Climate change national project coordinator

Background

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Post-Conflict Branch, established in 1999 and based in Geneva, provides environmental assistance to post-conflict countries by, among other things, investigating the environmental impacts of conflicts and providing capacity building and technical assistance for post-conflict environmental administrations.

In January 2003 UNEP released its post-conflict environmental assessment of Afghanistan. Among other things, the report identified the existing status of and pressures on the Afghan environment and natural resources. The primary finding was that the country is subject to an alarming degree of environmental degradation, exacerbated by decades of conflict, poverty, population displacement and the need to survive.

UNEP in Afghanistan is presently focusing on capacity building and institutional development for environmental management with funding support from European Commission and Global Environmental Facility. The main areas of work include: i) environmental institutions and coordination, ii) environmental law and policy, iii) environmental impact assessment and pollution control, iv) environmental information and education, and v) community based natural resource management and protected areas management. UNEP primarily provides support to the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL). The overall objective of UNEP support is to contribute to contain the degradation of the natural resource base and make its use increasingly sustainable by helping enhancement of the environmental management capacity of Afghanistan. The UNEP approach has been to 'help Afghans to help themselves' by providing environmental authorities with training, tools and technical assistance they need.

Duties & responsibilities

The purpose of this position is to coordinate closely with NEPA to work towards the successful implementation of the Global Environment Facility funded project entitled Enabling Activities for the Preparation of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Initial National Communication (INC) under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In doing so, the key responsibilities of the Climate Change National Project Coordinator during the first 12 months of project implementation include the following:

1. Institutional structure for the implementation of the INC and project start-up:

- Facilitate the establishment of the National Climate Change Committee (NCCC), Project Coordination Committee (PCC), Project Steering Committee (PSC), National Circumstances Team (NCT) and Education, Training and Public awareness (ETPA) Group
- Realize the activities necessary for equipping the project office and the Climate Change Resource Centers at identified locations
- Organization of the project inception workshop

2. Information gathering, education and public awareness raising activities related to the INC:

- Participate actively in the process of establishing the climate change enabling activity website, including the development and/or translation of materials for placing on the website and oversight of the organization selected to design the website
- Establish distribution lists and networks for all Committees, Teams and Groups established under this project
- Collect information (documents, workshops, interviews, etc.) for the preparation of the national and regional circumstances analysis, including information on features of environmental governance, national geography, climate, natural resources, economic sub-sectors, and socio-economic conditions
- Participate actively in the development of education, training and public awareness programmes at various levels, including the elaboration of a national draft programme on education, training and public awareness on climate change, and the development of outreach materials in English, Dari and Pashtu
- Develop and implement awareness raising workshops on climate change for a variety of audiences

3. Training and capacity building for effective implementation of the INC:

- Assist with the development and implementation of coordination and training workshops
- Participate actively in a capacity-building needs assessment for climate change and the preparation of a capacity-building strategy

4. Developing the progress and other reports required for the project

5. Any other tasks as assigned by the Afghanistan Programme Manager

The Climate Change National Project Coordinator will report to the Environmental Policy and Climate Change Expert.

Qualifications required

1. University degree in environmental science or other comparative university degree

2. Sound understanding of climate change issues

3. At least 3 years of relevant environmental experience

4. Strong interpersonal and communications skills

5. Knowledge of United Nations and the UN humanitarian and development framework preferred

6. Knowledge of GEF systems and procedures is an advantage

7. Experience in conflict or post-conflict settings seen as an asset

8. Language requirement: Fluency in written and oral English and Dari. Knowledge of Pashtu is highly advantageous