MRV Expert

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Result of Service

The review and approval of the deliverables of the contractor will be used to monitor and control the progress. The deliverables are as follows: Deliverable 1: Initial definition of contents of the case study to be included; and workplan for the period of the consultancy. Deliverable 2: Final version of a document that serves as a case study in a Latin American country to support the proposed approach for monitoring LTS progress and impacts (mitigation part of the LTS) through the preparation of a suitable MRV system.

Work Location

Remote, from a Latin American country that submitted a LTS to the UNFCCC (Argentina, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, or Uruguay)

Expected duration

3 months

Duties and Responsibilities

• The consultant will be engaged to provide support in the preparation of a report useful to serve as technical guidance for countries in need to prepare MRV systems covering the tracking of the mitigation part of their LTS. The consultant's expertise will primarily focus on the analysis and support to the development of LTS and in the preparation of MRV frameworks compatible with the requirements established under the Paris Agreement in the own country of Latin America (Argentina, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, or Uruguay). The consultant will work under the guidance of the national consultant based in Chile in preparing a case study through which the proposed approach can be tested and evaluated using more detailed information from a specific country of Latin America from the list indicated above. The main objectives of the consultancy are as follows: • To support a national consultant based in Chile to propose an approach to monitor LTS progress and impacts (mitigation part of the LTS), with emphasis on building a case study with the experience acquired by his/her own country in Latin America in the process of preparation and implementation of their own LTS. The consultant will undertake the following activities: • Mapping information, from literature and interviews with key stakeholders, useful for preparing a case study supporting an approach for monitoring LTS progress and impacts (mitigation part of the LTS) with a suitable MRV system. • Working under the guidance of the national consultant based in Chile in the preparing a case study through which the proposed approach can be tested and assessed using more detailed information from an LTS submitted to the UNFCCC by a specific country of Latin America (Argentina, Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, or Uruguay). • Support to the national consultant based in Chile in the preparation of a document serving as the basis for the definition of an approach for monitoring LTS progress and impacts (mitigation part of the LTS) through the preparation of a suitable MRV system, with emphasis on the experience acquired by his/her own country with processes of preparation of their own LTS. • Maintain constant contact with experts from UNEP-CCC in the preparation of contents for the aforementioned report. Considering that the consultant will have easier access to the original sources of the process that led to the preparation of the LTS, it is expected that the consultant will arrange in-person meetings with the suitable officials of the ministries involved in the preparation of the LTS at the facilities of these institutions.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in environmental science or economics, climate policy, or a related field is required. • A Bachelor degree with a relevant combination of three years of additional experience related to the position may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. • Minimum 5 years of practical experience in support to the preparation of climate policy linked with the implementation of the transparency elements of the Paris Agreement (GHG inventories, mitigation, MRV frameworks). • Participation in the support to the analysis or preparation of LTS at country level is desirable. • Proven international experience in providing technical review services for the analysis of national GHG inventories, mitigation policies and measures or GHG projections under the UNFCCC is desirable. • Strong communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to convey complex concepts effectively. • Analytical capacity and power of synthesis. • Report writing and attention to detail. • Ability to provide services effectively in complex areas, respecting political, social and environmental sensitivities. • Management of MS Office, Internet and electronic means of communication.

Languages

• Excellent (fluency) verbal and written communication in English language. Knowledge of another UN language will be a strong asset, in specific Spanish. • The final document must be written in English.

Additional Information

The Paris Agreement invited parties to formulate and communicate long-term low-GHG emissions development strategies or Long-Term Strategies (LTS). Most of the developing countries are now in the process of developing such strategies and a few of them have already submitted a first version of their LTS to UNFCCC (https://unfccc.int/process/the-paris-agreement/long-term-strategies ). Usually, those LTS encompass a variety of content and go beyond the scope of mitigation by including other elements such as adaptation and the co-benefits of mitigation measures and policies. If many countries have started to implement their LTS or at least are considering how to start such implementation, almost no developing countries have established processes or procedures yet for monitoring and reporting the progress and impacts of those LTS. For example, although the ETF of the Paris Agreement encourages the use of quantitative or qualitative indicators to track parties' commitments, very few of the published LTS include monitoring indicators. The development of monitoring frameworks for LTS requires a novel approach that should integrate short and long-term perspectives to allow tracking the achievement of the goals included in these LTS and how those contribute to national development in the long term. Current MRV frameworks developed for tracking progress and impacts of climate policies and actions in the context of countries´ NDCs can be a starting point to build monitoring frameworks for LTS. However, this implies to integrate additional challenges and considerations such as: • Limited compatibility of both the short-term mitigation objectives included in the countries' plans and strategies to comply with the Paris Agreement, with the long-term objectives included in the LTS. • Lack of approaches for integrating long-term impacts into monitoring frameworks • Absence of indicators that address the differences between the monitoring of short- and medium-term commitments and the type of long-term commitments included in the LTS. As such, guidance is needed to developing countries for a better tracking of their LTS commitments, including the recognition of the unique circumstances faced by countries aiming at increase climate ambition in the long term by means of their LTS. To contribute in guidance to developing countries, providing analysis and examples based on the experience obtained from developing countries, the project seeks a service of a consultant to contribute, in coordination with experts from the UNEP-Copenhagen Climate Center and a second local consultant to be hired during the same period, to the preparation of a report containing an approach for monitoring LTS progress and impacts addressing the challenges mentioned above. This approach can be used as an initial framework and can be offered to countries to develop their own customized MRV systems, compatible with the current requirements set out in the Paris Agreement. Until April 2024, developing countries have submitted several LTS to the UNFCCC, with Latin American countries contributing the most. As a consequence of this early submission by LAC countries, initial literature has been produced analyzing the cases of preparation of LTS by some of these countries. For example: “Long-Term Strategies for Decarbonization in Latin America: Learnings from Actor-Based Insights into the Drafting Process (Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Peru)”, IDB WORKING PAPER SERIES No IDB-WP-1361, 2022) assess the process of formulation of LTS in the aforementioned countries, but more focused on the institutional aspects rather than on tracking of the LTS commitments. However, during the process of preparation of the LTS of Chile (see details in https://unfccc.int/sites/default/ files/resource/CHL_LTS_2021.pdf) the MRV of the LTS and other related tracking aspects were discussed in greater detail. In fact, the whole section 8 of the document of the LTS of Chile discuss the issue of the means of implementation of the LTS of the country, and the monitoring, reporting and verification aspects of Chile´s LTS, providing useful elements to define a more general approach. This information and other unique related experiences gathered from Chile´s LTS can serve as the basis of guidance, complemented with information included in the other LTS from the region. As such, a consultant based in Chile will have easier access to the original sources of the process that led to the preparation of the LTS of Chile, interacting directly with actors who participated in the LTS design processes. This can be best achieved if the consultant can arrange in-person meetings with the suitable officials of the ministries involved in the preparation of the LTS, at the facilities of these institutions.

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.