The ultimate result of the service will be to deliver the ecosystem management work stream’s contribution to UNEP FI’s work plan under UNEP´s Project 623.3 indicated below (section 1.4), i.e. to support UNEP FI’s members in contributing to sustainable development worldwide. UNEP FI is focused on accelerating private sector financing for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including developing financial institutions’ knowledge and expertise to contribute to achieving SDG 14 Life Below Water and SDG 15 Life on Land.
The consultant will work to coordinate TNFD accelerator team co-hosted by UNEP FI and UNDP, working closely with the TNFD lead for UNEP FI, Jessica Smith, up to the launch of the TNFD Taskforce. The consultant will provide a range of project coordination services, particularly focused on the ‘accelerator team’ and workstream support roles. He or she should be responsible and raise issues that may prevent reaching the overall launch date of the TNFD Taskforce, particularly within the operational workstreams.
The work will be home-based and conducted via phone and video chat. The consultant should overlap at least partly with European working hours.
Objectives:
To assist with delivering the Ecosystems Management work plan, the consultant is required:
(i) To coordinate the UNEP FI contribution to the TNFD set-up including Task Force secretariat and governance. This would be done electronically.
(ii) To organise series of activities to ensure financial institutions are actively engaged in the set-up of the TNFD, e.g. meetings, webinars, schedule of events. This would be done electronically.
(iii) To develop and implement work plans that allow the TNFD to launch on time with available resourcing. These would be provided by e.mail.
(iv) To ensure a professional secretariat service including cohesion of relationship with UNDP counterparts, minutes and actions pointts delivered promptly (up to 24 hours) after calls, managing reminders and delivery, and routine professional communications that are tidy, error-free and reflect latest available information in a complex and fast-moving setting.
Specific tasks:
As a Project Coordinator for the TNFD, the project coordinator would be responsible for:
Project Management:
• Building towards the TNFD as a community of practice of interested financial institutions globally.
• Developing the strategy and work programme for UNEP FI and partners with concrete actions and outputs for insurers, lenders and investors to align their activities. The work programme will be developed and implemented in coordination with the UNEP FI Secretariat to foster linkages to the Principles for Responsible Banking, Principles for Sustainable Insurance and Principles for Sustainable Insurance, Natural Capital Finance Alliance and other initiatives.
• Convening financial institutions and key stakeholders. Identifying and capturing potential resources for financial institutions to work towards implementing the TNFD.
• Leading UNEP FI’s contributions in the ‘accelerator team’ and workstream facilitation roles, for example: Managing priorities and resources amongst the various workstreams and activities to avoid conflicts; Task tracking, minutes / action points from the various meetings; Facilitating conversations / answering in the ‘spark blue’ platform which workstreams use in between calls; Facilitation of workstream 2 on work planning and budget ; Monitoring of the timeline and alerting of slippage; Drafting/collating decks for the various calls; and Collecting agenda points and developing decks for routine calls .
• Other duties as required to enable UNEP FI’s role in the timely launch of the TNFD Taskforce.
Working remotely / Geneva.
The duration of the contract is 6 Months.
Located within the UN Environment Division of Economy, the Resources & Markets Branch (UNEP-RMB) 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 the partnership and integrated policy-making approaches of sustainable development.
The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is a strategic partnership between UN Environment and the global financial sector. UNEP FI works with approximately 320 financial institutions as well as a range of partners and organizations, to develop and promote linkages between the environment, sustainability and financial performance. Through its work-streams and regional activities, comprehensive work programme, training and research, UNEP FI carries out its mission to identify, promote, and realize the adoption of best environmental and sustainability practice at all levels of financial institution strategies and operations.
UNEP FI is one half of the ‘accelerator team’ with UNDP enabling the establishment of a Task Force on Nature-Related Financial Disclosure (https://tnfd.info/). It also participates in the ‘partners group’ convening this effort, with UNDP, WWF and Global Canopy, and the Steering Committee with financial sector representatives. These entities convene and manage an ‘Informal Working Group’ (IWG) of 70 organisations in the financial sector, financial regulators, corporates and other key stakeholders. The TNFD aims to make nature-related financial disclosures a mainstream form of financial disclosure in a similar manner that the Task Force on Climate-Related Disclosure has done in recent years. The objective is to create resilience in the global economy by redirecting flows of finance at scale towards nature-positive activities to allow nature and people to flourish.
UNEP FI leads UNEP’s involvement in the TNFD to ensure banking, insurance and investor engagement, and relevance for the existing frameworks developed such as the Principles for Responsible Banking and Principles for Sustainable Insurance.
UNEP FI currently does not have the internal capacity to undertake these activities, and hence outside expertise is required for this purpose.
The consultant shall be under the overall supervision of Eric Usher, Head UNEP FI and report directly to the Ecosystems lead at UNEP FI, Jessica Smith.
Skills: The candidate should have proven ability to manage multiple projects and activities simultaneously and in an organized and timely manner. He or she should be able to work independently and have strong problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, the candidate should have a track record of delivering consistently high-quality outputs as well as strong analytical and conceptual skills. Expertise in nature and/or ecosystems is required. Research/writing skills are desirable. The consultant should have the ability to manage stakeholder relationships and drive collaboration.
The consultant will have the ability to prioritise, identify and capture opportunities to add value to the work programme and engage financial institutions in the initiative. Ability to build good working relationships at all levels is desirable. Understanding the role and functions of a Secretariat to a partnership is desirable. Working knowledge of the UN system and specifically the technical work of UNEP and UNEP FI around ecosystems and finance are added advantages.
Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in international affairs, economics, environmental studies, economics, finance, environment/ ocean-based science, sustainability, business, marine economy-related development 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: A minimum of three years of progressively responsible work experience in the area of sustainable finance. Experience working with banks and /or insurers and/or investors is required as well as experience working in international contexts. The candidate should have successfully coordinated complex and, ideally, multi-stakeholder, projects. Experience with Global Environment Facility projects an asset”
Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in oral and written English is a requirement.
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.