Result of Service

The work of the consultant will contribute to the Chapter 3 of the 2024 edition of the Decent work in Nature-based Solutions report, which will focus on decent work in nature-based infrastructure solutions. The purpose of the report is to show how NbS can deliver not just on the nature and climate agendas, but that they can also provide socio-economic benefits, including employment, and to quantify these benefits. It also aims to show that the promotion of NbS is sensitive to the need for a just transition to a sustainable future. Without that, it will be difficult to build a broad constituency of support for the scaling up of NbS.

Work Location

home-based

Expected duration

7 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Nature-based solutions (NbS) have gained international traction and attention since the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit in 2019 and more recently through processes such as the Intergovernmental Consultations on Nature-based Solutions supported by UNEP and new initiatives such as Enhancing Nature-based solutions for Accelerated Climate Transformation (ENACT). They cut across the three Rio Conventions and are central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The link is now being made between NbS and the issues of Decent Work and Just Transition, since increased investment in NbS will have important implications for certain sectors of the economy, notably among workers and enterprises in these sectors. In 2022 UNEP, ILO, and IUCN began a biennial series of reports on decent work in nature-based solutions in the period to 2030, coinciding with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The first report was launched at the end of 2022, and UNEP is now coordinating the preparation of the second report, to be published in late 2024. In this context, to complement existing in-house capacity and expertise, UNEP is recruiting a consultant to contribute to Chapter 3 of the 2024 Decent Work in NbS Report, which will focus on decent work in nature-based infrastructure (NbI). Chapter 3 of the Decent Work in NbS report will focus on Decent Work and NbS in selected infrastructure sectors, with the objective of providing an overview of decent work and employment opportunities related to the process of incorporating nature into infrastructure development through the design and deployment of nature-based infrastructure solutions (NbI). Under the direction of the responsible Programme Management Officer at UNEP, the consultant is expected to draw on their expertise on NbI to conduct research and draft written inputs for Chapter 3, in coordination with the other co-author(s) of the chapter and in consultation with the Decent Work in NbS project team. The consultant’s research and inputs are expected to cover the following: • Introduction to the topic of NbI, including key concepts and functions of NbI. • Examples of service delivery through NbI in different sectors and ecosystems, and identification of the types of services and sectors most relevant for decent work in NbI. • Discussion of NI specific issues that may have implications for decent work outcomes, e.g., integration of NbI with other types of infrastructure, the timeframes required for service delivery through NbI, and comparison between NbI and other types of infrastructure solutions. • Identification and description of the different types of work involved in planning, delivering and operating NbI across different phases of the infrastructure lifecycle. • Identification of the skills needed for performing the identified types of work. • Barriers to decent work creation through NbI and recommendations on how to address the barriers. • Identification of two case studies to illustrate decent work in NbI. The examples and case studies provided should, to the greatest degree possible, reflect geographic diversity in the use of NbI, both in terms of the types of landscapes and ecosystems where they are deployed, as well as the socioeconomic context (i.e., examples from both the Global North and South). In addition, the chapter should address the differences in the scales of NbI, both micro-scale NbI (e.g., green wall) and landscape-scale (e.g., watershed protection). Expected outputs: • First draft of Chapter 3 of the Decent Work in NbS Report (electronic submission) • Second draft of Chapter 3 of the Decent Work in NbS Report (electronic submission) • Third draft of Chapter 3 of the Decent Work in NbS Report for peer review (electronic submission) • Final draft of Chapter 3 of the Decent Work in NbS Report that is ready for professional editing and layout (electronic submission) Performance indicators: • Quality of outputs • Timely delivery of outputs • Regular communication with the chapter co-author(s) and the project team to address reviewers’ comments and revise the written inputs as necessary

Qualifications/special skills

Post Graduate Degree (Masters level or above) in international affairs, environmental science, environmental management, environmental governance, economics, social science or related field. A first-level university degree with two additional years of qualifying experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. • A minimum of four years of research experience related to nature-based solutions, climate adaptation, and sustainable and resilient infrastructure, is required. • Demonstrated expertise in the spatial, socio-economic, and environmental contexts for NbS implementation, and the science and challenges surrounding NbS, is required. • Experience in quantitative analysis, conducting literature reviews, and developing high-quality knowledge products is required. • Experience working as part of a research team is desirable. • Experience working in an international, multi-cultural setting is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the two working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English is required.

Additional Information

Not available.

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.