project development and/or economic or financial analysis is required.
• A minimum of 4 years of relevant work experience on natural resource management and/or climate change mitigation and/or adaptation is required.
• Demonstrated experience in the development and/or analysis of financial mechanisms aimed at leveraging funding from the public and private sector to fund environmental/climate change adaptation actions is desirable.
• Demonstrated experience in the estimation of costs and benefits of environmental actions and/or programmes to include in programmes of work or project development is desired.
• Demonstrated experience engaging with government institutions and other relevant stakeholders involved in environmental planning and/or natural resource management and/or climate change adaptation at the national and/or local levels is desired.
• Demonstrated knowledge of climate change adaptation approaches including Ecosystem-based Adaptation is an asset.


LANGUAGE:

• Fluency in Spanish and English is required.

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.