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Request for Proposals: Interim Evaluation of Support for the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
IISD is seeking a consultant to conduct an interim evaluation of support from the Government of Ireland implemented under three work streams: IISD’s Resilience Program, the NAP Global Network Secretariat, and the Earth Negotiations Bulletin.
Interested applicants can apply through the process outlined in the following Request for Proposals and Statement of Work documents. Proposals are due by midnight (GMT-5) on June 27, 2025, with work expected to begin in July 2025.
Early-Career Professionals to provide targeted support on NbS for the National Adaptation Plan Process in Panama
May–January 2026
Background
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change states that Parties shall “(b). Cooperate in and promote, at the international level, and, where appropriate, using existing bodies: (ii) The development and implementation of education and training programs, including the strengthening of national institutions … in particular for developing countries.”
Engaging and empowering young professionals presents an important opportunity to strengthen their capacity for climate action. However, due to multiple barriers, youth often remain underrepresented in national-level decision-making processes.
To bridge this gap, the Early Career Professionals Program aims to enhance human and institutional capacities in partner countries by strengthening the skills and technical knowledge of early-career professionals to support the NAP process.
Within the structure of this program model, early-career professionals are placed in government host organizations, allowing them to work directly with decision-makers, develop key competencies, and contribute to specific tasks related to the NAP process.
The Early Career Professionals Program will foster intergenerational collaboration and deliver mutual benefits. For professionals, it offers valuable personal and professional development opportunities. For government institutions, it strengthens long-term capacity by developing a new generation of skilled climate change adaptation practitioners and policy-makers.
Objectives
General Objective
Through this program, the NAP Global Network and the Ministry of Environment of Panama are seeking to engage an early-career professional to support adaptation planning teams to advance the NAP process.
Specific Objectives
- Assist in the integration of nature-based solutions (NbS): Ensure that the NAP process incorporates NbS and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) approaches, promoting both climate resilience and ecosystem restoration and conservation. This role includes ensuring that selected adaptation measures align with the principles of restoring and conserving natural ecosystems.
- Align Nature Pledge commitments: Help identify and establish adaptation commitments under Panama’s Nature Pledge, aligning them with the NAP priority actions and measures.
- Strengthen synergies: Build synergies between existing and upcoming NAP sectors, such as marine–coastal and biodiversity, to avoid duplicating efforts and ensure coherence in adaptation strategies.
- Document and create a repository of adaptation prioritization: Document the process of establishing and prioritizing adaptation measures, creating a systematic repository that consolidates information on methodologies used for the selection and prioritization of adaptation actions.
Required Profile
A person with knowledge in climate change adaptation strategies, with experience in designing and implementing activities on integrating NbS and creating synergies across diverse sectors.
MANDATORY
- A university degree in environmental studies, engineering, geomatics engineering, geography, social sciences, public policy, international development, or another related field.
- Volunteer or formal experience in supporting NbS initiatives or assisting in national or sub-national planning or policy processes.
- Knowledge of the NAP process and its goals, as well as policies and the institutional landscape related to climate change.
- Strong writing and synthesis skills to produce briefs, reports, and summaries.
- Strong organizational and communication skills, with the ability to work in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team.
- Ability to work from Panama City.
DESIRABLE
- A certificate showing participation in the Academy for Young Leaders on Climate Change of Panama.
- A master’s degree in a related field would be an asset.
- Ability to be based in Panama City and regularly attend in-person meetings at the Ministry of Environment.
- Knowledge of NbS concepts, principles, and standards and understanding of how NbS contribute to climate adaptation.
- A good understanding of GESI in relation to adaptation.
- Proven ability to facilitate stakeholder consultations and workshops.
LANGUAGES
- An advanced level of Spanish is required.
- An advanced level of English is desired.
Application Process
ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS
- CV (2 pages maximum)
- Letter of interest (2 pages maximum)
In the letter of interest and CV, you should explicitly indicate activities and experiences relevant to this work, describe how your selection could add value to this task and provide insight into the technical approach you will use to achieve the objectives of the contract.
To apply, send the administrative requirements to info@napglobalnetwork.org, copying mluna@iisd.org and aprias@iisd.org. Please mention “NAP Early Career Program – Professionals – Panama” in the subject line.
Application deadline: June 9th, 2025
Start date: June 16, 2025
End date: 8 calendar months after the start of the service
Location: Ministry of Environment of Panama, Panama City
Read the Terms of Reference in English and Spanish.
Early-Career Professionals to provide targeted support on Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) for the National Adaptation Plan Process in Panama
May–January 2026
Background
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change states that Parties shall “(b). Cooperate in and promote, at the international level, and, where appropriate, using existing bodies: (ii) The development and implementation of education and training programs, including the strengthening of national institutions … in particular for developing countries.”
Engaging and empowering young professionals presents an important opportunity to strengthen their capacity for climate action. However, due to multiple barriers, youth often remain underrepresented in national-level decision-making processes.
To bridge this gap, the Early Career Professionals Program aims to enhance human and institutional capacities in partner countries by strengthening the skills and technical knowledge of early-career professionals to support the NAP process.
Within the structure of this program model, early-career professionals are placed in government host organizations, allowing them to work directly with decision-makers, develop key competencies, and contribute to specific tasks related to the NAP process.
The Early Career Professionals Program will foster intergenerational collaboration and deliver mutual benefits. For professionals, it offers valuable personal and professional development opportunities. For government institutions, it strengthens long-term capacity by developing a new generation of skilled climate change adaptation practitioners and policy-makers.
Objectives
General Objective
Through this program, the NAP Global Network and the Ministry of Environment of Panama are seeking to engage an early-career professional to support adaptation planning teams to advance the NAP process.
Specific Objectives
- Strengthen the NAP monitoring architecture: Support the implementation of systems to monitor the progress of adaptation actions established in the NAPs, ensuring that they align with other international processes and reporting frameworks, such as the UAE Framework for Global Climate Resilience.
- Coordinate with MEL Team: Work closely with Panama’s MyE team to ensure that NAP indicators are integrated into the country’s broader monitoring and evaluation efforts and contribute to the institutionalization of the NAP monitoring process.
- Support reporting on adaptation in the Biennial Transparency Report (A-BTR): Assist in preparing data and documentation for Panama’s next A-BTR, with a focus on adaptation progress, indicators, and sustainability.
- Enhance institutional coordination: Support the articulation of the NAP monitoring system with other national processes and institutions, fostering inter-institutional coordination and enhancing data-sharing practices.
Required Profile
A person with knowledge in climate change and monitoring of projects, with experience in designing and implementing systems for tracking project outcomes and fostering collaboration among multiple institutions and stakeholders.
MANDATORY
- A university degree in environmental studies, engineering, social sciences, public policy, international development, statistics, economics, or another related field.
- Volunteer or formal experience, preferably in the context of indicators, data collection methods, and analysis for adaptation or development programming.
- Knowledge of the NAP process and its goals, as well as the policy and institutional landscape related to climate change.
- Demonstrated ability to conduct thorough research, including qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.
- Strong writing and synthesis skills to produce briefs, reports, and summaries.
- Strong organizational and communication skills, with the ability to work in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary team.
DESIRABLE
- A certificate showing participation in the Academy for Young Leaders on Climate Change of Panama.
- A master’s degree in a related field would be an asset.
- Ability to be based in Panama City and regularly attend in-person meetings at the Ministry of Environment.
- Knowledge in data analysis and reporting, with experience preparing technical reports and contributing to policy documents.
- A good understanding of GESI in relation to adaptation.
LANGUAGES
- An advanced level of Spanish is required.
- An advanced level of English is desired.
Application process
ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS
- CV (2 pages maximum)
- Letter of interest (2 pages maximum)
In the letter of interest and CV, you should explicitly indicate activities and experiences relevant to this work, describe how your selection could add value to this task, and provide insight into the technical approach that you will use to achieve the objectives of the contract.
To apply, send the administrative requirements to info@napglobalnetwork.org, with a copy to mluna@iisd.org and aprias@iisd.org. Please mention “NAP Early Career Program – Professionals – Panama” in the subject line.
Application deadline: June 9th, 2025.
Start date: June 16, 2025.
End date: 8 calendar months after the start of the service.
Location: Ministry of Environment of Panama, Panama City
Read the Terms of Reference in English and Spanish.
Consultancy: Development of Training Modules for Civil Society Organizations to Support Engagement in National Adaptation Plan Processes
May–October 2025
Background
Effective NAP processes are participatory, bringing together actors from different parts of government with non-state actors. This includes civil society organizations (CSOs), who play a critical role in strengthening capacities for adaptation, providing services that build resilience, and facilitating collective action, particularly at the local level. CSOs are essential to the successful implementation of adaptation priorities identified through NAP processes. These organizations also act as advocates for the rights of marginalized groups, bringing the voices of women and other groups that face discrimination into policy discussions. However, CSOs may lack access to adaptation decision making spaces, meaning that important perspectives are excluded from policy and planning processes.
Through our work with government actors, we aim to build their understanding of the need for broad and diverse engagement for effective NAP processes, thereby creating demand for inputs from CSOs. However, we have realized that even when the government is interested in engaging CSOs in adaptation decision making processes, there may be constraints to inclusive and meaningful participation.
In an effort to support civil society actors in acquiring the knowledge they need to more effectively engage with their country’s NAP process, the NAP Global Network is looking for a team of consultants to develop a set of flexible, practical training modules for CSO engagement in the NAP process. We also recognize the importance of local private sector actors in NAP processes, who may face some of the same knowledge gaps – with this in mind, they represent a secondary target audience for the training.
Qualifications
We are looking for an individual or a team with the following qualifications:
- At least five years of work experience in a field related to climate change adaptation and sustainable development.
- Significant experience in advocacy and policy engagement in relation to climate change adaptation.
- Significant experience designing and delivering training for diverse audiences of CSOs.
- Solid technical knowledge on climate change adaptation.
- Familiarity with the NAP process and related policy frameworks under the UNFCCC would be an asset.
- A master’s degree in environmental or social studies and/or other related fields is desirable.
Duty Station
Remote
Expected Start Date
June 2, 2025
How To Apply
To apply for this assignment, please provide:
- A cover letter, describing how your skills and experience align with the requirements of the position as described above (maximum two pages).
- CVs for all team members.
- A financial proposal, estimating fees for delivering the assignment.
Applications should be submitted to: info@napglobalnetwork.org
Applications are due by May 25, 2025.
Read the Terms of Reference.