Iraq: National Expert on Climate Change

Aug 10, 2020 | UNDP
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In the face of climate change impacts, Iraq encounters a host of complex and difficult challenges on a range of issues including water security, land degradation, desertification, loss of vegetation and biodiversity, salinity etc. which poses a significant hindrance to Iraq’s ability to become a resilient nation. However, despite these challenges, the Government of Iraq has remained committed to the cause of climate change and has laid down an economy-wide plan to cut GHG emission by around 14% from the business as usual scenario over the period from 2020 until 2035. This scenario was suggested by Iraq in its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) to the Paris agreement in 2015.

According to the UNFCCC decision 1/CP21 each Party of the UNFCCC shall communicate a nationally determined contribution every five years. Despite that Iraq still not ratifying the agreement (singed in Dec 2016) the country is still committed and keen to ratify the agreement. Thus, Iraq decided to coordinate with the UNDP to develop its NDC and submitted officially before UNFCCC COP26 that will be held in the UK in December 2020. The accomplishment of the NDC document will lay the foundation for Iraq to kick-start and make concrete steps toward meeting the need for climate financing in an effective and coordinated way.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP Project Manager will directly supervise the work of the Service Provider/Contractor to whom the Service Provider will be directly responsible for reporting to, seeking approval from, and obtaining a certificate of acceptance of output. The service provider will be expected to liaise/interact/collaborate/meet with all relevant government institutions, relevant authorities, local branches of Association, Governorate councils, academic institutions, and civil society organizations (as determined by UNDP).

UNDP Project Manager will supervise, evaluate and manage the work of the service provider and make any necessary contractual decisions, while other authorities and entities identified above will only have a consultative role.

All reports and documents provided to UNDP Iraq will be in English and Arabic, to facilitate review and feedback by UNDP Iraq.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

  • Demonstrates commitment to the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the mission, vision and strategic goals of UNDP;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Treats all people fairly and with impartiality.

Functional Competencies:

  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
  • Ability to work under pressure and to meet deadlines;
  • Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills;
  • Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
  • Self-reliant and able to work as a part of a multi-cultural team in a stressful.

Professionalism:

  • Shows pride in work and in achievements; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments; observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; Remains calm in stressful situations.

Communication:

  • Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; Asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; Tailors language, tone, style and format to match the audience; Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Planning and Organizing:

  • Identifies priority activities and assignments; allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work; foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary; Uses time efficiently.

Client Orientation:

  • Considers all those to whom services are provided to be “clients” and seeks to see things from clients’ point of view; Establishes and maintains productive partnerships with clients by gaining their trust and respect; Meets time line for delivery of product or services to client.

Teamwork:

  • Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; Builds consensus for task purpose and direction with team members; Supports and acts in accordance with final group decisions, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position.

Technological awareness:

  • Keeps abreast of available technology; actively seeks to apply technology to appropriate tasks; Shows willingness to learn new technology.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • University degree (Graduate degree preferred, e.g. PhD or master’s degree) in environmental science, climate change, or similar/equivalent.

Work Experience

  • At least 15 years of relevant professional experience (ideally, including policy making and high-level coordination) and a good understanding of the current situation in Iraq.
  • Climate finance (e.g. CDM, NAMA, and GCF) knowledge and experience is desirable.
  • Prior experience of working in Iraq especially on NAMA, INC, GCF, and INDC is highly desirable.

Language:

Fluency in English and Arabic languages both written and oral.

Application Procedure

The application should contain the following:

  • A technical proposal with a brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment.
  • The technical proposal should also contain personal CV , indicating education background/professional qualifications, all experience, furthermore, providing duly filled the form of  Letter of Confirming Interest and Availability whereby includes financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per deliverables mentioned in this TOR, in addition to  the contact details (email and telephone number) of the candidate and at least three (3) professional references.