Environmental and Social Safeguards Officer for Vietnam REDD+ Office

Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (REDD+) has emerged as a potential climate change mitigation response from land use change and forestry sectors.  The notion of REDD+ ‘co-benefits’ was raised in the 2007 Bali Action Plan of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), along with the potential of REDD+ to complement the aims and objectives of other multilateral agreements, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), among others.To ensure that environmental and social co-benefits are delivered and that potential risks are minimized, a series of aspirational statements about how REDD+ should be implemented were established in 2010 by the international community – the so called ‘Cancun safeguards’1 of the UNFCCC.  Countries seeking to implement REDD+ programs must ‘promote and support’ these safeguards at the national and subnational levels.Exploring Mechanisms to Promote High-Biodiversity Conservation through REDD+: Piloting in Vietnam (HB REDD+) is a three-year project implemented by Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNFOREST) and the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV), from 2011 to 2013. The project is funded by International Climate Initiative (ICI) of the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). One of its foci is to assist the Government of Vietnam in responding to international environmental and social safeguards commitments for REDD+.

VNFOREST and SNV are seeking a highly qualified person for the position of Environmental and Social Safeguards Officer. This officer will be seconded to and stationed in the Vietnam REDD+ Office (VRO) of VNFOREST.

Duty Station:  Hanoi with occasion travel to provinces and the possibility of overseas travel to attend meetings and workshops on safeguard issues.

Main duties and responsibilities
- Assist VRO in all technical and operational aspects of REDD+ environmental and social safeguards and associated multiple benefit mechanisms
- Co-ordinate and work closely with stakeholders with an interest and interventions in the fields of REDD+ multiple benefits and national-level safeguard responses
- Assist VRO facilitate multi-stakeholder REDD+ safeguard processes such as the HB-REDD+ supported safeguard roadmap
- Support VRO and SNV co-chairs organise and facilitate STWG-SG meetings.  
- Manage and maintain the STWG-SG page on the redd Viet Nam website
- Represent VRO at national and international meetings on REDD+ safeguards
- Maintain, and share with VRO, up-to-date information on REDD+ safeguards at the global and regional levels
- Co-ordinate and arrange HB-REDD+ project management meetings between VRO and SNV
- Maintain timely communications between VRO and SNV in the implementation of the HB-REDD+ project
- Liaise with other VNFOREST departments to ensure HB-REDD+ project activity (such as participatory forest monitoring)implementation

Candidate requirements
- Postgraduate degree in forestry, natural resources management and governance, biodiversity conservation, social sciences or related subject.
- Minimum 3 years of proven track record in forestry sector management, governance and financing initiatives  
- In-depth understanding of the REDD+ readiness process in Vietnam and working knowledge of REDD+ developments at an international level
- Good knowledge of forest management and governance issues pertaining to REDD+ in a Vietnamese context
- Good knowledge of REDD+ and linkages with biodiversity and other ecosystem services, sustainable livelihoods, forest governance, human rights and climate change adaptation (i.e. the multiple benefits of REDD+)
- Knowledge of environmental and social safeguard frameworks and processes, e.g. the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment--SESA; UN-REDD Social and Environmental Principles and Criteria (SEPC); voluntary REDD+ Social and Environmental Standards (SES); Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA); Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA).
- Extensive experience working with forestry issues and institutions in Vietnam
- Long-term commitment to the Government of Vietnam’s efforts to protect and develop natural forests
- Good knowledge of forest resource inventory and monitoring systems in Vietnam preferred
- Strong interpersonal skills and collegiate team work spirit
- Excellent communication skills in Vietnamese and English
- Good computer skills in MS-applications (Word, Excel, Internet, Email, Power Points)

Contract Duration: One-year (January - December 2013) contract will be offered initially, with possibility of extension contingent upon performance and securing of additional funding 

How to apply
Please send your application letter and CV, together with an indication of your current salary and compensation package, to Mr. Nguyen Vinh Quang at [email protected] by 21 December 2012.

 

Job Details
Organisation Name: 
VNFOREST and SNV
Location: 
Hanoi and project sites
Application Deadline: 
Fri, 2012-12-21