Mission and objectives

As the United Nations lead agency on international development, UNDP works in 170 countries and territories to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. We help countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities, and to build resilience to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Our work is concentrated in three focus areas; sustainable development, democratic governance and peace building, and climate and disaster resilience. UNDP’s mandate is to end poverty, build democratic governance, rule of law, and inclusive institutions. We advocate for change, and connect countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

Context

UNDP is the lead knowledge organization for sustainable development in the United Nations system, catalyzing collective action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work at headquarters, regional and country office levels provide a range of in-depth local knowledge, global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in its Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of global and field-based technical expertise covering a wide range of knowledge areas and supporting the key activities and organizational capacities envisaged in UNDP’s Strategic Plan. Over the past decades, biodiversity financing tools and solutions have demonstrated their importance for achieving biodiversity and broader sustainable development goals. Improving the choice, design and implementation of effective and well-tailored financing solutions will enhance countries’ chances of achieving national and global biodiversity targets. Biodiversity financing plans are increasingly recognized as a relevant tool to help countries identify and close the biodiversity financing gap, notably through the work of the Biodiversity Finance Initiative www.biofin.org. In December 2022, the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Montreal-Kunming Global Biodiversity Framework. This framework includes a number of objectives relating to financing. Target 19 on resource mobilization refers to the design and implementation by countries of national biodiversity financing plans. The Global Biodiversity Framework Early Action Support (GBF EAS) (the Project) is a global project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by UNDP and UNEP. The goal of the Project is to accelerate readiness and early action for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (hereinafter referred to as “KGBF”) by providing financial and technical support to Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) eligible to participate in the GEF, in their work to align their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), including policy, monitoring and financing with the GBF and related goals of other environmental agreements, such as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and the land degradation neutrality goals of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). UNDP-BIOFIN has been asked to support the implementation of the Component 4 which follow the BIOFIN methodology.

Task Description

The UNV who will support the implementation the overall component 4 of the GEF7 EAS following the UNDP BIOFIN Methodology and the following; Core Responsibilities: • Carry out a literature review to identify existing studies/information/databases on biodiversity spending, including an overview of previous studies on environmental spending; • Draw up a proposal for an updated national definition of “biodiversity expenditure” if required, based on the BIOFIN methodology or other methodologies; • Develop a work plan for the Biodiversity Spending Review to be discussed with the national Biodiversity Finance Plan (BFP) team; • Determine a target list of organizations to be included in the analysis based on the work of the Integrated Policy and Institutional Review (PIR); • Collect data for the literature review to map existing studies/information/databases on biodiversity spending, including an overview of previous reviews of environmental spending; • Establish, a system for classifying biodiversity-related expenditure by category, Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) objectives, BIOFIN categories, NBSAP themes, etc.) and a system of coefficients/allocations for estimating the contribution of mixed actions to biodiversity; • Collect data from target organizations to review budgets and expenditure. Follow existing methodologies for guidance (including mapping of funding sources, biodiversity-based grants and income, etc.); • Develop tools or an Excel tool to analyze total biodiversity expenditure filtered by key strategic groups using existing methodology (or national categories as in NBSAP); • Coordinate the compilation of relevant data and liaise with relevant ministries and partners as appropriate and complete all BIOFIN data entry forms for the BDA; • Support the organisation of bilateral consultation meetings, interviews and discussions with stakeholders at national level to define and validate the attribution of biodiversity importance in all relevant spending; • Applying the budget projections and other assumptions, estimate future core funding under a “Business-As-Usual” scenario: an analysis of the estimated funding projected into the future; • Based on international best practice and BIOFIN or other methodologies, work closely with the lead financial expert (project manager) to develop and implement a specific private sector data collection strategy and organise specific consultation meetings with private sector stakeholders (e.g. chamber of commerce, multinationals) on biodiversity expenditure tracking; • Based on the results of the research, analysis and national consultation workshop, develop, the draft BIOFIN Biodiversity Spending Review for review by the UNDP CO.; • Develop the final version of the Biodiversity Expenditure Review for review by the UNDP CO and present at the validation workshop.

Competencies and values

Getting results; Innovative thinking; Continuous learning; Adapting with agility; Act with determination; Making commitments and establishing partnerships; Promoting diversity and inclusion.

Living conditions and remarks

Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province in South Africa. It is one of the country’s two capital cities serving as the executive (administrative) and de facto national capital. It offers excellent living conditions with various types of world-class available facilities. Housing is readily available, and rents can be negotiated. Infrastructure, internet connectivity, roads, utilities, telecommunications are of a high standard. Air BnB and Uber are in common use. The other city is Cape Town, the legislative capital. Pretoria is classified as an A duty station, and South Africa is in security phase 1. Like in other big cities with significant crime rates, caution must be exercised always. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. UN Volunteers is entitled to the below benefits: • A Monthly Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA): ZAR 22405 per month; • A once off entry lumpsum of $400 at the start of the assignment; • Medical insurance; Life cover, and annual leave; • Access to all learning platforms; • A once off exit lumpsum at the end of the assignment.