Communication & Knowledge Management consultant

UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that 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. UNEP’s Ecosystem Division works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and capacity development for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

The loss of forest, and the accompanying loss of ecosystems and the services they provide, threatens the security and livelihoods of local communities, reduces access to clean water, decreases soil productivity and accounts for 12 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In recent years, it has become apparent that the most significant threat to the world’s remaining forests is conversion for commercial agriculture – whether from large-scale operations or smallholder farmers – as well as other non-forest use. Many of the environmental benefits of intact forest are unpriced ‘externalities’, resulting in the market mispricing natural forest assets. By converting forest to land and then producing tradeable commodities that the market can price, land users are able to take advantage of this perceived arbitrage opportunity. Anticipated global economic growth and changing diets will strengthen the demand for agricultural commodities and place additional pressure on forests in the foreseeable future, meaning that the pressure will get even bigger than it is today without a changing paradigm how land is managed and agricultural commodities are produced. The challenge is to advance sustainable land use by developing business models that can manage sustainable commodity production while also maintaining forests and forest ecosystem services.

Against that background, UNEP initiated a new Climate Finance Unit that seeks to actively unlock and (re)direct public and private capital towards sustainable land use, including deforestation-free soft commodity production that lead to ‘net zero, nature positive’ impacts on the environment and improves rural livelihoods. Given the growing portfolio and demand to communicate about key developments, as well as to strategically reach out to (financial) media and build knowledge management tools, the Climate Finance Unit is seeking to hire an experienced Communication & Knowledge Management expert to actively support several projects of the Climate Finance Unit.

Under the supervision of the Head, Climate Finance Unit and in direct collaboration with the Senior Specialist, Communication and Knowledge Management, the consultant will perform a number of specialized tasks to scale up exposure of the work by the Climate Finance Unit, as well as the individual projects for which the unit functions as an umbrella. The consultant will work directly with various team members in the Climate Finance Unit team, and report to the Head of the Climate Finance Unit.

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead Communication and Knowledge Management for the AGRI3 Fund. Communicate innovative deals and options for replication and mainstreaming by developing a clear communication strategy for this finance facility that targets key stakeholders whom we want to reach, and concretely by writing press releases, blogs, as well as by developing (animated) videos and infographics. S/He will actively work with the AGRI3 consortium partners including Rabobank, Mirova, FOUNT, Cardano, IDH and FMO.

• Lead Communications and Knowledge Management for the Restoration Seed Capital Facility. This includes organizing at least 1 conference a year, as well as actively contribute to knowledge management between impact investors and investment advisors whom this facility targets through virtual and/or in-person meetings, developing (animated) videos, infographics and blogs that capture the key achievements of this facility. S/He will also actively work with our partner Frankfurt School-UNEP Collaborating Centre.

• Structure the communication and knowledge management of the new business incubators, including the Restoration Explorer, Restoration Factory and Restoration Marketplace increase the level of awareness with key stakeholders (e.g. project developers, buyers/ offtakers of agricultural commodities such as traders, impact investors), and communicate preliminary results and achievements through press releases, infographics, (animated) videos, and blogs to a wider audience using (financial) media.

• Actively reach out to financial media and track the degree to which the Communication and Knowledge Management consultant is able to reach key target audiences.