Under the Corporate Initiative Taskforce on Scaling up Members’ access to environment and climate finance, RAP supports FAO Member Countries to strategize and develop proposals to access finance, including but not limited to GEF, GCF and the Adaptation Fund, and to achieve their climate ambitions in the agriculture and land-use sectors. As part of this work, FAO with the support of six countries from Southeast Asia, has developed the first multi-country GCF Readiness project for the Asia region. FAO is also implementing a complimentary Technical Cooperation Project on “Strengthening capacity of policy makers to mobilize investment for resilient and low emission agrifood systems in Asia under Article 6 of the UNFCCC Paris Agreement”.
The three-year readiness project is entitled “Agriculture Sector Readiness for enhanced climate finance and implementation of Koronivia Joint Work on Agriculture priorities in Southeast Asia”. The countries included under this collaborative project are: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The project will be implemented in close coordination with the respective NDAs and the Ministries of Agriculture through the ASEAN Climate Resilience Network focal points of each participating. This regional project will build capacity to access climate finance for the agriculture sector and create opportunities to scale promising models at national and regional levels. The project countries will also share experiences and co-create proposals for sector specific climate action at the regional level with public and private sector climate and agriculture finance experts. Investment plans will focus on facilitating farmer’s access to capacity to access capacity, resources and finance to address climate change risks.
Under the project activities will focus on the specification on innovative finance models applicable for the participating countries at national and regional level. Activities will also look to further engage local financial and other institutions in facilitating access to climate finance as Direct Access Entities to the GCF. The project will look to apply the outcomes of this work in the development of concept notes at the national and regional level access climate finance for agriculture sector priorities. Finally, the project will look to develop a number of knowledge products to ensure that lessons learned are shared widely with relevant stakeholders within the region and more broadly.
To support the implementation of these project activities, FAO is seeking a motivated, dynamic consultant to serve as a Climate Finance Expert. The position can be home-based, but the project team will be based at the FAO Regional Office in Bangkok which occasional travel to the six participating countries.
The incumbent will report primarily to the project Regional Coordinator and International Agriculture and Climate Change Specialist. Additionally, s/he would work under the technical supervision of the FAO Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and the overall administrative supervision of the FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, FAO Representatives in participating countries, the FAO-GCF Coordination Unit, and in close collaboration with dedicated project staff and operational partners at regional and country level.
Technical Focus
Climate change, Adaptation, Mitigation, Foresight analysis and modelling, Agriculture and land use Tasks and responsibilities
The consultant is expected to undertake the following specific tasks:
Lead elements of the project related to the assessment, seletion and design of innovative finance instruments to facilitate access to climate finance for agriculture sector prioties.
In collaboration with the regional project team review the project document and revise/update project implementation plans for project activities related to the assessment, seletion and design of innovative finance instruments to facilitate access to climate finance for agriculture sector prioties.
Lead preparation of an assessment of the latest experiences with traditional and innovative finance instruments to promote public and private sector investment in climate smart agriculture practices and technologies in Southeast Asia including the following sub-activities:
Develop the methodology and approach to assess the state of play of different financial instruemnts being used to scale investment in agriculture in Sounteast Asia including but not limited to grants, green bonds, soft and commercial loans, mezzanine finance, convertible debt, equity, venture capital and blended instruments;
Coordinate with project country teams at the national level and the regional project team to collect data and organize consultations in line with the assessment methodology;
Organize consultations with different stakeholders and institutions as required;
Highlight lessons learned and recommendtions for specific actions that can increase the access of the agriculture sectors to climate finance based on the assessment as well as specific examples to be replicated or followed;
Lead the drafting of the assessment.
Lead the preparaton of a companion assessment on the capacities and needs for Direct Access Entities that could work at the national and regional level in Southeast Asia to facilitate access to climate finance in the future through different innovative finance models including the following sub-activities
Develop the methodology and approach for an assessment of DAE capacities.
Coordinate with project country teams at the national level and the regional project team to collect data and organize consultations in line with the assessment methodology;
Organize consultations with different stakeholders and institutions as required;
Highlight lessons learned and recommendtions to further engage and strengthen the capscity of DAEs to increase the access of the agriculture sectors to climate finance;
Suggest specific existing or potential DAEs to be engaged in further developing project concept notes outputs;
Lead the drafting of the assessment.
Support the regional project team in organizing a regional level multi stakeholder workshop with government, civil society organizations, women’s groups, and public and private sector actors to identify high impact investments in agriculture value chains with regional potential and identify specific finance models at national/regional levels to support climate related investments in the agriculture sector consistent with the national and regional agriculture and climate change investment plans and priorities.
Foster and coordinate partnerships with relevant organizations and institutions engaged in the development and roll out of innovative finance models to promote public and private sector investment in climate smart agriculture practices and technologies in Southeast Asia.
Support capacity building events and knowledge exchange events organized by the project on topics related to climate finance and innovative finance instruments to facilitate access to climate finance for agriculture sector prioties.
Review initial climate foresight and climate-smart options assessment outputs and reports and specific project idea notes/concepts and advise on potential financial models and partnerships that could be integrated to make the projects more financially viable and sustainable.
Provide inputs to specific project idea notes/concepts as required.
Respond to country requests for support on issues related to climate finance as required.
Prepare knowledge products on climate finance options in agriculture .
Represent FAO and the project at national and regional level events as required.
Perform other duties as required.
Candidates Will Be Assessed Against The Following: Minimum Requirements:
A university degree in finance and economics, climate change, land use management, agricultural economics, development economics, project management and business administration, or a related topic.
At least five years of relevant experience in developing guidance and vehicles to channel public and private finance to address issues associated with food and agriculture systems and climate change.
Working knowledge (level C) of English and limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other FAO official languages (for COF.REG). In the case of PSA.SBS a working knowledge of English will be sufficient.
Technical/ Functional Skills:
At least five years of relevant experience working in an international organization or setting on topics related to climate change and agriculture and/or natural resource management.
