National Consultant on Climate Finance to Food Systems in Morocco

Outline of the background paper -Electronic file, Word in French- 2 to 3 pages-15 September 2026 2- Draft Background paper- Electronic file, Word in French- 15 October 3- Final Background paper- Electronic file, Word in French and Arabic- Up to 25 pages, excluding annexes-5 November 4- Capacity building session concept note and workshop agenda- Electronic file, Word in French and Arabic-3 to 10 pages for the concept note-3 to 5 pages for the agenda- 10 November 5- Participation in national workshop and final workshop report- Electronic file, Word in French and Arabic, PPT- Up to 10 pages- 10 December

Remotely

4 Months

Background and Objective The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), at the request of the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests of the Kingdom of Morocco, is supporting the development of a national capacity-building plan to strengthen the ministry's ability to access and mobilize financing—including climate finance—for food production-related sectors, including agriculture and livestock, fisheries, rural development, water, and forests. Climate change and food systems are deeply interlinked. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, droughts, floods and other climate-related shocks directly affect agricultural production, fisheries, water availability, food supply chains, and rural livelihoods. On the other hand, agrifood systems are themselves an important driver of climate change, contributing roughly one third of global greenhouse gas emissions . The importance of converging climate and food-systems agendas has been reaffirmed in recent global processes, including the United Nations Food Systems Summits and Stocktakes and ESCWA’s Climate-Food Nexus Initiative, echoing the United Nations Secretary-General’s call for accelerated delivery and coordinated support to build food-secure and climate-resilient futures. Addressing these challenges requires well-targeted investment to strengthen adaptive capacity, improve water and land management, support climate-resilient agriculture, enhance ecosystem services, and protect vulnerable producers and communities. However, realizing food-systems transformation also requires financing that is not only larger in scale, but better aligned with national priorities, more accessible to national institutions, and more effectively translated into bankable project pipelines. Between 2013–2023, Morocco received approximately USD 2.46 billion in climate finance, including 652 food system projects. Morocco has demonstrated strong capacity to attract and absorb climate finance for food systems transformation, supported by a relatively mature policy and institutional environment, including the Generation Green strategy. However, stronger alignment between financing flows and sectoral needs remains necessary to ensure a more balanced and strategic allocation of resources, while further capacity is needed to translate national priorities into bankable project concepts, strengthen the climate rationale of investments, improve interinstitutional coordination, and mobilize appropriate combinations of public, concessional, private and blended finance. In this context, this project will strengthen the capacities of the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests of Morocco to translate policy priorities into bankable project concepts, strengthen the climate rationale of their investments, and mobilize appropriate combinations of public, concessional, private and blended finance. Through a technical workshop in Rabat consisting of technical sessions, panel discussions, and group exercises, participants will gain practical knowledge on accessing and structuring climate and complementary financing instruments, while strengthening coordination across relevant sectors and institutions. Duties and Responsabilities The national consultant will work closely with ESCWA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests along with other ministries including environment and finance to develop a background paper, design and deliver a tailored capacity-building programme on climate finance for food systems. The consultant will have access and use materials that were developed by ESCWA, including on climate finance for food systems in the Arab region and on the development of bankable projects, as a reference for their tasks. The consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables: Background Paper on Finance for Food Systems in Morocco Prepare a background paper to support the capacity-building programme, providing an overview of the finance landscape relevant to Morocco's food systems. The paper should cover the main climate, national and complementary financing mechanisms, national governance and institutional arrangements, opportunities and challenges for mobilizing finance across food systems sectors, and practical recommendations to strengthen institutional capacity, coordination, and the development of bankable project pipelines. The paper will serve as the main reference document for workshop participants. Design of the Capacity-Building Programme Conduct consultations with the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development, Water and Forests to identify priority capacity-building needs and contribute, in collaboration with ESCWA, to the refinement of the three-day workshop agenda. The consultant will design the methodology and prepare the materials for at least one practical session, ensuring that it responds to the Ministry's priorities and complements the overall workshop programme. National Capacity-Building Workshop and Outcome Document Contribute to the implementation of the three-day workshop, Unlocking Finance for Climate-Resilient Food Systems in Morocco, by delivering the practical session developed under Deliverable 2, facilitating participant engagement and discussions, and preparing a workshop outcome document. The outcome document will capture participation, key discussion points, main conclusions, and recommendations emerging from the workshop.

A Bachelor's degree in food security/food systems, economics, finance, public policy, agriculture, climate change, sustainable development or related field is required. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of five years of professional work experience in research and analysis related to food systems or climate change financing is required. Experience in food systems or climate change policymaking in Morocco is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in French, English and Arabic are required. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand).

Not available.