Consultant for the Development of Technical Guidance and Tools to Support the Implementation of the Ecosystem Restoration Investment Plan

The ultimate result of the consultancy is the delivery of an integrated set of practical guidance and decision-support tools that enable countries to transform Investment Plans into finance-ready investment portfolios and to effectively monitor, evaluate and adaptively manage their implementation. The consultant shall perform the following activities: Output 1: Practical tool to support the development of project pipelines and finance-ready investments for productive ecosystem restoration Product 1: A document that includes: Guidance Document on Project Preparation, Investment Structuring and Resource Mobilization for Ecosystem Restoration, providing a practical methodology, tools, templates, illustrative examples, and its application to the three pilot countries. Output 2: Practical tool developed for monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) to support the implementation and adaptive management of Ecosystem Restoration Investment Plans. Product 2: A document that includes: Guidance Document for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) of Ecosystem Restoration Investment Plan Implementation, including the MEL framework, indicators, templates and application to the three pilot countries. Output 3: Technical review completed for seven selected project documents, with recommendations and proposed improvements identified for strengthening technical content and implementation readiness. Product 3: A document that includes: A comprehensive technical review report covering the seven selected project documents, including findings, identified gaps and inconsistencies, recommendations for improvement, and proposed actions to strengthen the quality, coherence, and technical soundness of the documents. The objective of this consultancy is to develop a comprehensive set of practical guidance and decision-support tools that strengthen the implementation and long-term effectiveness of the Investment Plan for the Restoration of Productive Landscapes in the Central American Dry Corridor and Arid Zones of the SICA Countries. Specifically, the consultancy will provide technical advice to countries and key stakeholders in translating Investment Plans into finance-ready investment pipelines, strengthening monitoring, evaluation, learning and adaptive management systems, and enhancing the coherence, consistency and complementarity of the project's knowledge products. Through these outputs, the consultancy will contribute to improving the capacity of governments, development partners, financial institutions, the private sector and civil society to mobilize resources, implement priority restoration investments, and monitor progress toward large-scale ecosystem restoration across the region. Working in close collaboration with the UNEP Central American Dry Corridor Project Coordinator and under the supervision of the UNEP Programme Management Officer UN-REDD for the Latin America and Caribbean Office, the consultant shall perform the following activities: a. Identify and analyze good practices on project preparation and investment structuring for ecosystem restoration. b. Review and synthesize the key requirements, eligibility criteria, and expectations of relevant financing sources and financial instruments for ecosystem restoration. c. Develop methodological guidance and practical approaches for the design and structuring of bankable restoration projects and investment opportunities. d. Design practical tools (3) such as checklists, templates, matrices, and other resources, to support project preparation and resource mobilization. e. Apply the guidance tool to the three pilot countries in line with their financial strategy to complement their investment plans for ecosystem restoration investment. f. Provide recommendations to strengthen dialogue and collaboration among governments, financial institutions, international cooperation partners, and the private sector to enhance resource mobilization. g. Develop a practical Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework tailored to the implementation of Ecosystem Restoration Investment Plans. h. Define a core set of indicators to monitor implementation progress, restoration results, financing, resource mobilization and governance in line with existing efforts and data produced within the Project. i. Design practical tools and templates to support financial-relevant data collection, analysis, reporting and performance assessment. j. Integrate learning and adaptive management approaches to enable periodic updates of Investment Plans based on implementation experience, lessons learned and evolving contexts. k. Apply the MEL framework to the three pilot countries to illustrate the tool implementation at the national level and feed their investment plans. l. Develop practical templates, checklists and reporting formats that can be applied by countries across Central America to support consistent monitoring and reporting. m. Review selected project documents and technical tools (seven) related to ecosystem restoration investment planning. n. Assess the technical quality, consistency, completeness and practical applicability of the documents and technical tools against project objectives. o. Provide written recommendations to strengthen methodologies, tools, guidance and technical content, identifying opportunities for improvement where appropriate. p. Prepare a consolidated technical review summarizing key findings, recommendations and proposed improvements for the selected project outputs.

Home Based

4 months

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. The UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office (LACO), located in Panama City, works closely with the 33 countries of the region and its activities are integrated into the Medium-Term Strategy and the Programme of Work approved by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). The project “Promoting the restoration of productive ecosystems in the Central American Dry Corridor” is a Flagship Initiative of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021–2030. The financing component, directly implemented by UNEP, focuses on the formulation of the “Investment Plan for the Restoration of Productive Landscapes in the Dry Corridor and Arid Zones of the SICA Countries” (hereinafter, the “Investment Plan”). The Investment Plan articulates the financial strategy, prioritized restoration actions, estimated costs, financing architecture, and the monitoring, evaluation and learning indicators needed to scale up productive restoration at the regional level. Its purpose is to serve as a practical tool for the countries covered by the project to mobilize public and private resources for the restoration of degraded productive landscapes, based on practical experiences in the pilot countries (El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras). To maximize the practical value, applicability and long-term use of the Investment Plans by national governments, development partners, financial institutions, the private sector, civil society organizations and other relevant stakeholders, the UNEP seeks to develop an integrated set of practical guidance and decision support tools. These products will help users strengthen their capacities not only to prepare Investment Plans, but also to mobilize financial resources, implement priority investments, and monitor, evaluate and continuously improve the implementation of the Plans. This consultancy will be responsible for the development of three interrelated products: (i) a practical tool providing guidance on how to transform an Investment Plan into a pipeline of projects and finance-ready investments capable of mobilizing public, climate and private finance; (ii) a practical tool to support countries in monitoring, evaluating, learning from and adaptively managing the implementation of their Investment Plans; and (iii) a technical document consolidating the review, recommendations and proposed improvements arising from key project outputs, including the Investment Plans and the Regional Financing Platform, with the aim of ensuring coherence, consistency and complementarity across the project's knowledge products. The consultant will report to the UNEP Programme Management Officer UN-REDD for the Latin America and Caribbean Office and will work from home.

ACADEMIC: ● Bachelor’s degree in environmental studies, biology, science or a related field is required. PROFESSIONAL: ● Minimum 5 years of proven experience in climate and sustainable finance, investment planning, natural resource management, or related fields is required. ● Experience with project preparation, investment planning, resource mobilization, monitoring, evaluation and learning is desirable. ● Experience developing practical guidance, toolkits, templates and technical review reports for multilateral organizations, governments or international development programmes is desirable. ● Experience in the United Nations or other international organizations is desirable.

● Fluency in English is required. ● Basic knowledge of Spanish is desirable. COMPETENCIES: PROFESSIONALISM - Ability to identify, analyze, and participate in resolving issues/problems. - Ability to apply judgment in the context of assignments given, plan own work, and manage conflicting priorities. - Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter. - Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results. - Deliver quality results on time and handles challenges with persistence and calm. - TEAMWORK - Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals. - Solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise. - Is willing to learn from others. - Shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings. PLANNING AND ORGANIZING - Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies. - Identifies priority activities and assignments. - Adjust priorities as required; - Allocates appropriate time and resources for completing work. - Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. - Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary.

Not available.