Policy Specialist, Air Pollution and Health

Office/Unit/Project Description 

UNDP hosts the UN system’s largest climate change portfolio. Through its Climate Promise, UNDP helps over 140 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the challenges of climate change through supporting governments to develop more ambitious and inclusive nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in order to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. In 2024, health was officially integrated as one of the key technical areas under the Climate Promise. UNDP’s work in the nexus of health, environment and climate change includes supporting countries to integrate health activities in their national climate pledges, green their health sectors, and build climate-resilient, smart and low-emission health services.

Air pollution is a major risk factor in LMICs for the rapidly rising burden of premature mortality, disease and disability from noncommunicable diseases. Marginalised populations, including women, children, the poor, elderly, disabled and Indigenous communities are often most affected. UNDP’s HIV and Health Group (HHG) has a long track record of supporting countries to address the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases. This includes offering support to governments on governance and finance and helping to address exposure to risk factors through a whole-of-government approach. Over the past few years, HHG has developed new global methodologies for air pollution governance – air pollution investment case and legal environment assessment methods – piloting them at national level, while supporting the development of national multisectoral action plans on air pollution and health.

While air pollution and climate change share fossil fuel combustion as a common driver, there has been inadequate attention to poor air quality and the health harms of super pollutants within climate negotiations. Climate action and air quality management are typically siloed at a national level, leaving pollutants such as black carbon to fall between the gaps of regulatory and policy frameworks. While guidance exists on integrating air quality and super pollutants into NDCs, UNDP as the host of UN’s largest climate portfolio has an important role in providing tailored advice to countries and connecting them with technical support in the NDC development process.

UNDP is starting a new one-year project funded by the Clean Air Fund, with the aim to integrate air quality considerations and super pollutants (such as black carbon, methane, tropospheric ozone and hydrofluorocarbons) into the climate change mitigation and adaptation activities of the next generation of NDCs in 2025. Activities that aim to improve air quality and reduce exposure to super pollutants can take place across various sectors, including energy, transport, urban planning, health, and beyond. The project intends to contribute to increased understanding of the health harms of super pollutants and awareness of integrated approaches to climate action and air quality across UNDP teams (Climate, Energy and Chemicals Hubs), to enable them to integrate these considerations into their support to countries, particularly around NDC development. It also aims to provide targeted support to a minimum of eight countries to integrate air quality and health considerations into their NDC consultation processes and submissions.

The Policy Specialist, Air Pollution and Health will report to Deputy Director HHG based in UNDP Headquarters in New York. S(he) will provide engagement, coordination, capacity-building, communication and guidance during the project, in close collaboration with UNDP’s Climate and Energy Hubs.

1)       Serve as technical expert and lead capacity-building activities

• Provide technical support to a minimum of eight target countries related to air quality and super pollutant inclusion into their NDC and coordinate additional support and resource mobilization for interested countries from the World Health Organization and other relevant UN organizations, CCAC, the Global Methane Hub, NDC Partnership and more, and build synergies with partners providing relevant NDC support.
• Lead capacity-building activities in the target countries, including peer-to-peer learning across UNDP country offices and regional teams, to upskill staff to provide support to countries on integrating air quality and super pollutants into NDCs.

2)       Target country engagement activities

• Engage with key national stakeholders across sectors (ministries of health, environment, energy, finance, etc.) in target countries on integrating air quality into NDCs, including through integrating air pollution and super pollutants in planned workshops or consultations,
• Identify key national stakeholders in select countries that should be engaged within government, and across civil society and academia, if we are to better integrate air pollution and super pollutants as part of the NDC process. 
• Keep track of key timelines for the target countries’ NDC submission and maintain a spreadsheet on other relevant national climate and energy-related activities including national adaptation plans, long-term low-emission development strategies, biennial transparency reports, laws, reforms and strategies.

3)       Knowledge Management and communications

• Produce a short analytical report for internal use by UNDP and other engaged agencies, describing lessons learned, political challenges, knowledge gaps, and best practices in integrating air quality and super pollutants into NDCs across target countries.
• Lead public-facing communications activities, including development of tailored messages and communication strategy for a non-public-health or broader policy audience where relevant, to support the integration of air quality and super pollutants into NDCs, and public facing webinars aimed at key national stakeholders including relevant government teams and influential civil society and academic institutions to cover a range of topics including the health and equity dimensions of air quality and super pollutants, and climate and health co-benefits.
• Share best practices in promoting and achieving integration of air quality and super pollutants to the NDCs.

4)      Coordination

• Participate in global coordination meetings of Climate Hub, Energy Hub and Chemical Hubs, as focal point on health, to ensure increased understanding of the health harms of super pollutants and awareness of integrated approaches to climate action and air quality across UNDP teams.
• Ensure UNDP’s global HIV and Health team is aware of key events and timelines, and identify opportunities for broader engagement.
• Built relationships with Climate and Energy Hub colleagues at the regional level and ensure there is adequate understanding of the project at the regional level.

Institutional Arrangement

The Policy Specialist Air Pollution and Health will be part of the HHG, reporting to Deputy Director HHG. The work will be conducted in close coordination with UNDP’s Climate and Energy Hubs.

• Achieve Results:                             LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact 
• Think Innovatively:                         LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems 
• Learn Continuously:                       LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility:                         LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 
• Act with Determination:                 LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner:                       LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion:       LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

People management competencies: UNDP People Management Competencies can be found in the dedicated site. 

Cross-functional & technical