Nature4Cities Urban Finance Expert in Cuba

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Application deadline 2 years ago: Friday 25 Mar 2022 at 23:59 UTC

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Result of Service 2. Objective and scope

The Nature4Cities Urban Finance Expert will report directly to the Adaptation to Climate Change Programme Officer and will work in closed collaboration with the national coordinator and the “Instituto de Ordenamiento Territorial y Urbanismo (INOTU)” of Cuba.

The Nature4Cities Urban Finance Expert ´s main duties and responsibilities will include: a. Collect data and analyse climate finance information and opportunities to engage with private sector on nature-based adaptation and mitigation initiatives at national and local levels. b. Provide input for the city-level public and private funding for urban development assessments (output 2.2.1) on the state of NbS integration into urban planning in Manzanillo and Camagüey, including an estimation of the feasibility of NbS integration into urban planning and development processes. c. Collect data and review local policy, regulatory framework, key planning processes for urban development and all relevant documentation for the elaboration of local assessments in Manzanillo and Camagüey d. Provide input for the city-level assessment including i) review of existing regulations, policies and standards related to public and private infrastructure planning and identification of gaps and lessons learned to better guide regional approach; ii) review and propose regulations, policies and standards most suitable for beneficiary countries; iii) environmental and social safeguards associated to technology adoption and iv) definition of potential contribution to national adaptation objectives.¿¿ e. Provide advice, relevant to urban finance field, as requested by the International Urban Finance expert. f. Provide input to develop the Nature Based Urban adaptation and mitigation Plans for Manzanillo and Camagüey g. Provide input to technical reports and other deliverables as described in the project document h. Provide on-the-ground information for progress reports. i. Support the coordination of workshops in Manzanillo and Camagüey j. Participate in training activities, report writing and facilitation of expert activities. k. Support to the National Coordinator regarding outputs progress. l. Collaborate with the website designer to develop the online tools on Green House Gases (GHG) inventories and communities of practice. m. Perform other duties as requested.

Ultimate result of service - City-level climate finance assessment report for Manzanillo and Camagüey, Cuba. - City-level private sector engagement plan. - City- level financial guidelines to support investment in climate action. - Validation workshop report including participants list and validation of local policy, regulatory framework, key planning processes for urban development and all relevant documentation for the elaboration of local assessments in Manzanillo and Camagüey. - Report outlining potential opportunities for investments on Nature based Solutions (NbS) for urban areas.

Outputs / Work Assignments

Output 2.2.1: city level assessments elaborated to determine the baseline, vulnerability and GHG emissions and to identify potential NbS opportunities for adaptation and mitigation Product 1: financial city-level assessment for Camagüey and Manzanillo of public and private funding opportunities for urban development. The report shall clearly distinguish the elements of the adaptation strategies that can be privately funded and those elements that should be funded by the public purse, because of their public goods nature. For the elements of the adaptation strategy that could be funded from the private sector , carry out a barrier analysis to understand the factors that are preventing private sector investments in adaptation

Output 5.2.2: Monitoring framework at the regional level Product 2: Report compiling input to the Nature4Cities Project Progress Report (IPR) to be presented to the Green Climate Fund, revising both implementation plan, progress report and challenges sections.

Output 2.4.1: Financial guidelines to support investment in climate action developed for the participating cities and incorporated into the Nature Based Urban Development Plans Product 3: Private sector engagement plan in Camagüey and Manzanillo, including key elements to be integrated in the regional online consultation tool to engage private sector representatives

Output 2.2.1: city level assessments elaborated to determine the baseline, vulnerability and GHG emissions and to identify potential NbS opportunities for adaptation and mitigation Product 4: Report compiling elements to be integrated in the Gender sensitive vulnerability assessment of Camagüey and Manzanillo, including key messages for the financial assessment (product 1)

Output 2.2.2: Nature Based Urban adaptation and mitigation Plans developed and validated by city level stakeholders including the NbS Task group for the 6 selected cities Product 5: City level Nature Based Urban adaptation and mitigation Plans validated by NbS Task groups

Output 5.2.2: Monitoring framework at the regional level Product 6: Report compiling input to the Nature4Cities Project Progress Report (IPR) to be presented to the the Green Climate Fund, revising both implementation plan, progress report and challenges sections.

Output 4.1.1: Four project concept notes developed of a fundable quality Product 7: City- level financial guidelines to support investment in climate action developed

Output 5.2.1: Knowledge products and training about the opportunities of NBS in urban areas are disseminated to citizens and local governments through regional mechanisms. Product 8: Input on the Community of Practice on urban NbS at the regional level hosted at the Urban NBS platform

Work Location HOME-BASED

Expected duration 12 MONTHS

Duties and Responsibilities 1. General Background of Assignment.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system's designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. 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 (ROLAC), located in Panama City, works closely with the 33 countries of the region - including 16 small island developing States - with a population of about 588 million people. The office works to serve the needs of the region and its activities are integrated into the work programs approved by the United Nations Environment Assembly of UNEP (UNEA).

UNEP seeks to support countries in Latin America to implement the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the new Paris Agreement and the priority actions defined in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of Latin American countries.

The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region is the second most urbanized region in the world, with ~80% of its population living in cities. Rapid urbanization, coupled with limited urban planning and the associated expansion of cities, is degrading urban and peri-urban ecosystems that provide vital ecosystem services for urban communities. Ecosystem degradation poses a threat to urban communities and increases their vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change.

To address the vulnerability of urban communities, governments in the LAC region need to develop and implement cost-effective, low-risk solutions, such as Nature-based Solutions (NbS) by protecting, maintaining and rehabilitating priority ecosystems in urban areas. As a result, UNEP is working with the governments of Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay, and to execute a three-years Readiness project “Nature4Cities - Increasing resilience through Nature based Solutions in Latin-American cities” funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF).

The aim of the project is to increase the capacity of participating countries to design and implement Nature Based urban development strategies that ensure urban resilience to climate change through five main areas of work: (1) Strengthening the knowledge base of national and local governments to assess the potential for Nature Based Adaptation and Mitigation Solutions in urban areas in the context of broader climate change strategies; (2) Reinforcing enabling policies and institutional frameworks to increase adoption of NBS in urban planning; (3) Strengthening partnerships between key actors to accelerate the adoption of NBS solutions; (4) Defining climate finance strategies through innovative public, private and blended financial mechanisms and facilitating access to climate finance for the sustained implementation of NbS; (5) Accelerating upscaling and replication through a regional Urban NBS platform.

The Nature4Cities Urban Finance Expert in Cuba will be responsible for developing an adaptation finance strategy that can maximize public, private, and external financial resources towards increasing the implementation of Nature Based urban development strategies in Cuba. The Nature4Cities Urban Finance Expert will be supervised by the Adaptation to Climate Change Programme Officer and will work in close collaboration with Cuba’s National Designated Authority (NDA). He/She will be home-based. The Nature4Cities Urban Finance Expert will also be required to attend regular meetings in La Havana and to travel on a regular basis to the project’s targeted cities (Manzanillo and Camagüey), as required by the project’s implementation and with costs covered by UNEP.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: - Bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, sustainable development, law, architecture, geography or a closely related field is required. - Master’s degree in a similar field is an asset.

Experience: - A minimum of 5 years relevant work experience in international cooperation, public policy, environmental affairs, sustainable development planning or a closely related field, including at least 2 years’ experience in public policy and/or urban finance in Cuba is required. - At least 2 years of working experience in Cuba or for national or local institutions and/or government is required. - Proven experience in working and collaborating with governments is desirable. - Demonstrated solid knowledge of Cuba’ environmental and climate change policies is desirable. - Experience in research or work on urban financing, comparative urban law, climate change, urban and environmental conflicts or closely related field in Cuba is desirable - Experience in the public participation development process associated with environment and sustainable development is an asset. - Experience with GCF projects is an asset.

Language: - Fluency in Spanish is required - Working level of English in writing and verbal skills is required Skills: - Knowledge of ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change, ecological restoration and/or sustainable use of natural resources is required. - Knowledge of data processing software such as Microsoft Excel - Knowledge of land use regulations and urban planning regulations is an asset - Proficient in analytical skills - Ability to pick up new terminology and concepts easily and to turn information from various sources into a coherent project document. - Ability to design and develop technical documents. - Excellent organization and planning skills. - Excellent communication skills (written and oral presentations). - Ability to work independently and as a team. - Motivated and dynamic to jump-start activities

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.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: careers.un.org