The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system’s designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. 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, 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).
In terms of addressing climate change, UNEP aims to support countries in compliance of the objectives of the Paris Agreement and the priority actions defined in the countries Nationally Determined Contributions. The overall objective of UNEP´s Sub-programme on Climate Change is to strengthen the ability of countries to move towards climate-resilient and low emission strategies for sustainable development and human well-being. The expected accomplishment regarding climate change adaptation is that adaptation approaches, including an ecosystem-based approach, are implemented, and integrated into key sectoral and national development strategies to reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience to climate change impacts. Furthermore, the UNEP´s Sub- programme on Climate Change is also committed to ensure that crosscutting issues such as gender equity and women empowerment is effectively undertaken in the development of its tasks to guarantee an equitable development in line with its adaptation objectives.
In this context, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) and UNEP have agreed on the implementation of the project “Agreements, processes, and tools to move towards a climate-resilient society in El Salvador – National Adaptation Plan project” (NAP project) framed within the Readiness program of the Green Climate Fund (GCF). The project aims to strengthen institutional engagement and capacities to plan, finance, implement, monitor, and report strategic adaptation processes, considering stakeholders at multiple levels.
The project seeks to achieve its objective through 4 components:
• Adaptation planning governance and institutional coordination strengthened.
• Evidence basis produced to design adaptation solutions for maximum impact.
• Private sector engagement in adaptation catalyzed.
• Adaptation finance increased.
To fulfill the objectives of the project, UNEP LACO requires a National Specialist in Adaptation Planning to provide technical advice to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) and UNEP in advancing the implementation of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) project. This consultancy is necessary to ensure the effective integration of climate change adaptation into national, sectoral and subnational planning processes through the development of robust evidence bases, monitoring and reporting systems, and participatory mechanisms. The National Specialist in Adaptation Planning will contribute to the design and operationalization of adaptation planning instruments, including the NAP and thematic adaptation plans, contribute the development of guidelines and tools for mainstreaming adaptation at the national and sectorial level, and facilitate multi-stakeholder engagement processes across the four zones of the country. In addition, the role will strengthen institutional capacities through training, facilitate the development of frameworks for monitoring, evaluation, and learning, and contribute to identifying financial strategies and private sector engagement opportunities to scale up adaptation actions. This position is critical to ensure that adaptation planning is evidence-based, participatory, gender-responsive, and effectively aligned across governance levels.
The National Specialist in Adaptation Planning will operate under the overall supervision of the Deputy Regional Director UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office and in coordination with MARN. The incumbent will work from Monday to Friday, 40 hours per week, full time basis and will be located at the Project Management Unit, NAP El Salvador, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN), San Salvador, El Salvador. Additionally, he/she will work in close collaboration with the UNEP’s Adaptation team, the MARN in El Salvador, other national consultants and government and non-governmental counterparts. Travel might be needed for consultation processes.