Result of Service

The consultant will provide technical expertise for the development of two government-endorsed deliverables: 1) a Revised NDC Implementation Plan with sector-specific tracking tools, institutional arrangements, and a results-based monitoring framework, and 2) an Updated NDC Investment Plan including a climate finance matrix, a financing strategy, resource mobilisation guidelines, and a pipeline of ten (10) fully elaborated, bankable project concept notes.

Work Location

Monrovia, Liberia

Expected duration

From 25 September 2026 to 30 March 2027 (102 working days over 6.5 months)

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 project 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. Structured around three interconnected workstreams: fostering G20+ ambition and action, piloting policy and planning alignment, and providing deep-dive support to enhance NDC investability, the project aims to bridge the gap between climate commitments and tangible implementation. By aligning national strategies, strengthening enabling environments, and working collaboratively with key partners, including the NDC Partnership, GIZ, UNDP’s Climate Promise, UNFCCC, multilateral development banks (MDBs), development finance institutions (DFIs), and private sector actors, NDC Act & Invest seeks to make the next generation of NDCs 3.0 both more ambitious and more achievable, accelerating progress toward the 1.5°C goal and enhancing global resilience. The NDC Act & Invest team, based within the Mitigation Branch in Paris, is responsible for the global management and overall coordination of the project across partner countries, in line with UNEP’s delivery model. The team also acts as the main liaison between UNEP and the NDC Partnership, coordinating UNEP’s responses to country support requests shared through the Partnership, identifying and applying for additional funding where appropriate, and consolidating implementation and progress reporting. In addition, the team maintains close coordination with related projects under the IKI Programme to ensure coherence and synergies across initiatives. Liberia has submitted its Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), retaining its 64 per cent emission reduction target against an updated business-as-usual baseline, with an unconditional reduction target of 5,551 GgCO₂e (10 per cent) and a conditional reduction of 29,974 GgCO₂e (54 per cent) by 2035. To operationalise this ambition, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia has requested technical support through the NDC Partnership to deliver two outputs: (i) a Revised NDC Implementation Plan, aligned with the updated NDC 3.0 targets and national policies and strategies, and accompanied by sector-specific tracking tools; and (ii) an Updated NDC Investment Plan identifying priority interventions, financing needs, and viable resource-mobilisation pathways (national and international) to support NDC implementation. The project will be delivered by UNEP in close collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia (EPA), the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), line ministries, and the NDC Partnership, using a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, with gender equality and social inclusion mainstreamed across all activities.

Key Competencies o Expertise in NDC implementation planning, including sectoral prioritization and implementation roadmaps. o Strong knowledge of investment planning, climate finance mobilization, and preparation of bankable climate investment projects. o Advanced skills in Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems, greenhouse gas inventories, and transparency frameworks. o Experience with climate data analysis, monitoring and evaluation (M&E), and results-based management. o Excellent analytical, report writing, and policy advisory skills. o Strong technical facilitation skills, including moderating the validation workshops and transferring NDC implementation, MRV and results-based monitoring methodologies to government counterparts. o Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and climate-related analytical tools and databases. o Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to prepare high-quality technical reports and policy briefs. Result 1: Revised NDC Implementation Plan and tracking tools designed in line with NDC 3.0, with sectoral measures, institutional arrangements, capacity-building needs and a results-based monitoring framework. o Activity 1.1: Review the NDC 3.0, the current NDC Implementation Plan (NDC 2.0), the NDC 3.0 costing work, the county climate action plans, and identify key activities to operationalise the measures and targets, using a Result-Based Framework. o Activity 1.2: Conduct a substantive analysis of partner consultations and mapped NDC support initiatives (current, planned, and indicative), leveraging data and stakeholder engagement inputs from the National Data Consultant to assess alignment with NDC targets and objectives and support the formulation of conditional and unconditional components. o Activity 1.3: Design and apply a multi-criteria analysis to prioritise NDC measures, additional policies and activities, using a weighted scoring system covering cost-effectiveness, GHG abatement potential, adaptation benefits, alignment with the ARREST Agenda and GESI, sustainable-development co-benefits and partner financing commitment. o Activity 1.4: Analyse the policy, legal, regulatory and financial enabling elements and barriers to implementation, and map technical assistance and capacity-building needs for each NDC measure and activity. o Activity 1.5: Assess institutional and governance structures for NDC implementation and propose a whole-of-government coordination architecture. o Activity 1.7: Draft the NDC Implementation Plan covering all the above, including sectoral targets, prioritised measures, timelines, responsible entities, enabling elements, capacity-building needs, barriers and resource requirements, with measurable indicators and clear baselines. o Activity 1.9: Revise the draft Implementation Plan to incorporate stakeholder feedback from the national validation workshop, adjusting targets, actions and performance indicators as needed, and present the final draft to the Government sectoral focal points for endorsement. o Activity 1.11: Finalise and submit the NDC Implementation Plan, prepare overall and sector-specific PowerPoint overall and sectoral presentations summarising its key elements, and deliver a debriefing session to the sectoral focal points. Expected deliverables: o 1.a Inception report including detailed methodology, gap analysis and updated work plan. o 1.b NDC 3.0 prioritisation matrix, institutional assessment, and capacity-building needs map. o 1.c Draft NDC Implementation Plan covering all sectors and cross-cutting commitments under NDC 3.0. o 1.d Final endorsed NDC Implementation Plan with handover PowerPoint to EPA and sectoral focal points. Result 2: NDC sector tracking tools developed and embedded in Liberia’s M&E systems. Activity 1.12: Design dedicated NDC tracking tools for each priority sector (Excel-based dashboards or online modules, to be confirmed with the EPA), aligned with the Implementation Plan, Liberia’s national M&E systems and the Enhanced Transparency Framework, and train EPA and line-ministry staff on their use and update. Expected deliverables: o 2.a NDC sector tracking tools with user guidance, indicator definitions and training materials. Result 3: Updated NDC Investment Plan delivering a credible, investment-ready roadmap to finance NDC 3.0 implementation. o Activity 2.1: Review the NDC 3.0 costing work plan, the existing NDC investment plan and the overall national investment ecosystem (including the public budget) and prepare a gap analysis with recommendations and a proposed approach to address the identified gaps. o Activity 2.2: Map existing and potential financing sources (public, private, bilateral, multilateral, Article 6, innovative instruments), identify their priorities and eligibility requirements and prepare a climate finance matrix. o Activity 2.3: Analyse historic climate-related public and private expenditures, “grey” and “brown” financial flows, policy coherence and mainstreaming efforts, and develop policy recommendations for an improved financial architecture. o Activity 2.4: Study Liberia’s climate finance readiness, identify gaps and needs, and propose recommendations to strengthen access to climate funds. o Activity 2.5: Study existing institutional arrangements for the oversight and coordination of climate finance and propose optimised governance structures linking EPA, MFDP and sector ministries. o Activity 2.6: Elaborate and deliver the NDC financing strategy, identifying options, including blended finance, concessional loans, green bonds and Article 6 opportunities, to close funding gaps for priority climate actions, with a clear roadmap for mobilising the conditional component of NDC 3.0. o Activity 2.7: Develop practical, step-by-step resource-mobilisation guidelines operationalising the financing strategy, standardising how government agencies and sectoral focal points identify funding opportunities and prepare bankable project proposals. o Activity 2.8: Conduct a market analysis to identify private-sector investment opportunities, analyse barriers to investment, and propose de-risking instruments (e.g. partial risk guarantees, first-loss capital, PPP frameworks) and recommendations to incentivise private-sector participation. o Activity 2.9: Develop the technical content and supporting materials for stakeholder consultations on NDC investment priorities and analyse and integrate inputs from the private sector and partner institutions to validate and prioritise investment needs. o Activity 2.10: Draft the Updated NDC Investment Plan, quantifying investment needs by sector and implementation timeline and linking priority projects to funding sources, responsible entities and enabling policy actions, in alignment with the Inclusive Development Agenda (AAID) and the County Development Agendas (CDAs), under the ARREST framework, on a 2029 horizon. o Activity 2.11: Conduct a scoping study to identify ten (10) high-potential project ideas for climate finance within the NDC 3.0 sectors and elaborate a full project concept note for each of the ten (10) projects. o Activity 2.12: Develop the technical content and supporting materials for the high-level validation workshop on the draft NDC Investment Plan, setting out the proposed investment priorities and financing strategies. o Activity 2.13: Revise the Investment Plan to incorporate comments and present the final draft to the Government sectoral focal points for final endorsement. Expected deliverables: o 3.a Climate finance baseline report, that includes existing and potential financial sources, financing matrix, policy and institutional recommendations. o 3.b NDC financing strategy and resource-mobilisation guidelines, including private-sector engagement and de-risking. o 3.c Draft Updated NDC Investment Plan with the ten (10) elaborated project concept notes with a view of identifying 1-2 most tangible concepts that can be developed further through potential future funding stream. o 3.d Final endorsed NDC Investment Plan with overall and sector-specific PowerPoint presentations. Specific tasks and responsibilities See above. Across all tasks, the consultant will:
Develop the Revised NDC Implementation Plan and the Updated NDC Investment Plan, ensuring methodological coherence between the two outputs and alignment with Liberia’s NDC 3.0, sectoral strategies and the ARREST Agenda.
Develop sector-specific priority actions, institutional arrangements, financing frameworks, and a realistic, fundable pipeline of climate investment priorities across mitigation and adaptation.
Conduct the finance mapping and identify appropriate public, private, concessional, and blended financing instruments to support implementation.
Design results-based monitoring tools, implementation tracking systems and MRV-related frameworks, aligned with UNFCCC reporting and Liberia’s national M&E systems.
Provide technical inputs to the finalisation of both plans for government adoption and external resource mobilisation.
Provide technical advice across the implementation, investment planning and MRV dimensions of the assignment. The consultant/individual contractor will report to Jérôme Malavelle, Global Coordinator of NDC Act & Invest, Global Climate Action Unit, Mitigation Branch.

Qualifications/special skills

o Advanced degree (master’s or higher) in climate change, environmental science, environmental management, economics, development studies, engineering, or a related field. o 12 years of professional experience in climate change policy, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and sustainable development. o Demonstrated working knowledge of the sectors prioritised in Liberia's NDC including agriculture and food security, forestry and land use, coastal zone protection, water resources, energy, waste, and transport with the ability to translate sector-specific mitigation and adaptation targets into costed, financeable investment priorities. o Demonstrated experience supporting the development, implementation, and monitoring of NDCs, National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), or related climate policy frameworks. o Proven experience in climate finance, investment planning, and project development for international climate funds (e.g., GCF, GEF, Adaptation Fund, etc). o Strong understanding of the Paris Agreement, Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), and UNFCCC reporting requirements. o Experience working with government institutions, development partners, and multi-stakeholder coordination processes in Liberia or similar contexts.

Languages

o Fluency in written and spoken English is mandatory.

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.

Liberia - NDC Implementation, Investment Planning and MRV Expert