Institutional Support and Capacity Building Specialist [Open to internal and external applicants]
- Organisation: UNDP
- Location: Yaounde, Cameroon
- Deadline: 24 November 2026
Tiered Approach
In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:
• Tier 0 : UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1 : Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2 : UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated : All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates
Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.
2. Office/Unit/Project Description
The Central African region is home to the second largest tropical rainforest in the world, is sucking out about 1.5 billion tons of CO2 of the atmosphere or 4% of the world’s emissions every year and provides a habitat to more than 10,000 plant and animal species. Forest loss is accelerating despite ongoing efforts, as government action alone has not been enough to establish an effective balance between the interests of the forest and of economic development. On this basis, a coalition of donors – the European Union, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of Norway, the Republic of France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Republic of Korea – together with Central African partner countries – Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of Cameroon, the Republic of Congo, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, and the Republic of Gabon – have decided to enter into a collaborative partnership to establish the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI).
CAFI’s objective is to recognize and preserve the value of the forests in the region to mitigate climate change, reduce poverty, and contribute to sustainable development. This objective will be attained through the implementation of country-led, national scale REDD+ and Low Emissions Development (LED) investment frameworks that include policy reforms and measures to address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation and promote sustainable development. The CAFI Trust Fund is the principal means to implement the Central African Forest Initiative. It is administered by the MPTF-O, that also provides the Secretariat services. The Congo Basin, home to over 200 million hectares of tropical forest, represents one of the world’s most vital carbon sinks and biodiversity reservoirs. Sadly, the region continues to experience alarming rates of forest loss. Over one million hectares of forest is lost annually, driven by small-scale agriculture, infrastructure expansion, and unsustainable logging practices. Despite its ecological and climate significance, Central African forests receive only 11% of forest climate financing worldwide. This deforestation not only undermines global climate goals but also threatens the livelihoods of over 75 million forest-dependent communities.
3. Scope of Work
This assignment aims to strengthen the CAFI Secretariat’s strategy for policy dialogue & country engagement by addressing the institutional, governance and capacity challenges within the Congo Basin’s forest and climate agenda.
The purpose of this assignment is to support CAFI partner countries in strengthening national and subnational institutions to directly access, manage and implement financing from CAFI and other global environmental and climate funds such as the Green Climate Fund and the Adaptation Fund.
The Institutional Support and Capacity Building Specialist will lead the design, coordination and quality assurance of CAFI support through the direct-access readiness lifecycle from initial gap assessments and systems strengthening to accreditation, pipeline development, compliance and monitoring and continuous improvement. Ultimately, this tailored, country-owned support aims to ensure that partner institutions meet formal eligibility or accreditation requirements and the capacity to manage and implement high-quality investment programmes.
Under the overall guidance of the Chief Policy Dialogue and Country Engagement, the Institutional Support and Capacity Building Specialist will include the following main functions:
1. Lead the Provision of Expert Support for Institutional Capacity Strengthening
• Assess institutional capacity gaps within national and subnational institutions, including government entities, public financial institutions, civil society organizations and other eligible entities seeking direct access to the CAFI Fund or other global environmental funds.
• Support the development and strengthening of policies, procedures and governance frameworks aligned with the CAFI Investment Framework, CAFI policies and procedures, country priorities and, where applicable, the requirements of the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund and other global environmental funds.
• Facilitate institutional coordination among ministries, departments and stakeholders, including institutions responsible for forestry, environment, climate, planning and finance, as well as national designated authorities and other entities involved in direct-access processes.
• Analyse institutional, governance and political economy factors that may enable or constrain direct access and the effective implementation of nationally led programmes.
• Contribute to the design and operationalization of national PES institutional frameworks, action plans and roadmaps, where relevant to the investment pipelines and delivery systems of institutions seeking direct access.
2. Ensure Fiduciary Readiness
• Support the development and implementation of fiduciary management systems and capabilities required for national and subnational institutions to directly access, manage and implement financing from the CAFI Fund and other global environmental funds. Areas of support may include;
o Financial management and accounting; budgeting and expenditure control; treasury and cash management; financial reporting; internal and external audit;
o Internal controls; procurement and contract management; grants and asset management; management of executing entities and other recipients; segregation of duties and delegated authorities; risk management; information systems, data integrity and record retention;
o Fraud and corruption prevention; conflict-of-interest management; counterparty screening; anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism; and whistleblower and witness protection.
• Guide and build capacity for institutions in documenting and demonstrating the effective application of their fiduciary systems during eligibility, due diligence and accreditation processes.
• Ensure that proposed institutional improvements are proportionate to each institution’s intended role, financing instruments, programme size, delivery arrangements and risk profile.
3. Development and Implementation of Grievance Redress Mechanisms related to Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSHEA)
• Support the development and implementation of institutional policies, procedures and operational systems relating to:
o Feedback and Grievance Redress Mechanisms; ensuring mechanisms are accessible and effective; and
o Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSHEA); the prevention of and response to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
• Build capacity for institutions to demonstrate the effective application of these mechanisms as part of CAFI eligibility, due diligence and, where applicable, external accreditation processes.
4. Ensure Direct Access, Accreditation and Institutional Readiness
• Under the oversight of the Chief Policy Dialogue and Country Engagement support, support institutional readiness assessments of potential national and subnational implementing entities, financial intermediaries and delivery partners against the requirements of CAFI and, as applicable, the Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund and other global environmental funds.
• Assess institutions against their proposed role, mandate, financial instruments, project size, environmental and social risk profile, geographic reach, delivery model and implementation arrangements.
• Support candidate institutions in defining realistic and strategically justified pathways to direct access, including their institutional role, accreditation or eligibility scope, intended financing modalities, comparative advantage and priority investment pipeline.
• Translate assessment findings into costed, sequenced and time-bound institutional strengthening plans specifying responsibilities, milestones, evidence requirements, dependencies and residual risks.
• Support institutions in preparing accreditation, eligibility, due diligence and partnership documentation, including evidence mapping, documentary reviews, mock assessments, management responses and the closure of identified gaps.
• Maintain an institutional readiness dashboard and evidence repository for supported entities, with clear version control, confidentiality safeguards and status tracking.
• Liaise with national designated authorities, ministries of finance and environment, fund secretariats, delivery partners and technical assistance providers to ensure country ownership and avoid duplication of institutional support.
• Guide institutions during CAFI eligibility, due diligence processes and, where applicable, external accreditation reviews, including by coordinating responses to follow-up questions, supporting the establishment of legal and institutional arrangements, addressing conditions and operationalizing direct access once secured.