Consultant: Regional Scan of UN-IGAD Collaboration on Climate Security Related Projects and Programmes

Jul 10, 2021 | UNEP
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The United Nations Environment Programme is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. UNEP will recruit a consultant on behalf of CSM for a period of (up to) 5 months. The consultant will review available documentation in relation to UN – IGAD collaboration on climate, environment, and peace and security as a basis to carry out interviews with relevant IGAD staff in order to complete the scan. She/he will seek inputs key UN partners. The consultant will pay particular attention to recommendations emerging from the literature and interactions to promote meaningful inter-entity engagement on climate security. She/he will prepare a background paper and other necessary documents for an event on climate security with IGAD and AU. She/he will work in close collaboration with UNEP – CSM and in coordination with the Scientific Lead and Project Manager in charge of the climate security assessment, as well as with the Office of the Special Envoy. A record of interactions with IGAD will be kept allowing building on this in future engagements.

Work Location

Home-based

Expected Duration

50 working days between 1 August 2021 and 15 December 2021

Duties and Responsibilities

The UN’s Comprehensive Regional Prevention Strategy for the Horn of Africa (HoA) is the United Nations’ internal support framework for conflict prevention work in the HoA region. The five-year strategy, covering the period 2019 to 2023, aims to operationalise the Secretary-General’s vision of prevention in the region and encourage joined-up action and system-wide ownership of outcomes. The strategy promotes coordination and information sharing between United Nations stakeholders in the region as well as collaboration and partnerships with external partners including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the African Union (AU) as sine qua non conditions to reach prevention goals. The strategy is constructed around four core elements or pillars: regional peace and security; resilience and socio- economic development; inclusive and responsive governance; and sustainable natural resources management and climate adaptability/resilience.

The fourth pillar focuses on improving the analysis of environmental risks, including climate-related security risks, leading to more consistent adoption of conflict-sensitive methodologies, trans-boundary water resources management, and transparent and accountable management of extractive resources. An inter-entity group (working group 4), led by UNEP and including FAO, IOM, UNDP, UN Habitat, WFP and Secretariat officials, has been put in place and completed an analysis of transboundary water issues in the HoA, relevant to the UN Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa’s (OSE-HoA) prevention mandate. FAO and UN Habitat are conducting analysis of land, peace and development issues. A scoping study on climate security in the region has also been completed, this will feed into (i) a comprehensive regional assessment of climate-related security risks and (ii) support to the Special Envoy and his team in taking forward the findings of the assessment and integrate key initiatives to support regional management of natural resources and promote climate resilience in the light of conflict prevention.

In coordination with the Office of the Special Envoy and following up on recommendations of the scoping study, a regional scan on past and current UN-IGAD collaboration on projects and programmes will be performed in order to form a picture of existing UN-IGAD collaboration related to climate, environment and peace and security. This will also help to distil lessons for strengthening a coherent approach across the spectrum of climate related security risks. This will inform the CSM project “Assessment and prevention of climate-related security risks in the Horn of Africa” in its future engagements with IGAD and foment more structured and mutually beneficial collaboration in alignment with the Delivering as One UN agenda. It will complement an ongoing UNDP study, “the nexus between climate change, peace and security; the role of the African Union (AU) and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in the prevention of climate related security risks” which examines the frameworks, policies as well as legal and normative instruments of the AU and RECs relating to climate change, and its impact on peace and security.

This work is supported by the Climate Security Mechanism (CSM), a joint DPPA-UNDP-UNEP initiative, through funds made available by the Federal Government of Germany.


Detailed description of tasks

  • Draft an overview of IGAD-UN collaboration on climate, environment and security based on available (online) documentation.
  • Identify and contact relevant interlocutors within IGAD and UN to complement the regional scan, including through direct support by the Office of the Special Envoy.
  • Perform (and document) a series of interviews with key IGAD and UN staff to complete the scan, including requesting additional documentation.
  • Produce a regional scan document of IGAD-UN collaboration on climate, environment and security including a section on recommendations for further engagement.
  • Prepare a background paper, agenda, and list of participants for climate security event with AU and IGAD.

Qualifications/Special Skills

  • Competency: Excellent analytical and listening skills and capacity to synthetise information in a clear and concise manner. Excellent redaction and communication skills. (a piece of analytical work written by the applicant will be requested during the second round). Ability to work independently as well as in team.
  • Academic Qualifications: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in environmental sciences, development studies or other relevant discipline.
  • Experience: Minimum of five years of relevant professional experience in the areas of climate change adaptation, environmental sustainability, and/or peace and security. Previous work experience with/in IGAD. Experience in inter-entity engagement and applying qualitative research methods. Familiarity with the topic of climate security.
  • Language: Fluency in written and spoken English. Good knowledge of regional languages is an advantage.

Additional Information

Expected deliverables are:

  1. Literature review of past and current UN-IGAD collaboration on climate, environment, and security.
  2. Identification and contacting relevant IGAD and UN interlocutors (list). Interviews to complement the mapping (reflected in a SharePoint folder containing cleaned up interview notes).
  3. Synthetic and clearly structured mapping document of IGAD-UN collaboration on climate, environment and security including a section on recommendations for further engagement: zero-draft.
  4. Circulation of the Zero draft and presentation of findings to IGAD and Pillar 4 working group/regional Community of Practice on climate security and subsequent integration of feedback in the mapping document. Delivery of the final document.
  5. Background paper, agenda, and list of participants for climate security event with IGAD and AU.

Payment will be output-based upon satisfactory and timely submission and approval of the deliverables.

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.