UNDP Jobs - 58531- Financing Solutions for Sustainable Development

Financing Solutions for Sustainable Development

Location :

Home Based

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

10-Aug-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

3 months

Languages Required :

Expected Duration of Assignment :

3 months

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

With a changing international context as the backdrop, and building on UNDP’s core strengths, UNDP’s 2014-17 Strategic Plan focuses on making the next big breakthrough in development: to help countries achieve the simultaneous eradication of extreme poverty and significant reduction of inequalities and exclusion.The Strategic Plan emphasizes the critical links between environmental sustainability and efforts to eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities, and strengthen resilience. Failures to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were often connected to inadequate resources and/or lack of effective means of implementation. Even when resources were budgeted, they were often not timely disbursed, and when disbursed, leakages in execution were common, especially in the poorest countries. Despite progress in a number of countries and sectors, the same challenges are due to remain. As unmet investment needs in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are estimated in trillion, the challenge stands in identifying and operationalising financial solutions that can help mobilize resources to get the job done.

UNDP programmes in developing countries meet with significant demand for guidance on identifying these financing solutions across many sectors and focus areas. For example, the UNDP Biodiversity Finance Initiative is working in 30 countries to support the financing of national biodiversity strategies and action plans. The Enhanced Integrated Framework is revising the role it has played in catalysing Aid for Trade in Least Developed Countries. The establishment and capitalization of the Green Climate Fund is pushing the readiness frontier for climate finance. Lack of financing, of effective implementation mechanisms, and of institutional capacities has been used to justify non-implementation. Countries and partners need guidance on choosing and establishing functioning financing solutions. In response, UNDP has started to provide support to policy makers and practitioners in critically reviewing and operationalizing financing solutions that enable the implementation of sustainable development strategies.

This assignment is grounded on UNDP's strategic offer on environmental finance, which catalyses investment into green technologies, practices and enterprises to pave the way for sustainable development. Operationally, UNDP works with countries to develop financial solutions in: 1. Scaling Up Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation; 2. Sustainable Management of Ecosystem Goods and Services; 3. Improving Water and Oceans Governance; 4. Sustainable, Affordable and Clean Energy; 5. Sustainable Management of Chemicals and Waste.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultancy will provide quality and user-friendly technical inputs for the establishment of an online platform on financing solutions for sustainable development, articulating the functioning of selected financing mechanisms, and capturing how they contribute to sustainable development.

It will contribute to:

Draft technical fiches on selected financing solutions for sustainable development on the basis of a given template;
Incorporate comments and inputs from UNDP and other experts assigned with peer reviewing the technical fiches;
Ameliorate the template and methodology used to review and assess financing solutions for sustainable development.

Reporting to the Policy Specialist, Innovative Finance, in New York, the Consultant, Financing Solutions for Sustainable development will develop substantive written material compiling the template of at least 6 financial solutions. The length of each entry is within 4 to 8 pages of a word document.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Demonstrated ability to interact with individuals of different national and cultural backgrounds and beliefs, which includes the willingness to understand different views and opinions;

Functional Competences:

Demonstrates a rigorous analytical approach, systemic thinking and good judgement in reviewing secondary sources;
Displays self-management, including capacity to plan and adhere to deadlines;
Displays emotional intelligence;
Self-motivated, proactive and reliable with good communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s Degree, or equivalent, in Economics, Finance, or Development;
Additional graduate qualifications will be considered as assets.

Experience:

At least 5 years of relevant experience in writing and researching on public finance and/or development economics; graduate education at the doctorate level might be considered in lieu of working experience;
Demonstrated experience in writing concisely and clearly on complex economic and financing topics;
Experience in researching on related topics in environment and climate change is a definitive asset;
Direct experience in working with the Ministry of Finance or other public sub-statutory agencies responsible for the design / implementation of financing mechanisms is a distinctive advantage;
Computer proficiency (Microsoft Office).

Language:

Superb verbal and written communication skills in English.

Submission of Applications

The submission of application is a two-step process. Failing to comply with the submission process may result in disqualifying the applications:

Step 1: Interested individual consultants must include the following documents when submitting the applications in UNDP job shop (Please note that only 1 (one) file can be uploaded therefore please include all docs in one file)

Personal History Form (P11), indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of at least three (3) professional references (the template can be downloaded from this link: http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc).

Step 2: Submission of Financial Proposal

Indicate an all-inclusive daily fee in US Dollars for this consultancy using the financial proposal template available here: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=43528

Applicants should pass the confirmation of Interest and Financial Proposal to eeg.jobfinproposal@undp.org with subject header – Financing Solutions for Sustainable Development. Applications received after the deadline may be rejected. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal should be all-inclusive and include a breakdown. The term ‘all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel related expenses, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the financial proposal.