The ultimate objective of the services is to build net-zero institutional capacity for the financial services sector in North America and support banks and other financial institutions in the design and implementation of their climate mitigation journey. With that objective, the consultant will work directly with the UNEP FI climate and regional teams to conduct regional/country analysis of existing net-zero capabilities to identify gaps and opportunities, scope and prioritize regional and country-specific net-zero capacity-building needs, and plan and facilitate the delivery of net-zero capacity-building activities by engaging and leveraging the capabilities of relevant UNEP FI and other strategic partners’ teams in line with the regional and country-specific capacity-building plan. The consultant will work closely with UNEP FI’s global Climate Team, Banking Team, and the North America Regional Lead as well as other strategic partners.

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. The overall objective of UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division is to encourage decision makers in government, local authorities, and industry to develop and adopt policies, strategies, practices, and technologies that promote sustainable patterns of consumption and production, make efficient use of natural resources, ensure safe management of chemicals, and contribute to making trade and environment policies mutually supportive. It promotes the development, use, and transfer of policies, technologies, economic instruments, managerial practices, and other tools that assist in environmentally sound decision-making and the building of corresponding activities. The United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) works with its network of more than 500 financial institutions to help shape the international sustainable finance agenda, set global norms, and contribute to changing the financial system. Through its work streams and regional activities, peer learning, methodology development, training, and research, UNEP FI promotes sustainable finance and helps the financial industry align with and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals and other international agreements, such as the Paris Agreement and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

UNEP FI supports the development and implementation of sustainability frameworks, including the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB), now committed to by more than 310 banks, collectively holding USD 89 trillion in assets, representing almost half of global banking assets, and the Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI), established in 2012 by UNEP FI and today applied by one-quarter of the world’s insurers (25% of world premium). The industry-led, UN-convened Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) brings together a global group of banks, currently representing over 40% of global banking assets, committed to aligning their lending and investment portfolios with net-zero emissions by 2050. This ambitious commitment sees signatory banks setting intermediate targets for 2030 or sooner using robust, science-based guidelines. NZBA is the flagship climate initiative under the Principles for Responsible Banking to accelerate science-based climate target setting and develop common practices.

As the banking alliance within the global efforts on net zero across the finance industry brought together under GFANZ, the NZBA is open to all banks globally, including banks that are not UNEP FI members and Principles for Responsible Banking signatories. Similar UN-convened initiatives exist for asset owners (Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance (NZAOA). UNEP FI needs a consultant who will work with both UNEP FI climate and regional teams to scale up and further develop climate mitigation initiatives for commercial banks, insurers, and asset owners in North America (Canada and the United States).

Objectives

The consultant will conduct regional/country analysis of existing net-zero capabilities to identify gaps and opportunities, scope and prioritize regional and country-specific net-zero capacity-building needs, and plan and facilitate the delivery of net-zero capacity-building activities by engaging and leveraging the capabilities of relevant UNEP FI and other strategic partners’ teams in line with the regional and country-specific capacity-building plan. The consultant will work closely with UNEP FI’s global Climate Team, Banking Team, Regional Teams, and other strategic partners.

Specific Tasks and Responsibilities

• Drive bilateral and collective engagement with banks to raise awareness and build capacity across the climate mitigation journey by engaging and leveraging existing capabilities of UNEP FI and other strategic partners.
• Conduct regional/country (Canada and US) analysis of existing net-zero capabilities to identify gaps and opportunities to advance institutional capacity in financial decarbonization.
• Scope and prioritize net-zero capacity-building needs in chosen regions/jurisdictions.
• Build a net-zero capacity-building plan, considering UNEP FI’s, GFANZ’s, relevant regulatory regimes/approaches, and other strategic partners’ capabilities and resources.
• Design and prepare regional/country-specific training materials.
• Design and deliver capacity-building work to support FIs in advancing their climate mitigation journey.
• Engage with relevant parties to deliver net-zero capacity-building activities for banks, insurers, and asset owners in line with the plan to build institutional capacity across the stages of the climate mitigation journey.
• Organize and deliver events to accelerate financial sector decarbonization by leveraging UNEP FI and other partner capabilities.
• Map local stakeholders and engage them in collaboration with the Regional Lead to create an enabling environment for banks’ climate journey.
• Conduct maturity analysis of emissions data capabilities and explore opportunities to advance those.
• Prepare reporting materials: evaluations of strengths and weaknesses and insights for planning 2025.

Outputs and Deliverables

• Regional/Country Analyses (as per the stages of the journey).
• Regional Net Zero Capacity-Building Plan (as per the stages of the journey).
• Country-Tailored Capacity-Building Workshops and other forms of technical assistance.
• Country-Tailored Training Materials (as per the stages of the journey).
• Country Emissions Data Gap Analysis & Proposed Approach.

Qualifications/Special Skills

Education:

• A first-level university degree or equivalent in finance, banking, economic development, sustainable finance, climate finance, climate technologies, sustainable development, international relations, political sciences, or a related field.

Professional Experience:

• At least six (6) years of working experience with financial institutions in net-zero, sustainable finance, climate finance, or relevant capacity building/training work.

Languages

• English is the working language of UNEP FI; knowledge of other languages is desirable.

Additional Information

Skills & Knowledge:

• Thorough knowledge of the climate mitigation agenda for the financial services sector, including emerging trends and best practices on net zero for commercial banks and financial institutions.
• Deep understanding of climate mitigation concepts for the financial services sector, including physical and transition risks, carbon accounting, climate commitment frameworks, portfolio alignment approaches, and transition planning.
• Familiarity with voluntary and regulatory sustainability disclosure and reporting frameworks, such as ISSB, SEC Climate Disclosure, Canadian Sustainability Disclosure Standards (CSDS), and OSFI’s B-15.
• Knowledgeable about regional climate mitigation pathways, policy, and tools available for financial institutions.
• Familiarity with UNEP FI’s climate mitigation initiatives and frameworks, including the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) and the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA).
• Experience in developing and delivering technical support/training for banks or financial institutions.
• Strong stakeholder management, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Experience in project planning and management.