UNCTAD Consultoria - Economista / Economic expert

Terms of reference

Job Opening number                      

Job Title: Economic expert

General Expertise: Economic Affairs

Category: Development economics

Department/Office: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Organizational Unit: TD GDSD DDFB DFA

 

Purpose

The work will be undertaken within the Development Account (DA) project 2225D “Mobilizing external financial resources beyond COVID-19 for greener, more equal and sustainable development in selected vulnerable SIDS in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean”. This project, co-ordinated by Debt & Development Finance Branch (DDFB) of UNCTAD, is jointly implemented by UNCTAD, the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).  It aims to strengthen the national capacities of selected vulnerable Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean to mobilize affordable external financial resources for greener and sustainable development and a more equitable society beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on the achievement of the climate-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The four beneficiary countries are: Belize, Cabo Verde, Union of the Comoros and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Duties and Responsibilities

The work is an output related to the project outcome 1: Enhanced understanding in beneficiary SIDS on how to diagnose funding gaps and reconcile them with external financial sustainability in the post COVID-19 setting to achieve greener and more equitable societies. 

Under the supervision of the Head of the Debt & Development Finance Branch (DDFB), Division on Globalization and Development Strategies (DGDS), the consultant will:

• Research and author a report on “regulatory, institutional, and market-related changes required to facilitate the access to external climate finance in Cabo Verde”.

The Economic expert will be responsible for the following sections of the report:

1. Introduction

2. Current practices and blockages/impediments regarding access to external climate finance, including innovative financial instruments (e.g., debt swaps, green and blue bonds, state-contingent bonds, diaspora bonds) and other sources of climate finance (e.g., green climate fund).

3. Changes required to the uptake of innovative financial instruments and other sources of climate finance

1. Institutional changes
2. Regulatory changes
3. Market-related changes
4. Data availability and transparency 

3. Conclusion

The analysis will rely on desk research, the project team’s field mission report, interviews with government officials and other stakeholders, and the climate report (Output 1.2. of the project).

After concluding this report, the consultant will also be responsible for two other reports related to the project outcome 2: Enhanced capability in beneficiary SIDS to design policies that would enable mobilisation of affordable external financial resources for a greener, more equal, and sustainable development without jeopardising external financial, external debt and public debt sustainability.  The reports will aim to develop (i) an external financial strategy for Cape Verde to mobilise financial resources through innovative financial instruments to achieve climate-related SDGs without jeopardising external financial, external debt and public debt sustainability and (ii) a roadmap to implement such strategy. A Term of Reference will be elaborated for each report.

Ultimate result of service

Finalization of a report entitled “Regulatory, institutional, and market-related changes required to the uptake of innovative financial instruments to access external finance in Cabo Verde”.

Travel details

N/A

Output/Work Assignments

Output 1 by the end of the first month of the contract

The first draft of the report should be presented to the project officer for review and comments.

Output 2 by the end of the contract

Submission of the final version of the report that should incorporate the comments on the submitted draft.

Project officer   :             Daniela Magalhães Prates

Place of work:                  Home-based

1st and final payment of USD 8.000 upon completion of Output 2

Contract Duration                        

Overall contract duration            :4 months

Estimated amount of actual time to work (days, weeks, months):             2 months 

Regular working Hours (if applicable): 

Total Remuneration                     : USD 8.000

Payment Terms                             : 1 payment in USD

Qualification Requirements/ Evaluation Criteria:             

Education:

University degree in economics or related fields. 

Language: 

Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

JFQ/JSQ (Experience):  

At least 5 years of experience in economic analysis and research with expertise in development finance. 

The application should be sent to the email: daniela.prates@unctad.org