Consultant on TEEB National Implementation

Result of Service Increased policy uptake of the findings from TEEBAgriFood applications in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and additional State[s] to be determined by the Project Steering Committee.

Work Location Home-Based

Expected duration 12 months

Duties and Responsibilities Organization Setting:

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. UN Environment Ecosystems Division works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and capacity development for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

The consultant will work for the Economics of Nature Unit in the Ecosystems Division to perform the execution of different work packages of The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity (TEEB) projects, and specifically on the project “Promoting biodiversity and sustainability in the agriculture and food sector through economic valuation” funded by the European Commission. The UN Environment TEEB initiative supports the implementation of TEEB studies of agro-ecological value chains in accordance with the TEEBAgriFood Evaluation Framework, which is broad in scope and requires considerable technical capacity related to quantification and valuation of natural capital and ecosystem services.

The Steering Committee for TEEBAgriFood India, co-chaired by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoAFW) and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC), recommended the policy focus area for the project in India to be an assessment of organic farming and agroforestry in selected districts of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand states in the Ganga basin. Nodal officers were subsequently appointed for the project from the states of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to further refine and streamline the scope of project implementation. Applications in additional states are under consideration by the Project Steering Committee.

The project will entail TEEBAgriFood Framework applications to identify differences between Business as Usual (BAU) and at least two Alternative Policy Scenarios, at every step along the value chain, based on modeled future projects. The study shall quantify or evaluate qualitatively changes in social, manufactured, natural, and human capital stocks and associated flows under each scenario. With reference to natural capital, changes in the flows of ecosystem services (or dis-services and residuals) between scenarios are to be used to identify how natural capital contributes to agri-food value chains and how in turn agri-food value chains may impact natural capital stocks.

UNEP requires the support of policy advisor with extensive knowledge of the Indian national and regional political landscape as it pertains to agriculture, environment, forestry and related policy domains. The role of the advisor will be to steer the work in additional state[s] – as endorsed by the Steering Committee – to ensure the delivery of high-quality research outputs that are linked to the policy context. The advisor will additionally be responsible to linking the existing applications in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to national and international policy initiatives to ensure wide uptake of the emergent findings.

The consultant will report to the Head of the Economics of Nature Unit in the Ecosystems Division.

1. Duties and Responsibilities:

Duties and responsibilities of the consultant will entail mainstreaming of the project and its findings within national and international policy context. Specific duties include the following.

1. Prepare a report on those State(s) that have been selected by the Steering Committee for new TEEBAgriFood applications in India, i.e. beyond Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. This would include the following elements: a. how this selection of State(s) in the TEEBAgriFood project in India can contribute to key policy priorities of the Indian government, including but not limited to, Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), Namami Gange Programme, National Agroforestry policy, and Doubling Farmers Income; b. how the selection can contribute to India’s obligations and objectives under key international policy commitments and initiatives, including but not limited to, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification; c. key government focal points and other stakeholders who should be consulted, as well as their roles; and d. potential candidates to be proposed as new members of the project Steering Committee. 2. Consult with high-level key Indian government stakeholders to determine options for policy mainstreaming of the Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and new TEEBAgriFood study/studies. These consultations should include discussions at Additional Secretary level in the Ministries or equivalent. 3. Develop a mainstreaming strategy for each State and at Federal level 4. Review interim and final TEEBAgriFood reports for the new State(s) that have been selected 5. Contribute to the mainstreaming strategy that has been developed for the various TEEBAgriFood India applications

Qualifications/special skills An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent), preferably with a specialization in environmental geoinformatics, environmental management, law, social anthropology, environment and development, sustainable development, economics, applied economics, agriculture, or related fields is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A minimum of ten years experience working with different branches of the Government of India, including at senior level, on issues pertaining to agriculture and the environment is required.

Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in spoken and written English is essential. Fluency in spoken Hindi is desirable.

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.