Background

The UN-REDD Programme is the United Nations collaborative initiative on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) in developing countries. The Programme was launched in 2008 and builds on the convening role and technical expertise of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The UN-REDD Programme supports nationally-led REDD+ processes and promotes the informed and meaningful involvement of all stakeholders, including Indigenous Peoples and other forest-dependent communities, in national and international REDD+ implementation.

The Programme supports national REDD+ readiness efforts in 56 partner countries, spanning Africa, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, in two ways: (i) direct support to the design and implementation of UN-REDD National Programmes; and (ii) complementary support to national REDD+ action through common approaches, analyses, methodologies, tools, data and best practices developed through the UN-REDD Global Programme.

Uganda became a Participant of FCPF in 2008 and in 2009 received a first US$200,000 Grant through the World Bank to prepare a REDD+ Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP). Uganda embarked on R-PP preparation phase in March 2010 which was approved during the ninth Participants’ Committee meeting in Oslo in June, 2011 with comments. Uganda submitted an acceptable and updated R-PP in May 2012 after which a second US$3,634,000 Readiness Preparation Grant Agreement was signed on July 10, 2013 between the Government of Uganda (GoU) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD/World Bank). Additional support has been received from the Grant Agreement with Austrian Development Agency (ADA – US$ 870,000) and UN-REDD Targeted Support (US$ 75,000) and GoU contribution (US$ 472,000 in kind). 

The approved R-PP comprises the following 4 key component including (a) Readiness Organization and Consultation including setting up national REDD+ management arrangements and advancing consultation, participation and outreach; (b) REDD+ Strategy Preparation, including assessment of land use, land use change drivers, forest law, policy and governance, REDD+ strategy options, implementation framework and social and environmental impacts; (c) Reference Emissions Level/Reference Levels, and; (d) Monitoring Systems for Forests and Safeguards, including NFMS and information system for multiple benefits other impacts, governance and safeguards.

Uganda was furthermore retained by the UN-REDD Policy Board as priority country from Africa, and requested to express interest in National Programme (NP) support, to which Uganda responded favourably. Uganda’s UN-REDD NP was approved by the UN-REDD Programme 13th Policy Board in November 2014 in Arusha, Tanzania (US$ 1,798,670 until January 2017).

The overall NP goal is to enable Uganda to be ready for REDD+ implementation, including development of necessary institutions, policies, instruments and capacities, in a collaborative and leveraging way with other REDD+ readiness partners. The NP has three major outcomes - led by UNDP, FAO and UNEP, respectively: Outcome 1 – A transformational national REDD+ strategy is designed through substantial multi-sectorial technical and policy dialogue, including robust policy options and measures, mainstreamed and anchored in national development vision, planning and framework; Outcome 2  – A National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS) is designed and set up, with appropriate Measuring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) functions; and Outcome 3  – Subnational implementation of the REDD+ national strategy is prepared and facilitated through an “integrated landscape management” approach, building on a comprehensive set of analytical work, engagement and capacity building of stakeholders, and early actions.

Capacity building is a transversal stream of work that aims at enhancing national capacities to manage a high-quality and timely-delivered REDD+ process, mobilizing and engaging the required institutions and stakeholders, exploiting synergies between work streams as well as with initiatives beyond the REDD+ arena, sustaining the policy work, and building the national case for REDD+ in order to foster international dialogue and resource mobilization for REDD+ implementation. It will necessitate the expertise to ensure overall planning, coordination, sequencing, facilitation, monitoring and connecting the different work streams and actors in REDD+.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the Climate Change Policy Committee, which is co-chaired by Permanent Secretary of MoWE and UN Resident Coordinator, under the close supervision of Country Director of UNDP Country Office in Uganda and the REDD+ National Focal Point, and under the technical guidance of the FCPF technical Advisor (Lead Technical Advisor) and in close collaboration with other consultants recruited to support the various elements of the National REDD+ Strategy, the UN-REDD Technical Advisor will be responsible for overall operational and financial management and reporting on the implementation of Uganda REDD+ Roadmap through the UN-REDD programmatic support. To achieve this objective, the UN-REDD Technical Advisor will be also guided by the Regional Technical Advisor of the UNDP/UN-REDD programme based in Nairobi.

Support the REDD+ Secretariat in the day-to-day management of UN-REDD Programmatic Support including:

  • Development of annual and quarterly work plans and reports for participating UN agencies;
  • Provide close and regular technical backstopping to the Lead Technical Advisor, other members of the REDD+ Secretariat and UN-REDD Team, and other implementing entities for the implementation of various components of the national REDD+ process;
  • On request review of relevant policies and development of policy frameworks as well as the institutional arrangements for REDD+ development;
  • On request organisation of and substantive contributions to a high level policy dialogue on development of a National REDD+ Strategy;
  • Support the REDD+ Secretariat and in particular the Lead Technical Adviser in coordinating and supervising activities of national and international experts /consultants to secure timely production of planned outputs and the review of these outputs;
  • Assist the REDD+ Secretariat to coordinate and liaise with stakeholders – including line ministries, development partners, civil society, indigenous peoples and the private sector;
  • Support REDD+ Secretariat in ensuring coordination with other REDD+ initiatives;
  • Support REDD+ Secretariat in strengthening communication between different government agencies, national and international initiatives and stakeholders.

Provide advice to Government counterparts and facilitate knowledge building focusing on achievement of the following results:

Provide support and technical advice to the development of policy options and strategy for the design and implementation of Uganda National REDD+ Process to the REDD+ Secretariat including support on the development of:

  • Strategy development;
  • Policy dialogue;
  • Stakeholder engagement;
  • Governance and institution framing;
  • Other elements of National REDD+ development as required.

Share knowledge on REDD+ by documenting lessons learnt and best practices from the UN-REDD Programmatic Support and contributing to the development of knowledge based tools (including policies, strategies, guidelines, etc.);

Provide timely quality information and technical advice to the REDD+ Secretariat and the UN Country Team, to ensure effective development and delivery of the UN-REDD Programmatic Support;

Coordinate institutional capacity assessments of relevant national and subnational entities along the REDD+ supply chain;

Assist in the identification of technical expertise and lead on the preparation of TORs, identification and evaluation of experts, and reviewing reports produced; and support to UNFCCC negotiations relating to REDD+.

The Technical Advisor will be a senior member of the REDD+ Secretariat. S/he will report to the REDD+ National Focal Point and will sit in the National REDD+ Secretariat within the Ministry of Water and Environment. This reporting line will link the TA to the UNDP CO and MWE. On technical matters, the TA will report to the Country Director of UNDP Country Office in Uganda, the REDD+ National Focal Point and the Lead Technical Advisor, and collaborate closely with the UNDP Country Office and the UN-REDD+ regional team in Nairobi (through the UNDP CO).

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

  • Promoting Ethics and Integrity / Creating Organizational Precedents;
  • Building support and political acumen;
  • Building staff competence,  Creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
  • Building and promoting effective teams;
  • Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication;
  • Creating an emotionally intelligent organization;
  • Leveraging conflict & setting standards;
  • Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
  • Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking.

Functional Competencies:

  • Advocacy / Advancing Policy Oriented Agenda: analysis and creation of messages and strategies;
  • Creates effective advocacy strategies;
  • Contributes to the elaboration of advocacy strategies by identifying and prioritizing audiences and communication means;
  • Performs analysis of political situations and scenarios, and contributes to the formulation of institutional responses;
  • Uses the opportunity to bring forward and disseminate materials for advocacy work.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

  • Ability to lead strategic planning, change processes, results-based management and reporting;
  • Ability to lead formulation, oversight of implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
  • Ability to apply development theory to the specific project context to identify creative, practical approaches to overcome challenging situations;
  • Ability to manage for results: translates strategic aims into achievable plans, with established priorities, monitors them, making periodic adjustments as required.

Management and Leadership:

  • Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
  • Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
  • Ability to lead effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills;
  • Demonstrates outstanding communication skills oral and written communication skills;
  • Negotiation skills: capacity to work with diverse partners including Government, donors and civil society;
  • Remains calm, in control and good humoured even under pressure;
  • Proven networking, team-building, organizational and communication skills. 

Required Skills and Experience

Education

  • Master’s degree or higher in Management, Environmental Science, Natural Resource Management, Environmental Economics, Geography or Social Sciences, Forestry or similar.

Experience

  • At least 5 years of working experience on REDD+, conservation, resource management, forest economic policy and community development livelihoods, with experience in Uganda or East Africa preferable;
  • Experience of working in multinational teams to implement programmes involving different funding and implementing agencies;
  • Experience of implementing programmes across the UN agencies and across Government are definite advantages;
  • Experience the REDD+ developments at international, national and local levels;
  • Knowledge on the UNFCCC negotiations, COP-decisions related to REDD and guidelines for national systems in the context of REDD+, as well as national and international best practices within REDD+ and other natural resource management initiatives.

Language:

  • Fluent in English
  • Proficiency in one, two or three UN languages is an advantage.