Result of Service

o Verification report of HCFC consumption in Cambodia for the years 2022-2024. o Verification report of HCFC consumption in Brunei Darussalam for the years 2020-2024.

Work Location

Home Based

Expected duration

5 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The United Nations Environment Programme 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 Law Division works with international and non-governmental organizations, national and local governments, business and industry to develop and implement policies, strategies and practices that are cleaner and safer, incorporate environmental costs, use natural resources efficiently, reduce pollution and risks for humans and the environment, and enable the implementation of Conventions and International Agreements. UNEP OzonAction Branch under the Law Division is one of the four Implementing Agencies under the Multilateral Fund (MLF) for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. This position is in the OzonAction/Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) of the Law Division at the Bangkok Duty Station and reports to the Activity Leaders of CAP team based in Asia and Pacific Office, who provide implementation support to these countries. The consultant will work under the guidance of the Interim Montreal Protocol Regional Coordinator – Southeast Asia Network and Pacific Island Countries Network, as well as ExCom Coordinator based in Paris. The consultant will work closely with the National Ozone Units (NOUs) and under the guidance of the Montreal Protocol Programme Management Officer – Southeast Asia Network and Pacific Island Countries Network. The consultant will be home-based and shall mobilize adequate time and resources to carry out the assignment within the agreed time frame and shall demonstrate a strong commitment to completing the assignment. (i) Work plan for conducting verification of HCFC consumption In close consultation with UNEP and the NOU of Brunei Darussalam and Cambodia, the consultant shall prepare the draft work plan including (i) timeline for conducting verification and (ii) tasks and roles and responsibilities of each concerned stakeholders in the verification process, as well as support/cooperation will be required from various stakeholders. The consultant shall liaise with the NOU and national stakeholders to discuss (i) the draft work plan, (ii) verification procedures and proposed timeline for conducting verification, (iii) roles and responsibility of each stakeholder during verification especially the required information/data needed to be provided for the verification. During the assignment, the consultant shall conduct verification following the ExCom’s Guidelines for the Verification of National HCFC Consumption Targets of Multi-year Agreements. (ii) Review the national legislation, policies and procedures on ODS import and export and to conduct an assessment of the existing licensing and quota system to control HCFC import and export. The consultant shall review national legislation, policies and procedures on ODS imports/exports, such as; o Channel of communication between NOU, the Customs Department and importers; o Authorized list of importers/exporters and, where available, distributors; o Conditions of issuing licenses; o Administrative procedures and documentation; o System of monitoring and reporting on exports of ODS; o Sanctions or penalties to be imposed on violation of legal regulation; o Mechanisms and capacity for prosecution and Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature and Coding System in order to identify ODS and ODS mixtures; o Procedures to be applied in case of suspicious shipments; and o Sampling or other identification methods used. Under this task, the consultant shall; o Describe and summarize regulations related to the control, restriction or ban on the import of ODS and ODS-based equipment e.g. authority enforcing the regulation and how the regulation is enforced. o Describe and summarize the process of issuing licenses: Issues to be addressed are e.g. how is the quota for a given year set; who can apply for a quota; who is responsible for granting or rejecting the application; what are the criteria to make such a decision; how is the decision communicated to the applicant and other relevant stakeholders; is the process legally defined in a regulation. It should clarify whether there is only one or several authorities who can issue licenses. It should be clear whether there is a legal basis to refuse licenses to ineligible applicants or to eligible applicants once the quota is exhausted; o Describe and summarize the information on administrative procedures, i.e. whether Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature and Coding System can differentiate between the different HCFCs (pure and contained in blends) and HCFC-141b contained in imported pre-blended polyols where applicable. It should also verify whether customs have been provided with a detailed list of HCFCs, HCFC blends and trade names, and whether this list is available and used at the points of entry; and o Conduct an assessment of the quota, licensing, import/export control and monitoring and reporting system. This should cover e.g. whether current customs officers at the relevant ports of entry possess the necessary information to enact the controls, whether importers do not ship consignments to the country without having already obtained an import license and similar issues. Concerning the HCFC-141b contained in pre-blended polyols, it should verify whether customs officers have the capacity to identify these imports, and whether they were trained to do so (training, reporting lines). The verification should clarify whether problems like handling a typical event (use of still-valid previous-year licenses, imports deemed to take place at year-end but actually taken place in a new year) are covered by the regulatory set-up in the country. (iii) Review official statistics on import and export maintained by different sources and to analyse and compare such the statistics The consultant shall review official statistics and original data on imports/export maintained by the NOU, the Customs Department, representative samples of reports from importers/exporters and, where available, of distributors. The consultant shall conduct interviews, analysis and cross-check various data collected from different sources comprising of: o Quotas issued by authority versus actual quotas used. o The actual amount of HCFCs imported/exported versus license issued to importer/exporter by shipment and by importer/exporter (the results can be given in a summary if required by stakeholders, but a case-by-case comparison needs to be carried out as a basis). This should be verified from data received from the NOU, the Customs Department and importers. o The actual import and export of HCFCs verified with the reported data in both the country programme and Article 7 data reports (to the degree relevant at the time of the verification), as well as with the consumption targets specified in Appendix 2-A of the Agreement. o Discrepancies, where found, should be investigated and the reason for the discrepancy should be provided in the report. The report should list perceived shortcomings and suggest improvements to the system. The consultant shall verify whether HCFCs not listed in Appendix 1-A are not being imported, or quantify the imports, if any, of HCFCs not listed. (iv) Assessment of implementation of recommendation from previous HCFC verification report. The verification reports for Brunei Darussalam (2013-2017) and Cambodia (2019-2021) previously submitted to the ExCom provided recommendations to strengthen the implementation and enforcement of quota, licensing, monitoring and reporting system. The consultant shall review actions carried out by the Government of Brunei Darussalam and the Government of Cambodia and assess whether these actions were sufficient to address these recommendations and include the consultant’s own assessment in the verification report of each country. (v) Preparation and submission of draft HCFC verification report. The consultant shall prepare and submit the draft verification report for the years 2022-2024 (Cambodia) and for the years 2020-2024 (Brunei Darussalam) to UNEP. UNEP will then transmit the draft to the NOU of each country for their review and observations. The verification report must be produced in English and shall; o Describe the detailed steps and procedures taken to conduct the verification. o Summarize all aspects of national legislation and policies regarding licensing system, process of issuing licenses, information on administrative procedures and assessment of the licensing, quota, import control and monitoring system including those designed to ensure achievement of the consumption targets in the Agreement. o Cross-check data collected from different sources, e.g., amounts reported by importers, NOU and the Customs Department. Discrepancies, where found, should be investigated and the reasons for which should be provided in the report. o Describe issues and problems encountered while implementing the current import/export licensing in the country (e.g. deviations between data from different sources, showing transfer errors, or establishing that reporting was referring to licensed amounts where actual imports should have been reported, among others). The report should also suggest how these issues and problems could be addressed. o Assess implementation of recommendations from the previous verification of HCFC consumption report. o Provide detailed data demonstrating and confirming whether the consumption target in the Agreement was achieved, whether there is existence of an operational licensing and quota system for HCFC imports and exports and whether the system is capable to ensure the country’s compliance with the targets as set out in the Agreement between each country and the ExCom. (vi) Finalization and submission of HCFC verification report After receiving comments from UNEP and observations from the NOUs, the consultant shall review and, based on his/her professional judgment, finalize the verification report for the years year 2022-2024 (Cambodia) and the year 2020-2024 (Brunei Darussalam). The consultant shall submit the revised report Brunei Darussalam and Cambodia to UNEP, which will be transmitted to the NOU of each country for acknowledgement.

Qualifications/special skills

Bachelor’s Degree in the area of accounting, science, engineering, environmental policy or other related qualifications required for conducting verification is required. Other academic qualifications in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the bachelor’s degree. At least 5 years of working experience related to accounting, engineering, scientific, or environment policy background is required. Prior experience in working with governments in Asia and/or the Pacific region on data collection and analysis or auditing/verification is desirable. Prior working experience with international organizations, and/or inter-governmental organization at the global, regional and national level is desirable. Experience in Montreal Protocol or previous successfully implemented country projects (Terminal Phase-out Management Plan (TPMP), Institutional Strengthening Project (IS) and HCFC Phase-out Management Plan (HPMP), Ozone Depleting Substance (ODS) Alternatives Survey, Kigali HFC Implementation Plan (KIP) is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE 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.