This Vacancy Announcement is being published by the Water & Energy Cluster on behalf of the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) to the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, supporting the successful implementation of its partners' peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. Mandated as a central resource of the United Nations, UNOPS provides sustainable project management, procurement and infrastructure services to a wide range of governments, donors and United Nations organisations. With over 6,000 personnel spread across 80 countries, UNOPS offers its partners the logistical, technical and management knowledge they need, where they need it. By implementing around 1,000 projects for our partners at any given time, UNOPS makes significant contributions to results on the ground, often in the most challenging environments.
Background information: GEF
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) (https://www.thegef.org) was established 30 years ago on the eve of the Rio Earth Summit to tackle our planet’s most pressing environmental problems. They have a unique mandate as a financing mechanism for a number of MEAs: the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD); the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); the Minamata Convention on Mercury; and the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. The GEF also supports global and regional agreements on international waters, and transboundary water management. The GEF’s mission is to safeguard the global environment by supporting developing countries to meet their commitments under these agreements. The GEF’s sectoral responsibilities are often mutually supportive, which enables the synergies between them to be harnessed in a more holistic way.
STAP Secretariat
The Panel is supported by a small, dedicated Secretariat, which provides substantive and operational assistance in the delivery of Panel Members’ responsibilities.
Background information: UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 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’s Science Division, which hosts the STAP Secretariat, is responsible for analyzing the state of the global environment, providing early warning information, and assessing global and regional environmental trends to catalyze and promote international cooperation and action on the environment. UNEP is an equal opportunity employer.
The Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is seeking a new Panel Member to take the lead on International Waters. This position requires an understanding of the GEF International Waters program which includes transboundary water governance, in both marine and freshwater systems, land-based sources of pollution, biodiversity, sustainable fisheries, and the blue economy.
Candidates should have outstanding academic and technical credentials, a passion for tackling global environmental and sustainable development challenges, and expertise in international waters.
Candidates should demonstrate the ability to work in an interdisciplinary manner to bridge scientific, technological, economic, social, and policy issues.
STAP (https://www.stapgef.org) is hosted by UNEP’s Science Division on behalf of the GEF partnership. It provides independent scientific and technical advice to the GEF on its policies, strategies, programs, and projects, across the portfolio. The Panel comprises a Chair and six Panel Members, for climate mitigation, climate adaptation, biodiversity, land degradation, international waters, and chemicals and waste, and two Senior Advisers. The roles and responsibilities of the Chair, Panel Members and STAP Secretariat are set out in STAP’s Terms of Reference (March 2012).
Panel Members provide intellectual leadership in their particular area of expertise, and they are expected to work effectively across the GEF’s activities, including advising on cross-cutting issues and integrated programming, i.e. outside their area of expertise.