Regional Energy Specialist

Background

A. Organizational Context 

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting‐edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field‐based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan. 

 B. UNDP’s work on Energy and the Sustainable Energy Hub 

UNDP has been a leading advocate and the largest UN implementing agency for the energy transition at global, regional and national levels for several decades. UNDP’s Energy Programme supports policy makers with high quality data to make informed decisions on selecting and designing cost‐effective public instruments to promote private investment in clean energy, contributing to SDG 7 and in line with UNDP’s ‘signature solution’ on energy. UNDP has a successful track record in using policy instruments to de‐risk and catalyze investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and energy access projects, including a series of sustainable energy initiatives specifically adapted to the needs (and resilient recovery) of fragile and crisis‐impacted countries. 

 Under the new Strategic Plan (2022‐2025), energy is one of UNDP’s six signature solutions – alongside poverty and inequality, governance, resilience, environment, and gender equality ‐ to support countries towards three directions of change: structural transformation, leaving no one behind and resilience. Scaled‐up programming efforts on energy access and the energy transition will be coordinated under the newly established Sustainable Energy Hub (SEH), which represents parts of the organization’s systematic and programmatic approach to respond to the energy and climate change agendas. As per UNDP’s new Strategic Plan 2022‐2025, the first objective of UNDP is increasing energy access for those furthest behind. By speeding up investment in distributed renewable energy solutions, especially for those hardest to reach and in crisis contexts, it aims to increase access to clean and affordable energy for 500 million people by the year 2025. The Africa Minigrids Programme, for example, is improving the financial viability of renewable energy mini‐grids in 18 countries, encouraging private investment, lower tariffs and expanded service. 

Second, UNDP will work to accelerate the clean energy transition and access through systems changes that support inclusive, green and resource‐efficient economies. This work will capitalize on technological gains, clean energy innovations and new business models in the energy sector. 

 Through the Sustainable Energy Hub, UNDP will harness networks, experience and innovation to scale‐up energy programming efforts and shape policy, building on the existing portfolio of energy projects, covering over 100 countries to harness clean energy and support the energy access and transition as well as on UNDP’s Climate Promise, UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub and UNDP’s Digital offer. UNDP will also work with Governments in programme countries as they recover and build forward better from COVID19 and with investors to unlock and harness public and private finance to power progress towards multiple SDGs. 

Finally, recognizing that change will be disruptive, UNDP will strive to ensure that such transitions are just, and that their impact on vulnerable people is understood and duly mitigated. 

 C. Background on Regional Engagement 

To provide country office support and the work of relevant teams for local action, the Sustainable Energy Hub is structured to work in close concert with UNDP’s Regional Hubs (i.e., Africa, Asia Pacific, Arab States/Middle East & North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe and Central Asia). Therefore, the Regional Energy Specialist will be located at the Regional Centre to which he/she applies. 

The Regional Energy Specialist will work closely with the Regional Team Leader for Nature, Climate and Energy and other regional specialists in the regional team to advance the sustainable energy agenda, while engaging with country offices in the region and enabling strategic partnerships with regional organizations and partner UN agencies. Therefore, working closely with other regional specialists, the Specialist will provide policy and programme support to: (1) de‐risk energy investments; (2) scale up energy finance; (3) promote innovation, technology, and data for sustainable energy, (4) enable SDGs inter alia through an inclusive, just energy transition, (5) advance energy acc