Result of Service

The main objective of the consultancy is to prepare the preliminary document of the GEO – Honduras report, containing the dimensions described/specified in the GEO methodology and related to the DPSIR model. The structure of the SOER will be based on the GEO DPSIR framework, its content, including main chapters and themes addressed by the report, will be organized upon and presented through the metrics of selected indicators (SDGs, ILAC and other relevant national and international frameworks). A special attention will be put on the climate change dimension (among others, observed and projected climate changes, impacts, GHG emission, and Adaptation and Mitigation policies, strategies and challenges).

Specific Tasks:
The consultant will be responsible for the execution of the following activities:

1. Liaise with UNEP and provide administrative and technical coordination for the preparation of the SOER. Participate in meetings and technical workshops organized by UNEP and/or SERNA for the establishment and implementation of the methodology of the National State of the Environment Report.

2. Contribute to identify, collect, consolidate, process, validate, analyse and interpret, in order to prepare the preliminary document of the GEO – Honduras report, containing the dimensions described/specified in the GEO methodology and related in turn to the DPSIR model; as well as communicate data and information according to the GEO Honduras information scopes and key environmental indicators of the SDGs. This assessment should include an identification of data sources, their frequency, spatial scale and disaggregation.

3. Based on the results of the assessment on existent information (point 2 above), develop the draft structure and outline of the National Report on the State of the Environment, including for each section, main contents and messages, synergies with SDGs, expected authors and contributors and data needs. The draft structure must contain a special chapter focused on Climate Change.

4. Ensure coordination amongst all SOER’s stakeholders and contributors during the development of the sections to ensure consistency of methodology and SDGs throughout the process, including facilitate the activity of the Working Group established by SERNA for the production of the SOER as well as support SERNA in the organization and coordination of meetings and workshops to collect information and data and to present the report.

OUTPUTS
Output 1
• Project scheduled and agreed by SERNA
• The methodology for preparing the SOER is agreed upon by SERNA and a proposed SOER structure is validated by SERNA and UNEP.
• Data and information gaps are identified and mapped against reporting requirements of GEO and keys SDGs environmental indicators.
• Socialization activities are proposed

Output 2
Develop a compilation of the first SOER’s main chapter, based on the analysis of available information, in coordination with SERNA and other key actors, for review and approval.

Output 3
Develop a compilation of the second SOER’s main chapter, based on the analysis of available information, in coordination with SERNA and other key actors, for review and approval.

Output 4
Develop a compilation of the third and fourth SOER´s main chapters, based on the analysis of available information, in coordination with SERNA and other key actors, for review and approval.

Output 5
Finalise the compilation of the main chapters of the complete SOER, including chapter 5, based on the analysis of available information, in coordination with SERNA and other key actors, for review and approval.

DELIVERABLES
Product 1
Document presenting:
• Schedule of activities and project progress.
• The SOER Structure and its consistency with the DPSIR methodology including outline of main contents, chapters’ index and identification of potential sources of information.
• Document showing an assessment of the current data and information availability in relation to each chapter’s scope and contents.
• Proposal for GEO process socialization (internal – external workshops).

Product 2
SOER’s consolidation of chapter 1, including main sources of information, indicators and data to be used in the narrative of the report.

Product 3
SOER’s consolidation of chapter 2, including main sources of information, indicators and data to be used in the narrative of the report.

Product 4
SOER’s consolidation of chapters 3 and 4, including main sources of information, indicators and data to be used in the narrative of the report.

Product 5
SOER’s complete consolidation of the final report, including chapter 5 and main sources of information, indicators and data to be used in the narrative of the report.

Work Location

Programme Management Unit, Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Expected duration

10 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 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.

The United Nations Environment Latin America and the Caribbean Office (LACO), located in Panama City, Panama, works closely with the 33 countries of the region and its activities are integrated into the Medium Term Strategy and the Programme of Work approved by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).

To implement the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement and the priority actions defined in countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

In terms of supporting countries in the region to attain the global commitments signed within the framework of the Paris Agreement, UNEP’s Latin America and the Caribbean Sub-programme on Climate Change aims at strengthening the ability of countries to move towards climate-resilient and low emission strategies for sustainable development and human well-being. In this framework, the UNEP Sub-programme on Climate Change, through its Climate Change Unit leads and supports initiatives oriented at designing, promoting, and implementing innovative mitigation and adaptation solutions at the national and subnational levels, and strengthening the transparency framework of the countries.

The expected accomplishment regarding climate change adaptation is that adaptation approaches, including the ecosystem-based approach, are implemented and integrated into key sectoral and national development strategies to reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience to climate change impacts. Furthermore, UNEP’s Sub-programme on Climate Change is also committed to ensuring that cross-cutting issues such as gender equity and women’s empowerment are effectively integrated into the development of its tasks to guarantee equitable development in line with its adaptation objectives.

Since 1995, UN Environment has been conducting an ambitious integrated environmental assessment project known as GEO (Global Environment Outlook). GEO reports have an established methodology to detect trends in the state of the environment and to monitor progress towards the achievement of environmental policy targets. The GEO methodology employs a matrix of the Driver Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) indicators to answer these questions as an analytical instrument that permits factors that act on the environment to be organized and grouped in a logical manner. It shows how urbanization affects the environment because of factors that put pressure on local natural resources and ecosystems, as well as action taken by local society and government to confront the problems caused by human activities.

In parallel with the production of GEOs at global, regional, national and city level, UNEP has been promoting the use and implementation of indicator frameworks to strengthen the national and regional environmental information systems and networks, enhance the capacity of countries to keep the environment under review, and promote a more effective and widespread use of environmental data and information in policy and decision making.

In parallel with the production of the GEOs, a Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development (ILAC) indicators framework was approved in 2003 by the Forum of Environment Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean to monitor progress towards meeting the ILAC goals, foster the collection and standardization of data at the national level, and assist in developing common methodologies to measure variables. In more recent times (2015) UNEP has taken the role of custodian agency for 25 core environment indicators for Goals 6, 8, 12, 14, 15, and 17 in the global framework for the 2030 Agenda. In this capacity UNEP provides the methodologies used to harmonize country data for international comparability and produce estimates through transparent mechanisms and supports the strengthening of data collection and statistical capacity-building.

In this context, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (SERNA) of Honduras and UNEP have agreed on the implementation of the project Enabling environments to effectively plan, implement, monitor and report strategic National Adaptation Processes in Honduras, framed within the Readiness program of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and referred as “Plan A Honduras Project: Strategic Planning of Climate Adaptation”.

The project aims to sustainably build country capacity in identifying, prioritizing, planning and implementing measures that address medium and long-term adaptation needs considering UNFCCC decisions 1/CP.16 and 5/CP.17 and all elements of the UNFCCC Technical Guidelines for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). The ultimate objective of the project is to reduce the vulnerability of Honduras to the impacts of climate variability and change, by building adaptive capacity and resilience through the integration of climate change adaptation into planning and implementation within all relevant sectors and at different levels, as appropriate, including the different line ministries, local governments, private sector, and civil society organizations.

The project seeks to achieve its components and objective through:
1. Strengthening the institutional, legal, policy and planning framework.
2. Engaging key stakeholders in climate change adaptation planning and implementation.
3. Financial flows and investment for adaptation measures under the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) fostered.
4. Producing high-quality and pertinent climate change adaptation knowledge.
5. Strengthening the adaptation transparency framework.

SERNA is responsible by legislative mandate for the protection, conservation, restoration and sustainable management of the country’s environment and natural resources, with the public interest and the common good as the foundations for its preservation and sustainable economic use, for the benefit of the Honduran population and their future generations.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Honduras (SERNA) is the governing body of environmental resources management in the country and has the responsibility to coordinate the preparation of the National State of the Environment Report (SOER).

Its objectives are:
– To provide access to the best scientific knowledge to generate support for environmental governance and to make evident its links to both the social and economic dimension through agreed development goals.
– To facilitate the interaction between science and public policy through multidimensional and multiscale processes, elaborating products of high credibility and legitimacy.

As a global process, the SOER fits in Honduras’ national political instruments as it states and analyses key concerns that require to be addressed through a multisector approach: What changes are operating in the environment? What are the causes and effects of these changes in terms of ecological integrity and human health? What is being done by different sectors and how effective are the measures? What should be done to shift to a more sustainable future?

Based on GEO methodology the report will address all these issues structuring its contents in chapters covering Air, Land & soils, Freshwater, Biodiversity, Oceans and any other variable or component that Honduras may deem relevant, analysed by means of the Drivers, Pressures, State, Impacts and Responses (DPSIR) causal methodology, and with a focus on climate change adaptation.

Across a projects portfolio to promote compliance with the adaptation measures of the NDC of Honduras, the information generated in the report on the state of the environment will be important to develop the technical analyzes necessary to support the concept notes.

In this sense, to fulfill the objective of the project, framed within component 3, the UNEP LACO is recruiting a consultancy “Development of the State of the Environment Report in Honduras” in support of the Secretary of Natural Resources and Environment (SERNA) of Honduras to strengthen its role as National Designated Authority (NDA) before the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Political and Operative Focal Point before the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to articulate processes that allow the achievement of the country’s NDCs with particular emphasis on strategic national adaptation processes.

The consultant will support SERNA in the preparation of various documents and processes. His/her work will be supervised by the Adaptation Programme Officer of UNEP, with technical support by the Programme Officer of the Sub-programme Science-Policy of UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office, and in will work in close coordination with the National Project Coordinator, and other governmental and non-governmental counterparts.

The consultant will work at the Programme Management Unit in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, 40 hours per week.

Qualifications/special skills

ACADEMIC:
– A Bachelor’s degree in environmental, agricultural sciences, politics, law, development studies or any related field is required.

EXPERIENCE:
– A minimum of 10 years of experience in Environmental Science, Environmental Analysis for Sustainable Development, Environmental Data and Statistics, or related field is required.
– A minimum 4 years of experience in management, execution, monitoring and evaluation of projects in the public and private sector is desirable
– Experience working with multilateral development agencies and/or programs is desirable.
– Experience in the elaboration of State of the Environment Reports is required.
– Ability to communicate to a wide range of actors including decision makers and members from the civil society and the private sector will be an asset.
– Experience in the organization and facilitation of small to medium size workshops, meeting and forums is desirable.
– Demonstrated knowledge of Honduras environmental legislation is desirable.
– Knowledge around climate change adaptation and environmental issues in Honduras will be an asset.
– Knowledge of UNEP policies, procedures and practices will be an advantage.

LANGUAGE:
– Fluent in Spanish is required.
– Basic level of English is an asset.

SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:
– Knowledge of the GEO Methodology and DPSIR framework is required.

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.