Background Information - UNOPS Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO)
The Austria Multi-Country Office (AUMCO) is part of the UNOPS Europe and Central Asia Region (ECR). Specifically, AUMCO aims to enable achievement of Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement through global programmes and tailored interventions in the Balkans, South Caucasus, and Central Asia, focused on:
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Infrastructure
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Procurement
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Project Management (full service, back on track)
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HR and Transactional Services
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Grants Management
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Technical and Advisory Services
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Project Information
WEC Background:
The Water, Environment and Climate (WEC) portfolio under the UNOPS Austria Multi-Country Office has built strong partnerships and has effectively been managing a portfolio of 490 million USD over the last 15 years to support key initiatives with fund management, project implementation and administrative support.
WEC effectively operationalizes partners' agendas with global approaches, as well as regional and country specific activities focused on climate action, protection and conservation of the environment. Partners profit from WEC’s ability to operationalize and/or scale up their important substantive agendas, including in support of key multilateral environmental and climate agreements, such as the Paris Agreement, the Cartagena Convention as well as the Sustainable Development Goals.
The NDC Partnership:
The NDC Partnership is a global coalition of countries and institutions collaborating to drive transformational climate action through sustainable development. In 2015, the world endorsed the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Nations signal their commitments to the Paris Agreement through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) - each country’s strategy to cut its own greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience against the negative effects of a changing climate. The Partnership advances the goals of the Paris Agreement by bringing together nearly 200 countries and institutions in new ways to accelerate NDC implementation and enhance ambition over time. The Partnership’s work through 120 partners supporting almost 80 countries produces many examples of impact, lessons learned and ideas for the future. The Partnership is governed by a Steering Committee, co-chaired by two country representatives. The Partnership’s work is facilitated by a Support Unit based at World Resources Institute in Washington DC and the UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. UNOPS supports the NDC Partnership and its Support Unit through the Water, Environment and Climate (WEC).
Country Context
Saint Kitts and Nevis developed a NDC Implementation Plan (2022-2030) in line with its updated NDC. This Plan prioritizes mitigation and adaptation measures across four key outcome areas: reducing emissions from electricity generation through adoption of renewable energies, reducing electricity consumption through energy efficiency measures, decarbonizing the transport sector, and enhancing resilience across agriculture, water, health, coastal, and tourism sectors.
St. Kitts and Nevis is committed to mainstreaming gender equality and social inclusion in NDC implementation efforts. As outlined in the NDC Implementation Plan, support is needed to 1) conduct sectoral-focused gender analysis to inform the design and implementation of NDC/climate actions, with consideration of other vulnerable social groups (e.g., children, youth, elderly, transient populations); 2) increase institutional capacities on gender mainstreaming and social inclusion in the context of climate change through dialogues and trainings with key sectors; and 3) to mainstream climate and gender/social inclusion considerations into key national policies, plans, and projects.
The inclusion of gender and social considerations in the context of climate change continues to be a challenge for many Caribbean SIDS, since these assessments may not have been carried out previously. However, it has become increasingly evident that these considerations are an important and often overlooked aspect of any climate action that a country may take. It is a well-understood fact that gender and social status are affected differently by the impacts of climate change. As a result, it is important that these needs be addressed differently, and taken into consideration when developing plans, policies, strategies and especially when action is taken to build climate resilience. Therefore, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, seeks to address some of these challenges through the support of a Gender and Social Inclusion Specialist.
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Institutional Arrangement
S/He will work under the supervision of the Deputy Director of the NDC Partnership Country Engagement, and in close collaboration with the Director of the Department of Gender Affairs in the Ministry of Social Development and Gender Affairs, the Ministry of Environment, Climate Action and Constituency Empowerment.
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