Result of Service

The Consultant’s ultimate results of services will be to provide specialized technical support for the identification and prioritization of AFOLU technology needs in alignment with NDC 3.0 and the UNFCCC TNA approach. This will include assessing relevant technologies, gaps, barriers, enabling conditions, and capacity needs through technical analysis and stakeholder engagement, and developing a Technology Action Plan (TAP) with priority actions, institutional arrangements, implementation timeframes, financing and cooperation opportunities, and preliminary concept notes. The Consultant will ultimately contribute to strengthening the implementation of NDC 3.0 by supporting the deployment and mobilization of resources for priority AFOLU technologies. The Consultant will coordinate closely with the Mitigation Specialist Consultant, Adaptation Specialist Consultant, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, and UNEP’s technical team to ensure that the Plan is technically robust, participatory, and responsive to Paraguay’s NDC 3.0 priorities. The Consultant will ultimately contribute to strengthening Paraguay’s capacity to identify, prioritize, and advance technological solutions with high mitigation and adaptation potential, supporting the effective implementation of national climate commitments.

Work Location

Asunción, Paraguay MADES Offices (Hybrid format)

Expected duration

4 months (from September 2026 to January 2027)

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the international environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. The NDC Act & Invest Initiative is a global programme led by UNEP and currently funded by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and the NDC Partnership’s Partnership Action Fund (PAF) multi-donor trust fund. It is designed to help countries raise their climate ambition and translate their new Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted in 2025 into actionable, investable plans. The Paris Agreement represents a landmark global commitment to address climate change through strengthened mitigation, adaptation, and resilience efforts. As a country highly dependent on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, forestry, water resources, and energy, Paraguay faces increasing challenges associated with climate variability and extreme weather events. Droughts, floods, land degradation, and ecosystem pressures threaten livelihoods, economic productivity, food security, and the resilience of vulnerable communities and territories. These challenges highlight the urgent need to strengthen institutional capacities, improve climate governance, and accelerate the implementation of coordinated climate action across sectors and levels of government. In November 2025, the Republic of Paraguay submitted its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), reaffirming its commitment to the Paris Agreement through an integrated approach to mitigation, adaptation, and sustainable development. Paraguay’s NDC 3.0 establishes an unconditional target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10%, with an additional 10% reduction contingent on international support. The updated NDC also strengthens adaptation priorities in key sectors including agriculture, land-use and forests, water management, and territorial resilience, while promoting environmental governance, inclusivity, and the integration of scientific, technical, traditional, and ancestral knowledge into climate action. Despite this progress, the effective operationalization of NDC 3.0 requires enhanced technical, institutional, and financial capacities. The implementation of sectoral measures demands stronger inter-institutional coordination, improved information and data systems, broader stakeholder participation, and increased access to climate finance opportunities. In particular, there is a need to strengthen communication and outreach strategies that facilitate the dissemination of climate-related information, support stakeholder engagement processes, and promote greater understanding of climate priorities and implementation pathways among public institutions, local actors, academia, the private sector, Indigenous Peoples, and civil society. In this context, the support provided through the NDC Partnership’s Partnership Action Fund (PAF), implemented by UNEP, represents a strategic opportunity to support Paraguay in translating its climate commitments into concrete and implementable actions. The project seeks to reinforce institutional capacities, strengthen multisectoral coordination, improve climate data and information systems, and support the integration of evidence-based and technological solutions across mitigation and adaptation priorities. The intervention will also contribute to strengthening national communication and engagement efforts to ensure that climate action processes are inclusive, transparent, and effectively disseminated among key stakeholders. In this sense, UNEP is recruiting a Technology Needs Specialist Consultant in Paraguay to provide technical support for the revision and updating of the national Technology Needs Plan, ensuring its alignment with the priorities and sectors identified under Paraguay’s NDC 3.0. The consultant will conduct a comprehensive review and diagnostic of the existing Technology Needs Plan, identify gaps and opportunities for improvement across mitigation and adaptation measures, and support the planning and facilitation of consultations and workshops with key stakeholders prioritized by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development. Based on the technical assessment and stakeholder inputs, the consultant will lead the drafting, validation, adjustment, and finalization of a consolidated Technology Needs Plan that reflects national climate priorities and identifies relevant technological solutions with high mitigation and adaptation potential. The consultant will coordinate closely with the Mitigation Specialist Consultant and Adaptation Specialist Consultant, as well as relevant national stakeholders, and will ensure that the final deliverables are technically sound, participatory, and responsive to Paraguay’s NDC 3.0 priorities. The consultant will be supervised by UNEP’s NDC Act & Invest Global Coordinator and will work in a hybrid work model, enabling the Technology Needs Specialist Consultant to work from home while participating in in-person meetings, workshops, and stakeholder consultations as required, at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development in Asunción, Paraguay.

Qualifications/special skills

Bachelor’s degree in environmental management, engineering, environmental sciences, economics, or a related field (Required).

Postgrad in environmental management, engineering, environmental sciences, economics, political science, public administration, or a related field (Required).
Minimum seven (7) years of relevant work experience in environmental management is (Required).
Minimum four (4) years of relevant experience in planning, implementing, and/or monitoring development initiatives, policies, and programs related to climate change in Paraguay and/or actions for NDC (Desirable).
Demonstrated analytical capacity to contribute to developing technical products as reviews and gap assessments related to climate change planning and implementation (Desirable).
In-depth knowledge of Paraguay’s climate change regulatory and planning framework, including processes and initiatives at the national and local levels (Desirable).
Demonstrated experience working with the public institutions in Paraguay related to climate change planning (Desirable).
Relevant experience integrating gender considerations into formulating, planning, and implementing projects or public policies will be considered an advantage. This includes designing gender-sensitive methodologies to collect and evaluate baseline data, evaluate products, and monitor project results where appropriate (Desirable).
Demonstrated experience in preparing policy and strategy reports for national governments and in the technical review of national reports and relevant international documents (Desirable).

Languages

Fluency in Spanish (Required).

Confident in English (Desired).
Confident in Guarani (Desired).

Additional Information

Specific tasks and responsibilities

Develop a comprehensive Work Plan, including activity sequencing, timelines, milestones, roles, responsibilities, and risk mitigation strategies.
Conduct a comprehensive review and diagnostic of the existing Technology Needs Plan, identifying gaps, areas for improvement, and priority technology needs related to mitigation and adaptation.
Develop a methodological approach for the revision and updating of the Technology Needs Plan, ensuring alignment with Paraguay’s NDC 3.0 priorities and national mitigation and adaptation objectives.
Identify and assess relevant technological solutions and opportunities with high mitigation and adaptation potential, considering their applicability, relevance, and potential contribution to national climate priorities.
Plan and support consultations and workshops with key stakeholders prioritized by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, including the preparation of agendas, presentation materials, technical inputs, and supporting documentation.
Lead the collection, analysis, and integration of inputs from national stakeholders into the revised Technology Needs Plan, ensuring that stakeholder perspectives and technical considerations are appropriately reflected.
Prepare the draft, validated, and final versions of the revised and updated Technology Needs Plan, ensuring technical quality, consistency, and alignment with Paraguay’s NDC 3.0 priorities.
Coordinate closely with the Mitigation Specialist Consultant and Adaptation Specialist Consultant to ensure coherence and complementarity between identified technology needs, mitigation measures, and adaptation priorities.
Lead validation meetings with national and institutional counterparts, present the proposed Technology Needs Plan, collect and address feedback, and ensure its appropriate incorporation into the final output.
Establish effective coordination and communication arrangements with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, relevant national stakeholders, and UNEP’s technical team to facilitate the timely development and validation of the Technology Needs Plan.
Review, harmonize, and ensure consistency of technical inputs and outputs related to the Technology Needs Plan, providing recommendations to strengthen their quality, relevance, and alignment with national climate priorities.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

Technology Needs Specialist Consultant – PAF Paraguay