International Trainer on Climate Change

Background

The EU and UNDP value dynamic civil society environment, and recognize the important role of the civil society in achieving progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To support engagement of the civil society in the SDGs implementation, EU and UNDP have launched a new 3-year project “Developing innovation-driven and sustainable civil society in Azerbaijan”. The project is designed as a multi-dimensional response to accelerate the growth of the civil society sector in Azerbaijan through building capacities for policy influence and local development in the selected SDGs related areas including green growth and climate change.

Climate change has emerged as a priority topic for the project given Azerbaijan’s sensitivity to the adverse effects of the climate. Azerbaijan’s economy and communities are increasingly at risk from higher temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, natural disasters and fluctuating sea level. The most vulnerable sectors include agriculture which is a major source of employment, water resources, tourism and coastal infrastructure. Sensitive communities must be aware of the negative impacts of the climate change on their livelihoods, and build resilience and adapt to climate change consequences. Building community awareness and resilience begins with the education of the ‘managers’ of these communities, which are the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and community-based organisations (CBOs).

For this purpose, the project held a series of interventions to raise awareness of the civil society organizations on climate change and its adverse effects in order to provide them with basic understanding of the basic science behind climate change, linkages between climate change and development and role of the CSOs in climate change response.

To further catalyse the engagement of the CSOs in climate action and empower them to become advocates of strong and decisive climate action, the project is expected to beef up the capacity of CSOs in Azerbaijan to integrate climate change considerations in their work, thus helping enhance the adaptive capacity, strengthen resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate change.

Duties and Responsibilities

Conduct a rapid survey to assess CSOs interest on issues related to climate change, climate negotiations and the environment

Establish a categorization of CSOs according to the level of knowledge, thematic areas and other criteria, as deemed appropriate by the consultant. The key target audience for the training are local non-governmental organizations working on a multitude of problems with diverse range of beneficiaries. The CSOs can be roughly grouped into the following categories:

CSOs working with children, adolescents and youth
CSOs working on gender equality and women empowerment
CSOs working with people with special needs (people with disabilities, children
CSOs working with a broad range of partners (entrepreneurs, media representatives, other CSOs, government, municipalities)
Environmental CSOs

Based on the results of the assessment, design a training programme customized to the baseline knowledge and needs of the CSOs. Each training is expected to take place remotely and last appx/ 2 full days (in 4 half-day sessions) using a mix of learning techniques including lectures, power point presentations, guided discussions, group work, brainstorming sessions, case-study analysis and practical exercises. Final training · contents, methodology and agenda should be designed and finalized in consultation with UNDP;

Facilitate 4 face-to-face training sessions to CSOs. Training sessions shall be conducted within a normal business hours in Azerbaijan time zone. At the end of the training sessions the participants are expected:

to have an improved understanding of climate change impacts in Azerbaijan and the need to mainstream climate change into national policies and projects;

to be able to identify appropriate entry points to integrate climate change concerns into their community-based projects;

Have better understanding of methodologies for integrating climate change adaptation into development of policies.

Conduct pre and post work survey to assess the changes in the participants awareness of climate change and the proofing methodology.

Conduct post training assessment survey with participants.

Prepare training report outlining the pre-& post-test assessment, general trainer's reflections on training workshops, overview of most common issues of concern, recommendations for improvements and statistical results of trainee feedback forms.

Competencies

FUNCTIONAL

Strong analytical, writing and presentation skills;
Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills;
Proven capability to meet deadlines and work under pressure;
Excellent organizational and management understanding with CSO and non-state actors;
Excellent facilitation and capacity building skills.

CORPORATE

Effectively adapts own approach to suit changing circumstances or requirements;
Demonstrated ability to think critically and synthetically across fields and topics;
Open to change and flexible in a fast-paced environment;
Always pursues continuous improvements;
Excellent interpersonal skills to interact effectively with all levels of staff and partners from diverse cultural backgrounds;

Strong ability to work independently and/or remotely, while maintaining productivity.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

- University degree in environmental studies, climate change, energy, geography, economics or related discipline.

Experience:

Minimum seven (7) years of experience in the field of climate change and environment including experience in climate proofing of policies and projects;
Proven experience in delivering workshops, awareness raising campaigns and trainings on environmental related topics, including for the civil society organizations;
Previous work experience engaging civil society sector in Azerbaijan or other countries with similar contexts;

Language:

- Excellent writing and communication skills in English.