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. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action.
The UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office (LACO), located in Panama City, 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 posed to countries by the implementation of the Paris Agreement is the importance of ensuring strong Transparency Frameworks. Article 13 of the Paris Agreement establishes the need for 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 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, UNEP is implementing the GCF Readiness Project “Capacity Building to prepare for the implementation of Carbon Markets and Article 6 in Latin America”. This project seeks to collectively improve: i) the overall knowledge of the scope and functioning of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement in Panama, Guatemala, 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 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) but also allow the national governments to increase their ambition, transparency and cooperation among parties in their commitments under the Paris Agreement. On the other hand, UNEP is also implementing the project “Support for the Development of Integral Carbon Markets” with funding from the European Union through the Euroclima LAC Programme. This project aims to support the creation and implementation of the Regional Carbon Market Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean, focused on the development of capacities and alliances on carbon markets for the region. Additionally, it seeks to support the countries of the region in the development of public policies and MRV to support the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and carbon markets.
Therefore, UNEP is looking for a Capacity Building in Carbon Markets and Article 6 Readiness Project Technical Lead Consultant to:
i) participate in the implementation and coordination of activities under all outputs of the GCF Readiness Project,
ii) provide technical knowledge to ensure the successful development of all Readiness deliverables, and
iii) provide technical input and guidance to the Regional Carbon Market Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean on capacity-building activities and actively support donor identification and resource mobilization efforts for the operation of the Observatory.
The Capacity Building in Carbon Markets and Article 6 Readiness Project Technical Lead Consultant is expected to work in close collaboration with a GCF Readiness support management specialist, a senior technical consultant for carbon markets and nature-based solutions, a team of country leaders, one for each participating country, and the coordinator of the Regional Carbon Market Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean. The consultant is also expected to contribute with two consulting firms that will be involved in the development of the project deliverables. The incumbent is expected to work from home and will be expected to comply with dedication of 40 hours per week, from Monday to Friday. He or she will be supervised by UNEP’s Programme Management Officer for Energy Efficiency of the Climate Change Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean Office.