Targeted Scenario Approach Technical Specialist - Level C

Result of Service The final result of the service will be two fully developed, government-approved, Targeted Scenario Analysis reports for the agreed target sites and themes.

Work Location Home-based

Expected duration 7 months

Duties and Responsibilities The United Nations Environment Programme (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 UNEP Vienna Programme Office hosts the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention. Additionally, to activities in the Carpathian Region and its portfolio in the South-East Europe, the Vienna Office – as a mountain hub is currently coordinating various activities in other mountain regions related in particular to climate change adaptation such as the inter-regional Programme “Climate resilient mountain ecosystems for resilient livelihoods and mountain flagship species – Vanishing Treasures“ as well as the “Migratory Mammals and Climate Resilience in Central Asia” project (aka Central Asian Mammals and Climate Adaptation project – CAMCA).

UNEP’s “Vanishing Treasures” Programme Changes in high mountain habitats are a reliable indicator of the negative effect of climate change (CC) on biodiversity and ecosystems. As our planet continues to heat up, unique plants and animals struggle to survive in their ever diminishing and changing mountain habitats. Also, local communities in mountain regions, which often live near wildlife and depend on crops and livestock, are faced with hardships caused by longer dry seasons and less water for irrigation. As a result, local mountain communities and animals find themselves increasingly in conflict over natural resources and space to live. Despite the growing evidence of species’ vulnerability to climate change, maintaining and enhancing resilience of wildlife to climate change remains a gap. The VT programme aims to enhance the resilience to climate change of vulnerable mountain species such as Royal Bengal tiger in the Hindu-Kush Himalayas (Bhutan), snow leopard in Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) and mountain gorilla in the Virunga region (Rwanda and Uganda), while supporting local mountain communities who live alongside them. Funded by the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, VT aims to generate maximum synergy between climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation. To this end, VT has set the following objectives: - Improve the adaptive capacity of mountain ecosystems while maintaining related ecosystem services - Promote alternative livelihoods for local communities - Train wildlife managers in protected areas in climate-smart wildlife conservation, including adaptation to climate change through nature-based solutions - Improve communication between climate research and biodiversity conservation practitioners to ensure that the conservation sector appropriately responds to recommendations for adaptive action. - Promote and develop a green infrastructure approach, including restoration of habitats & corridors, creation and maintenance of buffer zones and steppingstones, and rehabilitation of swamps and water catchment areas while increasing agricultural productivity or providing alternative forms of income to local communities facing the impacts of climate change Achieving the above-listed objectives is challenging. Therefore, it is indispensable for local leaders and decision-makers to understand the economics supporting policy reform to shift from unsustainable agricultural and livestock practices to more sustainable ecosystems and biodiversity-friendly livelihoods such as climate-smart agriculture, nature-based tourism, and other non-timber extracting activities.

Targeted Scenario Analysis (TSA)

UNDP developed Targeted Scenario Analysis to respond to the growing demand from decision makers and stakeholders for effective policy-relevant economic analysis tools to advance productive sectors’ policy reform, and therefore, the national Sustainable Development Goals. UNDP's Targeted Scenario Analysis (TSA) offers a practical approach to connecting policy objectives with fit-for-purpose economic analysis. UNDP developed TSA over several years based on an extensive project portfolio review and research supported by leading environmental economists. TSA enables the conversion of economic data into sustainable sector development policy. TSA captures and presents the value of ecosystem services to target decision-making, not in a generic, abstract manner. TSA makes a direct comparison between two policy scenarios. First, a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario in which the status quo conditions, i.e., unsustainable sector management and limited investment, are projected into the future, and second, a so-called sustainable ecosystem management (SEM) scenario. SEM introduces ecosystem and natural capital management improvements into sector development policy and investment. A vital element of a TSA is that it is conducted for a particular productive sector and tailored to the specific objectives of the public or private decision-maker of the targeted sector. Policy scenarios are compared based on a wide range of carefully selected indicators in close consultation with the decision-maker (the TSA client). TSA's focus on a specific decision maker increases the likelihood that the data generated through the research is used to transition into a more effective and efficient allocation of public and private investment; therefore, it improves the sustainable management of natural capital. At the end of a TSA, the evidence generated through research provides balanced insights into the advantages and disadvantages of keeping on track with BAU, compared to a change of direction in which the targeted sector manages ecosystems sustainably and effectively. Another critical element that sets a TSA apart from traditional economic valuation or cost-benefit analysis is that TSA shifts away from generating a policy-isolated single static value toward a long-term analysis. Thus, it shows year-to-year changes between the BAU and SEM scenarios by applying key monetary and non-monetary indicators. As such, the main product of the TSA is a package of policy recommendations supported by the economic evidence applied to each indicator of the benefits of shifting from BAU to SEM. For each policy recommendation, a subset of indicators and graphs illustrates the development of these measurable indicators over time for both policy scenarios. Each TSA graph includes a narrative that clearly states the primary stakeholder for the analysis, an in-depth description of the methods, assumptions, and data sources used to generate the results, and confidence levels and uncertainty associated. Apart from explaining the results depicted in the graphs, there is a clear indication of what those results mean in policy decisions. TSA's approach provides information on the results of specific decisions and management practices as a continuous, long-term analysis, showing relative change over time of key monetary and non-monetary indicators rather than a single static value. This approach is instrumental for decision making, as decisions are rarely made based on single numbers in isolation, but rather by comparing at least two policy options over time.

The technical specialist will coordinate and support the implementation of two TSA studies on biodiversity and alternative sustainable livelihoods under the supervision of the Programme Management Officer (responsible manager of the “Vanishing Treasures” programme at UNEP Europe, Vienna Office – Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention) and in close cooperation with designated local UNEP representatives, national-level implementing partners, as well as key stakeholders such as Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Programme (GSLEP). The consultant will assist and support the Programme Management Officer in the implementation of the following tasks:

• Facilitate defining the TSA intervention approach for the targeted countries /regions, in coordination with the VT Project team
• Develop TOR for each TSA intervention
• Contribute to the procurement process: identifying and selecting international and national consultants
• Deliver training on TSA to government officials, private sector executives, consultants, technical staff, project team and other key stake holders.
• Review and monitor individual TSA work plans in coordination with the VT project team.
• Facilitate negotiations and agreements on the scope of the TSA with UNEP/VT Project team and clients (public and private)
• Facilitate preparing agendas and participate in the TSA launching workshops
• Address technical queries and issues during the execution of the TSA’s five steps and the policy recommendations: 1. Defining the purpose and policy scope of TSA 2. Defining BAU baseline & SEM intervention 3. Selecting criteria & indicators 4. Constructing BAU/SEM scenarios 5. Making evidence –based policy recommendations
• Review of reports and internal quality control: inception report, progress reports, draft TSA reports, final TSA reports, policy briefs, and lessons learned documents.
• Coordination of TSA reports’ peer reviews (internal and external)
• Provide technical approval for final TSA products in coordination with the VT programme and Government

• Follow up UNDP/UNEP’s Quality Control process for the publication of TSA on their web page.

  Qualifications/special skills A Master’s degree in economics, environmental economics and / or finance, or a closely related field is required; Minimum of 10 years of work experience in TSA planning and management is required; Direct experience in implementing TSA in developing countries is required; Minimum of 10 years of experience working with developing countries on finance and economic, fiscal and investment policy and environmental finance is required; Minimum of 10 years of experience in the development, implementation and management of projects is required; Experience in the processes of policy development associated with the natural resources management, ecosystems and biodiversity, agricultural commodities, economics and sustainable sector development is required;

  Languages English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required.

  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.