National Project Coordinator – Nature for Cooling Challenge (Côte d’Ivoire)

Result of Service

The consultant will act as UNEP’s national coordinator for the Nature for Cooling Challenge in Côte d’Ivoire, under the supervision of the NCC project team and the Head of the UNEP West Africa Sub-regional Office. The consultant will ensure that the national-level activities of the project are delivered on time, with strong government engagement and national ownership. By the end of the assignment, the following results are expected: (i) the NCC has been officially launched in Côte d’Ivoire and the national Call for Proposals has been widely promoted; (ii) four projects have been selected through a transparent, documented process involving national authorities; (iii) a functioning national coordination mechanism is in place, with designated government focal points and a multi-stakeholder country platform for NbS for cooling; (iv) selected proponents and national stakeholders have been supported to take part in the project’s technical assistance and capacity-building activities; (v) national procurement guidelines, policy and regulation guidelines (including proposed revisions to planning and construction norms), and recommendations on financial incentives for NbS for cooling have been drafted through structured consultations with relevant ministries and experts, and submitted to the Government for review and potential endorsement; (vi) the National Financial Dialogue and the Closure Event have been delivered; (vii) Côte d’Ivoire has been represented at the annual Project Steering Committee meetings; (viii) Progress in Côte d’Ivoire has been monitored and documents and inputs provided to required reports, presentations, briefing notes.

Work Location

Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire

Expected duration

12 months

Duties and Responsibilities

UNEP is accelerating the global transition to sustainable cooling. Getting the right solutions in place for cooling is essential for improving the quality of life and health of people without undue impacts on the planet. Established in 2019 as a transformative initiative of the UN Secretary-General’s Climate Action Summit, the Cool Coalition is the global multistakeholder platform supporting countries to take comprehensive and integrated action on sustainable cooling and thereby deliver on the Paris Agreement, the Kigali Amendment and the SDGs. Comprehensive, integrated action is defined as taking joint action on passive cooling, energy efficiency and refrigerant phase-down, in line with a pathway to cut 60% of emissions from the sector while increasing access to life-saving cooling (UNEP Cool Coalition Global Cooling Watch 2023). The Coalition convenes expertise across the cooling value chain to collaborate on science, policy and advocacy that underpin political commitments and their implementation, and to develop and test methodologies that require demonstration to be later scaled by partners. Since 2024, it has served as the secretariat to the Global Cooling Pledge.

Cities are warming twice as fast as the global average, and today 815 million urban residents face critical risks of heat-related deaths, illness and productivity losses, caught between rising temperatures and limited access to affordable, sustainable cooling. Nature holds a powerful solution: urban forests, green façades and roofs, and water bodies can reduce peak summer temperatures by 1–5°C, while reducing energy demand for air conditioning and the associated greenhouse gas emissions. Yet investment in standardized methodologies and monitoring systems remains insufficient, preventing nature-based solutions (NbS) for cooling from being scaled.

The GEF-funded and UNEP-led Nature for Cooling Challenge (NCC) responds to this gap. Funded with USD 3 million from the GEF-8 Climate Change Mitigation set-aside, supplemented by co-financing, the NCC is a three-year project (2026–2029) implemented by UNEP with Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL). It works with national governments to establish policy frameworks and guidance, and with subnational governments, developers and design practitioners to accelerate higher-quality landscape design and strengthen markets for nature-based cooling solutions. Pilot activities take place in Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire and Cambodia. In each country, a competitive Call for Proposals selects NbS projects proposed by developers (or developers partnering with cities).

UNEP is recruiting a locally based consultant in Abidjan to coordinate the day-to-day implementation of the Nature for Cooling Challenge in Côte d’Ivoire. The consultant will be the main liaison between UNEP and the Government. They will work closely with the government focal points to keep project activities aligned with national priorities and to secure the Government’s participation and ownership. The consultant will also convene and engage national stakeholders, coordinate with project partners, and ensure the timely delivery of national activities and products.

Activity 1 – National coordination and liaison with the Government

• Hold an inception meeting with the UNEP NCC team and review the project documents, the global workplan and the national timeline.
• Map national stakeholders, including ministries, the District Autonome d’Abidjan and communes, developers, architects and landscape designers, universities, financial institutions, civil society, and women’s and youth organizations.
• Liaise with the Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition to confirm the designated government focal point(s) and agree on national coordination arrangements, and submit an inception report with a detailed workplan, the stakeholder map and the coordination arrangements (January 2027).
• Act as UNEP’s day-to-day liaison with the Government, keeping the focal point(s) regularly informed and engaged through regular coordination meetings, briefing notes and meeting summaries, and ensuring that project activities remain aligned with national priorities.
• Coordinate on a day-to-day basis with the Ministry focal point, local implementing partners (e.g. a national university, including on knowledge products and the scenario-based NbS assessment), SEforALL and other relevant partners.
• Set up and facilitate the national multi-stakeholder, gender-responsive country platform on NbS for cooling, including organizing its meetings and following up on its recommendations.
• Prepare national inputs for the annual Project Steering Committee, facilitate the attendance of a senior government representative, contribute to the minutes and follow up on action items assigned at national level (June 2027).

Activity 2 – Official Launch Event and Call for Proposals

• Prepare the concept note, agenda, participant list and logistics plan for the Official Launch Event, together with an outreach plan for the national Call for Proposals (February 2027).
• Secure the participation of a high-level government speaker and invite potential applicants and partners, as the event also serves as a Partnership Event.
• Organize the logistics of the event (venue, catering, interpretation, printed materials) in line with UNEP procedures, deliver it in coordination with UNEP and the Government, and submit an event report with a participant list disaggregated by gender, key messages, photos and media coverage (March 2027).
• Conduct outreach and information sessions for potential applicants (developers, cities and communes, design practitioners), respond to or channel their questions on the Call, and maintain a tracker of potential and actual applicants.

Activity 3 – Management of the Challenge and capacity building

• Support the contextualization of the selection criteria to national priorities and the constitution of a national evaluation panel including government representatives and national experts.
• Coordinate the national review of eligible proposals and consolidate scores and comments into a prioritized list of projects (May 2027), prepare the selection justification note and draft notification letters, and support the communication of results to proponents.
• Support the onboarding of the four selected proponents, including follow-up on letters of interest and support to UNEP and SE4All in preparing the grant agreement with the winnerd.
• Organize the national Country Clinic(s) to strengthen NbS project proposals, and report on the onboarding of proponents and the Country Clinic(s) (July 2027).
• Act as first point of contact for the selected proponents, monitor the progress of the deep-dive project’s pre-feasibility study, and flag risks and delays to UNEP.
• Coordinate national arrangements for the training on the Rapid Urban Heat Assessment Tool, the collaborative design charrette and the MRV training, including participant mobilization and logistics.
• Coordinate the selection and preparation of the Ivorian delegation to the NCC study tour, and report on the national capacity-building activities and the study tour (September 2027).

Activity 4 – Preparatory work for the technical products

• Policy and regulation guidelines: compile and review the existing legislation, planning norms, building codes and construction regulations relevant to NbS and urban cooling, and produce a preliminary regulatory review and gap analysis (April 2027).
• Procurement guidelines: review current national and subnational public procurement rules and practices for urban and building projects, identify entry points and barriers for integrating NbS, and compile an initial inventory of NbS design solutions and of locally available suppliers, contractors and green certification schemes (August 2027).
• Financial incentives: map existing financial and regulatory incentive mechanisms that could support NbS (e.g. Floor Area Ratio bonuses, Privately Owned Public Space schemes, tax measures, green finance instruments) and the key public and private finance actors (August 2027).
• Identify the ministries, planning authorities, professional bodies (planners, landscape architects, civil engineers) and legal experts to be consulted, and the procedures for the Government’s future review and potential endorsement of the guidelines and recommendations.
• Prepare an annotated outline of the procurement guidelines and the plan for the structured consultations that will inform the policy and regulation guidelines (October 2027).
• Gather lessons from the deep-dive pilot project as it develops, to inform and validate the future guidelines.
• Prepare a preliminary concept note for the National Financial Dialogue planned for August 2028, setting out its objectives, target participants, format and proposed timing (November 2027).

Activity 5 – Monitoring, reporting and communication

• Monitor the progress of national activities and flag risks and delays to UNEP.
• Provide inputs to the half-yearly progress report (August 2027) and to other reports, presentations and briefing notes as required.
• Contribute to communication materials and local outreach (e.g. news items, social media content, press releases) on the NCC in Côte d’Ivoire.
• Submit a monthly activity report on progress across all tasks and responsibilities.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) in environmental science, urban planning, architecture or landscape architecture, engineering, natural resource management, climate change or a related field. A first-level university degree combined with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in project coordination or management in the fields of environment, climate change, urban development or related areas, including in Côte d’Ivoire.
• Demonstrated experience working with national ministries and local authorities in Côte d’Ivoire (e.g. ministries in charge of environment, urban planning, construction or housing; the District Autonome d’Abidjan and its communes).
• Proven experience organizing multi-stakeholder consultations and high-level events, including the related logistics.
• Experience in nature-based solutions, urban greening, urban heat, sustainable buildings or sustainable cooling is highly desirable.
• Experience developing policy, regulatory or procurement guidance in urban planning, construction or the environment in Côte d’Ivoire.
• Experience working with UN agencies, multilateral funds (e.g. GEF) or international development partners is desirable. Experience engaging with the private sector (real estate developers, architects, landscape designers, financial institutions) is an asset.

Languages

• Fluency in spoken and written French and English is required.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.