National Expert on Climate Change Capacity Gap Assessment

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized technical agency of the United Nations. The FAO mission is to work toward the eradication of hunger and strive for food security for everyone as stated in the 2030 Agenda. The FAO’s Strategic Framework aspires to transform agri-food systems so that they are more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. The ultimate goals of these efforts include better production, better nutrition, better environment, and better lives, while leaving no one behind.

FAO is supporting the Government of Vanuatu under the GEF-funded project “Strengthening capacity in energy, agriculture, forestry and other land use sectors for enhanced transparency in the implementation and monitoring of Vanuatu’s NDC”, implemented under the Capacity Building Initiative for Transparency (CBIT). FAO is co-executing the project with the Department of Climate Change (DoCC), under the Ministry of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards, Energy, Environment and Disaster Management (MoCCA).The objective of the project is to strengthen Vanuatu’s institutional and human capacities to meet the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) reporting requirements of the Paris Agreement and to monitor Vanuatu’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), with a focus on the energy, agriculture, forestry and other land use sectors. The project works under three components: I. Strengthening Vanuatu’s institutional arrangements for a robust MRV system for NDC mitigation and adaptation actions; II. Provision of an online platform, tools and training for a robust sectoral MRV system; and III. Monitoring and Evaluation. The project has been extended to June 2027 to allow completion of the planned activities.

The National Expert on Climate Change Capacity Gap Assessment will work for this project to provide support to Climate Change Ministry, Vanuatu as a Small Island Developing States as part of reporting under the Paris Agreement.

The incumbent is encouraged to propose a tailored methodology reflecting their own approach to the assignment.

Reporting Lines

The National Expert on Climate Change Capacity Gap Assessment will work under the overall operational supervision of the FAO Sub-Regional Representative for the Pacific Islands and the direct technical supervision of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO), and the GEF technical specialist. On a day-to-day basis, the incumbent will closely work with the International Climate Transparency Expert, National Project Director, the FAO team in Port Vila and the relevant sectoral Ministries and Departments of Vanuatu.

Technical Focus

The National Expert will deliver the capacity gap assessment activities under Component 1 of the project, strengthening Vanuatu’s institutional arrangements for a robust MRV system for NDC mitigation and adaptation actions. The assignment has two strands: (i) a gap assessment covering institutional, regulatory, human, technological, financial and capacity building needs, together with stakeholder mapping, to support the transparency framework for Vanuatu’s enhanced NDC actions; and (ii) support to the design and delivery of capacity building, including GHG inventory training for national stakeholders.

To build a shared understanding of the assignment, the incumbent will begin by reviewing the project document and action plan, and by holding discussions with the Government of Vanuatu (particularly MoCCA and DoCC) and FAO national and international specialists.

Tasks and responsibilities

Inception and preparatory analysis

• Review project documents, periodic reports and relevant literature on Vanuatu’s climate change process and development context to inform the assignment.
• Consult FAO specialists, government representatives, non-state actors and other relevant stakeholders to clarify objectives, gather preliminary data and align with project priorities, with particular attention to the Thematic Working Group(s) established by the Government.
• Prepare an inception report presenting the refined work plan and methodology, a summary of the desk review, and an initial stakeholder list and checklist.

Conduct the national climate change capacity gap assessment

• Assess the current status of Vanuatu’s national climate change capacities, including government and stakeholder understanding of climate transparency, existing practices and development needs, in order to identify a suitable capacity building package for stakeholders.
• Identify and document the national institutional architecture for climate change governance, including its strengths and capacity gaps, with special focus on the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), NDC 3.0, the first Biennial Transparency Report (BTR1), and national and sectoral climate change policies and strategies.
• Enrich and finalise, in consultation with the project team, the detailed checklist for capacity self-assessment at the level of individual stakeholder organisations, developed by the International Climate Transparency Specialist.
• Propose a methodology for completing the capacity self-assessment and agree it with the Government and the FAO technical team.
• Conduct Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) across different levels of governance, with at least five events of each; each FGD should include at least five individuals from the same interest group.
• Put in place simple monitoring arrangements to track progress, challenges and lessons learned, and document findings to inform future scaling and policy recommendations.
• Analyse the knowledge and capacity of national and sub-national stakeholders, identify where training content needs to be tailored, note synergies with other interventions on the same subject, and prepare clear recommendations on integration and scaling for the ETF.

Reporting and validation

• Prepare a draft report on the national climate change capacity and gap assessment, and present its findings at a national learning sharing workshop to be organised by the project.
• Finalise the report by addressing comments and feedback from the workshop, the Government and FAO.

Support capacity building and GHG inventory training

• Support the FAO team in designing, developing and delivering capacity building training, including training on the national GHG inventory, ensuring that the content reflects Vanuatu’s institutional and sectoral context.
• Adapt training materials to the level and needs of participating stakeholders, on an as-needed basis.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in Environment Science/Climate Change/Natural Resources Management or a closely related field from an institution recognised by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/UNESCO.
• At least five (5) years of progressive professional experience in climate change, with a focus on mitigation
• Full proficiency/Working knowledge of English.
• Nationality of the country or resident of the country with a valid work permit.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

• Sound understanding of the NDC, NAP and BTR processes under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement’s Enhanced Transparency Framework.
• Hands-on experience with the IPCC 2006 Guidelines and GHG inventory software in at least one sector identified in Vanuatu’s NDC or BTR.
• Demonstrated experience conducting national-level assessments, surveys or stakeholder consultations, including in the Pacific context.
• Experience in, or willingness to support, training design and delivery, including on GHG inventory topics.
• Familiarity with Vanuatu’s climate change governance arrangements and sectoral institutions

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION