Result of Service

The Consultant’s ultimate results of services will be to provide strategic technical and political guidance for the implementation of the project, ensuring effective inter-institutional coordination and alignment with the objectives of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development: “The Consultant shall perform all activities in close technical coordination with the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADES), ensuring that technical advice, coordination activities and project implementation respond to national priorities and institutional guidance provided by the Government of Paraguay This will include providing technical oversight to the activities and deliverables of hired consultants, reviewing technical products, supporting the preparation of technical progress reports, and ensuring the timely and adequate execution of project activities. Additionally, the Consultant will facilitate communication and coordination between national stakeholders, hired consultants, and UNEP’s technical team, while contributing to the development and implementation of communication and outreach strategies related to climate change in Paraguay. The Consultant will support the generation of technical and strategic inputs that strengthen the dissemination, understanding, and implementation of climate-related initiatives and project outcomes at the national level.

Work Location

Asunción, Paraguay MADES Offices (Hybrid format)

Expected duration

4.5 months (from 14th of September 2026 to 31st of 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 Technical Advisor on NDCs & Transversal Facilitator in Paraguay to provide technical, strategic, and coordination support for the implementation of the project. The consultant will support inter-institutional articulation, supervise and review technical products developed by hired consultants, contribute to project monitoring and reporting processes, and facilitate coordination between national stakeholders and UNEP’s technical team. Additionally, the consultant will support the development and implementation of communication and outreach activities related to climate change and NDC implementation in Paraguay, contributing to the effective dissemination of project results and strengthening stakeholder engagement throughout the implementation process. The consultant will be supervised by UNEP’s NDC Act & Invest Global Coordinator and will work in a hybrid work model, enabling the Technical Advisor on NDCs & Transversal Facilitator to work from home, while participating in in-person activities such as meetings and stakeholder engagements as required, at the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development located in Asuncion, Paraguay.

Qualifications/special skills

Minimum seven (7) years of relevant work experience in environmental management, since obtaining a bachelor’s degree is (Required).

Minimum five (5) 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 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.
Provide strategic technical advice to the project, supporting MADES in the coordination, implementation and monitoring of project activities, while ensuring consistency with national climate policies and priorities.
Provides strategic technical and political guidance to the project in accordance with the objectives of the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development.
Support the development, review, and implementation of communication, outreach, and dissemination strategies regarding NDC 3.0 and climate change priorities to ensure effective stakeholder engagement and transparency.
Facilitate transversal coordination and systematic dialogue among diverse sectors, including public institutions, local authorities, academia, the private sector, civil society, and Indigenous Peoples, ensuring an inclusive approach.
Establish coordination arrangements, working methodologies, communication protocols, and quality assurance mechanisms for the technical team.
Track implementation across all components, assess progress against the Work Plan, ensure timely delivery of outputs, and maintain methodological coherence.
Diagnose bottlenecks, operational or technical issues, and propose corrective measures, updating schedules and realigning team priorities as needed.

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.

Technical Advisor on NDCs & Transversal Facilitator – PAF Paraguay