The Project “Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services” has been established to advance the knowledge agenda on environmental-economic accounting, in particular ecosystem accounting, by initiating pilot testing of the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA) Experimental Ecosystem Accounting in five strategic partner countries to the European Union (EU), namely Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa. The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity are the implementing agencies of the project “Natural Capital Accounting and Valuation of Ecosystem Services.  This project is funded by the European Union.

The objective of the project is threefold: (a) improving the measurement of ecosystems and their services (both in physical and monetary terms) at the (sub)national level; and (b) mainstreaming biodiversity and ecosystems in (sub)national level policy-planning and implementation; (c) contributing to the development of internationally agreed methodology and its use in partner countries.  The project was launched in India in 2017 with MOSPI as nodal agency. A number of ecosystem accounts have already been compiled at the national level which have been published in 2018 and 2019, with additional accounts being compiled. In parallel, a pilot is being conducted in Karnataka State.

UN Environment 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. UN Environment Ecosystems Division works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and capacity development for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition.
The consultant will work for the Ecosystem Services Economics Unit in the Ecosystems Division to perform the execution of different work packages of The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity (TEEB) projects, and specifically on the projects “Natural Capital and Valuation of Ecosystem Services” (NCAVES) funded by the European Commission.

The consultant will report to the TEEB Coordinator, Ecosystem Services Economics Unit (ESE) in the Ecosystems Division and to the Head of the UN Environment National Office for India located in New Delhi. 

Duties and responsibilities of the consultant will entail conducting a policy assessment and drafting a national plan for implementing Natural Capital Accounts in India, based on the progress made so far in the NCAVES and related projects, and taking stock of national circumstances and priorities.              
Specific duties for the NCAVES project in India include the following:

1. Prepare a critical review of relevant past and ongoing initiatives on NCA in India e.g. at think-tanks, government agencies sch as MoSPI, National Remote Sensing Centre, MoEFCC etc., at the national and sub-national levels, in terms of their focus, objectives, and outcomes. Based on this assessment, propose how this project and its results can best take this work forward in terms of mainstreaming NCA into the decision-making processes.
2. Develop a detailed policy assessment that will assess the major policies and programs having a bearing on the environmental sector in India and analyze how the various types of environmental-economic accounts that are being compiled by NSO India can inform these policies. The policy assessments should also have a specific section dedicated to indicators.  The policy assessment should be conducted by holding structured informational interviews with key representatives from line ministries and agencies including MoEFCC; Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Water Resources; the Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Corporate Affairs; NITI Aayog.  
3. Draft a roadmap for implementation of Natural Capital Accounts in India based on the policy assessment. The roadmap should include: a listing of types of accounts to be developed and its prioritization based on the status of data availability and the relative importance of the policy questions; a proposal for replication of the Karnataka pilot across India; proposed coordination structures ensuring involvement of research institutions/academia; institutional arrangements (e.g. data sharing); an indicative time frame; section on resource needs (human, training, technology,and financial); (inter)national collaboration.   The roadmap should include a proposal aligned with the vision document of the Indian statistical system being developed by NSO India.
    
4. Communications and outreach:

a.   Work with the TEEB communications officer, UN Environment and the United Nations Statistics Division communications focal point to develop and disseminate outreach materials (e.g. brochures; one-pagers) tailored to a policy audience.

b.   Determine options for dissemination of results of the project, including identification of key meetings, events, persons and institutions which ought to receive information about the findings.

c.   Identify and interact with experts for project activities and deliverables

d.   Assist with the organization of a national forum to disseminate the results of the NCAVES project that is expected to take place in July-August 2020.  The roadmap will be presented and discussed during the National Forum.

• Teamwork
• Professionalism
• Client Orientation

Qualifications/special skills

Academic Qualifications: An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent), preferably with a specialization in environmental management, law, social anthropology, environment and development, sustainable development, agricultural economics, or related fields is required. A first level degree in combination with 5 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience: A minimum of five (7) years of progressively responsible experience in government, non-governmental organization, or policy-mainstreaming organization with a focus on environment and/or development. Experience working on natural capital accounting in the context of India is desirable. Experience with communications is desirable.

Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in spoken and written English is required.

Expected Outputs, delivery dates and payment terms

Total cost of the assignment is $14000 which will be paid as follows:

Evaluation Method and Criteria:

1. Education Qualifications – 35 Marks
2. Professional Experience – 35 Marks
3. Interview – 30 Marks

Submission of Proposal:

CV with three reference

for any queries, please email to: ic.india@undp.org