Senior Environmental Affairs Specialist

Result of Service

The consultant will provide technical support in identifying gaps and entry points to support UNEP with mainstreaming MEA implementation in Uzbekistan, promoting policy coherence for environmental governance and environmental rule of law in the context of the country’s preparedness ratify, mainstream and ultimately implement the three UNECE Conventions on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention), the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) and the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention). This work is also expected to inform the next cycle of development of Uzbekistan’s Common Country Analysis (CCA) and UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (CF).

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.

• The overall objective of the UNEP’s Law Division is to carry out the functions of UNEP in the field of environmental law, governance and related policy issues. The Division’s work focuses on: leading the international community in the progressive development of environmental law; supporting States in the development and implementation of legal, institutional and policy measures in response to major environmental challenges; facilitating cooperation and coordination among Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and between UNEP and those agreements; working with MEAs secretariats to support Parties to the respective MEAs in implementing their treaty obligations; and facilitating policy dialogue among States on issues relating to international environmental law and governance.
• UNEP’s Environmental Policy Unit (EPU) is located under the Environmental Conventions and Policy Branch of the Law Division. Its mandates include work on the science-policy-law nexus, supporting policy coherence and serve as an influencer of policy development and uptake by Member States and an enabler of policy implementation that responds to the rule of law and MEAs commitments, in collaboration with other UNEP Divisions, Regional Offices and MEAs Secretariats. One of the Unit’s focus areas is to increase the awareness and capacity of UN Country Teams (UNCTs) to integrate policy coherence, environmental rule of law and MEAs mainstreaming in country-level planning and activity implementation in the context of a reformed UN Development System. In this context, the Unit operates internally to mainstream these aspects into UNEP’s country programming tools and knowledge networks, as well as externally to undertake relevant activities at country level, which can influence country programming processes, in collaboration with Regional Offices and other Law Division Units working on related issues. This work responds to a mandate most recently given to UNEP by resolution 6/6 of the sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6), which, inter alia, requested the UNEP Executive Director to: “[…] facilitate coherent and effective implementation of multilateral environmental agreements at the regional and national levels on a Member State–driven basis, including through the Fifth Montevideo Programme for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law and through UNEP regional offices [… and …] strengthen cooperation between the UNEP and UNCT teams, and encourage the latter to mainstream the objectives of multilateral environmental agreements into their work.”
• The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Head of UNEP Subregional Office for Central Asia and the Programme Management Officer with the Environmental Policy Unit of the Law Division, in close consultation and cooperation with UNEP’s Regional Development Coordinator for Europe, UNEP Country Focal point for Uzbekistan, relevant UNECE representatives and other colleagues. S/he will undertake a scoping study for the country of Uzbekistan focused on building capacities to ratify, mainstream and ultimately implement three UNECE Conventions (Aarhus, Espoo, Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention), as well as identifying how policy coherence for environmental governance and environmental rule of law can support this goal and possibly inform the next cycle of Common Country Analysis and UN Sustainable Cooperation Framework (2026-2029).
• Output 1: Undertake a targeted gap analysis that identifies Uzbekistan’s preparedness to ratify, mainstream and ultimately implement and the three UNECE Conventions on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention), the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context (Espoo Convention) and the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution (Air Convention), as well as related protocols and amendments, focusing on legislative, institutional and capacity building needs, as relevant and necessary for each Convention. This analysis will build on the outcomes of and complement previous analyses or capacity building activities undertaken by the UN or other development partners. It will take into account, inter alia, existing country environmental reports, environmental performance reviews and related recommendations, national strategies, action plans and development policies, as well as similar scoping studies and legislative reviews. The analysis will be developed and made available in close consultation with the targeted country representatives with a view to helping the country respond to persisting capacity gaps and develop a coherent approach that can promote interlinkages between the three Conventions, while also identifying treaty-specific actions.
• Output 2: Produce a short report with key recommendations specific to each Convention on how Uzbekistan could strengthen policy coherence for environmental governance by improving its national policy, institutional and legal frameworks, as relevant, for better alignment with the three UNECE Conventions and increasing their mainstreaming across development planning to possibly inform the next cycle of Common Country Analysis and UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2026-2030), including in relevant outcomes and identification of entry points for UNCT to integrate provisions and principles of UNECE Conventions in country level programming. This report will build on and complement any existing/past capacity-building initiatives provided to the country by UNEP, UNECE, and other organisations (e.g. OSCE). It will be made available to the targeted country representatives as well as relevant UN representatives, including the Results Group on Environment and Resident Coordinator’s Office.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent in environmental sciences, environmental law, environmental management or closely related area of study) is required. Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in environmental policy, environmental governance or environmental law. Proven experience in conducting research and collaborating with various stakeholders. Proven experience working on environmental policy and legal issues, including multilateral environmental agreements. Experience in the Central Asia region is desirable. Experience working with the United Nations, other international organizations or national governments is desirable.

Languages

• Fluency in oral and written English and Russian is required.

Source: https://careers.un.org/jobSearchDescription/241083?language=en