Financial Inclusion and Gender Specialist

Organizational Context

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority, setting the environmental agenda and promoting sustainable development. The UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office (LACO) in Panama City supports 33 countries, integrating activities into the UN's Medium-Term Strategy. This role supports the Nature and market-based solutions Section.

Job Purpose

This consultancy aims to bolster UNEP's expertise in financial inclusion and gender within the UN-REDD Programme in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region. The role will provide specialized technical input on safeguards, financial inclusion, and gender equality for key projects, including the UN-REDD Technical Assistance activities, the Results-Based Payments project in Paraguay, and the Central America Dry Corridor Restoration Flagship Project. The consultant will strengthen LAC countries' capacity through technical advice, knowledge creation, and strategic input, ensuring alignment with environmental and social safeguards and promoting gender-transformative approaches in forest and climate protection efforts.

Responsibilities

Lead work planning and implementation for financial inclusion and gender within UN-REDD Technical Assistance activities in LAC. Strengthen the Central America Dry Corridor Restoration Project with strategic inputs on financial inclusion and gender equality. Provide specialized technical inputs on financial inclusion and gender for the Paraguay REDD+ Project. Contribute to knowledge management and capacity-building, including workshop design and facilitation. Ensure systematic application, monitoring, and reporting of gender-responsive actions. Prepare high-quality progress reports and technical inputs for UNEP, UN-REDD, and donors. Develop and disseminate knowledge products, training materials, and advocacy tools promoting inclusive finance and gender-transformative approaches. Provide strategic guidance for regional events focused on financial inclusion and gender equality.

Work Experience

Requires three years of experience in environment, natural resources, climate change, or development topics. Desired experience includes financial inclusion, design/management of financial mechanisms or policies, environmental and social safeguards in the LAC region, gender approaches, and REDD+/forest governance.

Skills

Financial inclusion, gender equality, environmental and social safeguards, REDD+, forest governance, knowledge management, capacity building, technical writing, workshop facilitation, strategic guidance, Spanish, English.

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