CFND/NRFSS - Consultant for the African ESG Framework and Compact development, Capacity Building and Climate/COP32 Support

The ultimate result is an advanced, technically sound and operational African Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Framework and Compact for Sustainable Development, co-developed with African Member States and key stakeholders and positioned for validation, adoption and implementation. The work will build on the inception, analytical, institutional and stakeholder-engagement processes already initiated by ECA and will carry the initiative through substantive drafting, continental co-development, capacity building and implementation planning. The assignment will also strengthen ECA’s technical support on climate action and preparations for COP32, particularly where these intersect with ESG, just transition, sustainable finance, critical minerals and green industrialization.

Addis Ababa

12 months

Background Africa’s growing role in global green and critical minerals value chains, together with increasing climate and sustainability requirements in trade and investment, has intensified the need for an African approach to environmental, social and governance performance. African countries and firms continue to face fragmented requirements, inconsistent metrics and limited influence over standards that can affect access to finance, markets and investment. In line with the Africa Mining Vision (AMV), the Africa Green Minerals Strategy (AGMS), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and related continental priorities, ECA is supporting the development of an Africa-led ESG Framework and Compact for Sustainable Development. The initiative is intended to strengthen environmental and social safeguards while supporting value addition, industrialization, regional value chains, investment, climate resilience and inclusive development. The Framework and the Compact are related but distinct instruments: the Framework provides the technical architecture, principles, indicators and implementation guidance, while the Compact provides a mechanism for stakeholder commitments, voluntary endorsement and collective action. The work has already moved beyond initial conceptualization. An inception and analytical process has been undertaken; the proposed architecture of the Framework and Compact has been developed; relevant African and international standards have been mapped; priority gaps and areas requiring Africa-specific provisions have been identified; and stakeholder mobilization has begun. ECA is establishing a Technical Working Group and a broader Member State co-development process to guide technical drafting and validation. The next phase therefore requires continuity with the work already initiated, while moving decisively into co-development, drafting, consultation, capacity building, implementation planning and strategic positioning. ECA seeks an Expert Consultant to lead this next phase and support related climate and COP32 work. The consultant will be expected to rapidly assimilate the existing body of work, maintain technical and institutional continuity, manage a complex multi-stakeholder process, and translate consultations and technical evidence into practical and coherent products. Duties and Responsibilities Reporting directly to the designated Economic Affairs Officer coordinating the assignment, the Consultant will undertake the following tasks in collaboration with relevant ECA teams and partners. 1. Technical leadership and continued development of the African ESG Framework • Review and build on the inception report, analytical work, standards mapping, consultation materials, stakeholder inputs and design decisions already produced under the initiative, identifying any remaining technical gaps that require resolution. • Lead the continued drafting and refinement of the African ESG Framework as one overarching African ESG architecture, with application across three strategic priorities: climate action and resilience; people-centred and just transition; and critical minerals and green industrialization. • Develop and refine the Framework’s core principles, ESG pillars, performance indicators and metrics, implementation guidance, reporting and disclosure arrangements, monitoring, assurance and periodic review provisions. • Ensure that the Framework addresses African priorities including value addition and industrialization, climate resilience, human rights and community well-being, women and youth inclusion, artisanal and small-scale mining where relevant, responsible resource governance, regional integration and African value chains. • Develop practical interoperability and equivalency approaches with relevant continental and international standards, including crosswalks, incorporation by reference, recognition of assurance and core/supplementary indicators, so that the Framework strengthens safeguards without creating unnecessary duplication or compliance barriers. • Develop proportionate implementation approaches for governments, large companies, SMEs, financial institutions and other relevant users with different levels of capacity and exposure. 2. Development and refinement of the African ESG Compact for Sustainable Development • Lead the continued development of the African ESG Compact as a distinct but complementary commitment instrument linked to the technical Framework. • Define practical commitments and expectations for governments, the private sector, investors and financial institutions, civil society and other relevant stakeholders. • Develop options for voluntary endorsement, progressive adoption and institutional participation at national, regional and continental levels. • Ensure that the Compact supports implementation of the Framework while remaining practical, politically workable and aligned with African development and integration priorities. 3. Continental co-development, Technical Working Group and stakeholder engagement • Design and manage the co-development process, placing African Member States at the centre and ensuring structured participation by the African Union Commission, regional economic communities, the AfCFTA Secretariat, private-sector actors, financial institutions, civil society, academia, women, youth and relevant technical and standards bodies. • Support the establishment and effective functioning of the Technical Working Group, including preparation of technical papers, agendas, presentations, pre-reads, decision points, meeting records, action trackers and follow-up materials. • Plan and facilitate Member State consultations, technical workshops, co-design sessions and validation meetings, both virtual and in person, as required. • Maintain a consolidated comment-response matrix and decision log that records key inputs, areas of convergence or divergence, decisions taken and how these are reflected in successive drafts. • Facilitate technical consensus and prepare options for ECA consideration where significant policy or technical differences remain unresolved. • Prepare concise briefing notes, talking points and presentations for senior ECA officials and high-level stakeholders involved in the process. 4. Capacity building, training and advocacy • Assess priority capacity needs for implementation of the Framework and Compact among governments, companies, financial institutions and civil society organizations. • Develop a structured, modular ESG training curriculum tailored to priority user groups, including government officials, corporate sustainability and ESG practitioners, financial institutions and civil society organizations. • Prepare practical training materials, including facilitator guides, slide decks, Africa-focused case studies, exercises, monitoring templates and other implementation tools. • Design and deliver agreed training sessions, technical clinics, workshops and, where appropriate, training-of-trainers sessions. • Develop an advocacy and communication toolkit, including policy briefs, executive summaries and targeted materials to support high-level endorsement, country-level uptake and implementation. 5. Implementation, piloting and pathway to adoption • Develop the Implementation and Adoption Roadmap, setting out steps for voluntary endorsement, potential pilot countries or early adopters, institutional anchoring, implementation support, monitoring and periodic review. • Assess practical pathways for alignment with African Union, regional and national policy processes and identify opportunities for progressive institutionalization of the Framework and Compact. • Support preparation of the Framework and Compact for technical validation and high-level consideration, incorporating agreed comments and documenting the consultation and validation process. • Identify practical opportunities to test selected indicators, tools or implementation approaches with willing countries, institutions or private-sector actors and capture lessons for wider roll-out. 6. Climate action and COP32 technical support • Provide technical and substantive support to ECA climate work where it intersects with ESG, just transition, sustainable finance, responsible investment, critical minerals and green industrialization. • Support ECA preparations for COP32 through targeted research, concept notes, policy and technical briefs, talking points, presentations and stakeholder engagement materials. • Support consultations and listening processes involving governments, private-sector actors, investors, development finance institutions, civil society and other non-State actors, as requested by ECA. • Synthesize consultation findings into clear policy messages and recommendations that can inform ECA’s climate engagement and, where relevant, the African ESG Framework and Compact. • Provide technical support to selected COP32-related policy dialogues, side events and high-level engagements led or supported by ECA. Supervision and Working Arrangements The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the Director of CFND and the Section Chief at ECA and will report directly to the designated Economic Affairs Officer coordinating the assignment. Technical guidance will be provided by relevant ECA specialists and partner institutions as required. The Consultant will work closely with the ECA team supporting the African ESG Framework and Compact and with other ECA workstreams relevant to climate action and COP32. The consultancy is expected to be home-based, with travel to Addis Ababa and other locations as required for consultations, workshops, training and related assignments, subject to ECA rules and prior authorization. Additional Information • Strong analytical, research and drafting skills, including the ability to convert complex technical and stakeholder inputs into clear policy and implementation documents. • High-level facilitation, consultation and negotiation skills, including the ability to build consensus in politically sensitive and multi-stakeholder settings. • Excellent communication and presentation skills and the ability to prepare materials for both technical and senior policy audiences. • Ability to work independently, manage several interdependent workstreams and deliver high-quality outputs within tight timelines. • Demonstrated integrity and adherence to United Nations values.

An advanced university degree (Master’s) in Business Administration, Development Economics, Sustainable Finance, Governance, Sustainable Development or a related field is required. A first-level university degree combined with a minimum of two (2) additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree. A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience in ESG, governance, mineral governance, sustainable finance, development economics, mining policy, climate policy or a closely related field is required. Demonstrated experience drafting policy frameworks, standards, compacts, multi-stakeholder agreements, implementation guidance or comparable technical instruments is desirable. Demonstrated experience leading or facilitating complex multi-stakeholder processes involving governments, the private sector, financial institutions, development partners and/or civil society is desirable. Demonstrated knowledge of international ESG, sustainability, disclosure and responsible-business standards, and the ability to translate global norms into practical Africa-specific policy and implementation approaches, is desirable. Experience designing and delivering executive or technical training, capacity-building programme, workshops or training-of-trainers is desirable. Experience in climate policy, just transition, sustainable finance, green industrialization, critical minerals and/or UNFCCC/COP-related processes is an advantage. Experience working with the United Nations, African Union institutions, multilateral development banks or comparable international organizations is an advantage.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, the consultant shall have excellent written and oral communication skills in English.

Not available.