Programme Management Officer

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.

At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, world leaders agreed on a comprehensive strategy for sustainable development. A key agreement opened for signature at Rio was the Convention on Biological Diversity. The Convention has three objectives: the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) is located in Montreal, Canada and is administered by UNEP. This post is located in the Convention on Biological Diversity, Science, Society and Sustainable Futures Division (SSSF). Under the general guidance of the Head of Division and the direct supervision of the Head of the Biodiversity Science, Policy and Governance Unit (BSPG), the incumbent will perform the following duties:
**Responsibilities**:
1. Provides neutral scientific, technical and information documents and expert advice on the conservation and sustainable use of marine, coastal and island biodiversity including in relation to post-2020 global biodiversity framework and Sustainable Development Goals, to the Conference of the Parties (COP) and its subsidiary bodies as well as other scientific and technical preparatory processes.
(a) Develops evidence-based documents from scientific and technical data and information to facilitate decision making by the COP and its subsidiary bodies e.g. the meetings of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA) and the meetings of the Subsidiary Body on Implementation (SBI).
(b) Prepares draft decisions and recommendations in an integrated manner to support Parties in reaching a coherent set of outcomes on marine, coastal and island biodiversity.
(c) Provides substantive input to the COP and SBSTTA bureaux and their chairs regarding marine, coastal and island biodiversity.
(d) Leads and coordinates the preparation of relevant scientific and technical reports, documents and publications on marine, coastal and island biodiversity
(e) Leads, designs, planning organization and servicing expert workshops/meetings, regional workshops, side events/meetings that provide inputs to the subsidiary bodies (e.g. SBSTTA, SBI) and the COP, regarding marine, coastal and island biodiversity as well as the development and dissemination of the workshop reports.
(f) Leads identification and implementation of any further steps related to ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSA) and the impacts of the various pressures/threats on marine, coastal and island biodiversity, such as ocean acidification, unsustainable fishing, marine debris, anthropogenic underwater noise, climate change, pollution, including plastic pollution and etc., in collaboration with Parties, scientific community, individual experts, and relevant organizations
(g) Leads the identification of new and emerging issues of particular significance for the work of the Convention on marine, coastal and island biodiversity.

2. Leads, coordinates, manages, and provides expert advice in the execution of the various components of the Convention’s work on marine, coastal and island biodiversity.
(a) Ensures quality outputs as well as effective and efficient functioning of the Secretariat’s work on marine, coastal and island biodiversity, including the ecologically or biologically significant marine areas, monitoring the status and trends of different marine habitats and ecosystem features (e.g. coral reefs and associated ecosystems, cold-water biodiversity, open ocean and deep-sea habitats, other coastal and marine habitats and ecosystem features, living resources), addressing anthropogenic impacts (e.g. ocean acidification, climate change, marine debris, marine pollution, unsustainable fishing, coastal development, habitat loss and degradation) on marine biodiversity through the development of scientific synthesis, tools and guidelines (e.g. ecosystem and precautionary approaches, integrated marine and coastal area management, marine and coastal protected areas, impact assessments, marine spatial planning), capacity development, technical cooperation and information sharing, in line with the requests by COP and its subsidiary bodies.
(b) Provides guidance to and maintain strategic-level as well as operational-level communication, coordination and collaboration with CBD national focal points, secretariats for various inter-governmental instruments and processes, various partner organizations and scientific communities, on issues of marine, coastal and island biodiversity.
(c) Manages, provides guida