The consultant will provide substantive support to UNEP’s work under the SIP in order to raise awareness of infrastructure’s centrality to the 2030 Agenda, develop and share knowledge related to sustainable infrastructure, build country capacity to adopt integrated approaches to sustainable infrastructure, and help countries integrate sustainability into their policy making.
These activities will contribute to the implementation of UNEA resolution UNEP/EA.4/Res.5. Outputs 2 and 3 UNEP PoW Project 611.X: “Supporting inclusive green economy approaches to sustainable development.”
Remote
1 July 2020 – 31 December 2020 (6 months)
Since 2008, UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has played a catalytic role in developing and applying key global knowledge products to support countries in their transition to green and socially inclusive economies.
The Resources and Markets Branch (RMB) of UNEP seeks to conserve the environment, reduce poverty, and promote sustainable development by enhancing the capacity of governments, businesses, and civil society to integrate environmental considerations into economic, trade, and financial policies and practices in accordance with integrated policy-making approaches of sustainable development. Within the Resources and Markets Branch, the Economic and Trade Policy Unit (EPTU) contributes to UNEP’s Sub-programme on Resource Efficiency by generating and disseminating knowledge, raising awareness, facilitating discussions, and forging strategic partnerships to advance a transition to inclusive green economies. Different workstreams of the EPTU focus on promoting sustainable infrastructure, implementing activities under the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), and reviewing Green Economy policies.
Infrastructure is inextricably linked to a Green Economy transition and is central to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The socio-economic Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) cannot be achieved without trillions of dollars of infrastructure investment, and if this infrastructure development is unsustainable, it will undermine the achievement of the environmental SDGs. Incorporating environmental, social, and economic sustainability into infrastructure planning and development is therefore a critical component of the 2030 Agenda. This was recognized by Members States at the 4th UN Environment Assembly (UNEA), where they passed a resolution (UNEP/EA.4/Res.5) on sustainable infrastructure which highlighted its importance to sustainable development and pointed to the need for more integrated approaches to the planning and development of sustainable infrastructure.
In 2018, the EPTU established the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership (SIP) as a platform to promote and support integrated approaches to sustainable infrastructure planning and development. Integrated approaches recognize the centrality of infrastructure to the 2030 Agenda, and can help deliver optimal environmental, social, and economic outcomes of infrastructure development by considering the complex interlinkages between different infrastructure systems, sectors, phases, governance structures, and aspects of sustainability. In collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders, the SIP provides knowledge, facilitates international collaboration, and supports capacity-building at the country-level to foster systems-level approaches, which more fully exploit the complex interlinkages between infrastructure and the SDGs. With funding from the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, the SIP is leading UNEP’s implementation of UNEA Resolution 4/5 on sustainable infrastructure (UNEP/EA.4/Res.5).
Specific tasks and responsibilities per outputs:
Under the guidance of the Head of Economic and Trade Policy Unit, the consultant will be responsible for:
1) Publication on Best Practices for Sustainable Infrastructure:
• conduct research to identify and develop new, and collect existing, case studies on best practices and integrated approaches to sustainable infrastructure
• contribute to the publication of a report, including facilitating peer review, collecting inputs from external partners, and liaising with UNEP Regional Offices and SIP partner organizations.
2) Regional consultations on sustainable infrastructure:
• Manage coordination with UNEP Regional Offices and UN Regional Economic Commissions to identify focal points in Member State Governments and conduct outreach
• Manage coordination with UNEP Regional Offices and UN Regional Economic Commissions to plan and deliver regional and sub-regional web-based consultations with Member States on the Good Practice Guidance Framework for Integrated approaches to Sustainable Infrastructure and follow-up to UNEA Resolution 4/5 on sustainable infrastructure
• Create a consultation report summarizing key points of the entire consultation process
• Formal reporting to UNEA 5 on the implementation of UNEA 4/5.
3) Contribute to the management of the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership:
• Contribute to planning and content development for 2 week-long capacity building courses on sustainable infrastructure and the SDGs.
• Contribute to the development of sustainable infrastructure knowledge products, including three sustainable infrastructure policy briefs
• Identify opportunities for high level engagement to promote sustainable infrastructure on the global policy agenda.
• Liaise with partners in the Sustainable Infrastructure Partnership (SIP), provide updates, contribute to communication materials, project proposals, and project reporting as required by relevant project documents and as directed by the Head of the ETPU
• Liaise with the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) secretariat to develop an online knowledge management hub for sustainable infrastructure, as necessary;
• Assist in reporting on the implementations of PoW Project 611.X: “Supporting inclusive green economy approaches to sustainable development.”
• Assist in the planning, coordination, and delivery of events, as necessary
Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s level) in international relations, public policy, environmental/sustainability studies, or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with additional relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience: Required: At least 5 years of work experience in the field of environmental policy, international environmental affairs, or project management.
Experience working on the Inclusive Green Economy concept, sustainable infrastructure, and managing multi-stakeholder processes are a strong advantage.
Language: Excellent speaking and writing skills in English are required.
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.