Colombia strengthened its commitment towards the Paris Agreement through the submission of an updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2020. Colombia’s updated NDC contains more ambitious goals and commitments to address climate change at the national and local level. These goals are to:
- Reduce Colombia’s Green House Gas Emissions by 51% compared to the business as usual scenario by 2030 (baseline year: 2010), aligned with Colombia’s Long-Term Strategy to be net-zero by 2050
- Adapt to climate change effects increasing resilience and reducing risk exposure and vulnerabilities.
- Reduce black carbon emissions by 40% and establish a carbon budget by 2030
- Achieve net zero deforestation by 2030
Read the full Terms of Reference for the NTI
The NDC Action Project
Implemented by UNEP and UNEP DTU Partnership, the NDC Action Project supports 10 partner countries to translate their NDCs into concrete sector strategies and actions ready for financing and implementation. The NDC Action operates on three core principles: country ownership; balanced focus on adaptation and mitigation; integration of national development and climate change priorities.
More specifically, NDC Action aims to develop clear impact pathways to accelerated public and private investment in the implementation of NDCs and to optimise the effectiveness of national policies, in support of low-carbon and climate-resilient development. Through tailored technical assistance based on country needs, the project makes NDC implementation more efficient and facilitates the sharing of lessons learnt between sectors, countries, and regions. The is a strong emphasis on the involvement of private sector and local financial institutions to help articulate investment plans in two priority sectors selected by the countries.
NDC Action is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety.
Role and Responsibility of the National Technical Institution
UNEP and UNEP DTU are looking for a National Technical Institution to work with the NDC Action project in Colombia, for an initial period of one year staring mid-2021, extended up to 3 years depending on project progress and the government priorities. Broadly speaking the NTI will work closely with UNEP and UNEP DTU to support the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and the National Planning Department to articulate public and private climate-finance strategies to accelerate the implementation of Colombia’s updated NDC.
However, within this broad framework and Terms of Reference there is flexibility within the scope and application of the work. While the focus is on climate financing, the sector-based application areas remains under discussion with the government, though most likely within the broad areas of, urban transport, agriculture, and forestry/restoration.
Management and reporting
The principle contact point and reporting line for the NTI will be the UNEP in-country project manager for Colombia. However, it is anticipated that the NTI will work in close consultation with the Country Focal point in Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, and a range of relevant stakeholders including within the private sector banking and finance community. UNEP DTU will provide technical guidance and feedback to the planned and delivered work and will be available for day-to-day consultation and peer-review.
Profile and Skills
The NTI should be based in Colombia (ideally Bogotá), have relevant knowledge and experience operating in the country. The NTI should be non-governmental, however there is flexibility regarding the organisational size and legal status, e.g. public or private, for-profit or non-profit. However, there is a preference for relatively small and lean organisations, able to dedicate a core team of experts to the work. In additional to demonstrable technical knowledge and experience, the NTI must be able to demonstrated skills and experience with stakeholder consultation, coordination and facilitation. Excellent Spanish language and communication skills (both oral and written) is essential, ideally also in English.
Application Procedure
- We request interested parties to submit proposals (max 5 pages) where we welcome ideas and suggestions on how to operationalise the broad scope of the NDC Action project in Colombia and specifically the approach to designing the climate finance component that will central to the work of the NTI.
- Proposals should be divided into a technical and financial offer, initially for a 1-year period. Please include the CV of relevant technical staff.
- Please submit your applications (or enquiries) to the UDP focal person James Haselip (jhas@dtu.dk), copying Lina Barbosa as the in-country project manager (lina.barbosarodriguez@un.org)
The application deadline is 23 April 2021
Application deadline: 23/04/2021