Result of Service
The consultancy will deliver a Tier 1 set of SEEA Ecosystem Accounts for Saudi Arabia (2013–2023), documented in a consolidated technical report, to provide baseline information on ecosystem extent, condition, and services, and to strengthen national capacity for ecosystem accounting.
Expected duration
9 months
Duties and Responsibilities
Organization Setting: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system's designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. It 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. UNEP’s 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. UNEP SESP in collaboration with the Economics of Nature unit intends to advance its support to MEWA in quantifying ecosystem services and their economic contributions; assessing the monetary cost of environmental degradation; and integrating environmental values into national accounts and policy decisions. The consultant will support the Economics of Nature (TEN) Unit in the Ecosystems Division to perform tasks under a project aimed at developing Tier 1 ecosystem accounts. The work will focus on producing accounts that integrate global datasets with available national-level geospatial data over a 10-year period (2013–2023). The consultant shall work under the overall supervision of the Unit Head, the Economics of Nature Unit. The consultancy will be home-based. The consultancy is scheduled to start on September 20th, 2025, and end on June 20th, 2026, and will support the aforementioned efforts with the responsibilities described below. 1. Duties and Responsibilities: The consultant will contribute to the implementation of the following activities: 1. Activity 1: Stakeholder consultation and alignment with relevant agencies in Saudi Arabia. Agencies include MEWA, National Center for Vegetated Cover, National Center for Wildlife, GASTAT. Consultations are to be conducted to investigate potential data sources and supply relevant data in a timely fashion for inclusion in the final project report. Compilation and processing of global and national geospatial datasets required for SEEA EA ecosystem accounts 2. Activity 2: Develop Tier 1 SEEA EA account covering the period 2013 -2023 period 3. Activity 3: Documentation of sources and methods 4. Activity 4: Technical documentation and final presentation to stakeholders In terms of delivery, the following accounts are expected to be delivered: 1. Extent accounts following the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology or national classification if available. Note marine ecosystems, e.g. in the Red Sea, can be incorporated in the Extent account but it is not intended to compile measures of ecosystem services that are more specific to those ecosystems (e.g. coastal protection services). 2. Protected areas 3. Species - for 5-10 key species 4. Ecosystem condition measures – for 5-10 key metrics or summary indicators (e.g. biodiversity intactness indicator) 5. Ecosystem services in physical and monetary terms a. Agricultural biomass provisioning services – for up to 10 key crops b. Water supply services – from groundwater c. Global climate regulation services – carbon sequestration and storage d. Local climate regulation e. Air filtration services – for urban areas only perhaps 3-4 larger cities. f. Nature-based tourism recreation services 6. Ecosystem monetary asset account
Qualifications/special skills
Advanced level University degree in statistics, agricultural economics, political sciences, international studies and development, environmental sciences, or a related field. A first level degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree A minimum of 7 years of proven experience within the government administration, UN system, non-governmental organization, consultancy service or a related organization is required. Experience in the area of environmental-economic accounting is essential Experience in economic modelling is essential. Experience in organizing and implementing projects on ecosystem assessment or related field is highly desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this position, fluency in oral and written English is required.
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.
