Background

In September 2023, the Government of Uzbekistan adopted the National Development Strategy of Uzbekistan (NDS) until 2030, also known as “Uzbekistan Strategy 2030”. The document outlines the country’s primary development objectives and pivotal reforms across various sectors to be realized by the end of this decade. This marks the third NDS that has been adopted by the government since 2017, with the preceding two covering the periods of 2017-2021 and 2022-2026. The NDS until 2030 encapsulates various sustainable development aims of Uzbekistan, through creating education, healthcare, and social protection systems that align with international standards, and establishing a comprehensive environmental framework. The new strategy outlines a set of 100 priority actions that the government will take to advance progress across five key areas: fostering opportunities for individual self-fulfillment, ensuring the welfare of the population through sustainable economic growth, conserving water resources, protecting the environment, and crafting a public administration system that will focus on citizens’ needs.

The project aims to address the degradation of high value steppe grassland, shrubland, and forest dryland ecosystems, and support the restoration of these ecosystems where degradation has already occurred. As such, the key environmental threat addressed is ecosystem degradation, of grassland, shrubland, and forest ecosystems. There are multiple direct causes of degradation, including overgrazing, and excessive cutting of trees and shrubs (primarily for domestic energy use). There are a large number of root causes and drivers of these direct causes of degradation. Key drivers of degradation include uncontrolled animal husbandry, increasing demand for industrial and fuel wood, uncontrolled harvesting of non-timber forest resources, and expansion of agriculture into forests (especially riparian forests). 

The objective of the project is to scale innovative integrated approaches to ecosystem restoration and conservation to catalyze transformational shifts in three high value landscapes in Uzbekistan. The project is part of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) 8 - global Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Program. 

The four components proposed by this project have been designed within available GEF and co-financing framework to address the corresponding drivers of ecosystem degradation and biodiversity decline, which are driven by multiple drivers of unsustainable land use practices. 

The project will deliver Global Environmental Benefits using a participatory approach that ensures promotion of women, youth and vulnerable groups and equitable participation opportunities. 

This will result in the improved management of 1.3 million hectares of land across the West Tian Shan, Nuratau, and Kugitangtau landscapes. The targeted ecosystems are characterized as classic rural mosaic landscapes, with multiple types of HCVF, dry steppe rangelands, and smallholder agriculture. 

The project will implement integrated multi-stakeholder management mechanisms and support innovative approaches such as the development of catalytic financial mechanisms to achieve restoration at scale. 

Results will include restoration of 139,958 ha of pastures and forest, 349,597 ha of landscapes under improved practices, conservation of 881,000 ha of Key Biodiversity Areas, a 20% improvement in the management of 142,278 ha of protected areas, and the mitigation of 7,524,608 tCO2e, as restoration of rangelands and forests also generates climate mitigation co-benefits.

The Project contains 4 components: 

Component 1: Enabling conditions created for increased ecosystem restoration through informed and inclusive policy, planning instruments, incentives, and structures

Component 2: Innovations in ecosystem restoration resulting in transformation impacts that generate global environmental benefits and livelihoods

Component 3: Leveraged and sustainable financing to promote and scale-up ecosystem restoration and global environmental benefits

Component 4: Knowledge Management and Linkages to the Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Program

In this regard, UNDP is now seeking an experienced National Technical Analyst who will be responsible for the overall coordination, implementation, and operational management of the relevant thematic areas.  The incumbent will ensure that all activities are delivered in line with UNDP’s standards and contribute to the achievement of the project’s intended results.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the Project Specialist, and in close coordination with national counterparts and UNDP regional advisors, the National Technical Analyst will ensure effective technical coordination and delivery of project activities related to Cross sector planning, District Spatial Planning, Forestry Restoration and PA oversight. The role will focus on integrating technical quality, compliance with UNDP and GEF requirements, and alignment with the Ecosystem Restoration Integrated Program (ERIP) principles.

The Analyst will be responsible for coherent planning, high-quality implementation, risk-informed management, and results-based reporting, ensuring that interventions contribute to global environmental benefits and gender-responsive outcomes.

More specifically the Analyst will be thematically in change to organize the work on strengthening forest management and conservation practices in Uzbekistan through a series of interrelated activities. It will begin with the revision and update of the Forestry Enterprise Management Plan format to ensure alignment with relevant international principles and recent changes in national policies. In parallel, a District Forest GIS database will be established to support spatial planning and monitoring. Based on these foundations, seven Forest Enterprise Management Plans will be formulated, and capacity-building activities will be conducted for national and district-level partners to enable effective implementation of these plans.

The Analyst will also thematically lead the work on the implementation of practical measures and pilot demonstrations aimed at forest and ecosystem restoration and sustainable use. High Conservation Value (HCV) forests, both within and outside forest enterprises, will be identified, and conservation management proposals will be developed, with implementation supported where feasible. Restoration activities along the Parkent Canal will be undertaken, while additional restoration and conservation measures will target legally recognized Protected Areas (PAs) and Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs). This will involve updating PA Management Plans, increasing Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT) scores across all PAs, and elaborating management plans for special reserves without legal entity status, HCVF sections of forest enterprises, and biodiversity conservation in hunting areas as potential OECMs. Finally, the assignment will introduce and apply the “Green Standard” within project-supported Protected Areas to ensure compliance with best practices in sustainable management.

Specific tasks and responsibilities include:

Planning and reporting

• Support to the technical aspects of all relevant project planning, implementation and reporting related to cross sector planning, district spatial planning, forestry restoration and PA support (initial development of relevant components of annual workplans, project implementation reports, as well as specific technical activities such as district spatial plan piloting and replication, Forestry Enterprise management planning and restoration activities). 
• Prepare inputs for Project Implementation Reports (PIRs) and GEF tracking tools, ensuring compliance with results-based management and donor visibility requirements. 

Technical support and coordination

• Support and provide technical inputs to the process of relevant technical consultants and contractor TORs and the process of procurement of technical services, including development of requests for bids / quotations, selection of consultants and contractor bid evaluations.
• Provide overall management and coordination of the various technical consultants and contractors employed by the project in relation to cross sector planning, district spatial planning and forestry restoration, including oversight and mentoring of national consultants and monitoring of contractor progress and effectiveness. 
• Ensure effective consultation and coordination with key national partners and stakeholders via participation in the Forestry Restoration Working Group.
• Ensure the effective interproject technical coordination and communication through participation in periodic technical coordination meetings and other means as thought appropriate, and day to day communication/coordination with the National Technical Analyst for Pasture Ecosystem Restoration and Livelihoods Support. 

Cross sector and district spatial planning

• Act as the focal person on all mapping and key database materials related to district spatial planning, forestry and PAs for the project and support a). process to acquire and provide to GIS contractor/national partner relevant such data, b). access and dissemination of GIS products and resources to relevant project consultants, contractors, Responsible Party and national partners. 
• Act as the key technical focal point in regard to all cross sector and district spatial planning, and all forestry activities within the project for the Chief International Technical Specialist (CITS). Specifically, support the CITS (and other international partners) through effective communication of their technical guidance /advise on execution of activities to national consultants/contractors, and timely access for the CITS to reports and materials produced by NCs and contractors in English and /or Russian.
• Act as the main project oversight and liaison person with the Responsible Party (IUCN) in regard to their inputs to cross sector/district spatial planning and in particular their implementation of Output 2.4 (PA Support). 

Communication and Monitoring

• Ensure the full and timely implementation of relevant aspects of the project monitoring plan including the compiling of baseline data and ongoing progress and impact data regarding the various pasture and livelihood components of the project.
• Work in cooperation with the Project Communications Specialist in order to ensure accurate and meaningful communication of project results and impacts in regard to pasture restoration and local community/household livelihood benefits. 

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the project Office and the Organization.

Institutional Arrangement

Under the overall supervision of the Project Specialist and the Chief International Technical Specialist (CITS), the National Technical Analyst for cross sector and district spatial planning, forestry restoration and PA oversight) will bear the main responsibility for ensuring the overall effective implementation of all activities related to the above specified planning and restoration activities of the project. 

He / she will ensure the effective coordination of national and international project consultants, contractors and the Responsible Party (IUCN), assist the PS in ensuring that technical tasks and activities are carried out in a timely manner. 

He/she will act as the key national technical focal support person of the project in regard to cross sector and district spatial planning aspects, as well as the forestry management and restoration activities (see background) and will be instrumental in ensuring that the CITS recommendations and guidance are effectively applied to the development, implementation and monitoring of relevant project technical activities. 

He/she will act as the main project oversight and liaison person with IUCN in relation to support provided by them to implement Outcome 2.4 of the project. 

He/she will participate in the national Working group established by the project in relation to Forestry planning and restoration activities. 

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is a pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements
• Learn Continuously:  LEVEL 1: Open-minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in the face of adversity, confident
• Engage and Partner:  LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

Business direction & strategy 

• Strategic thinking:
  • Develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s mission and objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, opportunities and potential risks; link the general vision to reality on the ground to create tangible targeted solutions; learn from a variety of sources to anticipate and effectively respond to both current and future trends; demonstrate foresight.
• Effective Decision Making:  
  • Take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one's authority, area of expertise and resources and take into consideration potential wider implications.
• Systems Thinking:       
  • Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.

Business Management

• Project Management:
  • Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
• Monitoring & Evaluation:
  • Ability to systematically monitor results of strategies, programmes, and activities with a view to make sure that they are being implemented effectively; Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback and reporting on the consistency or discrepancy between  planned activities and programme management and results. 
  • Ability to make independent judgment of the management and results of strategies, programmes and activities based on set criteria and benchmark, keeping in mind the needs and concerns of client, current and upcoming. 
  • Knowledge and understanding of monitoring and evaluation frameworks, concepts, methodologies, systems, processes, and tools. Ability to make an independent judgement based on set criteria and benchmarks. Ability to anticipate client's upcoming needs and concerns

2030 Agenda: Planet 

• Nature:
  • Ecosystems and Biodiversity: Natural Resource Management
  • Environmental Governance: Global Environmental Governance

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in one of the following (or closely related) fields in Environmental Science or Environmental Management, Forestry or Natural Resource Management, Land Use Planning, Spatial Planning, Geography, Ecology or Biodiversity Conservation, Civil Engineering or Urban/Regional Planning (with specialization in environmental planning), natural resources management, sustainable agriculture is required, or 
• A first-level university degree (bachelor’s degree) in the fields stated above, in combination with an additional two years of qualifying experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Applicants with a master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience. 
• Applicants with a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience in natural resources management components and issues, rural land use planning, and / or forestry management issues.

Desired Skills: 

• Proven/previous experience in land-use planning, spatial planning tools, and GIS applications. 
• Proven/previous experience in cross-sectoral planning approaches (agriculture, forestry, water, biodiversity). 
• Proven/previous experience in forest restoration techniques, sustainable rangeland management, and ecosystem services. 
• Knowledge of Protected Area management standards and monitoring frameworks. 
• Knowledge of national environmental policies, land degradation neutrality, and climate adaptation strategies.
• Experience conducting spatial analysis, interpret maps, and integrate socio-economic and ecological data.
• Additional training or certification in GIS and remote sensing, ecosystem restoration, or protected area management.

Required Language(s):

• Fluency in English and Uzbek is required. 
• Good command of Russian is desirable.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination. 

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles. 

Right to select multiple candidates

UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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