Consultant for legal collaboration on REDD+ on social and environmental safeguards in Colombia

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Result of Service

The main objective of this consultancy is to provide legal expertise for regulation and issues related with REDD+ and social and environmental safeguards in Colombia.

The legal specialist will oversee the following activities:

• Provide legal advice to the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development on REDD+ and social and environmental safeguards, considering the country's NDC, the National Development Plan and other key policies for climate change, mitigation, and adaptation in Colombia. • Collaborate with the regulation process of social and environmental safeguards for mitigation initiatives of GHG emissions, considering the provisions of Colombia’s legal, political, and institutional frameworks. • Prepare a regulatory draft document of social and environmental safeguards for mitigation initiatives of GHG emissions, considering the National Development Plan, key policies and documents related with climate change, mitigation, and adaptation in Colombia. • Provide legal inputs for CISSA related with REDD+ and social and environmental safeguards. • Provide legal expertise for the development of guidelines and documents related with REDD+ and social and environmental safeguards. • Maintain continuous communication with the Legal Advisor Office (OAJ for its abbreviation in Spanish) of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, UNEP UN-REDD, and other country strategic partners according to the guidelines of the Climate Change and Risk Management Directorate (DCCGR for its abbreviation in Spanish) and the VOAT. • To be the focal point of the DCCGR in the VOAT regarding the regulation of Social and Environmental Safeguards and to follow the guidelines given by the DCCGR in this regard. • Other relevant activities that DCCGR, VOAT and UNEP UN-REDD requires, including knowledge management and communications activities.

Work Location

Bogota, Colombia

Expected duration

12 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 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.

The UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office (LACO), located in Panama City, Panama works closely with the 33 countries of the region and its activities are integrated into the Medium-Term Strategy and the Programme of Work approved by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).

Colombia is a partner country in the UN-REDD Programme (formed by three UN Agencies, UNEP, UNDP and FAO).

The country has completed the elements of the UNFCCC's Warsaw Framework for REDD+, including the publication of its REDD+ Strategy known in the country as the Integral Strategy for Deforestation Control and Forest Management (EICDGB), five summaries of information on safeguards submitted to the UNFCCC and is finalizing its sixth summary, an updated reference level at the national level and a forest monitoring system known as the forest and carbon monitoring system, a defined Safeguards Information System and advances in various elements that make up the National Safeguards System.

On June 17, 2022, in a session of the Intersectoral Commission of Climate Change (CICC for its abbreviation in Spanish) it was approved to create the Working Group for Addressing Social and Environmental Safeguards in the REDD+ Initiatives. In addition, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development has established an Internal Committee of Social and Environmental Safeguards (CISSA for its abbreviation in Spanish) structured by delegates of different instances of the Ministry.

To continue strengthening the National Safeguards System and its components and to help address issues related to the application of social and environmental safeguards in the country, in line with key national and sectoral policies aimed at combating climate change, legal collaboration is required.

The Consultant will be supervised by the Programme Manager Officer UN-REDD Programme for UNEP Latin America and Caribbean Office and will work 40 hours per week, from Monday to Friday, full time in the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development of Colombia, in the Vice Ministry of Environmental Planning of the Territory (VOAT).

Qualifications/special skills

• Bachelor’s Degree in Law or related areas of studies. (required) • Master’s degree in environmental law, public law, administrative law, constitutional law, and related. (desirable) • At least 5 years of professional experience in processes related with environmental law, public law, administrative law, constitutional law, conflict resolution or arbitration, provision, and regulation of public services. (required) • General knowledge of Colombia's legal, political, and institutional environmental framework. (required) • 3 years of work experience with public sector institutions in Colombia. (desirable) • Knowledge and experience in using computer tools, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook • Knowledge of the country's legal framework related to climate change (desirable). • Professional experience in the development of regulatory projects (desirable). • Professional experience in work with local communities or legal advice on environmental and constitutional with local communities and ethnic issues (desirable). • Professional experience in dispute resolution or grievance redress mechanisms (desirable).

Languages

• Fluency in Spanish is required.
• Basic level in English is desirable.

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.