Consultant on TEEB National Implementation

Result of Service

a.TEEBAgriFood evidence and approaches effectively communicated to policy- and decision-makers and positioned for mainstreaming within relevant national and sub-national policy processes. b.Practical pathways identified for integrating TEEBAgriFood findings into government planning, budgeting, public-investment, programme-prioritisation and resource-allocation decisions. c.Policy support options identified by the Project Steering Committee are translated into actionable recommendations through coordination with research partners, policy experts and relevant government stakeholders. d.Key stakeholders in Sikkim are engaged to support the introduction, institutional uptake and implementation of the TEEBAgriFood approach within relevant state policies, programmes and institutional processes. e.Policy engagement, emerging mainstreaming opportunities, stakeholder consultations and agreed follow-up actions are systematically documented and reflected in project monitoring and reporting processes.

Work Location

Home-Based

Expected duration

12 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Organization Setting: UN Environment 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. 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. UN Environment Ecosystems Division works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and capacity development for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition. The consultant will work for the Economics of Nature Unit in the Ecosystems Division to perform the execution of different work packages of The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity (TEEB) projects, specifically on “True Value Accounting: Making the Economic Case for Food Systems Transformation in India and Kenya” funded by the IKEA Foundation. The UN Environment TEEB initiative supports the implementation of TEEB studies of agro-ecological value chains in accordance with the TEEBAgriFood Evaluation Framework, which is broad in scope and requires considerable policy and technical advisory capacity related to valuation of natural capital and ecosystem services and its integration into relevant policies, programmes, planning processes and institutional frameworks. The Steering Committee for TEEBAgriFood India, co-chaired by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoAFW) and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC), recommended the policy focus area for the project in India to be an assessment of organic farming and agroforestry in the project states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam and Sikkim. The technical consultant will support the work in project states on mainstreaming the TEEBAgriFood approach at national and sub-national levels by providing strategic policy advice, identifying opportunities for institutional uptake, and facilitating the translation of project evidence into relevant policy, planning, budgeting, public-investment and resource-allocation processes. The consultant will work closely with the TEEBAgriFood team, research partners and policy experts to identify pathways for integrating project findings and policy support options into government programmes and decision-making processes. This role requires the consultant to have extensive experience of the policy landscape for sustainable agriculture in project states, and both knowledge of and previous contact with key stakeholders at both state and federal levels. The consultant shall be under the overall supervision and will report directly to the Head of the Economics of Nature Unit. 1. Duties and Responsibilities: Duties and responsibilities of the consultant will entail mainstreaming of the project and its findings within national and international policy context. Specific duties include the following. •Advance the mainstreaming of the TEEBAgriFood framework among policy- and decision-makers at national and sub-national levels. •Provide periodic policy advice to the TEEBAgriFood team and research partners on emerging mainstreaming opportunities identified through bilateral consultations and stakeholder engagement with national and sub-national governments. •Engage with state departments including planning and finance, to promote the application of TEEBAgriFood evidence in public investment, budgeting, programme prioritisation and resource-allocation decisions. •Coordinate with policy experts engaged by the partner research institutions and provide recommendations on pathways for integrating TEEBAgriFood findings into policy processes, particularly in relation to policy support options identified by the Project Steering Committee. •Facilitation of engagement with key stakeholders in Sikkim to advance the introduction, institutional uptake and implementation of the TEEBAgriFood approach in the state. •Participate in and contribute to project-supported knowledge dissemination, awareness-raising and capacity-building activities for policy- and decision-makers. •Periodically review and provide substantive inputs to policy briefs, knowledge products and other stakeholder-oriented communications •Contribute to project monitoring, reporting and documentation processes.

Qualifications/special skills

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent), preferably with a specialization in environmental geoinformatics, environmental management, law, social anthropology, environment and development, sustainable development, economics, applied economics, agriculture, or related fields is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. A minimum of seven years’ experience working with different branches of the Government of India, including at senior level, on issues pertaining to agriculture and the environment is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in spoken and written English is essential. Fluency in spoken Hindi is desirable.

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.