INTRODUCTION TO GGGI

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page.

• Project: Technical Assistance to Support Ecuador’s Zero Carbon Programme
• Duty Station: Quito, Ecuador
• Contract Duration: (18) DEC 2023- (18) MAR 2024
• Number of Work Days Estimated (internal purpose only): 54
• Consultant Level: Level 4
• Total Fees: up to USD. 11,120

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

• Developing a pipeline of adaptation projects.
• Designing one large-scale adaptation project to be submitted for funding to providers of international climate finance (e.g. GCF, Adaptation Fund, etc).
• Mobilizing long-term concessional resources towards nature-based solutions, climate- smart infrastructure and wider climate goals through innovative instruments, such as thematic bonds, debt for climate swaps, green credit programs, and tools, such as a national green taxonomy, environmental and social risk management systems, among others.
• Supporting the implementation of Ecuador’s National Programme “Zero Carbon”, which allows private sector to measure and reduce its carbon footprint.
• Supporting the readiness of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.
• Supporting the implementation of mitigation actions on sustainable mobility.

As a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Paris Agreement, Ecuador presents itself to the world as a country committed to the global fight against climate change. Despite contributing only 0.16% of global greenhouse gases (GHG), the country recognizes its shared responsibility to protect the climate as a common Good of humanity, but not uniformly, based on the Principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities.

In this context, Ecuador submitted its first Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) in 2019, voluntarily setting ambitious mitigation targets in accordance with its capabilities. In turn, as a priority for the country’s development, strategic adaptation measures were established, considering crosscutting aspects such as intergenerational, interculturality and gender equality, ensuring respect for human rights and nature.

The decisions adopted at COP26 related to Article 6 of the Paris Agreement established conditions for its application by each country that participates under the approved mechanisms. This implies that countries must prepare institutional arrangements to participate through these mechanisms to obtain benefits from the application of Article 6 as well as efficiently accounting and reporting for their contribution to their NDCs.

For Ecuador, it is important to develop and implement clear participation requirements and institutional arrangements needed for the approval and authorization of projects and emissions credits. Furthermore, Ecuador has to analyze legal and technical terms and conditions in order to identify opportunities and benefits of the enforcement of Article 6 (paragraph 2, 4 and 8).

GGGI is seeking an experienced consultant in cooperative approaches under Article 6 of Paris Agreement (PA) Expert for the preparation of a ministerial agreement proposal that responds to the twelfth transitory provision of Ministerial Agreement No. 53 of the Technical Standard for Compensation, which establishes the implementation of the mechanisms under Article 6.2, 6.4 and 6.8 of the PA. The consultant will work closely with the technical team of the Undersecretariat of Climate Change of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE), as well as the GGGI, as appropriate.

The consultant will report to the Adaptation Finance Officer (Ecuador) and to the technician designated by the Undersecretariat of Climate Change of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE).

The consultant is expected to build the institutional capacities to develop a framework that can support the implementation of cooperative approaches under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

Specific Objectives

• Operationalize the process for requesting the transition of eligible clean development mechanism activities to the mechanism established by Article 6, paragraph 4, of the Paris Agreement.
• Analyze the legal, technical and financial institutional arrangements required for the enforcement of Article 6, paragraphs 2, 4 and 8, of the Partis Agreement in Ecuador.
• Systematize in a proposal ministerial agreement the information collected about the activities described above to comply the twelfth transitory provision of Ministerial Agreement No. 53 of the Technical Standard for Compensation, and carry out a workshop for enhancing capacity building for the personnel of the Undersecretariat of Climate Change.

The activities that the Consultant must carry out are detailed below:

Deliverable 1: Workplan.

The consultant will review existing project materials and consult with relevant project parties (GGGI, MAATE) as necessary to develop a detailed work plan outlining the schedule of major activities, methodology, milestones, validation meetings, and draft and final deliverables.

The deliverable will at least include a timeline, identification of key actors, milestones, times and proposed deliverables. (Expected delivery date: 22/December/2023)

Deliverable 2: Analysis of Ecuador’s CDM projects.

Analysis of the current status of Ecuador’s CDM projects (registered projects, CERs sold, projects potential to transition into the mechanism established under Article 6.4, etc.) and their contribution to Ecuador’s first NDC.

The deliverable is a registry with all the projects that have been registered as CDM and have CERs and the identification of which transition to the mechanism established under Article 6.4. (Expected delivery date: 18/January/2024)

Deliverable 3: Article 6 Analysis.

Analysis of the legal and technical institutional arrangements required for the enforcement of article 6, paragraph 2, 4 and 8, in Ecuador.

The deliverable is a document with the development of the legal and technical institutional arrangements required in order to enforce Article 6 effectively in Ecuador. (Expected delivery date: 23/February/2024)

Deliverable 4: Ministerial agreement proposal.

Systematize in a proposal ministerial agreement the information collected about the activities described above to comply the twelfth transitory provision of Ministerial Agreement No. 53 of the Technical Standard for Compensation, and carry out a meeting for enhancing capacity building for the personnel of the Undersecretariat of Climate Change.

A proposal of ministerial agreement which systematizes the information from previous activities and a minute from the capacity building meeting. (Expected delivery date: 18/March/2024)

Reporting Arrangements

The Consultant will be based in Quito – Ecuador, and will work from his/her private office and attend MAATE offices as required and meetings or workshops convened by MAATE. The consultant will be expected to interact weekly with the Adaptation Finance Officer and the MAATE Climate Change Undersecretariat technical delegate. The consultant will be asked to report progress against contractual objectives, activities and milestones during the meetings.

The consultant will work supervised by the GGGI Adaptation Finance Officer and in coordination with the MAATE. GGGI and MAATE will have seven calendar days to present comments or revisions to the deliverables. The consultant shall consider the comments and necessary revisions proposed by GGGI and MAATE for a final version in seven calendar days.

Suggested methodology and competence requirements

The consultant should follow the specific methods detailed in the work plan and follow MAATE’s and GGGI´s instructions. The consultant will make the best use of both primary and secondary sources of information to develop activities defined under the contract objective.

For each deliverable, the consultant is required to deliver a draft version by a date agreed to GGGI, request and respond to comments, and deliver a final version (tracked and clean versions for MS Word deliverables) by the deadline.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

EDUCATION

• Education: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Sustainable Development, Climate Change, Management, Political Science or a related field. A first-level university degree in combination with additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.

EXPERIENCES/ SKILL

• General professional experience of a minimum of 10 years since obtaining a bachelor’s degree.
• At least 5 years of specific experience in some of the following areas: sustainable development, public policy formulation, climate change, environmental project evaluation.
• Verifiable experience in the design and implementation of carbon markets schemes and non-market approach.
• Knowledge of the international context of climate change and carbon market initiatives (voluntary and regulated schemes) and the Ecuadorian context.
• Verifiable experience in the management of participatory spaces, multi-actor, and multilevel.
• Verifiable experience in generating public policy.

Will be highly valued for having one of the following knowledge/experiences:

• International context and/or negotiations among Parties regarding the fight against climate change.
• Knowledge of carbon market strategies and carbon print initiatives from other countries.
• Sustainable Development

1. The Consultant reports to the Adaptation Finance Officer. The consultant will be based in Quito-Ecuador, located in his/her private office and will attend the MAATE offices as required. The consultant will work in coordination with the Undersecretariat of Climate Change delegate.
2. Date to close is Korean Standard Time (KST). Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered Application. Cover Letter, and CV must be sent in English. A consortium, or a firm will not be engaged for the individual consultant assignment.