Afghanistan: National Climate Data Project Assistant

Project: Strengthening the Resilience of Afghanistan’s Vulnerable Communities against Natural Disasters (SRACAD)

1. General Background of Project / Assignment

Following decades of conflict and instability, Afghanistan faces serious environmental threats, including increased frequency and intensity of droughts, floods, and greater temperature fluctuations and extreme weather events that will exacerbate the degradation of Afghanistan’s ecosystems, in particular land and water resources, leading to the increase of vulnerability of local communities, biodiversity, and land resources.

Since 2002, UNEP has taken an active role in laying the foundation for sustainable development in Afghanistan. Today, UNEP’s Afghanistan programme involves training and mentoring government counterparts and providing technical assistance and advice in the broad sector of Building Environmental Resilience in Afghanistan. This encompasses environmental coordination, environmental law and policy, community resilience, climate change adaptation, environmental impact assessment and pollution control, environmental education and awareness, community-based natural resource management, protected areas, and multilateral environmental agreements.

UNEP is committed to furthering the gains made in sustainable development in Afghanistan over the past decade. A concerted approach, leveraging the technical and policy direction of agencies, working with the National Disaster Management Authority (ANDMA), the National Environmental Protection Agency (NEPA), Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock (MAIL), Ministry of Rural Development and Rehabilitation (MRRD), and Ministry of Energy and Water (MEW) with some policy level work with other key line ministries, senior third level university faculty and civil society partners.

Afghanistan is highly vulnerable to natural hazards and climate change, due to the country’s diverse geography, decades of conflict and environmental mismanagement, and limited institutional capacity to plan for and respond to disasters when they occur. To address these issues and build the resilience of Afghanistan’s rural communities, the four-year SRACAD project (2015-2019) combines national and sub-national institutional strengthening and policy planning with the provision of direct disaster risk reduction and humanitarian assistance to more than 400,000 people across 25 disaster prone districts in eight of Afghanistan’s most vulnerable provinces.

The national climate data project assistant will work under the direct supervision of the Country Program Manager and the Metrics and Physical Sciences unit (MAPS) to achieve overall program objectives.

2. Specific Tasks and Responsibilities

· The consultant will develop education and training materials on monitoring technique of parameters relevant for climate change

· The consultant will develop education and training materials on methods of carbon footprint estimation and assessments of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.

· The consultant will develop a training package on Climate Change and GHG monitoring to provide training to governmental staffs in Kabul and replicate the trainings in provinces.

· Develop methodologies for collection, analysis, and sharing climate change and GHG data.

· Initializing and starting the collection, analysis and sharing of Climate Change and GHG data as a case study in a pilot area.

· The consultant will develop a manual and training package and a manual for develop climate resilient strategies.

· The consultant will develop the Information, Education and communication materials of climate change impacts scenarios and GHG scenarios.

3. Ultimate result of services:

· A detailed workplan;

· Weekly and monthly reports;

· A user handbook describing methodologies of climate change and GHG monitoring, data collection and analysis techniques;

· A training package on climate change and GHG monitoring, data collection and analysis techniques;

· A detailed case-study research for collecting, analyzing and sharing climate change data;

· A user handbook and manual for developing climate resilient strategies;

· A training package developed for developing climate resilient strategies;

4. Qualifications and Experience

· Bachelor in Climate Change/Development/Environment-related field.

· At least 5 years of relevant working experience in developing countries.

Key Competencies:

· Specific Experience with Climate Change Adaptation

· Specific expierence with carbon footprint estimations

· Strong agro- ecological technical skills

· Good knowledge of development situation and environmental management in Afghanistan

· Ability to use information technology as a tool and resource

· Ability to provide technical leadership and communicate clearly project justification

· Demonstrated ability to negotiate and apply good judgment and solve problems as they arrive

· Shows pride in work and achievements and has a good work ethic

· Ability to identify priorities, work to tight deadlines and apply time effectively to tasks.

· Fluency in written and spoken Dari with a high level of English

· Proficiency in Microsoft Office

· Familiar with UN DSS systems and procedure

· Knowledge of United Nations framework

· Proven interpersonal and intercultural skills, including flexibility and sensitivity.

Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English and Dari/Pashtu (Afghanistan’s national languages) is required. Knowledge of another UN official language is an advantage.