Climate Security Specialist

The development context in Mali has dramatically changed with a rapid deterioration of the security situation in the northern region with its gradual impact in the central regions of the country. The spread of conflict has led to massive displacement of people and killings that sometimes target communities and civilians. These conflicts have led to the dysfunction and/or cessation, in places, of basic social services such as education and health care and negatively impacted livelihoods of the local population. Climate change is an additional pervasive threat to peace, affecting security, development and peacebuilding in Mali, across the Sahel, and globally. Temperatures in the Sahel are rising one and a half times faster than the global average, and all models point to more erratic and unpredictable rainfall patterns. In many parts of Mali and the Sahel, these climate change impacts occur against a backdrop of existing food and livelihood insecurity, poverty and poor governance, with which climate impacts interact. While Mali is prone to hazards such as floods, droughts and crop or livestock diseases the strategies, institutional structures/coordination mechanisms and financial resources to build the resilience of communities against such hazards are not fully developed.

In response, UNDP aims to increase resilience and livelihood opportunities in the agriculture sector and livestock sector, anchored by environmental sustainability and climate change adaptation of the population. The Environment & Climate Change Cluster supports initiatives, strengthening the organizational and operational capacities of local institutions and grassroots communities to prepare for better absorbing environmental, economic and social shocks and adapt to it while addressing the root causes of their vulnerability. Thus, in the face of the challenges of climate change, UNDP initiatives are in line with the current priorities of the Government of Mali, particularly in the context of disaster risk management and adaptation to climate change, the preservation of biodiversity, the promotion of renewable energies, strengthening the resilience of the communities affected by the conflict and supporting the implementation of Mali’s commitments in their National Determined Contribution (NDC). 

It is against this backdrop that UNDP supports Malian authorities and communities to reduce and manage climate-related security risks by strengthening governance structures and supporting sustainable natural resources management practices. In doing so, UNDP focuses on local reconciliation and resilience building and sustainable growth of the rural economy, notably for youth, to unlock conflict prevention potential of communities and improve social cohesion. The objective is to offer an enabling environment to prevent violence and manage resource conflicts through inclusive and equitable natural resources governance, and support climate change resilient households and environmental sustainability in the central regions. 

UNDP’s approach to climate security action in Mali is articulated around four mutually complementing pillars:     

1. Enhanced land and water governance systems and inclusive conflict management practices to reduce conflict risk factors. 
2. Improved community resilience through energy efficiency that decreases vulnerabilities. 
3. Strengthened disaster risk management capabilities to reduce communities’ vulnerabilities. 
4. Strengthened sustainable management of natural resources capacities to enhance resilience. 

Position Purpose

Under the direct supervision of the Deputy Resident Representative/Programme (DRR/P), the incumbent primarily coordinates and supports the implementation of all climate security initiatives and projects while providing technical expertise as the subject matter on climate security issues. S/He will be part of the UNDP Country Office Programme Team and will work in close collaboration with the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) staff in other UN Agencies, UNDP HQs, UNDP Regional Hub, and Government officials including other key stakeholders to ensure smooth. 

S/he is contributing to research and analysis to support the team’s efforts to provide policy and programme advisory, advocacy, partnership-building, and knowledge to the thematic area of Youth empowerment within UNDP. S/he liaises across relevant units on these issues, with youth organizations, movements and networks and other agencies and partners at the national level.

The Climate Security Specialist is working towards achieving the following impact:

• Climate-security approaches are mainstreamed / integrated into policy, advisory and management services; 
• Underlying risk factors and causes of vulnerability are analyzed, addressed, and climate resilience is increased at the local level; 
• Advocacy and resource mobilization efforts are improved for the successful implementation of climate-security initiatives; 
• Knowledge sharing on climate-security and resilience-building is improved. Reporting Arrangements. 

UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across  interventions to achieve its strategic goals. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across units, functions,  teams, and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration.

• Analyze the climate / environmental risks and institutional context to provide advisory services in the field of climate security and resilience building, identifying catalytic areas where climate security risk management can be integrated into UNDP and UN strategy to implement the SDGs and the national and local development plan;
• Provide policy level advice to the Government of Mali in the development of institutional capacities and whenever required develop policies to integrate climate related security risk management into national and local development plan;
• Organize regional knowledge exchange on climate security policy and programme support in collaboration with UN entities in Mali such as IOM and  FAO, and at the subregional level (e.g. UNOWAS, UNEP, and UNDP sub-regional bureau in Dakar) and other regional partners (e.g., Liptako-Gourma Authority, Ecole de Maintien de la Paix – EMP Bamako, Mali).

• Provide leadership and technical input for the design, development, and implementation of UNDP/ UN climate security initiatives in support of the national government and in synergy with other UNDP initiatives and portfolios;
• Further develop and expand UNDP’s portfolio of existing Climate, Peace and security initiatives in Mali, ensure the programme reaches maturity, explore opportunities for scale-up and new partnerships, refine approaches and activity packages developed under existing initiatives, and provide leadership and technical guidance for the programmatic team; 
• Provide technical support to relevant national institutions in developing a national strategy for climate-security, and more broadly, in the implementation of the government’s action in the field of risk assessment and risk information systems;
• Advise relevant national institutions in promoting the adoption of a climate security approach linking disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, conflict prevention and livelihoods support;
• Provide quality assurance of the country office’s action on resilience building and climate risks including reviewing work plans, progress, and performance;
• Coordinate and support regional, national, and local research and climate-related security/conflict risk analysis in coordination with other UN agencies, development partners, academic institutions, and selected Think Tanks (e.g., Adelphi, SIPRI, etc…)

Build strong partnerships, collaboration and resource mobilization

• Provide advisory support to the UN Country Team on climate security and climate related risks, including advocacy and resource mobilization efforts;
• Provide facilitation support to initiatives that brings the UN agencies together on resilience building and climate risks, fostering joint initiatives including with non-UN-partners;
• Facilitate interaction between national institutions and international actors involved in climate related security risks;
• Create synergies between relevant stakeholders involved in disaster, conflict prevention and climate resilience, while promoting national ownership of coordination processes;
• Advise development partners through existing and nascent national coordination mechanisms on resilience, climate change, and conflict prevention.

Facilitate Learning,innovating and knowledge support

• Transfer of knowledge, develop capacities, and mentor technical experts hired to implement UNDP climate risks related projects and actions;
• Distill lessons learned and good practices and share them with the national partners, UN Agencies, UNDP’s Global Policy Network, development partners and the wider regional / global climate security community of practice;
• Initiate learning and research opportunities on climate, peace and security risk and solutions in the Sahel in collaboration with national and international knowledge partners and research institutions, etc.;
• Advise UNDP and UN senior management in leading advocacy efforts on climate security in various fora and events.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation.

Supervisory/Managerial Responsibilities: Supervises the project team of the climate security projects
 

2030 Agenda: Planet-Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery: Disaster Risk Management
2030 Agenda: Planet-Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery: Climate Risk Management
2030 Agenda: Planet-Nature, Climate and Energy: Climate Change Adaptation:strategies
2030 Agenda: Planet-Disaster Risk Reduction and Recovery: Disaster and Climate Risk Governance
Business Managemnt-Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritise and control the organiations programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity; ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives and the maintenance of business-as-usual, while optimising return on investment
Business Direction and Strategy-System Thinking : Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
Digital & Innovation-Portfolio design & management: Ability to identify leverage points in systems and design interventions that address them. The value of the interventions is determined not in isolation, but as part of the overall portfolio and their coherence.
Ability to design processes that extract learning on an ongoing basis from existing portfolios, so that learning accrues over time and new options for action are continuously generated.
Build a learning ecosystem around a complex development challenge: being able to mobilize a variety of stakeholders and help them learn and work together.
Understand key principles of systems and complexity theory.