Resource mobilization, climate change, climate change education

UNITAR’s Green Development and Climate Change Programme Unit (GCP) develops the capacities of individuals and training institutions in developing countries to advance green and climate resilient development in support of Agenda 2030. The Programme Unit offers a range of services, including executive training, capacity development for education and training institutions, support for national learning strategies, learning methodology development, and knowledge-sharing. Activities are carried out through partnerships with other UN organizations, bilateral development partners, as well as leading learning institutions and think tanks. GCP also hosts the Secretariat for UN CC:Learn, the One UN Climate Change Learning Partnership (www.uncclearn.org).

UN CC:Learn has been supporting the Government of Uganda since 2011 to develop and implement the National Strategy and Action Plan to Strengthen Human Resources and Skills to Advance Green, Low-Emission, and Climate-Resilient Development. Implementation activities that have taken place include the development of supplementary materials for upper primary schools in the form of two readers, the training of desk officers in different Ministries on climate change and the preparation of a manual to be used for the recurrent training of such groups, as well as other relevant stakeholders, and participation of high school students in Youth Climate Dialogues, allowing exchange with other pupils of the same age from other countries on the topic of climate change.

To complement the above efforts and continue to improve education and awareness raising on climate change, the Climate Change Department, Ministry of Water and Environment of Uganda, with support from UN CC:Learn, conceived a new project entitled “Strengthening Youth Knowledge and Engagement on Climate Change in Uganda”. The project has two major objectives: 1) to enhance the knowledge and awareness of young people across Uganda on climate change through exchanges with experts and peers, and 2) to strengthen youth engagement in the national climate change debate. In doing so, the initiative would also offer learning and awareness raising opportunities for a multiplicity of other stakeholders and the society at large.

The Consultant will assist the Government of Uganda to mobilize support and resources from a wide range of stakeholders for the “Strengthening Youth Knowledge and Engagement on Climate Change in Uganda” initiative, as well as to identify potential synergies with other relevant initiatives, in collaboration with UNITAR, as the Secretariat for UN CC:Learn.

Specific tasks of the Consultant will include:

• Conduct a stakeholder analysis to identify relevant stakeholders in climate change and youth engagement in Uganda as well as main engagement platforms. This analysis will comprise of 1) a segmentation of potential funding sources, categorizing them into different sectors/groups, including Government institutions, development partners (bilateral, multilaterals, UN), private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), among others, 2) information of the activities and priorities the selected stakeholders focus on, matched against the priorities of the country, 3) an overview of the platforms where Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) issues are / could be discussed and where the project concept could be pitched at the national level, and potentially at the regional level, as relevant, and 4) a ranking / prioritization indication based on relevance criteria.
• Based on the analysis above, select key stakeholders and platforms, with at least 15 stakeholders, and at least 8 meetings / events as part of the identified platforms, which are recognized of the highest relevance to mobilize support for the “Strengthening Youth Knowledge and Engagement on Climate Change in Uganda” initiative.
• Develop a stakeholder engagement plan and schedule for the relevant stakeholders, as well as a calendar of events / meetings as part of the identified national / regional platforms with the planned contribution that could be provided. This document specifies the tailored approach to be used for each key potential donor and at each platform.
• Develop tailored outreach strategies and materials to pitch the initiative, aligned to the strategic needs/priorities/interests of potential partners, and with graphic support from the UN CC:Learn communication team.   
• Implementation of the engagement plan and outreach strategies with all selected stakeholders and platforms, through series of engagements, including formal and informal communications, submission of information / materials, bilateral discussions, presentation and facilitation at meetings / events, among others and as relevant, to build support for the initiative, in close collaboration with the Government of Uganda and UNITAR.
• Explore options for the presentation of the project concept at high-level event(s), potentially aligned with other relevant events in the Government calendar (e.g. COP28 preparations), or the donor community calendar (e.g. meeting of the group of UN agencies leading the national UNSDCF environmental pillar, or roundtable discussion with donors), private sector, academy calendar (e.g. events organized by Makerere university or other universities).
• Identify and leverage entry points for collaboration, as well as synergies with other climate change actors (including NGOs and CSOs) and climate change initiatives (e.g. UN initiatives), with emphasis on those targeting the youth.
• Prepare a report on stakeholder engagement and resource mobilization, including recommendations on how to sustain stakeholder engagement beyond the consultant's assignment.
• Keep the Government of Uganda and UNITAR fully updated and engage with the UNITAR team through weekly discussions on progress.

The consultant will report to the Director, Division for Planet.

Education: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in a field relevant to politics, economics, social sciences, communication or environment and natural resources.

Work experience: Minimum 10 - 15 years of professional experience, with proven experience in the area of resource mobilization and partnership development as well as climate change and environmental sustainability.

Core competencies:

• Knowledge and understanding of climate change theories and concepts, as well as of resource mobilization principles and approaches including the UNFCCC process and Paris Agreement.
• Ability to successfully pitch, design and manage projects and build support and partnerships, including sound experience in this area.
• Ability to coordinate work with multiple partners in diverse and dynamic environments.
• Ability to plan own work, observe deadlines, manage multiple communication workstreams.
• Ability to develop and maintain excellent interpersonal relations and demonstrated capacity to deal with stakeholders from different backgrounds.
• Excellent communication skills, ability to articulate ideas in a clear and concise style.
• Integrity and commitment to the mandate and values ​​of the United Nations.

Languages: Excellent proven communication and writing skills in English are required.