Pakistan SPAR6C Carbon Market Specialist and COP-ASIC Coordinator

Pakistan SPAR6C Carbon Market Specialist and COP-ASIC Coordinator

Please note that the deadline is based on Korean Standard Time Zone (KST, UTC+9)

INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The Carbon Finance Department (CFD) of GGGI is implementing several programs related to scaling up international carbon trading, now covered by Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. By opening up these markets and the resultant flow of transactions it is envisaged a robust and reliable global price for carbon can be established, something many governments and private sector actors have long called for as a way to motivate the transformational change needed to achieve the ambitious goals of Paris. GGGI’s Article 6 programs provide technical assistance and capacity building to government counterparts to improve their readiness for Article 6 engagement. These programs support the design of projects and policies for pilot transactions and strengthening of institutional frameworks required for their implementation.

Supporting Preparedness for Article 6 Cooperation (SPAR6C) Program is a 5-year program funded by the Federal German Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety through the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The program provides technical support to Colombia, Pakistan, Thailand, Zambia to kick-start the implementation of Article 6 activities. The overall objective is to facilitate readiness of countries to participate in cooperative approaches under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement by engaging the private sector and working closely with governments. This program will enable the development of the international carbon market created by Article 6, leading to cost-efficient, flexible, and high integrity carbon markets with positive, transformational sustainability impacts.

The Program is structured into six work packages, of which four providing dedicated support to target countries – Colombia, Pakistan, Thailand and Zambia. Implementation in each country will focus on three areas of work: 1) Medium and Long-term emissions planning, 2) Governance frameworks and readiness to transact, and 3) Design of pilot mitigation activities. The remaining two work packages are the global ones that are centrally managed, designed to develop best practice tools and approaches to implement cooperative mechanisms, underpinned by a Community of Practice for Article 6 Implementing Countries (CoP-ASIC) which is a international knowledge exchange and mutual learning platform.

The program is implemented through a consortium consisting of Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) as a lead and a respective implementing partner of each work package – UNEP Copenhagen Climate Center (UNEP-CCC), GFA Consulting Group GmbH (GFA), Kommunalkredit Public Consulting (KPC), or Carbon Limits AS. All work conducted in Pakistan is led by UNEP-CCC, with GFA as the supporting partner in delivering the support.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC) is the official counterpart in the country for the SPAR6C Program. In addition to MoCC&EC, the program is being closely implemented in the provinces with the provincial Planning & Development departments in cooperation with the relevant government agencies.

SPAR6C Program is seeking an individual consultant for the role of Carbon Market Specialist and COP-ASIC Coordinator to ensure the smooth implementation of activities in Pakistan.

The Carbon Market Specialist plays a central role in facilitating the successful implementation of SPAR6C activities in Pakistan. This position aims to ensure seamless coordination between the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC), provincial P&D departments, and other relevant government agencies, as well as key partners such as UNEP-CCC and GGGI. The consultant will provide essential policy and framework development and implementation support, coordinate activity implementation in Pakistan and assure quality of products, administrative support to streamline project management, communication coordination, and implementation processes. This may include, among other things, contribute to the development of a carbon market strategy, answering questions related to draft policies and reviewing and revising those draft policies as needed, coordinate the engagement with other donor funded carbon market related projects in Pakistan to avoid duplication of efforts and regularly provide capacity building to the main target group.

The candidate will also provide first level technical support in responding to and handling matters regularly raised by the government partner organizations and support second-level technical support. For all technical inquiries, second-level support will be further supported by other Senior Consultants and Staff. This may include, among other things, answering technical questions related to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, preparing and supporting the development of technical materials, templates, and analyses for establishing an Article 6 market in Pakistan, interpreting developments in the international carbon market, as well as providing targeted support to other stakeholders—such as private sector actors and financiers—on technical issues related to the establishment of projects, programs, and partnerships in the context of Article 6 and international carbon markets.

A key part of the role will also be to maintain day-to-day communication with federal and provincial stakeholders, ensuring timely information flow and addressing any project-related needs or challenges as they arise. The specialist will often serve as the first point of contact for all SPAR6C related inquiries and must therefore be able to provide an initial assessment of the program’s technical and policy-related scope and activities. The specialist will also facilitate Pakistan missions by the UNEP-CCC team and will be eager to learn about Article 6 and the SPAR6C program.

Additionally, the consultant will serve as the national focal point for “The Community of Practice for Article 6 Implementing Countries” (CoP-ASIC) initiative, ensuring strong collaboration between academic institutions, government representatives, and the SPAR6C program. The consultant will be responsible for organizing national meetings, facilitating mentorship opportunities through the Research Mentorship Program, and maintaining regular communication with program participants and stakeholders. This role is central to building partnerships, fostering knowledge exchange, and ensuring that SPAR6C objectives are met in alignment with Pakistan’s climate and sustainability goals.

DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Scope of Work

The specialist shall closely coordinate with the MoCC&EC’s focal point(s) for SPAR6C. The Consultant shall work under the technical supervision of the relevant Work Package Lead at UNEP-CCC, while GGGI, as the contracting entity and lead of the SPAR6C consortium, shall be responsible for the contractual and administrative management of the assignment. The Consultant will serve both as the Carbon Market Specialist for SPAR6C’s Pakistan Country Work Package (IV) (approximately 75% of time) and the SPAR6C COP-ASIC Focal Point under Work Package (I) (approx. 25% of time).

Roles and responsibilities as Carbon Market Specialist for the Work Package (IV) of SPAR6C:

• Support the development and implementation of carbon market policies and frameworks, including contributing to Pakistan's carbon market strategy and reviewing, revising, and providing feedback on draft policies and regulatory instruments.
• Serve as the primary contact point for the SPAR6C program with MoCC&EC, provincial P&D departments, other relevant government agencies, and public institutions in Pakistan. Maintaining regular communication with key agencies, public institutions, the donor community and private sector entities regarding SPAR6C project activities.
• Provide first-level technical expertise on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, including answering technical inquiries, interpreting international carbon market developments, and supporting the design of Article 6 implementation mechanisms.
• Engage with other technical consultants to coordinate second-level technical support to the political partner.
• Facilitate smooth and timely communication between the MoCC&EC focal point and senior officials and the SPAR6C international expert team and local individual consultants and institutions/firms hired by SPAR6C.
• Support the delivery of capacity-building and training programs for government officials and other stakeholders to strengthen understanding and implementation of carbon market mechanisms and Article 6 requirements.
• Support the development of technical materials, analyses, templates, and guidance documents required for establishing and operationalizing carbon market systems and Article 6 activities and coordinate its content with the political partner.
• Maintain regular communication and reporting with stakeholders, facilitate missions, workshops and meetings, identify implementation challenges, and ensure effective information flow between national and international partners.
• Conduct occasional travel based on needs of the SPAR6C Program.
• Support organizing workshops and other events under SPAR6C in cooperation with MoCC&EC and other government partners, including venue setting up and participant invitation.
• Arrange and attend regular SPAR6C Pakistan meetings and have weekly work planning and progress meetings with the UNEP-CCC’s Work Package Lead for Pakistan.
• Lead the implementation of defined work package activities and support the implementation of the overall work package by presenting drafts to MoCC&EC and coordinating received feedback with the SPAR6C team.
• Communication of the results of technical inquiries to the technical staff in the Carbon Market / Climate Finance Wing and to the technical staff of provincial governments.
• Support MoCC&EC and UNEP-CCC in SPAR6C implementation, including day-to-day project management and facilitation of effective communication channels.
• Be present in the SPAR6C Office in MoCC&EC, whenever necessary, to provide the daily operations support to the MoCC&EC’s SPAR6C focal points, to facilitate smooth progressing of the SPAR6C support.

Roles and Responsibilities as the national CoP-ASIC focal point:

• Organize and lead bi-weekly meetings with the CoP-ASIC coordinator and other national focal points.
• Maintain regular contact with the academic network through in person or virtual meetings and serve as the communication link between the academic network, government representatives, and the SPAR6C program.
• Organize at least one national CoP-ASIC meeting per year.
• Maintain monthly check-in calls with the Research Mentorship Program participants, providing mentorship support for their research projects on an ad-hoc basis, including providing technical inputs on their research projects directly or after consultation with Senior UNEP-CCC or GGGI staff and consultants.
• Identify internship opportunities for the Research Mentorship Program participants and facilitate communication between these institutions, the students, the CoP-ASIC coordinator, and GGGI procurement.

The Specialist shall serve as an important part of the SPAR6C team in Pakistan, support the advancement of key milestones in the project, attend the (virtual) weekly Pakistan update meetings and respond in a timely manner to inquiries and requests from SPAR6C project regarding the activities in Pakistan.

Reporting Requirements and Payment Schedule

The Consultant is required to submit the following:

• Monthly Work Summary Report: within five days after a month ends, the Consultant shall report on the activities carried out in support of SPAR6C, the results/outcomes of such activities, and the number of workdays spent on each activity in the previous month in a Work Summary Report (template will be provided). The Report shall be complemented by other specific deliverables as agreed in the Monthly Work Plan (template will be provided) as annexes and a detailed timesheet (template will be provided). The Work Summary Report, associated deliverables and timesheet shall be subject to technical review and approval by UNEP-CCC. Following such technical approval, GGGI shall undertake the required contractual and administrative verification prior to processing the Consultant's invoice.

• Technical Reporting: The Work Summary Report, incl. its annexes and timesheets, must be prepared in English and submitted via e-mail to the UNEP-CCC Work Package Lead for technical review and approval. UNEP-CCC shall provide technical guidance, agree on work priorities with the Consultant and assess the satisfactory completion and quality of the Consultant’s substantive work.
• Contractual and Administrative Reporting: Following technical approval by UNEP-CCC, the approved timesheet and invoice shall be submitted to GGGI for contractual and administrative verification and payment processing in accordance with applicable GGGI procedures. GGGI shall remain responsible for contractual administration of the consultancy.The specific content and timing of submission of the monthly Work Summary Report may be amended upon discussion between UNEP-CCC, GGGI and the Consultant.

• Reporting to Government: The Consultant shall facilitate regular coordination meetings with government, through the MoCC&EC, with other government counterparts (minimum quarterly meetings) to report on progress against the assignment objectives and to ensure a strong flow of information and feedback on project activities.
• Payment: the payment for services under this contract will be made on a daily-rate basis.

EXPERTISE REQUIRED

• (MANDATORY) A minimum of a master’s degree or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience in engineering, economics, finance, science, policy, environment, International Relations, or another relevant field.
• (MANDATORY) A minimum of 5 years of full-time expertise related to project management, climate change or the related field.
• (MANDATORY) Experience in project management or project coordination with international organizations.
• (MANDATORY) Established relationships with national and provincial authorities in the field of climate change and carbon markets, including MoCC&EC, and provincial P&Ds,
• (MANDATORY) Experience in working with international environment and cooperating with the donor agencies in Pakistan to ensure the quality, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness of their deliverables.
• (MANDATORY) Strong command of both spoken and written English.
• Availability for limited national and international travel.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.).
• Organizational skills with excellent time management and attention to detail.
• Robust and mature interpersonal skills with a proven track record of working with international teams.
• Ability to work efficiently under pressure and demonstrate flexibility in task execution.

Child protection – GGGI is committed to child protection, irrespective of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. GGGI’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.