Consultant on NBS

Result of Service

They will work under the guidance of and report to the Economic Affairs Officer of the Trade Policy and Facilitation Section of the Trade, Investment and Innovation Division (TIID), ESCAP. The outputs will be delivered in electronic format, in Word, Excel or PowerPoint and others as relevant. The performance of the consultant will be evaluated based on the quality of the work and the timeliness of the work delivery.

Work Location

Bangkok

Expected duration

8 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Purpose: This project seeks to enhance policymakers’ understanding of how trade policies, in particularly trade agreements and non-tariff measures, can be “climate-smarter” and support nature-based solutions (NBS). COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the role of transboundary cooperation. Likewise, climate-change crisis requires transboundary cooperation. In this regard, trade and investment policies need to be increasingly climate-smart - as outlined in the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2021: Accelerating Climate-smart Trade and Investment for Sustainable Development – to ensure that international trade and investment as key sources of financing for development are redirected towards achieving net-CO2-zero targets. Liberalizing trade in environmental goods is a key policy suggestion to make trade climate-smart. Increasing the availability of these products will facilitate greater technology transfer, enable countries to accelerate their progress towards achieving sustainable development, and, in particular, facilitate climate action. This policy is the cornerstone of the negotiations of the WTO Agreement on Environmental Goods, part of APEC commitments (to keep tariffs under 5 per cent for such goods) and a key pillar of the AACTS agreement negotiations. In terms of climate-smart trade policies, Samoa has the third highest tariffs on environmental goods in the Asia-Pacific region of above 10%. Additional research can look at tariffs that goods/technologies essential for NBS face. NBS investments require appropriate legislative and other support to guard against “leakage”, ensure gains in protection in one jurisdiction are not offset by losses in others. For example, as identified in Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2019, only 10 per cent of economies in Asia-Pacific have legislation that address illegal timber trade, meaning that NBS gains in one area can be easily more than offset by losses through trade due to weaker legislative framework governing international trade in timber. Similarly, as specified in Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment report 2021, some agricultural subsidies contribute to deforestation. A closer look at the efficiency and environmental and social impacts of such subsides on resource-based economic activity, including fossil fuel and fisheries subsidies, can directly contribute to formulating more effective climate action, reduce non-tariff barriers, and liberate funds to provide much needed finance for development. Removing fuel subsidies was found to be the only climate action trade-related policy that had no net negative economic costs (see APTIR 2021- Ch 6), supporting action to replace them with more targeted policies focused on addressing the needs of vulnerable groups. Further, trade policy has a significant impact on environmental stewardship and conditions in a given country, impacting biodiversity through the production of traded products, and through embedded carbon emissions, energy, water and pollution associated with that trade. Trade allows countries with particularly fragile environments and facing resource constraints, such as water, to meet their needs while reducing environmental stresses locally. Closer alignment of trade policy with the need for climate action, including through NBS, should be explored. The four target countries are Bangladesh, Indonesia, Maldives and Samoa. In addition, ESCAP is implementing the project “Regional integration and cooperation to promote affordable and equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics in the Asia-Pacific region”. This initiative is aimed at strengthening the capacity of countries in Asia and the Pacific to develop coherent policies and practical strategies on trade, investment, technology transfer, and regional cooperation to address inequities in supply and capacity, within the broader objective of enabling greater inclusivity and resilience in national health systems. Objective: Under the guidance and supervision of the Chief of Trade Policy and Facilitation Section, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division, and the overall guidance of the Director, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division, the chosen consultant contribute to developing tools, database and conduct analysis of how countries can make their trade and investment “climate-smarter” as well as support nature-based solutions. In addition, the selected consultant will contribute to analysis of and technical material for implementing Essential Medical Products modules in TINA and Legal TINA.

Qualifications/special skills

Bachelor's degree in economics, with a specific focus on international trade. Demonstrated knowledge on NTMs and MAST classification is desirable, RTA analysis, text analysis, R coding and e-learning material development. Experience in conducting desk research in international trade, economics, or related field. Experience working in an international organization is an advantage.

Languages

Excellent command of written and spoken English is required.

Additional Information

Not available.

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.