UNDP Jobs - 92038- Ref.2020-066_International Expert on the Mechanism

Ref.2020-066_International Expert on the Mechanism of Biodiversity Offsets

Location :

Home based with mission to Kazakhstan, KAZAKHSTAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

17-Jun-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

July 2020 - March 2021

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

80 working days

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

Important notice to the Applicants!

Only those applications/offers will be considered that have been submitted to the following e-mail address: procurement.kz@undp.org with the indication of Ref.2020-066 in the subject line. The application deadline is 3 PM (Nur-Sultan time) 17 June 2020. For detailed information on the position, required documents to be sent and evaluation procedure please refer to the Terms of Reference.

Background:

The 2nd phase of the project “Biodiversity Finance Initiative - BIOFIN” is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme with financial support from the Government of Germany and the Government of Switzerland. BIOFIN supports countries with a methodology that provides innovative steps to measure current biodiversity expenditures, assess financial needs, identify the most suitable finance solutions and provides guidance on how to implement these solutions to achieve their national biodiversity target.

The 2nd phase of BIOFIN in Kazakhstan will be built on the lessons learned from the 1st phase and will aim to test six finance solutions: (1) subsidizing game breeding, (2) creating tax incentives for the development of ecotourism, (3) capacity building of protected areas to improve financing, (4) biodiversity offsets, (5) carbon offsetting through an internal emission trading system (ETS) and (6) attracting foreign investment to implement projects to absorb greenhouse gases by forest ecosystems.

Implementation of new finance solutions will be based on changing existing and preparing new legal standards, testing, studying the experience of other countries, approaches, capacity building of industry experts, providing extensive information on the problems and possibilities of biodiversity financing.

The project also aims to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women as a result of introducing new finance solutions, as far as it is relevant and possible in the framework of the project.

Duties and Responsibilities

The relevance of the work is related to the need to create an accessible methodological basis and increase the awareness of stakeholders about the use of the mechanisms of biodiversity offsets.

The purpose of the work is to develop guidelines for the implementation of effective biodiversity offsets in Kazakhstan, prepare recommendations and methodologies for the Government.

Stakeholders:

The Forestry and Wildlife Committee of the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a state body and department under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which carries out implementation, control and supervisory functions in the field of forestry, conservation, reproduction and use of wildlife and protected areas;

The Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MEGNR) is the central executive body of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which focuses on the creation of conditions for the conservation, restoration and improvement of the quality of the environment, water and biological resources, state geological study of subsurface, reproduction of the mineral resources base, sustainable development of water, forestry, fisheries and hunting sector, protected areas, ensuring the transition of the Republic of Kazakhstan to low-carbon development and “green economy” to meet the needs of the present and future generations;

Features of the planned work and security risks:

The implementation of the planned work involves analytical work with one trip to the Republic of Kazakhstan to the city of Nur-Sultan. Security risks during work are minimal.

Detailed information about Scope of Work and Contractor's responsibilities could be found in Terms of Reference.

Competencies

Studying best practices and suggesting new, more effective ways of conducting business, documenting innovative strategies and new approaches;
Strong skills in writing presentations and reports;
Excellent verbal and communication skills;
Pronounced analytical skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in the field of ecology, environmental economics or similar field;

Experience:

At least 5 years of international experience in providing consulting / expert services on the introduction of the mechanism of biodiversity offsets, with demonstrated knowledge of international standards, practices in the field of biodiversity offsets, confirmed by experience in developing methodological documents, regulatory legal acts on the issues of biodiversity offsets in the industrial, transport and other sectors;
At least 10 years of experience working in or with state or international organizations, research institutes, public organizations, state / private companies in the field of environmental and/or economic policy development, economic research, forecasting, environmental and economic modeling;
Experience in participating in the development or implementation of biodiversity offsets projects in the industrial, transport and other sectors;
Experience in the preparation of analytical reports. Strong skills in writing presentations and reports;
Publications, articles on the topic of the terms of reference.

Language requirements:

English language is required. The ability to communicate in Russian is an asset.

Recommended Presentation of Offer

The following documents only in PDF should be attached to the application (proposal) and sent by e-mail to the following address: procurement.kz@undp.org indicating Ref.2020-066 in the e-mail subject no later than 15.00 (Nur-Sultan time zone) 17 June 2020:

Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per UNDP template provided;
Detailed personal CV, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) and other supporting information confirming that the Candidate meets the qualification requirements;
Copies of higher education diplomas and other relevant documents.

Due to the technical features of e-mail, the size of the file/s should not exceed 19 Mb per e-message.

Please make sure you have provided all requested above documents. ! ONLY fully submitted applications would be considered!!!

The type of Contract to be signed and the applicable UNDP Contract General Terms and Conditions, as specified in TOR, can be accessed at http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/procurement/business/how-we-buy.html

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.