Organizational Setting

The Office of Emergencies and Resilience (OER) is responsible for ensuring FAO’s efforts to support countries and partners in preparing for and effectively responding to food and agricultural threats and crises. It is responsible for coordinating the development and maintenance of corporate tools and standards to enable Decentralized Offices to assist member countries to prepare for and respond to emergencies. OER ensures humanitarian policy coordination and knowledge, liaison with the InterAgency Standing Committee as well as with humanitarian resource partners, co-leadership with World Food Programme of the global Food Security Cluster, organizational preparedness, surge capacity and response to large-scale emergencies. OER supports food and nutrition security assessment and early warning activities related to emergency and humanitarian analysis and responses. OER plays a major role in the development and leadership of the Organization’s programme to increase the resilience of livelihoods to food and agriculture threats and crises.

The Conflict and Peace Unit (CPU) sits within OER’s Programme and Policy Team. The CPU vision is centred on providing ‘peace-responsive’ support to FAO decentralised offices, with a sub-stream of work on forced displacement and durable solutions. The CPU supports context/conflict analyses to provide an evidence base to enable strategic and targeted responses to better manage transition and turbulence and reduce the likelihood of a (re-)emergence of violent conflict, as well as to inform conflict-sensitive programming.

Background

Climate, peace and security (CPS) refers to the impacts of the climate crisis on peace and security, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings. The two major drivers of acute food insecurity and hunger are conflict and climate change, both sudden-onset and slow-onset events through different pathways, which may intensify existing conflict lines or create new ones, and drive displacement. Climate change impacts can trigger competition over natural resources, undermine agriculture-based livelihoods and fod systems, and lead to displacement, increasing the risk of social tensions and instability. This has a direct bearing on the work that FAO undertakes with communities in fragile and conflict-affected contexts where co-variate risks exist, including those of conflict and climate change. As such FAO seeks to further develop its work and positioning on CPS.

There has been increasing recognition of and attention paid to CPS at the political level as well as programmatic implications e.g., in UN Peacekeeping Mission renewals, the establishment of the UN Climate Security Mechanism, the creation of an independent Expert Working Group on Climate-related Security Risks, and the significant and increased attention paid to CPS at COP27 and COP28. As the UN specialised technical agency working to eradicate hunger, protect rural lives and livelihoods, and promote long-term development, FAO has an important role to play in generating evidence and supporting local solutions that harness the potential of agrifood systems to break the vicious circle between climate change, conflict and food insecurity, and enhance the prospects of sustainable peace.

Reporting Lines

Under the general oversight of the Programme and Policy Team Leader, OER and the direct supervision of the Technical Officer (Protracted Crises), Lead Conflict and Peace Unit (CPU), and in close collaboration with the Disaster and Climate team OER, the Consultant will work in close collaboration with the various experts in OER and other Offices and Divisions of the Organization, both HQ and decentralised.

Technical Focus 

The Consultant will further understanding of the interactions between climate change and conflict (including impacts on displacement) as relates to FAO’s work on food systems and hunger, and based on this provide programmatic and strategic guidance; further the development of a CPS position paper for FAO; support the development of FAO’s strategic positioning and role in the CPS space; inform the design of emergency and resilience programming from a CPS perspective; and help develop an evidential and knowledge base that underpins and supports the strategic objectives of the Organization.

Tasks and responsibilities

Two roles are being sought under this vacancy; the first role is at a more senior level and is aimed at leading strategic thinking on CPS, policy development and providing technical advice on CPS to emergency and resilience programme design and evidence generation. The second is a junior role providing support to those areas, including contributing to the development of a FAO position on CPS and related programme design, and identification of opportunities to promote and strategically position work on CPS.

Climate Peace and Security Advisor (Category A and/or B):

•    Further understanding of the interactions between climate change and conflict (including impacts on displacement) as relates to FAO’s work on food systems and food insecurity, and based on this provide programmatic and strategic guidance;
•    Provide technical advice to development of CPS-related project and programme design, including UN Peacebuilding Funded projects, and work with other FAO Divisions, Offices and units in bringing a CPS lens to their programming;
•    Lead FAO’s strategic positioning on the CPS agenda, including engagement with other FAO Divisions, Offices and units (including within HQ, Decentralised Offices and Liaison Offices) and external partners;
•    Lead development of a FAO position paper on CPS in close consultation with other FAO Divisions, Offices and units, raising awareness on CPS within the Organization;
•    Develop accessible guidance on CPS for project and programme design to complement existing FAO guidance on peace-responsiveness, climate change, durable solutions, HDP Nexus and others;
•    Design research activities to develop evidence on CPS pathways relevant to FAO in collaboration with other units, liaising with the HDP Nexus Coalition, Global Network against Food Crises and OER research workstreams, as appropriate;
•    Liaise with and support OER’s Knowledge sharing platform on Emergencies and Resilience (KORE) in the identification and development of learning briefs and good/promising practices on CPS;
•    Represent the Organization in CPS relevant fora, discussions and processes (e.g. the Climate Security Mechanism and COP processes);
•    Represent the Organization on CPS and related topics in promotion, advocacy and communications events, including side-events, seminars etc.,
•    Develop and/or deepen external partnerships, including with think-tanks, academia and related coalitions, including adelphi, CGIAR FOCUS Climate Security and SIPRI, amongst others;
•    Perform other duties as required.

Climate Peace and Security Specialist (Category C):

•    Support drafting of FAO position paper on CPS and FAO’s strategic positioning on CPS;
•    Work with OER’s Knowledge sharing platform on Emergencies and Resilience (KORE) in the identification and development of learning briefs and good/promising practices on CPS;
•    Support CPS-related project and programme design, including UN Peacebuilding Funds;
•    Help prepare for and facilitate awareness-raising and capacity-development activities on CPS for FAO staff;
•    Identify and develop opportunities for work on CPS to be promoted and strategically positioned, e.g. events, seminars, exhibitions, meetings and conferences, and support development of material for the same;
•    Support analysis of data generated through research activities and support development of methodological approaches to gather evidence, working with relevant teams in OER;

Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    University degree in Development Studies, International Relations, Social Sciences, Conflict and Peace Studies, Climate Studies, Public Policy or other relevant fields;
•    For consultancy at Category A: at least 12 years of professional experience in leading strategic positioning and programme design for international organizations operating in humanitarian, development and/or peace contexts with specific experience around climate change and its interactions with peace and security;
•    For the consultancy at Category B: at least 5 years of professional experience in developing strategic positioning and programme design for international organizations operating in humanitarian and/or development contexts with a good understanding of climate change and its interactions with peace and security;
•    For the consultancy at Category C: at least 1 year of professional experience providing administrative, policy and/or programme support in the general area of climate, peace and security;
•    Working knowledge (level C) of English and limited knowledge (level B) of any other official language of the Organization (Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish or Russian). For PSA, working knowledge (level C) of English.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    Understanding of climate, peace and security within global policy processes and fora;
•    Knowledge of the climate, peace and security agenda and it’s relevance to agriculture, food systems and food security;
•    Work experience with an international humanitarian, development or peace organization;
•    Experience in designing and delivering field programmes;
•    Strong communication and presentation skills;
•    Ability to work both with minimal supervision and as part of a team;
•    Ability to deliver outputs by agreed deadlines, sometimes at very short notice;
Ability to establish effective working relations with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds.