For UNDP, adaptation to climate change means climate-resilient economic development and sustainable livelihoods, especially for vulnerable populations – the poor, women, and indigenous peoples. UNDP supports these goals by assisting countries integrate current and future climate risks and uncertainties into national and sub-national development efforts. UNDP works with governments, the private sector, communities, and other partners to build responsive state institutions and public policies; strengthen public and private sector capacities to manage climate change risks and uncertainties; and formulate, finance and implement climate-resilient initiatives.

Together with partners, UNDP supports climate change risk management in the context of agriculture and food security, water resources, coastal zone development, public health, and climate change-related disaster risks. To finance this work at the national, sub-national and community levels, UNDP helps countries secure climate change adaptation finance that is available through vertical funds such as the Adaptation Fund, the Least Developed Countries Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund (both of which are managed by the Global Environment Facility, GEF), Green Climate Fund, as well as other multilateral and bilateral sources. Countries are supported to optimize the use of these public funds by also leveraging and catalyzing private finance for adaptation. 

At the 17th COP in 2011, parties invited all United Nations organizations, as well as bilateral and multilateral agencies, to support the National Adaptation Plans process which aims to (1) reduce vulnerability and (2) integrate climate change adaptation into medium to long term development planning. In response, the joint UNDP/UN Environment National Adaptation Plan Global Support Programme (NAP-GSP) was launched in June 2013, initially financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF). The NAP-GSP and programme partners are assisting countries who request support to identify technical, institutional and financial needs to integrate climate change adaptation into ongoing medium and long-term national planning.

In addition, UNDP has been selected as Delivery Partner by over 40 countries across all regions to support the access to GCF-funding to formulate and/or implement their national adaptation plans. Finally, in Africa, in response to the African Ministerial Conference on Environment’s (AMCEN) mandate to enhance assistance on climate adaptation and loss and damage, UNDP is also supporting the Africa Adaptation Initiative (AAI) to galvanize the support needed to significantly scale-up adaptation and actions to address loss and damage in Africa across four pillars: (1) enhancing climate information services to support decision-making; (2) strengthening policies and institutions; (3) enhancing on-the-ground action; and (4) mobilizing climate investment. All these different projects, programmes and initiatives are managed by UNDP as a single portfolio.

The NAP portfolio contributes to the overall climate change work of UNDP which constitutes a significant part of the Strategic Plan’s Signature solution 3 on “Enhancing national prevention and recovery capacities for resilient societies”.  

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The UNDP NAP portfolio requires a knowledge management consultant to shape knowledge exchange between countries on experiences and lessons learned on adaptation planning and use the technical insights from on the groundwork in countries by the project to prepare and package of knowledge generated in user-friendly formats. This consultancy will enable increase outreach for knowledge and lessons learned for UNDP’s and its partners’ support to countries on National Adaptation Planning and the contribution to the achievement of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).