Result of Service

A fully edited, publication-ready version of all material forming part of the combined launch package, covering both the Bangkok release and the CBD COP17 release, together with the companion website content.

Edited material returned to the project lead with tracked changes and a short editorial note summarising any unresolved queries, reading as a single coherent product aligned with the project Style Guide while preserving the distinct identity of each release.

Work Location

Remote

Expected duration

8.5 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system’s designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional levels. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division works with national and international governments, non-governmental organisations, business and industry to develop and implement policies, strategies and practices that internalise environmental costs, use natural resources efficiently, reduce pollution and risks for humans and the environment, and enable the implementation of conventions and international agreements. UNEP’s Economics and Fiscal Policy Unit (EFPU) leads the organisation’s work on sustainable public finance, supporting Ministries of Finance and Planning to align fiscal frameworks with durable and inclusive growth, competitiveness, resilience, and the simultaneous achievement of economic, social and environmental objectives. As part of this work, the EFPU hosts the technical support to the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action (CFMCA) and is leading the update of the Coalition’s flagship guide in partnership with the LSE Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and more than 25 institutional contributors. The flagship guide, Strengthening the Role of Ministries of Finance in Driving Climate Action, was first published in June 2023. It sets out the case for climate leadership by Ministries of Finance, a framework for mainstreaming climate into their core functions and capabilities, and priorities for action. The guide is now being updated and expanded to cover the additional areas of climate adaptation and resilience, nature and biodiversity, and industrial policy, trade and competitiveness. Throughout, it is framed around the Ministry of Finance core mandate of growth, competitiveness, and fiscal resilience, with the substantive material sitting underneath that framing as the credible engine for action. The updated content will be published in tranches timed to coincide with major global events running from autumn 2026 into spring 2027. A combined launch package will bring together two closely linked releases: the first at the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok in October 2026, and a second at the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP17) immediately afterwards. Although timed in quick succession and treated as a single editorial workstream, the two releases are kept distinct, each carrying its own framing, its own audience emphasis, and its own complement of case studies and ministerial messaging. Subsequent tranches will follow at the UNFCCC COP31 in Antalya in November 2026, the Coalition Deputies meeting in Zagreb expected in February 2027, and a final tranche in April 2027. The guide will be hosted on a dedicated companion website with a searchable case study database, and the first tranche launch will be supported by ministerial briefs, a key messages document, and a slide deck. The editor’s responsibilities will include, but will not be limited to:

Copy-edit and lightly substantively edit all Action Areas across the three Functions and three Capabilities that structure the guide, including Part A, Part B and Part C.
Edit the theme pages covering energy transition, adaptation and resilience, nature and biodiversity, and the just transition.
Edit the case studies and country examples featured in the guide and in the searchable case study database.
Edit companion website content, including landing page text, navigation copy, sub-page introductions and supplementary written elements provided by the team.
Edit ministerial-facing communication products linked to the launch, where requested by the project lead.
Ensure internal consistency of terminology, tone, usage and voice across material produced by different contributors, and offer light structural suggestions where a passage does not read well.
Flag substantive questions for the project lead rather than rewrite, and return edited material with tracked changes and a short editorial note on a rolling basis as batches become ready.

Qualifications/special skills

A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in journalism, communications, English, economics, public policy, or a related field is required. An advanced university degree in a relevant field would be considered an asset. Substantial and demonstrable professional editorial experience may be accepted in lieu of a formal qualification.

Demonstrated experience of at least 7 years in editing publications for senior policy or government audiences, ideally including work for international organisations, finance ministries, central banks, or comparable institutions.
Proven experience harmonising voice and style across material produced by multiple contributors.
Experience editing for the web as well as for print, including a feel for navigation copy, headings and section summaries.
A track record of reliable delivery against agreed turnaround times under tight schedules

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this assignment, fluency in oral and written English is required, and the editorial work is carried out in English. Knowledge of another UN language is an asset.

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.

Editor, CFMCA Flagship Guide Update and Companion Website