UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) Consultant - For supporting the delivery of UNEP FI’s TCFD programme and development of relevant climate risk materials

Result of Service 1. Hold periodic bilateral conversations with each participating institution (as needed) in order to discuss their current engagement in the programme and their institutional progress.

2. Lead the structuring of appropriate training materials for UNEP FI’s regional capacity-building initiatives on climate risk and the TCFD. The consultant will need to have experience in climate risk assessment and TCFD disclosures as they will be expected to be the content expert in some of these training webinars (noted in the item below). They will also help consolidate learnings from the TCFD programme into a format that is relevant for regional participants. This may involve developing overviews of the programme outputs and adapting materials to the relevant climate risks within each region.

3. Develop and deliver 2-4 workshops on the latest regulatory practices on climate disclosures and climate stress testing as well as climate risk assessments and climate risk management for national financial institutions, with specific focuses on Asia, Africa, and Latin America

4. Work with the third-party partners to organize regional workshops on relevant climate risk topics including climate science, climate risks, climate regulation, and climate scenarios.

5. Provide programme management oversight as the key contact point for the climate stress testing and climate scenario analysis working groups. The consultant will not be directly responsible for the output of these collaborations, but will help to facilitate meetings, develop workplans, and ensure effective programme management.

6. Deliver 3-4 summary workshops covering the outcomes of the initial working groups of the programme. These workshops will be for programme participants and will explore the programme’s progress in understanding the latest developments in climate risk regulation, climate scenarios, and assessment methodologies for climate risks in different sectors. One or more of these sessions can be included in a programme plenary session.

7. Lead the drafting and editing of the reports from the climate stress testing and climate scenario analysis working groups that will reflect the experiences and learnings of the programme participants during the course of the program. These papers may be written in conjunction with third party partners, the bank participants, and other UNEP-FI staff.

8. Support the organisation of report release webinars, social media postings regarding the releases, and updates to the UNEP FI website to reflect these latest content pieces.

Work Location Working Remotely.

Expected duration The expected duration is 6 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 overall objective of the UNEP’s Economy Division is to encourage decision makers in government, local authorities and industry to develop and adopt policies, strategies and practices and technologies that promote sustainable patterns of consumption and production, make efficient use of natural resources, ensure safe management of chemicals and contribute to making trade and environment policies mutually supportive. It promotes the development, use and transfer of policies, technologies, economic instruments, managerial practices and other tools that assist in environmentally sound decision making and the building of corresponding activities.

The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is the strategic partnership between the United Nations and over 400 banks, insurers and investors. For over 29 years UNEP FI has been shaping and driving the international sustainable finance agenda, setting global standards and growing a global network of leading financial institutions. Through its work-streams and regional activities, peer learning, methodology development, training and research, UNEP FI carries out its mission to help the financial industry align with and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals and with that take on the crucial role it must play in achieving a sustainable future.

The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is a strategic public-private partnership between UNEP and the global financial sector. UNEP FI works with approximately 350 financial institutions, which are signatories to the UNEP FI Statements of Environmental Commitment, and a range of partners and organisations, to develop and promote linkages between the environment, sustainability and financial performance.

As part of its 2022 work programme on climate change and building on the outcomes of its prior TCFD pilots in banking, UNEP FI has decided to carry out a new phase of TCFD work and has to that effect recruited at least 25 commercial and development banks) that will participate and support this latest phase of work.

Building from the methodologies, and corresponding insights and recommendations, published by UNEP FI & Partners in 2018 and 2021, the latest phase of UNEP FI’s work on TCFD adoption has the following objectives:

•Objective area 1: Briefing and training - in depth - UNEP FI member banks that are new to UNEP FI’s TCFD work on the various methodologies developed – and the insights won - in previous phases of the TCFD programme

•Objective area 2: Further developing and enhancing – in partnership with relevant expert stakeholders - a number of the various elements within the ‘toolkit’ that banks currently have at their disposal to carry out forward-looking risk and opportunity assessments, potentially including: i) climate-related scenarios, ii) client data, iii) modelling approaches, iv) legal guidance, etc.

•Objective area 3: Strengthening and institutionalizing links and dialogue - and synchronizing agendas - with relevant platforms, processes, and efforts, particularly those involving financial regulatory organisations (e.g. the Network for Greening the Financial System – NGFS, the EU Action Plan), client industry associations, the proceedings of the TCFD itself, and investor efforts (through the Principles for Responsible Investment, or UNEP FI’s own investor piloting of the TCFD)

To that effect UNEP FI requires a consultant to provide programme management support to UNEP FI’s new TCFD programmes, and to further establish, run, and coordinate the required work, across the three objective areas listed above.

Objectives:

Objective area 1: The knowledge and experience gained during the prior phases of the TCFD pilot, which has already been undertaken, has been transferred to UNEP FI member banks that have joined this new TCFD pilot program. Banks and investors participating in this new programme will directly engage with the tools, frameworks, and approaches developed in prior pilot phases. This will be completed through a number (1-2 per quarter) of group interactions between the consultant and the participating financial institutions. These interactions will include assignments for participating institutions to complete to ensure their familiarity with the programme resources. This will then allow each institution to actively implement approaches for assessing transition and physical risks in their portfolios.

Objective area 2: In 2-4 focus areas, the UNEP FI Secretariat, with the assistance of external partners, will develop relevant inputs and tools (such as scenarios, data, methodologies, legal guidance) for banks and investors - or enhancements of existing such inputs and tools – needed to effectively conduct scenario-based assessment for disclosure of climate- related risks and opportunities have been developed, or a roadmap for their development has been established. The consultant will provide programme management to the engagements between the participating institutions and the partners to ensure that refinements and enhancements are developed in a timely manner.

Objective area 3: Once the results of the pilot are known they will then be distributed to industry practitioners around the world. Relevant stakeholders (investors, clients, regulators and policy makers) will be made aware of the results of these pilots and the leading role taken by the pilot banks and investors. The consultant will assist in the production and distribution of these final materials. This will lead to a developed approach to TCFD disclosure and coordinated expectations from investors’, high impact industries and stakeholders.

Outputs of services:

Objective area 1 •Bilateral conversations with each participating institution (as needed) in order to discuss their current engagement in the programme and their institutional progress. Objective area 2 •Training materials on TCFD implementation for regional climate initiatives in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. •Organization of the of virtual group interactions between programme participants and partners to facilitate TCFD knowledge transfer between UNEP FI, partners, and the participating institutions. This includes creating polling questions for the group and preparing materials as requested by the partners. •Creation of content for 3-4 workshops on climate risks, climate scenario analysis, and climate stress testing as part of the TCFD working groups on climate scenario analysis and climate stress testing. •Creation of 3-4 workshops covering the outcomes of the initial working groups of the programme. These workshops will be for programme participants and will explore the programme’s progress in understanding the latest developments in climate risk regulation, climate scenarios, and assessment methodologies for climate risks in different sectors. Objective area 3 •Leadership in writing thought papers created by the modules and participant case studies. •Presentations at release webinars and social media/UNEP FI website content to support the working group papers.

Specific tasks and responsibilities: The consultant will:

•Hold periodic bilateral conversations with each participating institution (as needed) in order to discuss their current engagement in the programme and their institutional progress.

•Lead the structuring of appropriate training materials for UNEP FI’s regional capacity-building initiatives on climate risk and the TCFD. The consultant will need to have experience in climate risk assessment and TCFD disclosures as they will be expected to be the content expert in some of these training webinars (noted in the item below). They will also help consolidate learnings from the TCFD programme into a format that is relevant for regional participants. This may involve developing overviews of the programme outputs and adapting materials to the relevant climate risks within each region.

•Develop and deliver 2-4 workshops on the latest regulatory practices on climate disclosures and climate stress testing as well as climate risk assessments and climate risk management for national financial institutions, with specific focuses on Asia, Africa, and Latin America

•Work with the third-party partners to organize regional workshops on relevant climate risk topics including climate science, climate risks, climate regulation, and climate scenarios.

•Provide programme management oversight as the key contact point for the climate stress testing and climate scenario analysis working groups. The consultant will not be directly responsible for the output of these collaborations, but will help to facilitate meetings, develop workplans, and ensure effective programme management.

•Deliver 3-4 summary workshops covering the outcomes of the initial working groups of the programme. These workshops will be for programme participants and will explore the programme’s progress in understanding the latest developments in climate risk regulation, climate scenarios, and assessment methodologies for climate risks in different sectors. One or more of these sessions can be included in a programme plenary session.

•Lead the drafting and editing of the reports from the climate stress testing and climate scenario analysis working groups that will reflect the experiences and learnings of the programme participants during the course of the program. These papers may be written in conjunction with third party partners, the bank participants, and other UNEP-FI staff.

•Support the organisation of report release webinars, social media postings regarding the releases, and updates to the UNEP FI website to reflect these latest content pieces.

The consultant shall be under the overall supervision of the Head of UNEP FI and report directly to the UNEP FI Climate Change Lead. The final deliverables shall also be approved by the Head of UNEP FI.

Qualifications/special skills Skills: The consultant(s) should have a proven track record supporting international programmes involving different stakeholder types, particularly financial organizations, and with a particular focus on sustainable finance and climate risks. The consultant should also have detailed knowledge of the field as an author or thought leader on reports, presentations, or articles related to topics of climate stress testing and climate scenarios.

Academic Qualifications: Master’s degree in economics, finance, environmental studies, international relations, business administration or related fields. A First degree could be taken in lieu of advanced degree provided the selected candidate has 6 years of relevant experience.

Experience: Four years of experience in the environmental non-profit sector, the financial services sector, commercial consulting, or conducted applied academic research on sustainable finance. This experience should be relevant for examining climate risks, climate policies, and the role of the financial sector in climate action.

Language: English is the working language of UNEP FI. English is mandatory for this consultancy. Knowledge of other United Nations languages is an asset.

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.