Background Information – UNEP
UN Environment is the leading global environ...
Background Information – UNEP
UN Environment 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.
Background Information – Job Specific
The project “Adapting to climate change and enabling sustainable land management through productive rural communities in Timor-Leste” is funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). The project will be implemented by UNEP and executed by the National Directorate of Climate Change (NDCC), Ministry of Tourism and Environment over 6 years. In this regard, UNEP is seeking to recruit a Technical Expert to provide technical guidance on the implementation of the project. The Technical Expert will report to the National Project Director and work closely with the Project Coordinator, Project Manager and in close collaboration with Task Manager, UNEP, in realizing the project objectives.
The proposed project advocates ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) as the preferred solution to the problem of climate change and unsustainable land management in the rural landscapes of Timor-Leste. This advocated approach includes the: i) improvement of national and sub-national adaptation planning; ii) restoration of ecosystems in water catchments; iii) development and implementation of agricultural management systems; iv) provision of water to rural communities; and v) expansion of a climate-smart agribusiness sector (through improved commodity production, access to value chains and markets and sustainability certification to encourage private sector investment).
This project aims to build the resilience of vulnerable communities in Timor-Leste to the impacts of climate change by implementing interventions that promote the adoption of climate-resilient sustainable land management (SLM) and water resource management (WRM) practices. These interventions will incorporate an Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) approach and will be implemented at both the suco (village) level — on communal land — and the farm level, specifically targeting hotspots of land degradation and climate change vulnerability in Timor-Leste’s priority watersheds.
The project will be implemented through a multi-stakeholder approach and include government agencies, development partners, international research forums and relevant NGOs. Local-level EbA interventions will be analysed and lessons learned and best practices will be collated from monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) reports. The extracted information will be used to inform upscaling of the EbA model as well as enhance the national body of knowledge for climate change adaptation, specifically on land degradation neutrality (LDN) and sustainable land management (SLM). Limitations in the institutional and technical capacity of national agencies to plan for and respond to climate change impacts will be addressed by raising awareness, training Facility Management Groups (GMFs) and communities in the two watersheds on the implementation of Climate-Resilient Integrated Watershed Development Plans (CRIWDPs), developing national policies on LDN and EbA and building institutional and technical capacity. Moreover, knowledge and information about climate impacts within the Timor-Leste target areas will be gathered, documented and shared with a Cross-Sectoral Working Group (CSWG) which will propose policy revisions to incorporate: i) EbA and climate resilience; ii) LDN; and iii) agri-business development in support of poverty alleviation.
The Technical Expert will be home-based with travel to the country at least once a year. The Technical Expert will work closely with Project Management unit based in Dili, Timor Leste for developing, delivering and managing the portfolio of engagements in the country of the MCO location itself.
Technical Expert’s roles
“Technical Expert – Timor Leste Project” will provide technical assistance to member states and GAN partners on knowledge, awareness and dissemination of best practices on adaptation to climate change. The individual contractor will support UNEP with design and delivery of policy roundtables, sessions and trainings targeting member states and partners through regular contact with national counterparts and GAN regional nodes.