Posting Title: Stakeholder Engagement (Consultant)
Job Opening Number: 22-United Nations Environment Programme-172775-Consultant

Result of Service

The services of the consultant will result in the following:
• The progress of various stakeholder tracks (youth, women, indigenous people, private sector, etc.) are monitored and recorded
• The 5 regional multi-stakeholder consultations meetings of Stockholm+50 proceed in a timely, inclusive, and effective manner
• 5 reports of the regional meetings and summary of key messages
• Information-sharing among the Stockholm+50 coordination team, UNEP and the wider Stockhom+50 community is enhanced, with increased sense of ownership and buy-in
• Contributions and visibility of GO4SDGs is timely and effective

Work Location

Home Based

Expected duration

The duration of the contract is from February 2022 to June 2022 (5 months).

Duties and Responsibilities

a) Organization Setting

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global, regional and national level.

Five decades after the Stockholm Conference made the link between environment and poverty; thirty years after Rio chartered sustainable development; and seven years after the world adopted the 2030 Agenda, Stockholm again welcomes the world in 2022. Anchored in the Decade of Action, the theme of the international meeting is “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity.” It will be an occasion to raise awareness on the importance of protecting our planet and drive action towards achieving sustainable development for the well-being of current and future generations, further recognize the interconnections between humans and nature, and center stage the value of a healthy planet for all.

Stockholm+50 will complement the important spaces that have been created for discussing and resolving climate, nature, and pollution challenges. Its central value added goes beyond aggregating the insights and decisions from these political processes: it represents a chance to think and act beyond the silos of individual challenges towards a systemic approach, one that builds on existing initiatives and agreements and that takes them one step forward – marking a milestone on how we conceive and deliver on human well-being, capabilities, and freedoms by focusing on the needs of the human environment in the 21st century.

Based on the UN General Assembly Resolution 75/326, the meeting will have three leadership dialogues to reflecting on the urgent need for actions to achieve a healthy planet and prosperity of all, to discuss options to achieving sustainable and inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and to accelerating the implementation of the environmental dimension of Sustainable Development in the context, of the Decade of Action.

Importantly, these dialogues and consultations will also inform follow-up to the international meeting, including the launch of legacy initiatives designed to help countries accelerate progress on sustainable development priorities and move “from commitment to action”.

The engagement of civil society and a variety of stakeholders will also be at the heart of Stockholm+50, with a particular focus on meaningful youth engagement. National and regional stakeholder consultations will be organized to give voice to as many stakeholders as possible and ensuring a bottom-up mapping of key elements and actions needed to safeguard the human environment This will be implemented in various forms, from direct participation at the preparatory and international meetings as well as through informal groups to support the Leadership dialogues and stakeholder consultations.

UNEP requires support from a consultant who can provide support to the Head of GO4SDGs (Global Initiative for Sustainable Development Goals) on the overall coordination of the Stockholm+50 preparation processes, with focus on effective cooperation with partners, member States and stakeholders in the organization of regional multi-stakeholder consultation meetings.

In the lead-up to Stockholm+50, a series of multi-stakeholder regional consultations will be organized in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and West Asia. The consultations will be organized by the initiative Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals ( GO4SDGs) and co-designed in close cooperation with Major Groups and all relevant stakeholders to:

• give a voice to and facilitate engagement of as many stakeholders as possible;
• ensure a bottom-up approach in mapping of key actions needed to safeguard our planet in the 21st century in the context of each country’s and region’s needs, including policies and actions required in those economic sectors most critical for sustainable development;
• review and assess how the state of our environment can be enhanced to help countries and regions attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda, with a particular focus on innovative and enhanced means of implementation as well as building and enhancing human capacities.

The regional consultations will take place between February and March 2022.


b) Specific tasks and responsibilities per outputs:

The consultant will be expected to carry out the following tasks:
• Support the organization of 5 regional multi-stakeholder consultation meetings of Stockholm+50, in close coordination with the regional offices and stakeholder major groups:
o Prepare work plan and calendar of the regional meetings
o Coordinate the draft agendas, including the different working groups, identifying keynote speakers, facilitators, and reporters.
o Elaborate guidelines and template for the reporting.
o Identify dynamic tools for the discussion and inputs of the working groups of the regional consultations.
o Send out invitations and share background documents for regional meetings
o Setup online meeting platforms (MS Team, etc.), prepare the agenda and participants’ list, and respond to queries for each regional meeting
o Ensure that information is available on the Stockholm+50 website (calendar) on the regional meetings
o Administer and service the meeting in close consultation with the representative of the Leadership Dialogue writing team, and with the national consultations prepared by UNDP
o Take notes during the regional meetings, both preparatory meetings and the actual meetings.
o Produce the meeting reports.

• Monitoring and recording Stockholm+50 stakeholder tracks:
o Maintain regular communication with the Stockholm+50 Stakeholder engagement leads
o Attend the biweekly team check-in meeting and take notes
• Information-sharing on Stockholm+50 activities:
o Share biweekly team check-in meeting notes, stakeholder engagement status, and other information on a shared platform
o Ensure that the relevant information from the regional meetings and stakeholder engagement is published on the S+50 website in a timely manner

• Support UNEP GO4SDG staff and the wider S+50 organization team through other tasks assigned by the Stockholm+50 Principal Coordinator.


C) Reporting

The Consultant shall be under the overall supervision of the Head of GO4SDGs, UNEP-Economy Division and second supervisor will be Stockholm+50 Principal Coordination Officer, NYO. As needed to complete the specific tasks of this assignment, the consultant shall coordinate with key UNEP colleagues. The deliverables shall also be approved by the Stockholm+50 Principal Coordination Officer.

Qualifications/special skills

Skills:
• Good teamwork member and ability to establish an effective working relationship with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Proven organization skills, problem-solving, teamwork and coordination skills.
• Proven capacity for conceptual, analytical, and critical thinking.
• Ability to work under pressure on multiple tasks, and meet deadlines.
• Verifiable Ability to work in coordination with the S+50 team in a timely manner
• Demonstrable communication skills, both oral and written, including the ability to write clearly and concisely on technical, administrative and programmatic topics.
• Commitment to respect the values advocated by the United Nations. 

Academic Qualifications: 'A first level degree with an additional two years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the master's degree. A university Masters’ degree in a relevant field: e.g., communications, public policy, international affairs, natural resource management, development, environment, or related area

Experience:
• At least 5 years of experience in programme and project management is required.
• Prior experience in organising expert meetings and workshops at the international and regional level is required.
• Prior experience in managing UN projects and programmes is required. Knowledge of project/programme monitoring tools and online platforms is desirable.
• Prior experience in stakeholder engagement is desirable.

Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Fluency in French and other languages is desirable.