National Accreditation Expert for GCF Readiness Project

Organizational Setting

The Republic of Mauritius faces challenges and gaps due to limited technical knowledge, inefficient systems to support the appraisal of climate projects and to further monitor and evaluate their implementation; constraints to access climate finance; limited awareness and knowledge of relevant stakeholders to support planning, programming and implementation of GCF-funded activities and limited available information sharing on climate information, climate finance and GCF related activities.
The Government of Mauritius is undertaking its readiness activities for accessing Green Climate Fund (GCF) resources to address national climate change and sustainable development priorities. Within these activities, the Ministry of Finance, Economic, Planning and Development of Mauritius is coordinating with FAO on the implementation and monitoring of the GCF-approved FAO-implemented Readiness Proposal (project) titled “Advancing the agriculture, water and energy pipeline, with increased awareness of key stakeholders and strengthening capacities of the National Designated Authority (NDA) and direct access applicants in the Republic of Mauritius.” 
The goal of this Readiness project is to support Mauritius to catalyse climate financing from the GCF for climate adaptation and mitigation projects in the agriculture, water and energy sectors. This will be achieved through strengthening Mauritius NDA’s capacities and operational systems to support formulation, monitoring and evaluation of climate projects, support Direct Access Entity (DAE) applicants in Mauritius to establish capacity to meet GCF accreditation standards, strengthen Mauritius’ key stakeholders’ capacities and systems to support planning, programming and implementation of GCF activities, support the development of the evidence base to strengthen strategic frameworks, develop quality Concept Notes (CN) in priority sectors and submit them to the GCF for consideration and share best practices to strengthen pipeline development in adaptation and mitigation.
The key stakeholders involved in this Readiness project include the Ministry of Agro Industry, Food Security, Fisheries and Blue Economy (Agro Industry & Food Security  Division) Ministry of Environment, Solid Waste and Climate Change (MOESWMCC), Department of Climate Change, Climate Change Committee (CCC) members, Food and Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (FAREI), the Ministry of Energy and Public Utilities, the Central Electricity Board (CEB), the Mauritius Renewable Energy Agency, academia, private sector, AfrAsia Bank Ltd and civil society organizations in Mauritius.

Reporting Lines

Under the general supervision of the FAO Deputy Representative in Madagascar and the direct supervision of the National Project Coordinator of the GCF Readiness Project in Mauritius.

Technical Focus

The National GCF Accreditation Expert will provide technical support to the NDA, identified Direct Access Entities (DAE) and the FAO project team in the GCF accreditation activities. The expert will work on the establishment of the no-objection process with coordination mechanism members and the development and establishment of the guidelines for DAEs nomination and identification of potential DAE candidates in Mauritius.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The incumbent will be required to undertake the following tasks:

•     In coordination with the International Accreditation Specialist conduct an awareness-raising campaign on the GCF accreditation process, including discussions on existing information products developed by FAO regarding accreditation to the GCF.
•     With the methodological guidance of the International Accreditation Specialist conduct a rapid assessment for understanding the roles of existing institutions and identifying and initial list of potential DAEs including MARENA and Afrasia Bank Ltd.
•     Based on the results of the rapid assessment and prioritization of potential direct access entities, as identified by the NDA and coordinate the issuance of a nomination letter, including following the existing procedures, 
•     In collaboration with the International Accreditation Specialist conduct a gap analysis of the institutions nominated namely, MARENA and AfrAsia Bank Ltd and provide inputs for the development of a roadmap for accreditation of the potential entities in Republic of Mauritius.
•     Facilitate workshops and bilateral consultations (as needed) to discuss the concrete steps and examples of required documentation for the accreditation process.
•     Provide input in preparation of GCF accreditation documents and information materials.
•     Participate in the related project workshops and provide guidance to the interested DAEs. 
•     Prepare and submit an end-of-assignment report detailing contributions and outcomes; and
•     Perform any other related duties and activities as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum requirements    

•     Bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, management, natural resource management, sustainable development, climate policy or related fields.
•     Minimum 5 years of experience in project management/programming and stakeholder engagement and experience in working on climate change projects.
•     Working Knowledge of English.
•     Mauritian Nationality

FAO Core Competencies

•     Results Focus
•     Teamwork
•     Communication
•     Building Effective Relationships
•     Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•     The expert is required to have knowledge on environmental and climate change issues to the local context including climate finance.
•     The expert is required to have expertise in providing quality assurance, due diligence, preferably accreditation and/or certification processes, particularly with expertise in areas related to fiduciary standards and financial management including GCF policies and accreditation procedures.
•     The expert required to have experience in coordination and working with governments and national organizations and private sector entities.
•     Excellent knowledge and regular use of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint)

Selection criteria

•     Good knowledge of national climate change policies and strategies.
•     Excellent analytical skills
•     Relevant professional experience in climate change finance. 
•     Experiences in working with government, civil society organizations and local communities. 
•     Good knowledge and in-depth understanding of the climate change issues, GCF objectives, operation and procedures, GCF funding mechanisms.