Climate Change and Development Consultant

Position description

Result of Service

• Consolidated package of materials towards preparations of the 5th Global Conference on Climate and SDG synergies, including detailed agenda and concept note, detailed session notes, background papers, outreach and advocacy materials
• Note taking and synthesizing of important milestones/deliberations, such as the synthesis report for the HLPF review of SDG 13
• Organization of between 4-6 internal meetings on of the Excerpt Group on Climate and SDG Synergies.
• Organization of between 3-5 external events related to climate and SDG synergies, including launch of the 2024 Global Report.
• Draft substantive content, including for communications, resource mobilizations and partnership building purposes, such as PowerPoint presentations, proposals, social media and outreach materials
• Monthly progress reports on completed tasks and outputs related to the Secretariat of Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergies.

Duties and Responsibilities

Five years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, 2020 was meant to be a turning point for climate action and the SDGs. Extreme poverty is projected to increase for the first time in 20 years, as the most vulnerable bear the brunt of multiple interconnected crisis. Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are at record levels and continue to increase, putting the world on a dangerous path of rising temperatures, well above the level necessary to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

While ushering a Decade of ambitious action to deliver the SDGs by 2030, governments are also prepared to enhance their climate ambitions through updated Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement. The world’s most vulnerable people are the ones that will suffer the worst effects of the global health and climate crises. The interconnected Sustainable Development Goals provide the best framework for tackling the climate emergency in ways that leave no one behind.

Together with UNFCCC, UN DESA has been working towards strengthening synergies between the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in order to address these interconnected agendas more effectively. The objective of this consultancy is to support this workstream, including a number of related products and events during the course of 2024. This includes preparations towards the 5th Global Conference on Climate and SDG Synergies, the development and launch of the 2nd edition of the Global Report on Climate and SDG Synergies, as well as support to a number of related intergovernmental processes such as the HLPF, the UNGA, and UNFCCC COP29.

Work assignment:

The consultant, under the guidance of the Senior Sustainable Development Officer will:

• Develop substantive preparatory materials towards the 5th Global Conference on Climate and SDG Synergies. This includes concept note, background papers, and communications and advocacy presentations.
• Draft concept notes and help identify and reach out to experts, preferably from developing countries, to serve as experts for the HLPF review of SDG13 as well as consultations/events on Climate and SDG synergies.
• Develop substantive summaries, including a synthesis report of deliberations from HLPF SDG13 review as well as session summaries from the 5th Global Conference
• Organize meetings and events related to the Expert Group on Climate and SDG Synergies, including internal and external events and meetings at various fora.
• Identify key initiatives and outcomes from recent global, regional and thematic discussions on climate change and the 2030 Agenda, including their potential for accelerating SDG-climate synergies and support partnership building and resource mobilization;
• Support communications and outreach including through supporting the on-line knowledge platform on Climate and SDG synergies, in response to global health pandemics, based on the inputs gathered toward/during the course;
• Support related intergovernmental processes, including UNGA and COP29, and perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications/special skills

• The consultant should possess an advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) in sustainable development, climate change, international relations, governance, public policy, public administration, international relations, or related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in policy-oriented work on climate change and development related issues, including their interlinkages and other cross-cutting aspects such as ‘just transition’ and ‘leaving no one behind; with preference for candidates with international level experience, either in the public, private or academia, is required.

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. Full knowledge and fluency of English (both written and oral) is required for this consultancy. Fluency in other UN languages is an asset.

 

Application instructions

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