National consultant for green trade and sustainable development - Fiji

Result of Service The consultant's service will be the contribution to increasing capacity of the four MSG countries to identify and strengthen synergistic linkages between green trade promotion and their sustainable development in a regionally collaborative manner.

Work Location Home-based

Expected duration Contract duration: 8 August 2022 to 26 March 2023 Effective working time: 7 months Place of work: Home-based

Duties and Responsibilities UNCTAD implements the project on "green trade for sustainable development in Pacific SIDS of the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG)" (hereafter, the MSG Green Trade Project) under the 12th Tranche of UN Development Account. This project aims to increase the capacity of the four MSG countries - Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu - to identify and strengthen synergistic linkages between green trade promotion and their sustainable development in a regionally collaborative manner.

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Trade Analysis Branch, the Fiji national consultant will undertake four national activities:

– workshops (including NTM data collection), VSS assessment, export guide and synergistic linkages matrix - within Fiji at the national phase of the project. Under the supervision of UNCTAD and in close cooperation with the Fiji's policy makers and representatives of private sector, women and youth, the Fiji national consultant will conduct the following tasks.

(1) Organize national workshop and support the participation of Fiji in regional workshops with a regional coordinator: - Organize the 1st national workshop in Q3 2022 and the 2nd national workshop in Q1 2023, among others. - Prepare logistical matters such as venues, catering services, internet, etc. for the workshops. - Identify and invite workshop participants such as Fiji policymakers, women, youth (between 15 and 24), and regional and international partner institutions (e.g., UNRCO, MSG secretariat), by cooperating with the government focal points and a regional coordinator. - Support any on-the-scene and follow-up matters such as filling in a participant list, writing a meeting note, sharing on/offline materials, etc. for the workshops. - Furthermore, the national consultant will be required to support an international non-tariff measure (NTM) expert in conducting NTM data collection of Fiji. This might require to contact and make a visit to policymakers in different ministries and agencies by cooperating with the government focal points, in order to collect trade-related regulations and any other information requested by the international NTM expert.

(2) Conduct voluntary sustainable standards (VSS) assessment of a Fiji key product in consultation with UNCTAD: - Prepare and adapt the UNCTAD VSS Assessment Toolkit to be deployed for the selected key product. - Conduct value chain mapping of the key product to cover aspects relevant to VSS. - Adapt and pre-test the existing VSS Assessment Toolkit survey questionnaire and interview guidelines to the context of the key product’s value chain. - If necessary, become familiar with Survey Solutions, the survey platform recommended for the VSS Assessment Toolkit. - Identify relevant value chain actors (e.g., producers, processors, intermediaries, buyers and governmental agencies dealing with agricultural issues, etc.) and conduct survey or interviews as outlined in the VSS Assessment Toolkit, by cooperating with the government focal points and regional and international partner institutions. - Process and analyze data (value chain mapping, survey or interviews). - Identify corresponding policy options. - Produce a user-friendly fact sheet and incorporates revisions suggested by UNCTAD.

(3) Prepare an export guide of a Fiji key product: - Based on the NTM data collection and VSS assessment, prepare a step-by-step guide on how to export the selected key product.

(4) Other tasks: - Support an international expert in establishing Fiji's national synergistic linkages between green trade policy and sustainable development strategies. - Report to UNCTAD, a regional coordinator and international experts about progress made.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: An advanced degree (Master's level or equivalent) in Trade, Economics, Agronomy, Agricultural development or related field. Experience: At least 4 years of experience in the fields of international trade, business and/or agricultural development, with relevant experience in managing projects.

Experience in survey and interview design and analysis is preferred. Language: Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Fluency in other official languages of the country is preferred.

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.