Job Opening
Job Opening ID: 226004
Job Network : Economic, Social and Development
Job Family : Environmental Affairs
Category and Level : Consultants, CON
Duty Station : NAIROBI
Department/Office : United Nations Environment Programme
Date Posted : Jan 20, 2024
Deadline : Feb 3, 2024

Result of Service
• Effective Implementation and Strategic Coordination in the region (3)
• Scaling and replication of best practices in West Asia- Recipe of Change and Fashion Academy (3)
• key regional strategic partners and global initiatives engaged (4)
• Successful Resource Mobilization and Project development of national and regional concept notes (3)
• GO4SDGs regional implementation coordinated (monthly)
Work Location
Beirut, Lebanon
Expected duration
10 months
Duties and Responsibilities
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established in 1972, is the voice for the environment within the United Nations system. UNEP acts as a catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator to promote the wise use and sustainable development of the global environment. Its mandate is to be the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimensions of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.

UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division addresses environmental issues at global and regional levels, provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and people to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. The Industry and Economy Division also works with many partners, including Member States, to advance the organization’s global goals as well as national efforts to transition to a low-carbon, green economy.

Within the Industry and Economy Division, the Resources and Markets Branch is focused on resource efficiency, inclusive green economy, and circularity. It leads the UNEP Green Economy Initiative and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy, One Planet Network, International Resource Panel, Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals (GO4SDGs) and many other initiatives. All these aims to shift national economies on to a more sustainable path, in which jobs and output growth are driven by increased investment in green sectors, and by a switch of consumers’ preferences towards environmentally friendly goods and services.

GO4SDGs is an accelerator of SDG12 and SDG8, promoting circularity in high-impact sectors (food, textiles, tourism, plastics), green jobs for youth, and sustainable lifestyles. GO4SDGs brings together strategic partners and a joint menu of services with a vast number of tools, guidelines, and knowledge to take action, scale up, and replicate best practices.

GO4SDGs focuses in 3 workstreams: i) Policy coherence and scale up circularity: support governments to strengthen policy coherence and mainstream circular economy and sustainable consumption and production (SCP) approaches in national policies, including policies on climate change, biodiversity, and pollution. ii) Innovation and Finance for SMES: support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to increase capacities and access for financing innovation and circularity. And iii) Youth empowerment to amplify their voices, embrace sustainable lifestyles, and provide new skills and knowledge for green jobs for youth.
To achieve this, GO4SDGS collaborates with its partners and has developed multiple initiatives scaling up action, such as the Green Jobs for Youth Pact, Sustainable Lifestyles Academy, cross-regional working groups on food waste reduction, Fashion Academy in West Asia, among other flagship initiatives.

In this context, the GO4SDGs is looking for an expert on circular economy and sustainable consumption and production to support and coordinate the implementation of GO4SDGs work plan in West Asia Region, as well as to scale up regional initiatives (specially Recipe of Change and Sustainable Fashion Academy) across regions. The consultant will have the following tasks:

• Support the implementation of the GO4SDGs initiative in the West Asia region, by coordinating and providing technical inputs to the activities to ensure an efficient delivery in alignment with GO4SDGs work plan and UNEP’s Programme of Work (PoW).
• Identify and respond to related regional needs, strengthen strategic partnerships, and contribute to resource mobilization.

• Aligning the GO4SDGs implementation with UNEA resolutions, MEAs and ensuring visibility in strategic international fora, to increase the impact of GO4SDGs and UNEP’s work on SCP and circular economy.
• Ensure coordination of GO4SDGs delivery with the Finance and Economic Transformations Sub-Programme of UNEP, as well as identifying synergies and collaboration opportunities across other UNEP Sub-Programmes and with other UN agencies through the UNCT/RCO framework.

Specific tasks and responsibilities

The consultant will:

1. Coordination and technical support of the GO4SDGs implementation in the West Asia region, including;
• the consolidation of the partnerships and a long-term strategy (jn particular for the initiatives on “Recipe of Change”, “Sustainable Fashion Academy” and Green Jobs for Youth for the MENA region.
• Provide regional training and capacity building on SCP and circular economy, engaging reginal strategic partners (ESCAWA, Leage of Arab States, Golf University, etc.) and global initiatives (IRP, Green Jobs for Youth Pact, etc.).
• Participates in the development, implementation and evaluation of GO4SDGsprogrammes/projects, this includes etc.; monitors and analyzes programme/project development and implementation; reviews relevant documents and reports; identifies problems and issues to be addressed and proposes corrective actions; liaises with relevant parties; identifies and tracks follow-up actions.

2. Coordination of knowledge development/sharing, capacity development activities in the West Asia region and supporting knowledge sharing and replication across regions, by:
• planning facilitating workshops on SCP, RE and circularity, through other interactive sessions and assisting in developing the action plan the client will use to manage the change. •
• Prepares various written outputs, e.g. draft background papers, analysis, sections of reports and studies, inputs to publications, etc. identifying synergies and building cooperation with relevant partners.
• Researches, analyzes and presents information gathered from diverse sources focusing in high impact sectors – agri-food, textile, fashion, energy, green jobs.
• Assists in policy development, including the review and analysis of issues and trends, preparation of evaluations or other research activities and studies related to sustainable consumption and production, circularity and inclusive green economy.
• Provides substantive support to consultative and other meetings, conferences, etc., to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documents and presentations, etc.
• Undertakes outreach activities; conducts training workshops, seminars, etc.; makes presentations on assigned topics/activities.

3. Scale up and replicate the regional best practices of in West Asia (Recipe of Change in hospitality industry and Fashion Academy) and support it replication across-regions, with support of the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on SCP (10YFP)/ One Planet Network and relevant teams at the Resources and Market Branch and Industry and Economy Division.
• Identify resource mobilization opportunities, as well as stewardship, leadership, and economic-finance mechanisms to ensure sustainable and long-lasting impact building on the GO4SDGs legacy.
• Builds cooperation and new partnerships to move forward the implementation of UNEP’s and GO4SDGs work plan, focusing on systemic change in high impact sectors.
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4. Support the Division and Regional Office in areas related to GO4SDGs and resource mobilization.
• Ensure coordination of GO4SDGs delivery with the Finance and Economic Transformations Sub-Programme of UNEP, as well as identifying synergies and collaboration opportunities across other UNEP Sub-Programmes and with other UN agencies through the UNCT/RCO framework, and its contribution to UNEA, HLPF and other relevant global fora.
• Participates in or lead field missions, including provision of guidance to external consultants, government officials and other parties and drafting mission summaries, etc.
• identify the region need and gaps for the implementation of SDG12 and create new regional and national initiatives as needed, including drafting a full large scale concept note and mobilize resource accordingly.
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• Coordinates activities related to budget and funding (programme/project preparation and submissions, progress reports, financial statements, etc.) and prepares related documents/reports (pledging, work programme, programme budget, etc.).
• Collects and analyzes data to identify trends or patterns and provide insights through graphs, charts, tables and reports using data visualization methods to enable data-driven planning, decision-making, presentation and reporting.
• Performs other duties as required.
Qualifications/special skills
Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in sustainable development, environmental management/engineer, or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

-A minimum of 5 years work experience of progressively responsible experience in sustainable development, green or circular economy; resource efficiency, sustainable consumption and production, and demonstrated experience on sustainability in high impact sectors such as textiles/fashion, food systems, and/or buildings and construction is required
-Work experience in the West Asia Region is desirable .
-Experience in project management and technical knowledge on circularity, sustainable consumption and production and proven analytical skills. Experience working with international organisation, and in the West Asia region.
-Two or more years in data analytics is desirable
5 years work exprerience
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable. NOTE: “Fluency equals a rating of “fluent” in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of “confident” in two of the four areas.