CBIT Review and PPG Consultant

Result of Service - Completed terminal review of GEF project (GEF ID 9849): “Capacity Building for Improved Transparency on Climate Actions through an Environment Registry in Antigua and Barbuda”.

• Completed CEO endorsement request package for the Belize CBIT project.

• Completed CEO endorsement request package for the Dominican Republic CBIT II project.

  Work Location Home-based

  Expected duration 12 months

  Duties and Responsibilities The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority. It 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. This consultancy is in UNEP’s Economy Division, Energy and Climate Branch, Climate Change Mitigation Unit, Latin America and the Caribbean team, and will be home based.

UNEP’s Economy Division works with a portfolio of Global Environment Facility (GEF) medium-size and full-size climate change mitigation projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. The projects, which are in different stages of development (concept, design, implementation, closure), are executed by different partners (Ministries, NGOs, etc.). The Economy Division, in its role as implementing agency, provides oversight and ensures adherence to GEF guidelines.

Under the supervision of the Task Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean for GEF mitigation projects, and in coordination with the LAC mitigation team, the consultant will undertake the terminal review of the Antigua and Barbuda (A&B) CBIT project and execute the project preparation grant process (including developing the full CEO endorsement request package) for Belize CBIT Project and the Dominican Republic (DR) CBIT II project.

Specific tasks and responsibilities

1. For the terminal review - Author and lead the terminal review for the aforementioned project in accordance with GEF and UNEP policies. - Overall responsibility for undertaking the review and preparing the final report in English. - Evaluation of all elements of the projects in accordance with UNEP evaluation office guidance documents. - Deliverables are to be prepared in accordance with UNEP evaluation office templates.

The consultant will develop terminal review findings and recommendations based on sound evidence and analysis, and clearly document these in the final reports. Information will be triangulated (i.e. verified from different sources) as far as possible, and when verification is not possible, the single source will be mentioned (whilst anonymity is still protected). Analysis leading to evaluative judgments should always be clearly spelled out.

The consultant shall base the findings of the terminal reviews on the following: a) A desk review of: ¿ Relevant background documentation, inter alia: o Project document and appendices. This includes, among others, relevant work plans, budget and supervision plans, as well as any revisions introduced after approval. o Theory of change, problem tree, and logical framework. o Project reports, including half year progress reports, project implementation reports (PIRs), expenditure reports, financial statements, audits, inventory reports, progress reports from collaborating partners, meeting minutes, relevant correspondence, and tracking tools; o Evaluations/Reviews of similar projects.

b) Interviews (individual or in group) with, including but not limited to: ¿ UNEP Task Manager (TM) and team members; ¿ Project Manager (PM) and team members; ¿ UNEP Administrative Officer (AO); ¿ Project steering committee ¿ Identified stakeholders, including governmental agencies and officials, representatives from technology and educational institutions, distribution utilities, banks, associations, and NGOs.

Other data collection tools: If needed, to be agreed upon between the Task Manager, the Project Manager, and the terminal review consultant at the inception phase.

2. For the development of each CEO endorsement request package - Lead the preparation of the CEO endorsement document and its attachments. - Be responsible for the design of all substantive elements of the CEO endorsement document and its annexes, including sections such as the log frame, budget, indicators, baseline scenario, alternative scenario, stakeholders, risks, consistency with national priorities, institutional arrangements, gender action plan, knowledge management, theory of change (ToC), and monitoring and evaluation. - Prepare an outline of the strategy and methodology to develop such elements, including a provisional timetable. - Organize and undertake a country scoping mission (in person or online) and stakeholder consultation workshop (first country mission) to consult with the relevant national counterparts, discuss the baseline situation, map the gaps and barriers, collect relevant country data, agree upon a project intervention logic (log frame and Annex A results framework) aligned with the approved Project Identification Form (PIF) and discuss initial institutional arrangements for execution. The discussion on potential co-finance contributions to the project should be initiated during this mission. - Prepare a mission report including main findings on scope and stakeholder consultations (following first country mission). - Establish project and program-specific indicators in Annex A in consultation with the government. - Align substantive elements of the project with national strategy and planning documents. - Inform UNEP on the status of work and highlight, promptly, risks related to the quality of the information received and the fulfillment of the project's development schedule. - Prepare a first draft of the CEO Endorsement Package, including relevant annexes (annexes to be included in the first draft will be discussed and agreed upon with the Task Manager) - Prepare and organize in close coordination with the national counterparts a stakeholder validation workshop to validate the developed CEO Endorsement Document (log frames, results framework, budget, workplan, gender action plan, etc.) with key country counterparts. - Undertake a gender analysis, ensure project deliverables are gender sensitive and prepare a gender action plan. - Prepare a mission report and validation workshop report summarizing the findings, recommendations and decisions taken during the workshop, and the participants' list. - Lead the discussion of co-finance contributions, validate the amount and nature of contributions, identify to which project Component(s) the contribution is allocated, complete the co-finance budget template (Annex I-2 of the CEO Endorsement Document), and provide any inputs required to obtain signed co-finance commitment letters. - Prepare a final stakeholder consultation report. The GEF requires that a report is prepared and submitted on stakeholder holder consultations undertaken during the PPG. - Prepare a presentation for internal discussion to UNEP management describing national circumstances and context, baseline, barriers, proposed intervention, and indicators. - Prepare a final and complete version of the CEO Endorsement Document and annexes for UNEP internal review and submission to GEF Secretariat. - Prepare the submission package of the CEO endorsement document and associated annexes to the UNEP Project Review Committee (PRC) and draft the responses to the Committee's reviews. - Prepare the CEO endorsement document submission package and associated annexes to the GEF secretariat and draft responses to Secretariat reviews.

Qualifications/special skills - Advanced university degree in economics, environmental sciences, management, or a related discipline is required; - A first-level degree with additional two years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree is required; - Minimum of two years of experience in developing, assessing, evaluating, or managing projects in the field of climate change, renewable energy, environment or development is required. - Experience in drafting project proposals and assessing project documents, including concepts, progress reports, work plans, and financial documents (budgets and expenditure reports) is required; - Experience working with GEF or UNEP projects is an asset; - Experience in working for multilateral or bilateral funding entities in the field of climate change, renewable energy environment, or development is an asset;

Languages - English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency (both oral and written) in English is required.

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.