Project Coordination Officer

Office/Unit/Project Description 

The Minamata Convention on Mercury was adopted and signed by 92 countries at the Plenipotentiary Conference held on October 10 and 11, 2013, in Kumamoto, Japan, coming into force on 16 August 2017, 90 days after the deposit of the 50th instrument of ratification.

As of 17 July 2023, it has 144 Parties, including Pakistan. Pakistan deposited its ratification on 16 December 2020. The ASGM sector is considered as one of the most relevant sources of mercury emissions and releases into the environment, receiving special attention in the Minamata Convention. ASGM sector is the biggest source of anthropogenic mercury emissions to air of mercury.

Recognizing that ASGM in its territory is more than insignificant, Pakistan submitted its notification to the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention on 06 October 2021. With this notification, as a party to the Minamata Convention, Pakistan meets the eligibility criteria for access to and utilization of financial resources for ASGM National Action Plan (NAP).

The notification derives from the Minamata Initial Assessment (MIA), concluded recently by the Government of Pakistan under GEF Enabling Activity ID – 5863. The MIA highlighted the significance of the ASGM sector, together with gaps within key aspects and regions(e.g., legal framework, local capacity, strategic vision, technology integration, etc.). Various ministries are ultimately required to work together, and many of the gaps need to be bridged through consolidated efforts and joint work under a coordination mechanism and inline with the general framework of NAP enabling activity.

The project, “Development of National Action Plan for ASGM in Pakistan” (NAP Pakistan), funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and being implemented by UNEP was developed to assist Pakistan to determine a strategy for the reduction, and where feasible, elimination of the use of mercury and mercury compounds in, and the emissions and releases to the environment of mercury from ASGM activities in the country.

The project will include activities to 1) raise national awareness on the use of mercury in ASGM, 2) conduct desk and field studies to gain latest knowledge about ASGM sector in Pakistan, 3) based on the collected information set effective and realistic strategies to transform the sector and 4) build national capacity for the implementation of the National Action Plan for the ASGM sector and the Minamata Convention. The National Action Plan will be developed in accordance with Annex C of the Minamata Convention and Pakistan plans to endorse and submit its Plan to the Secretariat of the Minamata Convention by the end of 2024.

Component 1: Global Technical Support for NAP Development

1.1         Initial training and guidance provided to relevant stakeholders in Pakistan to develop and implement a NAP as per Annex C of the Minamata Convention (administered by the UNEP Global Mercury Partnership).

Component 2: National Action Plan Development

2.1 National Action Plan developed as per Annex C of the Minamata Convention.

Component 3: Monitoring and Evaluation

3.1 Status of project implementation and probity of use of funds accessed on a

regular basis and communicated to the GEF;

3.2    Independent terminal review developed and made publicly available.

Scope of Work 

Under the guidance of National Project Coordinator, the Project Coordination Analyst will administer and organize activities under the NAP Pakistan Project, including simple to more complex tasks. The responsibilities of the incumbent will include working closely with National Project Coordinator, Project Focal Point and National Focal Point of Minamata Convention in the Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination, as well as UNEP Global Mercury Partnership, to prepare comprehensive action plans, including resources, timeframes and budgets for projects. The incumbent plays a pivotal role in timely completion of NAP Pakistan project within the allocated budget as per the high quality standards set.

The duties and responsibilities of the Project Coordination Officer includes below;

1. Develop TORs and oversee the hiring and work of the  national experts/consultants to undertake desk and field research with an aim to develop a national overview of the ASGM sector, including baselines estimates of mercury use and practices developed as part of the mercury inventory activity (e.g., ASGM Expert, Health Expert, , Legal & Institutional Capacity Expert, , Public Health Strategy Expert and Socio economic and/or gender expert);
2. Organize ASGM training for the national team experts and update, on an annual basis, a detailed workplan, procurement plan, forecast, associated budget and detailed monitoring and evaluation plan with key stakeholders;
3. Develop a National Coordination Mechanism that will guide the NAP development through all its phases and ensure that there is effective project planning and management throughout the process;
4. Based on the information on ASGM obtained through desk and field studies (collected, analyzed, and summarized in form of field report by the contracted experts) formulate implementation strategies, as well as objectives and reduction targets with specific activities for each of the NAP elements as described in Annex C of the Minamata Convention;
5. Facilitate the development of draft NAP by organizing national consultations and trainings to finalize the NAP, raise awareness, build capacity for early implementation and agree on a roadmap for NAP endorsement and submission to the Minamata Convention’s Secretariat; 
6. Organizing national project workshops;
7. Prepare and submit detailed quarterly progress and financial expenditure reports on the project (using templates provided by UNEP) and drafts of the National Action Plan report, as deemed necessary;
8. Prepare and submit final project report upon operational completion;
9. Coordinate and collaborate with the government officials from relevant Ministries and key stakeholders for consultation during development of NAP;
10. Monitor project progress and develop contingency strategies to ddress any challenges that may arise;
11. Create and maintain comprehensive project documentation, plans and reports.

Institutional Arrangement

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the National Project Coordinator the Project Coordination Analyst will perform the assigned duties and responsibilities ensuring high standards of work.

The Project Coordination Analyst will supervise the team of Health, Socio Economic, Legal and Inventory Expert.

Competencies

Core
Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work
Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking
Learn Continuously: LEVEL 2: Go outside comfort zone, learn from others and support their learning
Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process
Act with Determination: LEVEL 2: Able to persevere and deal with multiple sources of pressure simultaneously
Engage and Partner: LEVEL 2: Is facilitator/integrator, bring people together, build/maintain coalitions/partnerships
Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 2: Facilitate conversations to bridge differences, considers in decision making 

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies 

Thematic Area Name Definition
Business Direction & Strategy System Thinking Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system
Business Development Knowledge Facilitation Ability to animate individuals and communities of contributors to participate and share, particularly externally
Business Management Project Management Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
Business Management Partnerships Management

Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies

Business Management Communication

Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience. 

Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels

Business Management Monitoring Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results
Ethics UN policy knowledge - ethics

Knowledge and understanding of the UN Staff 

Regulations and Rules and other policies relating to 

ethics and integrity

Minimum Qualifications of the Successful NPSA

Min. Education requirements

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) Environmental Science/Management, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Mining Engineering, or related field; 

OR 

A bachelor’s degree in the areas mentioned is acceptable with additional two years of relevant work experience.

Min. years of relevant work experience  Applicants with a Master’s degree (or equivalent) in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional work experience. Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience in the field of chemicals and hazardous waste and necessarily understanding of the ASGM sector and its various components (mining, processing, economics, environmental and health impacts, etc.) with government organizations, UN Agencies, development sector or private organizations,
Required  skills 

• Skills in data acquisition and management, and basic knowledge of the scientific method.
• Team management experience is the requirement for this position.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

• Experience in working with remote rural communities and labour associations (ideally miners’ associations) is desired.
• Past consulting experience in related topic is desired.
• Knowledge of national, regional and international legislations including on Multilateral Environmental Agreements is desired.

Required Language(s)  Fluency in English and Urdu is required.
Professional Certificates Not required