Result of Service

Achievement of Key Project Milestones: – Successful contribution to the IKI-funded GPI, ensuring key deliverables and outputs are met, with clear alignment to peatland conservation, policy development, and sustainable management goals in target countries of Peru and Colombia. – Integration of Peatland Policies: Peru and Colombia effectively incorporate peatland conservation and sustainable management into their NDCs and NBSAPs, advancing national commitments on climate change, biodiversity conservation and peatland protection. – Successful liaison with the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership to provide evidence and advocate for the inclusion of peatlands conservation in the Colombian NBSAPs.

Work Location

Home-based

Expected duration

8 months

Duties and Responsibilities

UN Environment Programme 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. UNEP 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 Global Peatlands Initiative (GPI), led by UNEP, seeks to capture, and establish new approaches for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of peatlands – linking science to practice and decision making. The six peat-rich tropical countries of Indonesia, Peru, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mongolia, and Colombia, are the pilot countries of the Global Peatlands Initiative. Due to the enormous amounts of carbon they hold and the catastrophic consequences their drainage and degradation has generated in the past, a commitment by over 50 partners and tropical peatland countries to work together to halt the further destruction of peatlands is gaining international attention. The GPI supports its partner countries in identifying data gaps, addressing capacity needs, and developing robust and effective policies, legislation, and frameworks for peatlands and climate change. This assistance strengthens national climate strategies by aligning them with global commitments and ensuring the integration of peatlands into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAPs). By promoting South-South collaboration, the initiative facilitates the exchange of strategies and best practices to enhance peatland conservation, restoration, and sustainable management, ensuring comprehensive policy integration to effectively reduce peatland degradation. Specific tasks and responsibilities The consultant will be home based located in Peru or Colombia at the UN Environment / Ecosystems Division / Biodiversity, and Land Branch. Under the direct supervision of the Programme Management Officer, Biodiversity People and Landscapes Unit in UNEP, the consultant will perform the following specific tasks: 1. Compile environmental data and coordinate peatland monitoring and policy support in Peru and Colombia. The task involves compiling, organizing, and refining environmental data and information for Peru and Colombia, prioritizing sources such as UNEP’s World Environment Situation Room, verified independent sources, official national data, and other contributions from the GPI. The focus is on statistics, subnational indicators, and cartographic information, particularly for monitoring, mapping, and peatland conservation and restoration activities. Special attention will be given to data related to Peru’s and Colombia’s progress in Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), the inclusion of peatlands in updating Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the UNFCCC and the inclusion of peatlands conservation and targets for the NBSAPs. The information must be documented with metadata and relevant for country analyses, aligned with UNEP guidance. The work also includes acting as a liaison between the GPI project objectives and the Environment (and possibly Agriculture) Ministries of Peru and Colombia, based on project concept notes and outcomes. 2. Prepare and assist in drafting technical documents on the implementation of Peru’s NDCs concerning the conservation and sustainable management of Amazonian peatlands. Additionally, provide support for the preparation of other strategic documents for both Peru and Colombia to advance the integration of peatlands into national plans and public policy processes, including NBSAPs, NDCs, NAMAs, and NAPs. 3. Coordinate with and provide information to the NBSAP Accelerator Partnership national facilitator in Colombia for the inclusion of peatland conservation in the NBSAPs. 4. Provide technical and policy assistance for the GPI project activities and objectives in Peru and Colombia, supporting the key outputs of the project: Output I: Knowledge and Science; Output II: Practice and Plans; Output III: Awareness & Upscaling. With key tasks including i) the coordination and development of thematic peatland maps for Peru and Colombia derived from the Global Peatlands Assessment (GPA) and the Global Peatland Hotspot Atlas, ii) supporting fundraising and resource mobilization efforts for peatland conservation in these countries, and iii) engaging in consultations with government stakeholders in Peru and Colombia, as well as other relevant actors, to gather input and foster alignment on the GPI 10-Year Strategy, ensuring its integration into national priorities and plans. 5. Liaise with partners and other UN agencies in Peru and Colombia working on peatlands with the objective of raising the country’s environmental agenda, and raise the peatland profile and their conservation in particular, creating synergies with UNEP’s project portfolio in those countries.

Qualifications/special skills

First level university degree preferably with a specialization in environmental sciences, conservation biology, sustainable management, or related areas is required. A minimum of two (2) years of progressive experience in the field of environmental conservation, scientific research or science to policy work is required. Experience working on peatlands and/or ecosystems as a topic is required.. Experience with the UN system especially with UNEP and on this issue is highly desirable. Skills and experience in networking, outreach, and engaging with multiple parties is desirable. Experience in peatlands work and coordinating research agendas, conducting analysis and possessing excellent drafting skills for scientific reports is desirable.

Languages

English and Spanish are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in English and Spanish (both oral and written) is required. NOTE: ”Fluency” equals a rating of ”fluent” in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and ”Knowledge of” equals a rating of ”confident” in two of the four area.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.