THIS IS A UNOPS VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT. PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK TO SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION - http://www.unops.org/_layouts/scripts/GetVAFile.aspx?id=6617. APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED VIA THIS WEBSITE WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. The forestry sector, mainly through deforestation and forest degradation, accounts for about 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions, larger than the entire global transport sector. Tropical developing countries, home to much of the world’s forests, cannot currently benefit under the Kyoto Protocol for most actions to reduce emissions from deforestation or forest degradation. The need to address these challenges by establishing an international REDD+ finance mechanism has been adopted through international negotiations and interim agreements, such as the 2007 Bali Action Plan, the UNFCCC COP13 Decision 2/CP.13, the UNFCCC COP16 Decision 1/CP.16, and further reaffirmed recently in the UNFCCC COP17 Decisions. In response to these decisions and requests from countries and donors, Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), UN Development Programme (UNDP), and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) developed the UN Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (known as UN-REDD Programme). The UN-REDD Programme has two core mandates: i) to assist developing countries to prepare and implement national REDD+ strategies and systems; and ii) to provide international support in order to enable the development of normative solutions and standardized approaches based on sound science for an international REDD+ mechanism linked with the UNFCCC1. With the recent expansion of the UN-REDD Programme globally, a wide range of services and a higher degree of technical assistance are being requested from participating countries. First, there is need to stimulate and consolidate stakeholder engagement, participation, consultation processes, national dialogue and training of stakeholders. There is also an increasing need to systematically collect and analyze national-level generated lessons and good practices for effective knowledge sharing within and among the regions in order to support the implementation of National Programmes and the current evidence-based global negotiations and discussion in shaping the REDD+ architecture and mechanisms at the global scale. International support functions are underway to support country actions and provide the international community with confidence and understanding of the technical and social aspects of a post-2012 REDD+ mechanism. One of the major components of this work is to increase the engagement of stakeholders in the REDD+ agenda based on the recognition that REDD+ will succeed only with the full engagement of civil society organizations (CSO), Indigenous peoples (IP) and representatives of local communities, including due national dialogue processes as well as at the local level where land and other natural resource management decisions are ultimately made. It is important to increase the engagement of these stakeholders in the REDD+ agenda to ensure that their concerns are appropriately addressed. UNDP, as the lead agency within the UN-REDD Programme responsible for fostering stakeholder engagement, as well as for participation, consultation and national dialogue processes, is accordingly seeking three Regional Technical Specialists in Stakeholder Engagement to advance its work in the broad area of stakeholder engagement at the regional level in: (1) Bangkok; (2) Nairobi; and (3) Panama. The Technical Specialists will work under the direct supervision of the UNDP Regional Coordinator or Regional Technical Advisor for the UN-REDD Programme with reporting lines to the UNDP Senior Policy Advisor responsible for Stakeholder Engagement for the UN-REDD Global Programme. His/her role will principally be as follows: - To support stakeholder engagement around REDD+ at the national and regional levels, including: supporting the representation and organization of stakeholders; facilitating access to due information and learning on REDD+; stimulating national dialogue processes; fostering participation in the building of REDD+ mechanisms; and providing the basis for national consensus on REDD+, mainly in countries with active UN-REDD National Programmes and other UN-REDD Programme partner countries;
- To support the implementation of UN-REDD Global Strategy's outcome 4, on "Engagement of Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, and Other Relevant Stakeholders"2;
- To broadly support activities for Information, Education and Communication (IEC) on REDD+ at national and regional levels, aiming to foster stakeholder understanding, engagement and dialogue in the development of national REDD+ strategies and REDD+ support systems; and
- Support knowledge management and outreach efforts for UN-REDD National Programmes and regional UN-REDD Programme initiatives.
|
Duties and Responsibilities |
The specialists, who will be part of the UN-REDD Programme’s regional teams, will focus on supporting national and regional stakeholder engagement in UN-REDD Programme activities. The specialists will work closely with the UNDP Regional Coordinator or Regional Technical Advisor to the UN-REDD Programme and the Stakeholder Engagement team for the UN-REDD Global Programme, as well as UN-REDD professionals across the 3 agencies, national UN-REDD teams and contracted staff to: - Facilitate the application of the joint UN-REDD Programme and World Bank hosted Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Guidelines on Stakeholder Engagement in REDD+ Readiness with a Focus on Indigenous Peoples and other Forest Dependent Communities in UN-REDD National Programmes;
- Support the application of the UN-REDD Programme Guidelines on Free, Prior and Informed Consent and support recourse systems for complaints and concerns arising from National Programme activities in the region;
- Contribute to the dissemination and application of UN-REDD Programme safeguards in the region, in particular during National Programme Documents (NPD) and/or Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP) elaboration and implementation;
- Support stakeholder engagement in UN-REDD Programme countries, particularly in countries with National Programmes and/or receiving UN-REDD Programme targeted support, including the planning, implementation and reporting of key outputs and activities to increase national and regional REDD+ readiness involving IPs and other key stakeholders;
- Support the UNDP Regional Coordinator or Regional Technical Advisor for the UN-REDD Programme, UNDP Regional Service Center and Country Offices, National Programme teams, and UN-REDD Programme staff from the UNEP and the FAO to ensure that IPs and other forest dependent communities’ rights are respected and that they are meaningfully included in consultations and pilot country activities;
- Coordinate with partner IP and civil society organizations in the region that work in the area of forests, climate change and IP and/or minority rights to appropriately address concerns of IPs and civil society;
- Coordinate and cooperate with FCPF colleagues to support harmonized processes (e.g., application of the joint Guidelines on Stakeholder Engagement in REDD+ Readiness; use of the harmonized R-PP document);
- Support the regional IP and CSO representatives to the UN-REDD Programme Policy Board to coordinate effectively with IP and CSO stakeholders nationally and regionally;
- Coordinate expert inputs on technical issues associated with the engagement of stakeholders in national and regional REDD+ readiness activities;
- Provide support for other REDD+ activities at regional and national levels, as determined by the UNDP Regional Coordinator or Technical Advisor to the UN-REDD Programme, and the UNDP Senior Policy Advisor on REDD+;
- Support and facilitate the implementation of targeted support in the region, particularly those targeting National Governance, Stakeholder Engagement and Transparent, Equitable and Accountable Management of REDD+ Funds; and
- Facilitate synergies and coordination within UNDP, in particular with the clusters of gender, knowledge management, capacity building and democratic governance, with REDD+ related UNDP-GEF projects, and with other UN initiatives that promote the rights of IPs in the region and engagement of stakeholder for REDD+ readiness.
Knowledge Management: - Communicate the UN-REDD Programme approach to stakeholder engagement and safeguards in reports, publications, and presentations;
- Support the development of regional and country-specific training modules to build the awareness and capacity of UN-REDD Programme staff and national counterparts to ensure strengthened stakeholder participation in the planning and implementation of UN-REDD Programme activities;
- Support the UN-REDD Programme regional teams and the Global Programme to develop knowledge products such as: reports, newsletter and website content, publications, maintaining and enriching UN-REDD Programme workspace, drafting speeches and presentations on issues related to stakeholder engagement and REDD+;
- Disseminate tools and technical support to counterparts at the national level on stakeholder engagement processes and REDD+;
- Ensure timely and adequate access to information on UN REDD Programme activities and policies by stakeholders, including serving as liaison/contact person for queries;
- Ensure all relevant information is available and accessible in the UN REDD Programme regional Websites; and
- Support the exchange of knowledge and experiences by colleagues working in the various country offices in the region.
Monitoring and Reporting: - Coordinate with partners to ensure that stakeholder engagement processes at the national level fulfill the terms of the joint Guidelines on Stakeholder Engagement in REDD+ Readiness, that UN-REDD Programme safeguards are appropriately applied, and avoid duplicating efforts with other REDD+ initiatives; and,
- Monitor progress towards achieving outcomes in the area of stakeholder engagement and REDD+ and report qualitative and quantitative results.
Programme Management and Resource Mobilization: - Plan outputs relating to the UN-REDD Global Programme Framework’s Work Areas 2 (Credible, inclusive national governance systems are developed for REDD+ implementation), 3 (National systems for transparent, equitable, credible and accountable management of REDD+ funding are strengthened) and 4 (Indigenous Peoples, local communities, civil society organizations and other stakeholders participate effectively in national and international REDD+ decision making, strategy development and implementation), in addition to relevant regional and national-level programme-planning priorities and report on deliverables; and,
- Monitor funding needs for these outcome areas at the regional and national levels, draft funding requests as needed, manage associated budget lines and support the establishment of relationships with potential UN-REDD Programme donors.
The personnel is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS. |
Competencies |
Corporate competencies - Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modeling UN values and ethical standards;
- Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; and
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Core competencies - Knowledge Management and Learning: Shares knowledge and experience. Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills;
- Communication: Excellent communication skills, including the ability to convey concepts and approaches, both in writing and multi-media presentation forms, in a clear and persuasive style, tailored to match different audiences;
- Team work: Ability to interact, establish and maintain effective working relations with a culturally diverse team, both as a team member and as a team leader, to build trust, and to manage in a deliberate, transparent and predictable way;
- Client orientation: Ability to establish and maintain productive partnerships with UN-REDD Programme Agencies, technical service providers and stakeholders and pro-activeness in identifying partners' needs and matching them to appropriate solutions;
- Leadership and Self-Management: Focuses on results and responds positively to feedback. Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude. Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure. Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities; and
- Demonstrated ability in analytical thinking, work-planning, multi-tasking and strategic planning.
|
Required Skills and Experience |
- Advanced university degree in community development, international law, international affairs, development policy, environment or gender - relevant professional experience can be considered in lieu of advanced university degree;
- A minimum of 5 years of proven relevant experience with stakeholder engagement in development projects and processes, in particular indigenous peoples, local communities and civil society organizations that represent them, of which minimum of 2 years in developing countries;
- Strong knowledge of indigenous peoples’ issues, particularly their rights, cultures, belief systems, institutions and decision mechanisms will be a requirement;
- Demonstrated ability to foster dialogue between governmental actors, indigenous peoples, civil society, private sector and community constituencies and in managing development and environment-related initiatives;
- Strong organizational, networking and coordination skills;
- Knowledge of the livelihood issues related to REDD+, deforestation and tropical forest management an advantage;
- Knowledge of UN programming, and access to professional networks and/or experience collaborating with UNDP Country Offices and other UN agencies, an advantage;
- Fluency (written and spoken) in English essential, working knowledge of one or more major regional languages an advantage for all three posts;
- Fluency (written and spoken) in Spanish essential for the Regional Technical Specialist in Stakeholder Engagement for the Latin American and the Caribbean region;
- Fluency (written and spoken) in French essential for the Regional Technical Specialist in Stakeholder Engagement for the Africa region; and Knowledge of indigenous peoples’ languages will be an asset.
Submission of Applications - Qualified candidates may submit their application, including a letter of interest, complete Curriculum Vitae and an updated United Nations Personal History Form (P.11) (available on our website), via e-mail to dgvas@unops.org. Kindly indicate the vacancy number and the post title in the subject line when applying by email.
Additional Considerations - Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
- Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
- Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
- UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level below the advertised level of the post.
For more information on UNOPS, please visit the UNOPS website at www.unops.org. |
|
| UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. |
Post a Comment