Jan 12, UNEP Expert on Circular Economy and Sustainable Consumption and Production Jobs in Kenya

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) established in 1972, is the voice for the environment within the United Nations system. UNEP acts as a catalyst, advocate, educator and facilitator to promote the wise use and sustainable development of the global environment.

Its mandate is to be the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimensions of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.

UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division addresses environmental issues at global and regional levels, provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and people to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

The Industry and Economy Division also works with many partners, including Member States, to advance the organization’s global goals as well as national efforts to transition to a low-carbon, green economy.

Within the Industry and Economy Division, the Resources and Markets Branch is focused on resource efficiency, inclusive green economy, and circularity. It leads the UNEP Green Economy Initiative and the Partnership for Action on Green Economy, One Planet Network, International Resource Panel, Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals (GO4SDGs) and many other initiatives.

All these aims to shift national economies on to a more sustainable path, in which jobs and output growth are driven by increased investment in green sectors, and by a switch of consumers’ preferences towards environmentally friendly goods and services.

GO4SDGs is an accelerator of SDG12 and SDG8, promoting circularity in high-impact sectors (food, textiles, tourism, plastics), green jobs for youth, and sustainable lifestyles. GO4SDGs brings together strategic partners and a joint menu of services with a vast number of tools, guidelines, and knowledge to take action, scale up, and replicate best practices.

GO4SDGs focuses in 3 workstreams: i) Policy coherence and scale up circularity: support governments to strengthen policy coherence and mainstream circular economy and sustainable consumption and production (SCP) approaches in national policies, including policies on climate change, biodiversity, and pollution. ii) Innovation and Finance for SMES: support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to increase capacities and access for financing innovation and circularity. And iii) Youth empowerment to amplify their voices, embrace sustainable lifestyles, and provide new skills and knowledge for green jobs for youth.

To achieve this, GO4SDGS collaborates with its partners and has developed multiple initiatives scaling up action, such as the Green Jobs for Youth Pact, Sustainable Lifestyles Academy, cross-regional working groups on food waste reduction, Fashion Academy in West Asia, among other flagship initiatives.

In this context, the GO4SDGs is looking for an expert on circular economy and sustainable consumption and production to support and coordinate the implementation of GO4SDGs work plan in West Asia Region, as well as to scale up regional initiatives (specially Recipe of Change and Sustainable Fashion Academy) across regions.

The consultant will have the following tasks:

Support the implementation of the GO4SDGs initiative in the West Asia region, by coordinating and providing technical inputs to the activities to ensure an efficient delivery in alignment with GO4SDGs work plan and UNEP’s Programme of Work (PoW).

Identify and respond to related regional needs, strengthen strategic partnerships, and contribute to resource mobilization.

Coordinating, scaling up and replicating best practices of West Asia (Recipe of Change and Fashion Academy) across -regions, ensuring a successful adaptation to different regional contexts and bringing in existing and relevant partners and initiatives.

Aligning the GO4SDGs implementation with UNEA resolutions, MEAs and ensuring visibility in strategic international fora, to increase the impact of GO4SDGs and UNEP’s work on SCP and circular economy.

Ensure coordination of GO4SDGs delivery with the Finance and Economic Transformations Sub-Programme of UNEP, as well as identifying synergies and collaboration opportunities across other UNEP Sub-Programmes and with other UN agencies through the UNCT/RCO framework.

Coordination and technical support of the GO4SDGs implementation in the West Asia region, including the consolidation of the partnerships and a long-term strategy (jn particular for the initiatives on “Recipe of Change”, “Sustainable Fashion Academy” and Green Jobs for Youth for the MENA region.

Provide regional training and capacity building on SCP and circular economy, engaging reginal strategic partners (ESCAWA, Leage of Arab States, Golf University, etc.) and global initiatives (IRP, Green Jobs for Youth Pact, etc.).

Scale up and replicate the regional best practices of West Asia (Recipe of Change in hospitality industry and Fashion Academy) across-regions, with support of the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on SCP (10YFP)/ One Planet Network and relevant teams at the Resources and Market Branch and Industry and Economy Division.

Identify resource mobilization opportunities, and draft at least 3 full large scale regional and national project concept note based donors (GEF, EU and national EC) priorities as well as stewardship, leadership, and economic-finance mechanisms to ensure sustainable and long-lasting impact building on the GO4SDGs legacy.

Position GO4SDGs as contributor to strategic international platforms, such as regional Forum of Ministers of Environment, UNEA, HLPF.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in sustainable development, environmental management/engineer, or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

A minimum of ten years work experience of progressively responsible experience in sustainable development, green or circular economy; resource efficiency, sustainable consumption and production, and demonstrated experience on sustainability in high impact sectors such as textiles/fashion, food systems, and/or buildings and construction is required.

Work experience in the West Asia Region is required.

Experience in project management, development of partnerships with government and private sector. Technical knowledge on circularity, sustainable consumption and production in high impact sectors (textile, food systems) and proven analytical skills and demonstrated experience in these areas are required.

Experience working with international organisation, and in the West Asia region is desirable.

Two years or more of experience in data analytics or related areas is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is desirable. NOTE: “Fluency equals a rating of “fluent” in all four areas (read, write, speak, understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of “confident” in two of the four areas.

How to Apply

For more information and job application details, see; UNEP Expert on Circular Economy and Sustainable Consumption and Production Jobs in Kenya

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