Design, coordinate and implement the liaison and outreach strategy of the Parliamentary Observatory on Climate Change and Just Transition (OPCC)

Result of Service To strengthen interparliamentary cooperation by designing, coordinating and implementing a liaison and outreach strategy of the OPCC that can support national Parliaments to effectively carry out their role of scrutinizing, proposing and approving legislation and regulatory frameworks relevant to the just transition to sustainable and low-carbon economies in Latin American and Caribbean countries and beyond.

Work Location Brasília

Expected duration 365 days

Duties and Responsibilities The just transition to sustainable and low-carbon economies requires long-term and consensual policies, the construction of which necessarily passes through Parliaments. Due to their representative and plural essence and considering the role of counterweight that they perform to the other state powers, Parliaments are essential to defend democracy, increase transparency, promote the rights of minorities and integrate the protection of the environment and, in particular, the mitigation and adaptation to climate change as unavoidable dimensions of all public policy. Within the framework of the 26th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 26) held in November 2021, fifteen parliamentarians from twelve Latin American and Caribbean countries signed a joint declaration that marked the announcement of the Parliamentary Observatory on Climate Change and Just Transition (OPCC). The purpose of the OPCC is to constitute a shared information tool on the state of the legislation and parliamentary procedures in the region and beyond. In this context, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), with the support of the Open Society Foundations (OSF), is developing a technical cooperation project to promote the construction of effective legislative frameworks for a just transition to sustainable and low-carbon economies in the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and beyond, through the concretization of the Parliamentary Observatory on Climate Change and Just Transition (OPCC). Within the scope of this cooperation, it is necessary to hire a consultant that will steer and promote the liaison of parliamentarians that currently participate in the OPCC, as well articulate and lead outreach efforts towards new parliamentary representatives of Latin American and Caribbean countries. Objective: To design, coordinate and implement liaison and outreach strategy of the Parliamentary Observatory on Climate Change and Just Transition (OPCC), in order to strengthen interparliamentary cooperation and peer exchange between current participants of the OPCC as well as expand and promote the participation of new parliamentary representatives with a focus on Latin American and Caribbean countries that are not yet represented in the OPCC. Methodology and responsibilities: The consultant shall develop/design, coordinate, implement, monitor, review and assess the liaison and outreach strategy of the Parliamentary Observatory on Climate Change and Just Transition (OPCC). The strategy shall include the following elements: i. Background: OPCC history, goals and motivations ii. Objectives a. Clearly state liaison objectives, which shall include strengthening the collaborating relationship between participating parliamentary representatives and fostering interparliamentary cooperation, by consolidating the OPCC as trusted, legitimate and useful space of dialogue and exchange between legislators of diverse backgrounds and plural profiles who share a common commitment to protect the environment and promote just transitions. b. Clearly state outreach objectives, which shall include expanding and promoting the participation of new Latin American and Caribbean parliamentary representatives, particularly those from countries that are not yet represented in the OPCC. iii. Target groups: acknowledging the institutional, legal and political diversity of parliaments in the region, the key group targeted shall be parliamentarians and their staff, including all OPCC participants and, in consultation and agreement with ECLAC, prepare a list of new priority countries and parliamentarians to limit the scope of the strategy. iv. Proposed liaison and outreach activities and tasks to engage as many Latin American and Caribbean countries as possible in the OPCC activities, which shall be designed to: a. Take into consideration the diversity of institutional, legal and political arrangements in the Latin American and Caribbean parliaments, including territories and overseas dependencies, particularly the relevant differences between presidential and parliamentary systems, as well as common and civil law systems, which may impact the design of liaison and outreach strategies. b. Lead, coordinate, arrange and liaise OPCC meetings, workshops and events, including by identifying thematic interests of OPCC participants, drafting and seeking agreement on the agenda and concept note, moderating and presenting when applicable etc. c. Promote the engagement of parliamentarians and their teams in collecting information to be included in the OPCC database, including by providing guidance, actively following-up to ensure data completion and liaise to keep data up-to-date. d. Coordinate and support the development of policy briefs, including by encouraging textual contributions and reviews from the parliamentary teams to policy briefs and, when applicable, to other OPCC documents and publications. e. Foster the participation of parliamentarians and their teams in the platform tools and virtual community of the OPCC. f. Engage parliamentarians and their teams in the process of building the online platform of the OPCC in order to ensure the platform meets their needs and expectations within the technical and formal possibilities of United Nations and ECLAC. g. Draft, agree with OPCC participants and collect signatures to joint declarations of parliamentarians in key regional and international events, including UNFCCC COP and the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development. h. Draft, agree with OPCC participants, and submit proposals of side events in regional and Internacional events, including UNFCCC COP, Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development, Escazu Agreement COP etc. i. Propose and implement new forms of liaison and engagement of OPCC participants, which may include opinion pieces to be published on the OPCC website. j. Outreach, contact and encourage the participation of new parliamentarians in the OPCC, with emphasis on legislators from countries that are now yet members of the OPCC within Latin America and the Caribbean, including by sending of formal letters to parliamentary authorities to present the OPCC, carrying out bilateral meetings with parliamentary representatives and their teams, inviting and follow-up to ensure participation of new parliamentarians in OPCC meetings and activities, etc. k. Propose and implement actions to ensure the sustainability of the participation of parliamentarians in the OPCC, especially in terms of succession in the context of end of legislative mandates. v. Milestones and timeframe: clearly state what the key milestones are and when these shall be achieved, which shall be directly linked to the CEPAL-OSF cooperation goals and objectives. vi. Monitoring plan: develop a monitoring plan that describes how the achievement of the objectives and milestones can be monitored, including means of verification. vii. Risk assessment and management plan: develop a risk assessment and management plan that details the main risks, their impacts and how these can be addressed and managed by the consultant. viii. Next steps and recommendations. The consultant shall coordinate closely with and seek guidance from ECLAC at all stages of the design, coordination and implementation of the liaison and outreach strategy. The consultant shall engage with all relevant areas of ECLAC as well as coordinate the team of consultants working on the OPCC over the duration of the contract. The consultant shall propose and agree with ECLAC on the format of the internal articulation and coordination, which shall include participating in meetings convened by ECLAC to report progress and provide updates and guidance at any time during the development of the work. The consultant shall keep ECLAC informed of any changes, updates and new contact details of OPCC participants and their teams. All materials developed by the consultant shall be made available in open and editable format to ECLAC.

Qualifications/special skills An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in environmental and climate change law, natural resources, sustainable development, public policy, international relations or any closely-related field. A first-level university degree in one of the aforementioned fields in combination with a strong record of professional experience and demonstration of relevant skills and knowledge may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. A minimum of five (5) years of professional experience is required in the field of environmental related policies and legislation and/or in Parliaments of Latin American and Caribbean countries. Desirable requirements: - Experience in specific areas: Experience with legislative processes in Latin American and Caribbean countries, and/or experience with implementation of regional/international cooperation.

Languages- Fluency in English and Spanish - Desirable - Portuguese

Additional Information Outputs/ Works Assignment: Product 1 - Liaison and Outreach Strategy. To be submitted 30 days after start date. Product 2 - Report of Implementation of Liaison and Outreach Strategy 1. To be submitted 90 days after start date. Product 3 - Report of Implementation of Liaison and Outreach Strategy 2. To be submitted 150 days after start date. Product 4 - Report of Implementation of Liaison and Outreach Strategy 3. To be submitted 210 days after start date. Product 5 - Report of Implementation of Liaison and Outreach Strategy 4. To be submitted 270 days after start date. Product 6 - Report of Implementation of Liaison and Outreach Strategy 5. To be submitted 330 days after start date. Product 7 - Final Report: Summary of Implementation of Liaison and Outreach Strategy & Recommendations. To be submitted 365 days after start date. The outputs shall be delivered in Word format (open and editable) in Spanish or English, as agreed with ECLAC. If applicable, bibliographic references shall follow the ECLAC’s standard.

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.