Duties and Responsibilities
The African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC), through the Regional Integration and Trade Division (RITD), is a specialized unit within the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). Its mission is to act as the leading Africa-based Centre of excellence and a continental hub for providing and coordinating technical support for the development of trade policies in Africa. ATPC works with stakeholders at all levels to enhance the implementation of sound national, regional and international trade strategies, policies and programmes. The Centre also conducts research to generate and disseminate knowledge on trade and provides policy advice, training and capacity building based on the needs identified by its partners. The Centre has a growing work programme that focuses on the linkages between trade and the environment. With environmental emergencies becoming more frequent, policymakers are increasingly focused on the environmental impacts of trade. The relationship between trade and environment is bi-directional: while trade stimulates economic activity, it can also contribute to increased environmental degradation. At the same time, trade can be a powerful tool for sustainable development. For instance, it can accelerate the widespread adoption of clean-energy technologies, thereby contributing to global climate mitigation efforts. The significance of trade has become increasingly apparent, particularly in light of recent global events such as the Covid-19 Pandemic and the conflicts in Europe and the Middle East. These events have highlighted the fragility of Africa’s supply chains and its dependence on external sources for critical goods. Establishing a more robust and resilient system of regional value and supply chains in Africa is therefore indispensable to cushion the impact of global shocks on the continent. Recent trade policy developments in Africa underscore the importance of addressing the nexus between trade and the environment. Notably, the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, under which trading has recently begun, promises to significantly boost intra-African trade and reduce the continent’s dependency on imports. However, to ensure that Africa can pursue its trade-driven development objectives while remaining aligned with international environmental commitments, such as the Paris Agreement, it is critical to implement the AfCFTA Agreement and its Protocols in a manner that is sensitive to climate change and related environmental concerns. In this context, ECA is expanding its work programme on the interface between trade and environment generally, and the environmental aspect of Africa’s AfCFTA-led integration programme in particular. This includes: • An ECA-UNCTAD joint project to promote the Inclusion of Green Considerations in National AfCFTA Implementation Strategies, funded by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA). This project aims to identify opportunities for the development of green value chains and climate change adaptation needs in nineteen African countries in order to foster green export opportunities within the AfCFTA; A DANIDA-funded project to develop a series of reports on introducing “green considerations” in the implementation of the AfCFTA Agreement and its individual protocols; • A Global Affairs Canada-funded (GAC) project to conduct a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) of the AfCFTA; • Economic analysis, supported with modelling work, on greening the AfCFTA and the role that can be played by African carbon markets in climate change mitigation while pursuing AfCFTA-led continental integration; • Ongoing analytical work on how and to what extent implementation of the EU CBAM will impact the trade and economic interests of African countries, including its possible implications for Africa’s implementation of the AfCFTA, and planned work to do the same on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR); • Planned analytical work assessing issues of sustainable resource extraction in Africa and how Africa’s abundant endowment in green minerals can be harnessed to achieve the twin goals of economic development in Africa and climate change mitigation globally; • etc.
Qualifications/special skills
Advanced University degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, environmental policy, international trade, trade law or related field is required. A first level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advance university degree. Successful completion of both degree and non-degree programs in environment issues is desirable. A minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in economics, environmental policy, international trade, trade law or related area is required.
Languages
English and French are working languages of the UN Secretariat, for this position fluency in English (both oral and written) is required; knowledge of the other is desirable. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.
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.