Background

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan.  BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.  BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response.  BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working.  BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

Climate change mitigation – or reducing greenhouse gas emissions - is essential to fulfilling commitments to the Paris Agreement and limiting the global mean temperature increase to 1.5° C above pre-industrial levels. UNDP, with more than 280 climate change mitigation projects and programs in over 110 countries, is a key actor supporting countries in their emission reduction plans, contributing to ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions. Activities in energy, as well as forests and agriculture, will be critical to meeting global mitigation objectives. 

UNDP’s approach to forestry aligns with the SDG 15 and contributes to UNDP's 'signature solution' on environment and nature-based solutions for development. Deforestation and forest degradation accounts for more than 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and it is clear that the stabilization of global temperatures cannot be achieved without reducing emissions from the forest sector. UNDP's Climate and Forests team supports countries to conserve and sustainably manage forests and ensure sustainable and equitable development paths that lead towards carbon neutrality. More information here: www.climateandforests-undp.org.

The Climate and Forests team has been selected to support the Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force (GCFTF) initiative.  This involves supporting the preparation and implementation of projects for the more than 30 developing country sub-national jurisdictions participating in the initiative to develop strategies and investment plans for innovative forested landscape transformation.  This will be done in coordination with the secretariat for the GCFTF (based in Colorado University), the governance arrangements for the initiative, and other existing partners.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision and leadership of the Principal Technical Advisor (PTA) of the Climate and Forest team, the prospective consultant will conduct an assessment of the eligibility and viability of subnational governments to generate verified emissions reductions credits under emerging standards, including ART/TREES, California Tropical Forest Standard, and/or Verified Carbon Standard. The consultancy will focus on jurisdictions in Mexico and Brazil that are members of the Governors’ Climate & Forests Task Force (GCFTF).

The purpose of this consultancy is to: (i) assess the viability of GCFTF member states to generate carbon credits with high environmental integrity under emerging market standards; (ii) to analyse the gaps in eligibility; and (ii) create a pathway through which states that have generated emissions reductions from the forest sector can access financial resources from the sale of carbon credits in markets.

The prospective consultant will be supported by a national consultant in Mexico.  Specifically, the consultant will:

1.            Assess the potential of GCFTF member states to generate carbon credits with high environmental integrity under a set of emerging market standards, including ART/TREES, the California Tropical Forest Standard, and/or Verified Carbon Standard:

• Develop guidelines for assessing the viability/ feasibility of GCFTF member states compliance with different market standards (individual states and relevant standards to be identified in consultation with UNDP), building on existing tools designed by the UNDP Climate & Forests Team.  
• Use these guidelines and tools to carry out the viability/ feasibility assessment for the implementation of the ART/ TREES, California Tropical Forest Standard and VCS for the generation of certified carbon credits from the forest sector with high environmental integrity in each GCFTF member state.

• Conduct a gap analysis and identify the key elements that will need to be further developed in order for each GCFTF member state to comply with the different carbon market standard’s considering the existing measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) information and capacity, legal and institutional setting/ requirements, safeguards, and other relevant elements.

• Assess the potential impact of the sale of carbon credits from the forest sector from GCFTF member states on the country’s NDC.

• Develop pathways for enabling GCFTF member states with emission reductions from the forest sector to access markets through the sale of certified carbon credits with high environmental integrity, considering different market options, the level of effort/inputs/costs required, prospective sources of finance willing to acquire credits from the various standards, among other relevant elements that will be identified through the gap analysis.

2.            Coordinate with the national consultant in Mexico

• Provide guidance to national consultant/s to coordinate the collection of subnational-level data, including consolidating information from previous REDD+ programmes, such as FCPF, or GCFTF (e.g. REDD+ strategies or sector plans, safeguards mechanisms, and other relevant outputs).
• Review data collected and incorporate into the overall assessment.
• Conduct interviews with key stakeholders as needed.

3.  Contribute lessons from the assessment; provide relevant advice on carbon accounting, nesting sub-national with national and NDCs; and provide any other inputs requested by the Principal Technical Advisor.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:

Institutional Arrangement

The consultant will be supervised by and report directly to the Principal Policy and Technical Advisor, REDD+, Sustainable Development Team, BPPS.   S/he will be expected to provide monthly updates. In addition, she/he will be expected to liaise and collaborate with the GCFTF Programme Officer and UNDP Climate & Forests Team. The consultant will also be expected to collaborate with national consultants in Mexico and Brazil and to liaise with GCFTF coordinators where necessary.

Duty Station

This consultancy will be home-based.

Duration of the Work

The consultancy will be for a duration of approximately 100 days / over six months, commencing as soon as possible.  

Competencies

• Excellent Spanish and/or Portuguese written communication skills, with analytic capacity and ability to synthesize relevant findings for the preparation of quality project reports
• Knowledge of REDD+ processes and requirements under UNFCCC (MRV systems, FREL, safeguards) and emerging standards (e.g. ART/TREES, California Tropical Forest Standard, VCS)
• Ability to manage workload with minimum supervision
• Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines
• Ability to accommodate additional demands on short notice
• Displays sensitivity and adaptability to different cultures, genders, religions, races, nationalities and age groups

Required Skills and Experience

The individual contractor must have a Master's degree in environmental management, international development, public policy, biology or related degree. Understanding of carbon accounting methodologies and data an advantage.  S/he must have at least 5 years work experience in REDD+ in tasks specifically related to the position (e.g. assessment of national or subnational programmes for accessing payments for emissions reductions). Experience working on similar REDD+ standards or programmes, such as FCPF or VCS, is desirable. Previous experience working on national or subnational REDD+ mechanisms in Brazil or Mexico would be considered an advantage.

Operational language fluency in Spanish or Portuguese and working knowledge of the other language is required.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their financial proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate whose offer:

• Is deemed technically responsive / compliant / acceptable (only technically responsive applications/ candidates will be considered for the financial evaluation)

• And has obtained the highest combined technical and financial scores.

The individual contractor will be compensated based on an all-inclusive daily fee, to be paid on a monthly basis upon submission of a signed IC time sheet, to be cleared and approved by the Principal Technical Advisor. [In the event that mission travel is required, this will be administered and compensated separately in accordance with standard UNDP travel policies and procedures.]

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

The application submission is a two-step process.

Step 1:  Interested individual consultants must apply online and include the following documents when submitting the application in the UNDP job shop.

• Personal History Form (P11) or

• An updated curriculum vitae (CV)

Step 2:  Submission of Financial Proposal (for shortlisted candidates)

Technically qualified applicants will be instructed to submit their financial proposals using the UNDP IC Offeror’s letter template. Daily fee/rate must be expressed in US dollars. The offeror’s letter/financial proposal should be submitted separately by email to the panel/staff who will conclude the technical-financial evaluation.

This consultant’s application will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Combined Scoring method – where the technical qualifications will be weighted a maximum of 70%, and combined with the price (financial) offer which will be weighted a max of 30%. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points (100 maximum points) would be considered for the financial criteria.

The key criteria for rating the qualifications are as follows:              

Technical Criteria – 70% of total evaluation (minimum passing technical score of 70/100 points)

         Educational background:  Master's degree in environmental management, international development, public policy, biology, or related degree (20 points)

         Experience:

• At least 5 years work experience in REDD+ in tasks specifically related to the consultancy (e.g. assessment of national or subnational programmes for accessing payments for emissions reductions (30 points);

• Experience working on similar REDD+ standards or programmes, such as FCPF or VCS, is desirable (20 points);

• Previous experience working on national or subnational REDD+ mechanisms in Brazil or Mexico would be considered an advantage (15 points)

  Language requirement:  Fluency in Spanish or Portuguese and working knowledge of the other language is required (15 points)

Financial Criteria:   30% of total evaluation