Recycling Specialist

Result of ServiceBest practice guidance documents are developed on e-waste, end of life vehicles (ELVs) and used oil to inform and guide the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of GEF ISLANDS in identifying and selecting the most relevant and effective practices to pilot test in their regional child project national activities. Appropriate technical assistance is provided to the pertinent country teams and regional partners for adequately applying the selected best practices and related recommendations into the design and planning of these pilots. Work LocationRemote Expected duration7.5 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesThe United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system’s designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. The Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) is a global community of policy, business, and finance professionals and organisations committed to collaboratively generating, managing, and sharing knowledge on the transition to an inclusive green economy. The GGKP is led by UNEP, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the World Bank). The mission of GGKP is to empower government decision makers, companies and financial institutions with evidence-based knowledge that can best support them to contribute effectively to the green economy transition. The GGKP provides its best practice knowledge management services through its three core platforms, the Green Policy Platform, the Green Industry Platform, and the Green Finance Platform. GGKP is executing the Communications, Coordination, and Knowledge Management (CCKM) Child Project of the ‘Implementing Sustainable Low and Non-Chemical Development in Small Island Developing States’ (ISLANDS) Programme, a five-year initiative funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and designed to support 33 Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in transitioning to a safe chemical development pathway. Tailored to the unique challenges faced by SIDS, the Programme is composed of seven child projects spanning across four geographical regions: the Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. It aims to strengthen SIDS country’s capacity to manage the flow of chemicals, products, and materials into their territories while unlocking resources for the long-term and integrated management of chemicals and waste. The purpose of this consultancy is to develop three guidance documents on best practices in the recycling of e-waste, end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) and used oil, as well as to provide technical assistance to the regions in developing relevant and successful pilot projects. Specifically, the consultant will: • Develop three guidance documents on best practices in the recycling of e-waste, end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) and used oil, which will provide key technical details about the solutions, enabling conditions and success factors, case studies, conclusions, lessons learned and recommendations for the replication of the best practices in SIDS, as well as sources of additional information. • Provide technical assistance to the ISLANDS regions in the feasibility study, designing and planning of selected pilot projects, including in developing a detailed action plan for the pilots. • Provide technical backstopping in the initial phase of implementation of the pilots to answer questions and ensure a successful implementation. Specific tasks and responsibilities The specific tasks related to this assignment will be under the supervision of the GGKP Coordinator and in close consultation with the CCKM team, and will include: a. Develop guidance documents on recycling best practices for SIDS in e-waste, end of life vehicles and used oil: • In consultation with ISLANDS Implementing Agencies (IAs) and Executing Agencies (EAs) and in alignment with existing international guidance on the sound management of chemicals and waste (e.g. Basel Convention technical guidelines, Stockholm Convention Best Available Techniques and Best Environmental Practices), define the criteria and methodology for identifying and selecting best practices for the recycling of e-waste, ELVs and used oil in SIDS and similar context. Such criteria should include: relevance to SIDS priorities and context, higher evidence-based effectiveness in preventing/reducing chemical pollution and wastes compared to alternatives, proven feasibility for successful implementation within SIDS, greater overall impact on SDGs than alternatives (minimizing trade-offs), as well as post-project, long-term sustainability. • Building on the previous work of CCKM, the other child projects (e.g. Atlantic) and the ISLANDS Forum, and in close coordination with their relevant focal points (e.g. University of Lisbon) as well as ISLANDS key partners, map the key expert institutions and individuals in the recycling of e-waste, ELVs and used oil, primarily among ISLANDS SIDS themselves (both at national or regional levels) but also at the global level (e.g. UNEP, UNIDO, OECD, World Bank, GGGI). • Liaise with the selected experts to collect their best practices most relevant to SIDS. This could be done via an online workshop / focus group discussion or via survey and key informant interviews as well as through analysis of flagship reports. Undertake complementary desk research when necessary to complement the relevant best practices collected. • Via online regional or global workshops, present to the ISLANDS regions (both IAs and EAs) and associated countries the list of best practices options collected above to discuss and agree on which options are best fitted and most interesting/promising to them for potential pilot testing. • Undertake more in-depth research and analysis on the best practices selected by the regions/countries to collect the core technical details on the practices themselves (e.g. technologies, tools, methods, skills, processes and/or infrastructures involved), the enabling conditions for their successful implementation as well as 1-2 key case studies to illustrate each practice. For this purpose, carry out field missions to at least four selected sites for collecting primary data and complementary information through the visits of appropriate sites as well as through focus group discussions and key informant interviews with relevant teams and local experts. • Based on the result of this analysis, draft three practical (i.e. focusing on replication), concise and user-friendly guidance documents on the recycling of e-waste, ELVs and used oils (one guidance of approx. 10 pages for each waste stream) presenting technical details, enabling conditions and success factors, case studies, conclusions, lessons learned and recommendations, as well as sources of additional information (a toolkit format could be used for that purpose). Circulate the draft documents to IAs and EAs for review, then finalize them based on feedback. • Present the final guidance documents via three webinars (one webinar per document). Each webinar should include: a) an overview of the guidance document and related best practices; b) selected case studies to be presented by an appropriate representative; and c) sufficient time for questions and answers. b. Provide technical assistance in the design and planning of related pilots: • Organize four online regional workshops (one for each region) to discuss which best practices could be pilot tested in the region. • Once the pilots have been selected by the regions, undertake field missions to the different regions to visit the appropriate sites and support the designated team in collecting primary data for the feasibility study of the pilots. Provide post-mission remote assistance to the pilot teams via calls and emails for finalising the feasibility studies as well as review and feedback on the draft feasibility reports. • Assist the pilot teams in accurately designing and planning the implementation of the feasible pilots by developing a detailed action plan based on the insights and recommendations of the best practices guidance documents as well as on the findings and conclusions of the applicable feasibility study. The assistance will consist of guidance and inputs via online sessions (one for each region) for developing the action plan, followed by review and feedback on the draft plans themselves. • Provide technical backstopping in the initial phase of implementation of the pilots to answer questions and ensure a successful implementation. In close collaboration with the CCKM Knowledge Management and Research Specialist, set up and facilitate a Community of Practice for guiding/coaching the implementation of the pilots and for cross-regional experience exchange between the different pilot teams within ISLANDS. Performance indicators • Timely and qualitative support provided to the ISLANDS Global Child Project in developing guidance documents on recycling best practices for SIDS in e-waste, end of life vehicles and used oil. • Timely and qualitative support provided to the ISLANDS Global Child Project in providing technical assistance in the design and planning of pilot projects in the ISLANDS regions. Qualifications/special skills• Advanced University degree (master's or equivalent) in waste management, environmental engineering, environmental science or closely related area is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. • Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in the field of recycling and waste management is required. • Minimum of 2 years working on e-waste, end-of-life vehicles and/or used oil is required. • Minimum of 2 years working on developing best practices, guidelines and pilot projects in waste management is required. • Experience working on POPs, mercury and other toxic chemicals is required. • Excellent ability to generate clear and concise guidance and other type of technical documents is required. • Experience working with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is required. • Experience of working with international and intergovernmental organization is desirable. Languages• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For the post advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language, in particular French and/or Spanish, is an advantage. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.