Science Policy Expert

This opening expired 1 year ago. Do not try to apply for this job.

UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme

Open positions at UNEP
Logo of UNEP

Application deadline 1 year ago: Thursday 29 Sep 2022 at 23:59 UTC

Open application form

Result of Service The Consultant will assess the effectiveness of the available policy tracking tools and methods, focusing on their focal area, structure, design, inputs, methodology and impacts. He/She will develop options for UNEP’s environmental policy tracking tool and prepare a draft presentation for senior management discussion @UNEP on the effectiveness of the tools, including options for UNEP. The Consultant will also identify needs and potential partners to develop the tracker, provide inputs in the preparation of proposal with relevant experts, participate in making presentations, and provide inputs to the Law Division Director in preparation for internal and external discussions related to finalizing UNEP’s environmental policy tracking tool.

Work Location Home-based

Expected duration Tentative start date: 20 September 2022

Tentative end date: 31 December 2022

Duties and Responsibilities UNEP 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. The conceptualisation and elaboration of actions in support of developing an environmental policy tracker will be conducted under the overall leadership of the Director, Law Division in close collaboration with the Office of the Chief Scientist, Science Division and Policy and Programme Division.

The UNEP report Making Peace with Nature highlighted that society is failing to meet most of its commitments to limit environmental damage. It is important to note that these commitments are based on a generally agreed understanding of the underlying science. The report concludes that: “The international community has set targets, informed by science, in multilateral agreements for protecting natural assets and limiting harmful environmental change. Despite some progress, efforts to date have failed to meet any of the agreed targets.” Clearly there is a gap between scientific knowledge, uptake, and development and implementation of policy and law. There is a recognised need for new constituency building mechanisms, society’s support for reform and new mechanisms, channels, and tools to foster improved knowledge exchange, and capacity for evidence-informed decision-making processes.

There is a crucial need to improve the use of science in environmental decision-making and to improve environmental outcomes. The time lapse between knowledge, available solutions, and action must be shortened.

As part of the commemoration of 50 years since the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), (UNEP@50), UNEP proposed recommendations for a more effective science-policy interface to support better environmental decision making, in a report Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future: A contribution to the dialogue on the Science-Policy Interface. The report also calls for a new science-policy interface to engage more meaningfully in implementation and track progress. As one of the avenues proposed to achieve this goal, UNEP aims to work with partners to explore the development of a customized environmental policy tracker to assess the uptake and implementation of policy designed to address the triple planetary crises, including adopting a “theory of change” or “impact value chain” approach.

An environmental policy tracker, loosely modelled on combining the elements of trackers such as the Energy Policy Tracker, Climate Tracker, COVID-19 Tracker, and others would be aimed at provision of evidence to aid decision making and help national to global oversight on the success and gaps in science-policy interfaces.

This proposed effort is also intended to help link decisions and actions to specific points of science-generated evidence while offering a near real-time snapshot of international progress on the implementation of actions. Initially, the policy tracker would be intended to focus on select topics that will be identified by UNEP (such as plastic pollution, or biodiversity).

Under the overall leadership of the Director, Law Division in close collaboration with colleagues from UNEP on the consultant will undertake an assessment of available trackers and tools, elaborate their performance and impacts and suggest options for UNEP to develop an Environmental Policy Tracking Tool.

The responsibilities of the consultant will be to:

1. Undertake an assessment of available policy tracking tools and methods focusing on focal area, structure, design, inputs, methodology, impacts of such tools and methods. 2. Assess the effectiveness of such tools and methods 3. Develop options for UNEP’s environmental policy tracking tool, given the above 4. Prepare a draft presentation for senior management discussion @UNEP on the above, including options for UNEP 5. Identify needs and potential partners to develop the tracker after confirmation from UNEP based on item 3 above. 6. Provide inputs in the preparation of proposal with relevant experts, colleagues. 7. Participate and make presentations at 2-3 online virtual meetings on the finding and outcomes, as needed 8. Provide inputs to the Director, Law Division in preparation for internal and external discussions related to finalizing the tracking tool in item 3 above.

Qualifications/special skills Academic Qualifications: An advanced university degree (Master’s level) in environmental science, administration, computing, data analytics, or related area is required. A Bachelor’s degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Experience: ¿ Minimum of10 years of professional experience in programme or project development, environmental science, administration, environmental policy, or related area is required.

¿ Experience in data and information management and analytics is desirable.

¿ Work experience in dealing with knowledge management tools will be an advantage. Language: English is the working language of UNEP. Knowledge of other United Nations languages 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.

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: careers.un.org