CFND/National consultant to develop Eritrea’s climate change Strategy and action plan

Result of Service• Deliverables will be submitted in draft form for review and feedback before finalization. • Regular progress updates will be provided to UNECA, the RC and the Government of the State of Eritrea throughout the consultancy period. • The consultant will coordinate closely with UNECA’s CFND director to ensure alignment with funding and reporting requirements. Work LocationAsmara, Eritrea Expected duration11 months Duties and Responsibilities Background and context Eritrea is highly exposed to increased frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events—heatwaves, floods, and droughts—producing adverse effects on agriculture, water, energy, health, infrastructure, livelihood, and national development. These are further exacerbated by limited adaptive capacity and inadequate technical and financial resources. Although Eritrea has submitted its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and has set priority climate actions, it is still in the process of developing an integrated National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. The strategy will be a key component of effective cross-sectoral climate actions, accessing and mobilizing conditional and unconditional climate finance, and building resilience. In August 2024, high-level consultations between the Eritrean government and UN representatives—UN Climate Crisis Coordinator for El Niño/La Niña Response, UNECA Executive Secretary, and UN Resident Coordinator— identified the need for an integrated climate change strategy, technical support for NDC 3.0 revision, support for climate information systems for enhanced resilience, and institution-level capacity development interventions. Between November 2024 and January 2025 follow-up regional consultations strengthened the call for a multisector, nationally driven climate change strategy guided by national circumstances and global best practices. A subsequent mission in April 2025 concretized the request for technical support. UNECA and the UN Country Team (UNCT), in collaboration with the Eritrean Government are committed to supporting the development of a National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. The technical and financial assistance will be provided by UNECA, using its mandate to support African countries to develop evidence-based and context-driven climate strategies and policies in line with Agenda 2063, 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. The strategy will be a policy direction or guiding document that will inform adaptation and mitigation action, integrate resilience into sector planning, help in the implementation of the NDC 3.0, and exploration of access to climate finance. Hence, to develop an effective and context-relevant national climate change strategy, UNECA wishes to partner with the Government of the State of Eritrea to engage a national consultant with good knowledge of Eritrea's climate environment, policy context, sectoral interactions, and institutional contexts. The consultant will work in close collaboration with government ministries—particularly the Ministry of Land, Water and Environment (MLWE)—and other responsible national actors to ensure ownership, inclusiveness, and strategic coordination. Objective To support the development of a robust, country-led National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan for Eritrea that integrates climate change into development planning, enhances national institutional capacity, and aligns with international climate commitments. Scope of work 1. Review and analyze existing climate policy, strategy, and frameworks. This will begin with desk review of climate-related national, regional, and global documents like Eritrea's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), relevant national development policy, and sectoral strategies in agriculture, water, energy, health, infrastructure, environment, and natural resources. In addition to that, continental plans such as the African Union Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy (2022-2032), IGAD climate policy plans, and global reports such as UNFCCC guidelines, IPCC reports, and first Global Stocktake (GST-1) report, among others, will be analyzed. The objective is to analyze the current level of climate policy convergence, overlaps and gaps, and harmonization with national priorities and international commitments. 2. Conduct thorough consultations with key stakeholders. The consultant will conduct and organize inclusive, participatory, and multi-stakeholder consultations at national level, and facilitate sub-national consultations. The consultations will bring together national and local government institutions, research and academia, women and youth organizations, community leadership, and development partners. The consultations will focus on validating analyses, identifying context-specific information, and guaranteeing stakeholder ownership and convergence on strategic priorities. Careful attention will be given to ensure that the final strategy is gender-sensitive and guarantees equitable participation. 3. Map institutions, governance, and climate finance frameworks. The consultant will undertake comprehensive institutional mapping and capacity assessment. Through this exercise, the current state of the governance architecture, coordination mechanisms, mandate, roles, and accountabilities of the ministries, departments, and agencies responsible for climate change will be identified. This exercise will also examine institutional and technical capacity to receive, process, analyze, and utilize climate data for policy-making, specifically for Early Warning Systems (EWS), climate-risk screening, and tracking of climate funds. Institutional constraints as well as technical and human resource challenges should be defined by the consultant and propose practical mechanisms to facilitate easy implementation of the strategy and enhance inter-sectoral coordination. 4. Identify and address gender-specific climate vulnerabilities relevant to Eritrea. Many women in Eritrea are on the frontlines of climate change. The impacts of shifting temperatures, erratic rainfall and extreme weather events touch their lives in direct and profound ways. Interventions in gender responsive climate action could empower women in Eritrea to lead and participate in decision-making and improve their livelihoods. The Consultant will identify and integrate gender-specific findings into the strategy and action plan to ensure equitable climate resilience. 5. Develop a clear National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. The consultant will develop a comprehensive draft National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan that addresses the climate challenges and Eritrea's vulnerabilities to climate change. The draft strategy should communicate Eritrea's climate vision and ambition for low-emission and climate-resilient development. It will establish strategic goals, sector-specific and target-specific priorities for the proposed adaptation and mitigation interventions. It will incorporate a climate-risk-informed development plan, which enhances resilience in the priority sectors, addresses the needs of vulnerable populations, and fosters sustainable development. It will have short-, medium- and long-term national development priorities, identify and prioritize adaptation and mitigation interventions, as well as the associated estimated costs (conditional and unconditional), identify sources of climate financing, and propose approaches for other means of implementation. 6. Propose a strong Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) system. The MEL system will track progress towards implementation, assessing outcomes, and facilitating climate intervention adaptive management. The consultant will, therefore, establish baselines, targets, output and outcome indicators, and functions for data collection. The MEL system will be integrated with results-based management and aligned with UNFCCC and other multilateral agreement reporting obligations and national statistical systems. 7. Convene a national validation workshop and validate the draft strategy. For national validation and ultimate fine-tuning of the strategy, a national-level validation workshop will be held and coordinated by the consultant with diverse stakeholders. The workshop will offer a platform for discussion of draft strategy, fine-tuning of recommendations, and reach consensus to ensure ownership. The consultant should produce comprehensive workshop reports that capture feedback and input, and these should be used to guide final changes and propose key recommendations for effective implementation of the climate strategy. 8. Submit final strategy and action plan. The consultant will submit all documents to the Government of the State of Eritrea including the strategy, action plan, annexes on finance and capacity, institutional maps, and key recommendations to implement. The consultant will also make an official presentation to top government officials for obtaining high-level commitment and for launching the implementation process. Qualifications/special skillsMaster’s degree in climate science, environmental policy, development studies, or related field. • ≥10 years in climate policy, planning, or strategy, especially in Africa. • Proven experience developing national/subnational climate strategies and NDC or LT-LEDS frameworks. • Experience in global climate discourses and national data frameworks. • Experience with stakeholder engagement and multi-sectoral planning processes. • Experience in gender mainstreaming, gender-responsive climate planning, would be considered an asset. • Excellent analytical and report-writing skills in English. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations, For this position, fluency in English is required. Additional InformationProgress will be monitored via reports linked to deliverables. Monthly coordination virtual meetings with the consultants and other relevant stockholders and joint reviews led by UNECA will track achievements against milestones. The final deliverable will include an evaluation summary and recommendations for implementation and follow-up. No FeeTHE 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.