Environmental and Social Safeguards - Risk Compliance Specialist

Update

General Assembly Resolution 2186 (XXI) decided to “bring into operations the United Nations Capital Development Fund as an organ of the General Assembly which shall function as an autonomous organization of the United Nations. The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) assists developing countries, especially least developing countries, in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans, and guarantees. UNCDFs vision is to help mobilize and catalyse an increase of capital flows for SDG impactful investments to Member States to address the most pressing development challenges facing vulnerable communities in these countries and thereby contribute to sustainable economic growth and equitable prosperity.


Within UNCDF’s thematic are of nature and climate, the Pro-Congo project is a joint initiative by UNEP and UNCDF in partnership with the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) aimed at mobilizing private sector investment towards sustainable enterprises in the Congo Basin across four countries: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Republic of Congo (RoC), Gabon, and Cameroon. The initiative seeks to contribute to catalyzing long-term transformation in the Congo Basin by integrating Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into agriculture, forestry, and energy sectors. By providing technical assistance and access to capital for MSMEs, the project supports businesses that utilize sustainable practices contributing to forest conservation, biodiversity protection, job creation, emission reductions, and sustainable economic growth.

Progammes and projects financed by UNCDF shall comply with the UNDP Social and Environmental Standards (SES) which underpin UNCDF’s commitment to mainstream social and environmental sustainability in supported programmes and projects leading to sustainable development. The UNCDF Social and Environmental Standards (SES) includes five Programming Principles and eight Project-Level Standards (https://www.undp.org/publications/undp-social-and-environmental-standards). The SES social and environmental management system requirements include Programing Quality Assurance and Risk Management and Project-Level Screening, Assessment and Management of Social and Environmental Risks and Impacts which includes: Screening and Categorization, which is supported by the UNDP Social and Environment Screening Procedure (SESP), Assessment and Management, Stakeholder Engagement and Response Mechanism, Access to Information, Monitoring, Reporting and Compliance. The SES are underpinned by an Accountability Mechanism with two key components: a Stakeholder Response Mechanism (SRM) and a Compliance Review process. The SES provides the approach for project-level social and environmental screening to identify potential social and environmental risks and determine the project’s social and environmental risk category and define the form of project-level social and environmental assessment and management required to address potential risks and impacts.

To facilitate the achievement of these objectives, UNCDF seeks to hire a Environmental and Social Safeguards and Risk Compliance (ESSRC) Specialist to ensure that the project comply with environmental and social safeguards while managing associated risks and ensuring alignment with organizational as well as donor standards. The ESSRC specialist will also contribute to UNCDF corporate activities as required.

Under the guidance of the Pro-Congo Project Manager, the ESSRC specialist will conduct the following tasks:

a) Risk Management Framework and Environmental & Social Safeguards Implementation
• Develop, implement, and manage a comprehensive risk management framework aligned
with the Pro-Congo Risk Framework, UNCDF Environmental and Social Safeguards (E&S)
guidelines, UNCDF Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) guidelines, and requirements
from CAFI, in collaboration with UNEP counterpart.
• Conduct environmental, social, operational, financial, institutional, and reputational risk
assessments and baseline analyses for all companies/transactions in the project pipeline.
• Design a governance mechanism for risk review and reporting, including a Risk
Committee with dedicated Risk and Security Officer(s).
• Periodically update and monitoring the projects risk ratings.
• Develop tailored Environmental and Social Action Plans (ESAP) for
companies/transactions to ensure compliance with CAFI and applicable UNCDF
requirements.
• Support the monitoring, review, compliance, and oversight of companies to ensure
adherence to the ESAP, including conducting on site visits as required, coordinating
closely with project partners and investees to enhance data reliability and validity.

b) Compliance Oversight and Fiduciary Transparency
• Ensure project compliance with fiduciary standards, donor, partner, and UNCDF
compliance guidelines, environmental and social safeguards, and other regulatory
requirements.
• Review and update compliance policies and procedures continuously for effectiveness.
• Coordinate and support third party independent verification of results of the project.
• Ensure effective follow-up and implementation of recommendations from independent
verifications of results.

c) Technical Assistance and Capacity Building
• Provide specialized training and support to staff, partners, and enterprises on social and
environmental safeguards and risk management and compliance.
• Lead the design and delivery of technical assistance to address informational and risk
gaps as outlined in the ESAP.

d) Reporting, and Learning
• Prepare reports as needed on risks and safeguard compliance issues, progress status of
the ESAP for companies/trasanctions, and propose appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Document and disseminate lessons learned for continuous improvement.

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