E T Consultant - Carbon Credit Mobilization

World Bank Group•Washington, DC

10d

About The Position

Climate change will greatly affect the poorest people in the world, who are often hardest hit by weather catastrophes, desertification, and rising sea levels and least able to respond. In some parts of the world, climate change has already contributed to worsening food security, reduced the predictable availability of fresh water, and exacerbated the spread of disease and other threats to human health. Helping the most vulnerable countries and communities adapt to increasing challenges of climate change is an imperative for the international community, requiring significant resources to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The Adaptation Fund is an innovative financing mechanism set up by the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), with the purpose of financing concrete climate change adaptation projects and programs in developing country Parties. At the request of the COP, the GEF is providing secretariat services to the Adaptation Fund Board (the Board) on an interim basis, through a dedicated team. Since becoming fully operational in 2010, the Board has approved over 190 projects and programs worth more than USD 1.2 billion in over 100 countries. Launched under the Kyoto Protocol of the UNFCCC, the Adaptation Fund has been formally serving the Paris Agreement since 2019. The Adaptation Fund is implementing its second medium term strategy (2023-2027) that rests on the three pillars of adaptation action, innovation and learning/knowledge management. The Adaptation Fund supports country-driven projects and programs, innovation, and global learning for effective adaptation. All of the Adaptation Fund’s activities are designed to build national and local adaptive capacities while reaching and engaging the most vulnerable groups, and to integrate gender consideration to provide equal opportunity to access and benefit from the Fund’s resources. They are also aimed at enhancing synergies with other sources of climate finance, while creating models that can be replicated or scaled up. Since 2022, the Fund has been implementing its current Resource Mobilization Strategy (2022 – 2025). As part of the strategy and action plan, the Board sets annual resource mobilization targets for voluntary contributions. The Board is currently developing its next Resource Mobilization Strategy for 2026 to 2029. The Adaptation Fund can also receive resources from international carbon markets. It was initially set up to be financed with the share of proceeds amounting to two per cent of certified emission reductions (CERs) issued from activities under the clean development mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. This provides the AF with a unique mandate and ability to channel funding from various sources towards concrete adaptation action in the most climate vulnerable communities in developing countries. The Fund is also set to receive a five per cent share of proceeds from the Paris Agreement’s Article 6.4 Carbon Crediting Mechanism (UNFCCC Decision 3/CMA.3). In addition, Parties and stakeholder using cooperative approaches under Article 6.2 are strongly encouraged to commit to contribute resources for adaptation, in particular through contributions to the Adaptation Fund (UNFCCC Decision 2/CMA.3). The Secretariat is recruiting an extended-term consultant to strengthen the Adaptation Fund’s capacity to mobilize resources from international carbon markets—particularly under Articles 6.2 and 6.4 of the Paris Agreement and relevant voluntary carbon market initiatives. The consultant will play a key role in developing and implementing strategies to advance the Adaptation Fund’s engagement with Article 6 through engagement with governments, multilateral agencies, the corporate sector, Parties, and carbon market actors—translating Board decisions, mandates, and strategic priorities into concrete country-level discussions, partnerships, and transaction-related processes—with a primary focus on advancing Article 6 implementation while contributing to the Adaptation Fund’s Resource Mobilization Strategy 2026–2029 (subject to Board approval), particularly for carbon market linked sources of adaptation finance. The consultant reports to the Lead for the Country Partnerships Unit and will work closely with the Country and Partnerships Unit and other relevant Secretariat teams to develop the deliverables below. The consultant will report regularly to the Secretariat on progress against agreed outputs and will adjust deliverables as needed based on evolving Article 6 discussions and Secretariat priorities.

Requirements

Master’s degree in a relevant field such as sustainable finance, public policy or administration, business administration, environmental economics, international relations, or development studies
Minimum of five years of relevant professional experience in climate change, carbon markets, sustainable finance, or related fields
Demonstrated expertise in carbon finance and knowledge of sustainable finance instruments
Experience in project management, including planning, organizing, and executing climate-related projects
Thorough understanding of climate change and development challenges, key climate change policy and market issues, including the latest developments in the field
Proficiency in data analysis and report writing to support strategic development and decision-making
Excellent written and verbal communication and analytical skills, with the ability to translate complex information into clear and concise language
Understanding of the challenges faced by developing countries in accessing climate finance