Organization: UNV – United Nations Volunteers
Location: Dushanbe | Tbilisi | Istanbul
Grade: Level not specified – Level not specified
Occupational Groups:
Environment
Meteorology, Geology and Geography
Agriculture and Forestry
Climate Change
Closing Date: 2024-08-29
Details
Mission and objectives
As the United Nations lead agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Our work is concentrated in three focus areas; sustainable development, democratic governance and peace building, and climate and disaster resilience.
Context
IFAD will engage a UN Volunteer Environment & Climate Officer deployed by UNDP, to work under the direct supervision of the Regional Technical Lead (Environment and Climate) for the Near East, North Africa, Central Asia and Europe Division (ECG), with dual reporting to the Head of the IFAD Multi-Country Office (MCO) in Istanbul, and the Country Directors for Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Tajikistan and Türkiye.
Task description
The UN Volunteer Environment & Climate Officer is a mid-level professional with expertise in environment and climate matters who will be based at IFAD’s MCO in Istanbul and provide technical support primarily to the Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Tajikistan and Türkiye portfolios, besides the broader sub-region covering Eastern Europe and Central Asia countries (ECA). The UN Volunteer Environment & Climate Officer will independently analyze technical and policy issues of concern to IFAD, intergovernmental bodies, and national authorities while providing substantive input to the development of policies, technical strategies, proposals and Social, Environmental and Climate Assessment Procedures (SECAP)-related documents. The UN Volunteer will work in close cooperation with technical specialists, among others for youth, indigenous peoples and nutrition, as well as with country directors to ensure consistency in the application of technical advice. S/he will support programme development and implementation, facilitating knowledge exchanges and the building of communities of practice. In particular, the UN Volunteer Environment & Climate Officer will be responsible for: i. The engagement of key partners at various levels for advancing IFAD’s and specifically the environment and climate work in the ECA sub-region; ii. Mainstreaming environment and climate dimensions into IFAD’s projects, with a focus on the Bosnia Herzegovina, Georgia, Tajikistan and Türkiye programme of loans and grants, in addition to other countries in the ECA sub-region; iii. Supporting the design of environment and climate grant financing from international climate funds such as AF, GEF, GCF or similar for the portfolios in the ECA sub-region; iv. Supporting the implementation oversight of IFAD’s investment projects and the environment and climate loan/grant financing in the sub-region; v. Providing technical expertise in the implementation and oversight of IFAD’s Social, Environmental and Climate Assessment Procedures (SECAP); vi. Supporting the monitoring, reporting and evaluation functions for programmes and projects; including enhancing performance monitoring systems and new approaches to performance monitoring, preparing analytical work for divisional and country-level decision-making on project viability and sustainability; vii. Contributing to and coordinating the knowledge management and communication on environment and climate issues for the ECA portfolio; viii. Supporting the development and implementation oversight of IFAD-financed and managed investments on environmental and climate-related issues across the scope of the Istanbul MCO; and ix. Any other task as assigned by the Regional Technical Lead (Environment and Climate) for the Near East, North Africa, Central Asia and Europe Division. Key functions and results 1. TECHNICAL SUPPORT: On the basis of proven technical knowledge on climate and environment, emerging development challenges and the state of rural poverty at the assigned programme countries, the Environment & Climate Officer provides technical expertise and support in delivering IFAD’s mandate of building resilience of smallholder farmers and reducing rural poverty through IFAD’s investments. Key tasks include: • Providing high quality technical expertise in undertaking social, environment and climate risk assessments consistent with Social, Environment and Climate Assessment Procedures (SECAP); and • Providing high quality technical expertise and advice on environment, natural resources management and climate aspects in operations during design to ensure quality at entry and during implementation by actively participating in missions and in monitoring and evaluation for quality assurance. 2. KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT: The Environment & Climate Officer supports the development of viable and sustainable policies/projects at country-level and provides regional thematic input through high-quality technical knowledge sharing for his/her area of specialization. S/He will ensure country-level access to the latest sources of knowledge and innovation, strengthen national technical capacity and establish new knowledge and advisory partnerships. Accountabilities include: • Generating analytical knowledge built on government demand to advance policy; and • Disseminating knowledge and lessons learned with peers, counterparts, and stakeholders through drafting of briefs, journal articles, seminars and workshops, developing evidence-based new knowledge products and operational tools. 3. PARTNERSHIP BUILDING AND RESOURCE MOBILIZATION: The Environment & Climate Officer maintains a network of peer contacts inside and out with the scope of IFAD to facilitate partnerships, be up-to-date on joint advocacy activities and share knowledge to enhance IFAD’s profile as a highly competent and viable partner. Accountabilities include: • Building partnerships with associations, coordination platforms, technical organizations, NGOs, specialized departments of other development agencies and other relevant entities as potential operational and strategic partners; • Strengthening IFAD’s work on environment and climate issues; and • Supporting the mobilization of new AF, GEF and/or GCF green financing to be blended with IFAD’s-funded Programme of Loans and Grants resources. 4. MONITORING, EVALUATION AND REPORTING: The Environment & Climate Officer contributes to monitoring, evaluation and reporting of technical activities and components of programmes/projects to enhance country level programme and funding decisions based on accurate technical data. Accountabilities include: • Supporting the monitoring, reporting and evaluation functions for programmes and projects; and • Implementing performance monitoring systems and new approaches to performance monitoring, preparing analytical work for divisional and country-level decision-making on project viability and sustainability.