Environmental Economist

Job Description

Job Opening

Work Location: Home Based

Expected duration: From 15/01/2020 to 30/06/2021.

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 UNFCCC Conference of the Parties at its on its sixteenth session (COP16) decided to establish a process to enable least developed country Parties to formulate and implement national adaptation plans(NAPs), building upon their experience in preparing and implementing national adaptation programmes of action, as a means of identifying medium- and long-term adaptation needs and developing and implementing strategies and programmes to address those needs (decision 1/CP.16, paragraph 15).Subsequently, COP17, through its decision 5/CP.17, paragraph 1, agreed that the objectives of the NAP process are as follows:

a) To reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, by building adaptive capacity and resilience;
b) To facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation, in a coherent manner, into relevant new and existing policies, programmes and activities, in particular development planning processes and strategies, within all relevant sectors and at different levels, as appropriate;

COP17 requested the Least Developed Countries Expert Group (LEG) to prepare technical guidelines for the NAP process, based on the initial guidelines, included in the annex to decision 5/CP.17, and the NAP technical guidelines have been developed in December 2012.

As a response to the request of the Government of Nepal, UNEP is executing the Green Climate Fund (GCF) funded project entitled “Building Capacity to Advance National Adaptation Plan Process in Nepal. This project supports the Climate Change Management Division of the Ministry of Forests and Environment to reduce vulnerability to climate change, and increase resilience through integration of climate change adaptation into development planning processes through:

a) Development and enhancement of 'country capacity' to promote climate change adaptation (CCA) at systemic, institutional and individual levels; and help poor and climate vulnerable communities in adapting to and building resilience to climate change impacts;
b) Contribution to reduce climate vulnerability by integrating CCA into existing and new policies, strategies and programmes;
c) Establishment and/strengthening of a system to generate and share knowledge, experience, lessons learned, gaps and needs at international (NAP Expo, side-events during COPs sessions and SBs meetings), national and sub-national levels to advance CCA for the benefit of the poor people and restoration of ecosystem restoration; and
d) Development of a strategy to implement, monitor and communicate adaptation benefits at different levels.

The project aims to enhance institutional coordination mechanism and put in place the capacity for informed decision-making which will lead to changing the behaviour and mind-set of the Nepalese society and decision-makers in the government such that climate change adaptation becomes a part of Nepal’s development strategy and plans.

The objective of the consultancy is to elaborate and support the application of an economic appraisal methodology to ascertain costs and benefits of adaptation strategies and measures, with an aim to inform prioritization of adaptation strategies and measures for inclusion in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP).
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The economic appraisal methodology should incorporate the ecosystem and social (gender sensitive) costs and benefits of the adaptation strategy and measures. Furthermore, the assignment includes on-the-job training and knowledge transfer as part of the support to the application of the economic appraisal methodology

Job Specification

Qualifications/special skills:

Academic Qualifications:

• At least Master’s degree (Preferably PhD) in economics, agricultural or environment economics.

Experience:

• A minimum of 7 years’ relevant work experience at the international level in relation to economic appraisal methods and their application, in particular related to environmental and social cost benefit analysis.
• At least two previous similar assignments related to elaborating and applying methods for economic appraisal of environment and development strategies, programmes and projects, and informing strategic priorities and decisions on prioritization of strategies and programmes
• Demonstrated previous experience in training and guiding leading and facilitating high-level multi-stakeholder consultative processes to elaborate policies and programmes
• Skills and experience to facilitate internet-based virtual meetings and stakeholder consultation processes.

Language: Excellent written and oral communication skill in English is required.

No Fee

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.

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