UNEP Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) – Governance and Engagement Coordination Consultant

UNEP FI requires a Governance and Engagement Coordination Consultant to:

• help manage the UNEP FI Secretariat’s support to the Banking Board, being the governance body for the Principles for Responsible Banking
• ensure close and effective collaboration between UNEP FI’s banking team and the membership relations & regional coordination team and provide the necessary guidance, information and materials to the regional coordinators to do their work effectively.
• assist in managing the activities of the Global Steering Committee, the Annual General meeting and the Leadership Council.
• Work with UNEP FI’s Nature team to develop a workplan for delivering capacity building to UNEP FI member banks on how to assess impact and set biodiversity targets, and in partnership roll out the activities and develop the materials envisaged in the workplan.

The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) is the strategic partnership between the United Nations and over 400 banks, insurers and investors. For over 29 years UNEP FI has been shaping and driving the international sustainable finance agenda, setting global standards and growing a global network of leading financial institutions. Through its work-streams and regional activities, peer learning, methodology development, training and research, UNEP FI carries out its mission to help the financial industry align with and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals and with that take on the crucial role it must play in achieving a sustainable future.

UNEP FI’s Banking Team is responsible for the initiative’s work with its over 260 member banks in more than 60 countries around the world. This includes overseeing and supporting the implementation of the Principles for Responsible Banking.

On 22nd September 2019, UNEP FI member banks representing USD 47 trillion and with that over a third of the global banking industry officially signed and launched the Principles for Responsible Banking together with UN Secretary General Guterres. The Principles for Responsible Banking guide the change towards a new, sustainable global banking industry that takes on a key role in helping society to achieve its goals for a sustainable future. With these Principles, banks commit to strategically align their business with and scale up their contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals and the objectives of the Paris Agreement on Climate. The Principles are supported by a strong implementation framework that defines clear accountabilities and requires each bank to set, publish and work towards ambitious targets and report publicly on their positive and negative impacts and progress in implementing their commitments. Banks that are not in line with their commitments can be removed from the list of signatories.

Governance:
The governance body for the Principles for Responsible Banking is UNEP FI’s Banking Board. UNEP FI is looking for a consultant to help manage the UNEP FI Secretariat’s support to this body.

Coordinating Outreach and Engagement:
UNEP FI is aiming to increase the percentage of global assets represented by Signatories to the Principles for Responsible Banking to 55% by the end of 2022, with a focus on larger banks that are key players in their respective markets. While the outreach and engagement to achieve this lies with UNEP FI’s membership relations & regional coordination team, there is a need for close coordination and information flow between UNEP FI’s banking team and the membership relations & regional coordination team. Furthermore, the membership relations & regional coordination team plays a crucial role in relaying information and providing guidance on implementation to Signatories in their region and supporting on effective implementation of the Principles for Responsible Banking. For the membership relations & regional coordination team to do this effectively, they need to be closely involved in and kept up to date on the development of implementation guidance materials, tools, etc. and emerging good practices. UNEP FI is thus looking for a consultant to ensure close and effective collaboration between UNEP FI’s banking team and the membership relations & regional coordination team and provide the necessary guidance, information and materials to the regional coordinators to do their work effectively.

Biodiversity capacity building:
Working together with colleagues in UNEP FI’s Nature team, develop a workplan to build capacity amongst the banking membership for how to assess impact and set targets that align portfolios with the Global Biodiversity Framework and other relevant frameworks, and rolling out the workplan.

Overall objectives:

• The Banking Board is able to carry out its work effectively, thanks to adequate management and support to this body by the UNEP FI Secretariat.
• UNEP FI governance bodies are supported effectively in their processes, ensuring the delivery of well-organized processes and meetings
• The membership has the knowledge and tools to enable them to assess their portfolios for biodiversity impacts, and more advanced members are in a position to jointly commit to setting targets to align portfolios with the Global Biodiversity Framework, and the relevant SDGs
• UNEP FI’s banking team and the membership relations & regional coordination team collaborate closely and effectively and through support, materials, information and regular updates the regional coordinators are enabled to carry out their work successfully

The outputs:
To maintain the trust and good relationship between UNEP and UNEP FI’s members in the UNEP FI partnership by aligning, as much as possible, the interests of the two parties. Output expectations:

• Banking Board has met at least once every two months. Meetings are well prepared for, and co-chairs are briefed timeously. Meeting notes are circulated, and follow-ups are undertaken.
• UNEP FI’s regional coordinators have received the support and materials to effectively support the implementation of the Principles for Responsible Banking in the respective regions, and plan and deliver successful, well attended Regional Roundtables.
• Four Global Steering Committee meetings, the UNEP FI Leadership Council, and the Annual General Meeting in October 2021 are well organized.
• A minimum of two global webinars and five regional workshops are delivered as part of the biodiversity capacity building programme, as well as user friendly materials to guide banks on assessing impact and steps for setting targets. The Civil Society Body is engaged in these processes.
• PIMS

Specific tasks and responsibilities:

• Prepare, support and follow up on six Banking Board meetings.
• Lead a close and effective collaboration between UNEP FI’s banking team and the membership relations & regional coordination team, and provide the necessary guidance, information and materials to the regional coordinators to do their work effectively.
• Lead the onboarding of new signatory banks, and work with banking team members and regional coordinators to plan and deliver webinars and Regional Roundtables.
• Support the organization of at least four Global Steering Committee meetings, one Leadership Council meeting, and the Annual General Meeting, which involves scheduling and invitation, agenda, background paper and presentation slide developments, monitoring of the meeting proceedings and meeting summary development.
• Work with UNEP FI’s Nature team to develop a workplan for delivering capacity building to UNEP FI member banks on how to assess impact and set biodiversity targets, and in partnership roll out the activities and develop the materials envisaged in the workplan.

The consultant shall be under the overall supervision of the Head of UNEP Finance Initiative and report directly to the Banking Programme Officer and the Programme Operations Manager at UNEP FI.