Background

UNCCD-COP16

The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is one of the three Rio Conventions established at the 1992 Earth Summit, alongside the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It aims to combat desertification, address land degradation and mitigate the effects of drought through national action programs supported by international cooperation. The Conference of the Parties (COP), UNCCD’s main decision-making body, includes 197 Parties (196 countries and the European Union) and guides the Convention’s responses to global challenges and national needs.

The sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the UNCCD, hosted by Saudi Arabia from December 2-13, 2024, aims to raise global ambition and accelerate transformative global action on land and drought resilience through a people-centered approach.

Moreover, as the first major UN conference hosted by Saudi Arabia, COP16 presents an opportunity for the host country to implement a robust Legacy Program that advances global targets such as Land Degradation Neutrality (SDG 15.3).

UNDP Engagement on UNCCD COP16

UNDP’s engagement on UNCCD COP16 includes support to the pre-COP16 process; participation at the COP16, including co-leading the organization of Land Day and Governance Day; and contributing to the implementation of the COP16 outcomes, leveraging UNDP’s global presence and extensive experience in supporting governments to address global environmental challenges, including ecosystem/land degradation, and drought vulnerability.

More specifically, UNDP’s engagement will focus on 3 global thematic initiatives:

• Global Drought Resilience Building Program: Concentrating on drought hotspots, this program will integrate experience and learning from various UNDP sectors.
• Finance for Large-scale Land Regeneration/Restoration: Supporting the global commitment to restore over 1 billion hectares of degraded land by 2030.
• Finance for Agroecological Transitions: Promoting nature-positive and regenerative food systems for secure and resilient livelihoods in response to land degradation, climate crises, and biodiversity loss.

RBAS Engagement

The Arab States region faces severe challenges from desertification, land degradation, and drought, exacerbated by an arid climate, water scarcity, and rapid population growth. These pressures threaten the region’s fragile ecosystems and socio-economic stability, making the outcomes of COP16 particularly critical.

As this COP is hosted in an Arab State country, the role of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) is of highest importance. Efforts will focus on supporting Member States’ participation and contribution to the negotiations and outcomes of the COP16, while ensuring that the event receives the right visibility among the youth, civil society and the private sector across the region. Moreover, as UNDP country offices in the region will be involved in the implementation of the COP16 outcomes, the RBAS will readjust its regional offer on the water-energy-food nexus in order to align it better with the priorities set by COP16 to accelerate large-scale land restoration and enhance drought resilience among the region’s most vulnerable population, particularly smallholder farmers, women, and youth in rural communities, who are at the forefront of land degradation and climate change.

Duties and Responsibilities

With this background, the UNDP Regional Hub for Arab States in Amman is looking for a Senior Technical Specialist to support the development of the RBAS regional programme on the Water-Energy-Food nexus in the context of the UNCCD COP16 legacy programme on Drought Resilience, and to supporting the RBAS contribution to COP16 (pre, during and post) in line with other Rio conventions, providing technical expertise and knowledge management assistance to the Regional Hub and the Country Offices. The incumbent will work under the direct supervision of and will report to the Environment and Energy Regional Team Leader in the Regional Hub. Travel is expected.

Programme and project development

• Provide substantive inputs and support to the elaboration of the regional programme on the Water-Energy-Food nexus for drought resilience. This programme will constitute the overarching contribution and positioning of RBAS across the 3 Rio conventions and Sendai Framework, guiding regional and national actions in sustainable land management and ecosystem restoration, climate adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity conservation, access to renewable energy and resilience building; in a context of high social, economic and political instability.
• Ensure relevance of the portfolio with ongoing country, regional and global corporate priorities and programmes, and ensure synergies with other regional initiatives, including those on, gender and women’s empowerment, youth, inclusive growth, migration and internal displacement, and governance, peacebuilding and conflict prevention.
• Identify key potential regional partners, including intergovernmental organizations, UN agencies, multilateral and bilateral financing institutions, academics, private sector and civil society organizations and propose a collaboration and engagement strategy.

Knowledge management, outreach and communication for UNCCD COP 16

• Collect and source data, information, and knowledge on case studies and stories from UNDP’s experience in land restoration and drought resilience in the RBAS countries.
• Conduct data analysis and research to distill best practices and lessons learned from land restoration and drought resilience activities at country level.
• Contribute and/or lead the development and review of knowledge products in close coordination with the country offices, BPPS and CB teams.
• Ensure a clear connection in knowledge products and communication activities between UNDP’s actions at local, national, regional and global levels.
• Contribute to identification of knowledge to be showcased and activities to be conducted at the UNDP pavilions in the blue and green zone.
• Lead and/or contribute to the writing of UNDP position papers related to land degradation and drought resilience in the RBAS region.
• Contribute to organization of pre-COP16 activities, including the development of a communication campaign on the UNCCD COP16 with CSOs and Youth-led civil society organizations in the RBAS region, in close collaboration with the Youth and Gender teams in the Amman hub.

Support RBAS regional and national contribution to UNCCD COP16

• Engage daily with the UNDP country office in Saudi Arabia through high level technical assistance, knowledge development, communication and visibility support in preparation for COP16.
• Support the Regional Hub to guide Country Offices on how to contribute to and support member states and partners in the Arab States region to participate in UNCCD COP16 dialogues before, during and after.
• Provide support to RBAS country offices and regional bureau in their participation to the COP16 including through elaboration of country notes, writing briefing notes, talking points and meeting reports for UNDP Senior Management and Senior partners at national and regional levels.
• Support the Amman Hub to keep the RBAS country offices and BPPS informed on the activities and decisions related to COP16 and key events of interest leading to COP16.
• Participate in coordination meetings with national and regional partners in preparation of the COP16.
• Perform any other task related to UNDP RBAS contribution to the COP16, upon request of the direct supervisor.

Institutional Arrangement

• The IPSA holder will work under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Environment and Energy Regional Team Leader in the Amman Regional Hub. Travel is expected.

Competencies

Required Skills and Experience

Min. Education requirements

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in environmental economics, environmental law, natural resources management, sustainable development, climate change adaptation/mitigation, international development with a specialization in natural resource management, environment and development, or other closely related field.

Or First university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the above related discipline in combination with an additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieau of Master´s degree.

• Min. years of relevant work experience : Minimum 5 years (with Master´s degree) or 7 years (with Bachelor´s degree) of continuous experience working with developing countries ion Natural resources management, Climate Change Adaption and/or rural community-led development
• Proven record of programmes / projects formulation and policy development processes in the field of natural resource management, climate change adaptation, or related field

Required skills

• Strong experience in supporting the organization of regional and global events

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section:

• Demonstrate extensive experience developing or implementing adaptation projects with financing from vertical funds (the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund, Least Developed Country Fund and/or Special Climate Change Fund) is desirable
• Experience working in the Arab States region is highly desirable
• Experience working in an international organization is an advantage, especially with knowledge of UNDP policies, procedures, and practices

Required Language(s)

• Ecellent oral and written communication skills in English language.
• Good command of oral and written Arabic or/and French is highly desirable.