The Consultant will support the Climate Ambition and Transparency Team to achieve these main goals:
¿ Collectively improve the overall knowledge of the scope and functioning of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement in Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic through a regional approach
¿ Contribute to the fulfillment of institutional, technical, and operational requirements for the relevant stakeholders from these participating countries, ensuring their ability to establish or participate in new or existing carbon markets.This will not only support the participating countries to comply with the goals established in their NDCs but it also allow the national governments to increase their ambition and cooperation among parties in their commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Responsibilities and Activities
Under the direct of UNEP’s Programme Manager Officer of the¿Climate Change Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean Office, the consultant shall perform the following activities:
1. Assess in each country (Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and The Dominican Republic) the institutional arrangements and policies related to market-based mechanisms for compliance with NDCs and other mitigation purposes (international, domestic, voluntary, and regulated), and include recommendations.
2. Assess the needs in each country (Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and The Dominican Republic) and provide guidance to develop regulation and/or standards and guidelines to:
¿ Establish validation and verification criteria to register projects, programmes and mitigation outcomes.
¿ Define quality and environmental standards for mitigation outcomes and emissions reductions verification.
¿ Ensure transparency of verification bodies and processes.
¿ Establish the legal framework for the national entity or entities that will be in charge of the implementation of Article 6 and the activities that it entails.
¿ Ensure the fulfillment of safeguards for Article 6
3. Analyze and diagnose Monitoring, Reporting and Verification Systems (MRV) needs per country (Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic) for implementing Article 6 mechanisms.
4. Develop recommendations per country (Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic) for the development of solid MRV systems for the implementation of carbon markets and Article 6.
5. Carry out a regional virtual webinar on results of products 1, 2, 3 and 4 for Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic.
Outputs
Output 1: Technical capacities of NDAs and key stakeholders to comply with the requirements for the implementation of carbon markets are strengthened and eligibility criteria for projects are defined to participate in article 6 in each country.
Deliverables
Product No. 1: One report for each country (Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and The Dominican Republic) on the evaluation of institutional arrangements and policies in relation with carbon markets and Article 6, considering the current and possible future outcomes of UNFCCC negotiations and the country specific conditions and NDCs.
Product No. 2: One report per country (Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and The Dominican Republic) with recommendations for the development of a regulatory framework and standards and guidelines to follow, for the validation, verification, certification, reporting of activities, and the issuance, transfer and cancellation of mitigation outcomes, and functioning of entities in charge of the implementation of Article 6 and the activities that it entails and recommendations to ensure the fulfillment of safeguards for Article 6.2 and 6.4 voluntary cooperative approaches.
Product No. 3: One report per country (Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic) with a diagnosis of capacities in Monitoring, Reporting and Verification Systems (MRV) systems for the implementation of carbon markets and Article 6 in consistency with the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF).
Product No. 4: One report per country (Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic) with recommendations for the development of solid MRV systems for the implementation of carbon markets and Article 6 in consistency with the ETF.
Product No. 5: One report on a virtual regional webinar on products 1, 2, 3 and 4 for Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and The Dominican Republic.
Home-Based
9 Months
The UN 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 UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office (LACO), located in Panama City, Panama, works closely with the 33 countries of the region and its activities are integrated into the Medium Term Strategy and the Programme of Work approved by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).
One of the most relevant challenges the implementation of the Paris Agreement poses to countries is to count with strong Transparency Frameworks. Article 13 of the Paris Agreement establishes the need of Parties to implement national robust and transparent monitoring, reporting, verification and accounting systems to give clarity on action and support while providing clear information to stakeholders to be available to assess if the necessary is being done in relation to compliance with the commitments assumed to face climate change. As part of building and enhancing their Transparency Frameworks, Parties of the United Nations Frame Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -will progressively implement better tools and institutional arrangements, many of them not sufficiently developed in the countries. This is especially true for developing countries.
The UNFCCC enhanced transparency framework demands substantial and immediate progress in the countries´ domestic Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) systems and strategic de-carbonization and adaptation planning. This entails moving from often disintegrated and often different methodological approaches in data management to an integrated and robust system. The success of the Paris Agreement hinges on enhanced transparency of action and support, as a critical foundation to making its bottom-up country-led approach work, as well as mutual trust and confidence amongst Parties.
In this line, the UNEP Transparency and Climate Ambition Team has developed, together with eight (8) countries of the region, a Regional Readiness Proposal “Capacity Building in Carbon Markets and Article 6”. This proposal seeks to collectively improve: i) the overall knowledge of the scope and functioning of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement in Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Argentina, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and El Salvador through a regional approach and, ii) support the relevant stakeholders from these participating countries to comply with the institutional, technical and operational requirements to establish or participate in new or existing carbon markets. This will not only support the participating countries to comply with the goals established in their NDCs but it also allows the national governments to increase their ambition, transparency and cooperation among parties in their commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Therefore, the Climate Ambition and Transparency Team is looking for a Specialist in institutional arrangements, policies and MRV for carbon markets to prepare deliverables for Argentina, Panama, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic related to institutional arrangements, policies and regulatory frameworks under the Regional Readiness Project in Carbon Markets and Article 6 (GCF), in close collaboration with the Team Leader of each country. The Specialist in institutional arrangements, policies and MRV for carbon markets will be supervised by UNEP’s Programme Manager Officer of the¿Climate Change Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean Office¿and will work home-based
ACADEMIC:
¿ Bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, administration, political science, environmental sciences, international relations, engineering or related studies is required.
¿ Master’s degree in environmental sciences, carbon markets, environmental economy or related studies is desirable.
PROFESSIONAL:
¿ At least five (5) years of experience in climate change, environmental economics, institutional arrangements and climate policy is required.
¿ At least three (3) years of experience in carbon markets, institutional arrangements, regulatory frameworks and standards and guidelines for carbon markets is highly desirable.
¿ Specialization course in carbon markets, emission trading schemes, Article 6 and/or carbon pricing instruments is desirable.
LANGUAGE:
¿ Fluent level of Spanish is required.
¿ Confident level in English is required.
SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:
¿ Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others' ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.
¿ Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies; identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; uses time efficiently.
¿ Strong analytical skills to examine complex data.
¿ Ability to detect opportunities for improvement and provide solutions for design processes and products.
¿ Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
¿ Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards.
¿ Very high level of organizational, attention to detail, and time management skills.
¿ Ability to work with tight deadlines and deliver high quality results on time.
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.