National Consultant - Regional Climate and Health Partnership-Building, Strategy, and Climate Financing, Seoul

Purpose of the Consultancy 

To strengthen WHO ACE’s strategic positioning, resource mobilisation, and partnership capacity ahead of key global climate negotiations —including COP31 and COP33 — and to accelerate regional momentum around climate financing for health. This consultancy will lead internal and external engagement, business development, and systems-building efforts. 

The consultant will play a catalytic role in building and coordinating strategic partnerships; shaping internal systems and approaches to enhance climate-health engagement and financing across the region; supporting WHO’s coordination with Australian and Pacific partners toward COP31; and developing a cohesive approach to climate financing for health, in close collaboration with WHO technical teams. 

Background 

As the global climate and health agenda accelerates — particularly in the lead-up to COP31 (likely to be hosted by Australia) and with early preparations for COP33 already under way — there is a pivotal opportunity for the Western Pacific Region to lead and shape international discourse and action. WHO ACE, as a regional hub for environment and health, is uniquely positioned to elevate regional priorities, coordinate Member State engagement, and support meaningful participation in global forums such as the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP). 

At the same time, the need for robust and forward-looking partnerships is growing. Strategic alliances with national governments, multilateral institutions, and non-governmental actors are essential to unlock political momentum and technical cooperation across climate and health.  

To complement ongoing climate financing programming and scale up impact, WHO ACE requires a more systematic and strategic approach to identifying and leveraging funding opportunities across the climate-health landscape. This includes cultivating relationships with development partners and climate financing institutions, shaping joint proposals and concept notes, and aligning internal systems to support funding pipelines. Effective resource mobilisation will be vital to enable country-level implementation. 

Finally, climate financing for health remains a key barrier for many Member Statescountries in the Region. Despite growing recognition of the health impacts of climate change, access to dedicated financing mechanisms remains limited. WHO ACE plays an important role in helping Member States build capacity to understand, navigate, and access climate finance. By enhancing technical support, facilitating dialogue, and fostering strategic partnerships, the Centre can help unlock new pathways to fund climate-resilient and sustainable health systems. 

This consultancy will help advance these priorities by supporting strategic engagement with regional and global partners; strengthening WHO ACE’s internal systems and external profile; contributing to preparations for COP31 and COP33; and enabling a more coordinated and impactful approach to climate-health financing and investment. 

Deliverables

The objectives and tasks of the consultancy work include the following: 

• Strategic COP31 and COP33 Engagement 
• Support the coordination with between WHO and government and non-government stakeholders in Australia and the Pacific region to ensure strong regional leadership and visibility at COP31. 
• Facilitate internal WHO planning and systems development for sustained engagement in COP processes. 
• Contribute to early coordination and planning for COP33, including internal strategy documents and partnership scoping. 
• Partnership and Coalition Building 
• Develop and manage key partnerships to advance WHO ACE’s work on climate and health, including with ATACH, regional platforms, global coalitions, and technical and financing institutions. 
• Shape and coordinate WHO ACE’s participation in high-level dialogues and regional events, including a ministerial roundtable in Australia in November 2025. 
• Support the formation of a regional climate and health coalition, including mapping, convening, and developing its governance and operating modalities. 
• Climate Financing for Health 
• Support the development of a strategic approach to climate financing for health, including ongoing programmatic work, capacity-building, strategic engagement, and technical alignment. 
• Coordinate the creation of policy products and partnership dialogues that enhance countries’ ability to access and deploy climate finance for health. 
• Resource Mobilization and Business Development 
• Identify and shape opportunities for external funding aligned with ACE strategic priorities, in collaboration with WHO regional and HQ resource mobilization teams. 
• Support the development of proposals, concept notes, and donor engagement strategies—particularly in relation to COP31 and climate-health financing. 
• Contribute to internal systems and tools that enable effective resource mobilization, including partner tracking and pipeline mapping. 

   
  Deliverable 1.1: Strategic partner and donor mapping; coalition TOR and structure. (October 2025)
  Deliverable 1.2: Concept notes, agendas, and reports for key stakeholder meetings, including the Australia roundtable in November 2025.
  Deliverable 1.3: Draft and final Climate and Health Operational Roadmap towards COP31 endorsed by partners. (December 2025)
  Deliverable 1.4: Resource mobilization package (includes funding landscape analysis and two concept notes or proposals). (May 2026)
  Deliverable 1.5: Partner engagement and technical inputs to at least two regional climate-health financing dialogues or capacity-building events. (July 2026) 

  Qualifications, experience, skills and languages

  Education Qualification: 

  Essential: University degree in environmental health, international health, public health, or a related field. 
  Desirable: Advanced degree (master’s level or equivalent) in environmental health, international health, public health, or a related field. 

  Experience: 

  Essential: Over 5 years’ experience in financing, programming, or policy development on climate change, environment and health;  
  Desirable: Experience of work with national or international organizations in climate and health governance or finance and knowledge of key international frameworks and strategies; 

  Skills / Technical Skills and Knowledge: 

• Proven expertise in developing partnerships and producing technical products; 

Language: 

Essential: Expert knowledge of English (reading, writing, and speaking). 

Location

Onsite in Seoul Republic of Korea 

Travel  

The Consultant is expected to conduct the assigned tasks online remotely. Two travels to Seoul, Republic of Korea, will be requested by supervisors to discuss technical details and progress of work with the ACE  management and responsible staff and provide on-site support to the round table consultation.  

Remuneration and budget (travel costs are excluded):

Remuneration: Band level A: USD 5,000 (monthly)  
Expected duration:  10 months, September 2025 to July 2026

Additional Information:

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