REDD+ Technical Advisor to Democratic Republic of Congo at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Responsibilities

• The Consultant's main responsibility will be to support coordination of REDD+ efforts to achieve the country’s REDD+ objectives, including but not limited to access to REDD+ results-based payment schemes, carbon markets and other transactions under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
• The REDD+ Technical Advisor to DRC will thus convene all stakeholders involved in the existing initiatives (technical assistance, projects, and programmes) to join efforts and promote synergies across the board towards that end.  
• The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN-REDD Africa Coordinator and in close collaboration with CN REDD, FONAREDD, UN-REDD focal points for the DRC, (FAO, UNDP and UNEP country teams, sectoral Ministries, mainly the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable development, and other REDD+ and Sustainable forest management technical assistance providers in the country (e.g. Ricardo, US Forest Service, JTAP, etc.).  
• More specifically, the REDD+ Technical Advisor to DRC will conduct the following tasks:  Related to UN-REDD Technical Assistance:  Follow up on the implementation of the UN-REDD Technical Assistance to the country as per the validated workplan.  
• Promote synergies between initiatives such as Aim4Forest, Restoration Factory, and other targeted initiatives under UN-REDD TA, as well as UNEP-led initiatives in the          country (e.g. GEF, IKI project) in coordination with the UNEP Congo basin team.  
• Coordinate  efforts for filling technical gaps (carbon accounting, legal title to ERRs, approaches for consultations for rights holders, strengthening capacity of stakeholders on REDD+ safeguards, benefit sharing mechanism, etc.) for the country to be able to register under the ART TREES and progress in the LEAF process.
• Contribute to the overall drafting and consultation process for the LEAF jurisdictional program in Tshuapa province for the TREES registration document (TRD) and TREES monitoring report (TMR). Contribute to Verification and Validation process for TREES documents.  
• Related to the overall national coordination of the REDD+ work in the country:   Work closely with the two main government focal points FONAREDD and CN REDD to ensure information exchanges and operational aspects of REDD+ implementation is timely and quality delivery.  
• Monitoring and analysing existing projects and jurisdictional REDD+ initiatives' (PRE and PiREDDs) implementation and drawing lessons learnt from their experience for the upcoming jurisdictional endeavour in the country.  
• Engage with stakeholders working on advancing the REDD+ agenda in DRC, including government, technical assistance providers, NGOs, civil society, legal experts, private  sector, academia to determine pathways for ensuring DRC’s REDD+ strategy is properly implemented to contribute to enhanced NDC ambition and the country’s sustainable development strategy.
• Contribute to exchanges of information, approach, experience and promote synergies and coordination between the above key stakeholders.
• Contribute to national efforts to align with requirements of international standards for jurisdictional REDD+, aiming at producing high quality/integrity credits (e.g. ART TREES, VCS JNR Framework, FCPF 2.0, etc.) as identified and prioritized by the Country.
• Coordinate efforts related to access to REDD+ results-based payment schemes, carbon markets and other transactions under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Contribute to the review of and suggest approaches for an aligned benefit sharing mechanism for the proceeds from LEAF.  
• Coordinate ongoing efforts on the operationalization and implementation of the national authority to regulate carbon markets (ARMCa), the national REDD+ registry, the          development of its transactional module.
• Coordinate efforts in leading to and implementation of the national framework on nesting.  
• Promote gender and social inclusion in REDD+ activities and decision-making processes.
• Foster partnerships and collaboration with international donors, the private sector, and other relevant entities to mobilize resources for REDD+ activities.

Qualifications/special skills

• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, Forestry, Climate Change, Geography, sustainable development, or related field is required.
• A minimum of five years of experience in REDD+, climate change, forestry, or environmental management, or related field is required. Familiarity with international and national regulatory frameworks related to REDD+, carbon markets, such as the Paris Agreement, carbon market, nesting, Jurisdictional REDD+ is desirable.      
• Thorough understanding of the political economy of DRC, especially in the environmental sector and the Ministry of Finance is desirable.
• Familiarity with REDD+ phases, standards, ART TREES, and experience in coordinating multi-stakeholder initiatives is desirable.
• Proven ability to work effectively in a multicultural and multi-disciplinary environment is desirable.

Skills:  

• Strong, proven project management/coordination skills.
• Strong leadership and coordination skills.
• Ability to convene partners and build consensus among diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills.
• Analytical and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Ability to work independently with limited supervision.