Technical Specialist – Tax and Environment – IPSA 11

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.

A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as reports, presentations, publications, campaigns or other materials.

Office/Unit/Project Description 

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the knowledge frontier organization for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy and programme work, carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office (CO) levels, form a contiguous spectrum of deep, local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. Within this context, UNDP invests in a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

The UNDP Tax for SDGs Initiative is managed by the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS’s) Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH), with resource persons embedded in the SDG Finance Teams in Amman, Bangkok, Istanbul, Panama and Pretoria. The UNDP Tax for SDGs Initiative has a particular emphasis on linking tax administration and tax and fiscal policies with the broader SDGs. Building on UNDP Country Office portfolios and already existing engagements with Ministries, UNDP brings a stronger focus on the role of tax and fiscal policy in achieving Agenda 2030. The project places a particular focus on reducing gender and social inequalities in tax and fiscal policy as well as taking forward climate action and environmental goals, and health outcomes. Representing the views of developing countries in the global normative tax discussions is critical and to this effect, the UNDP Tax and TIWB also works to bring evidence and perspectives from developing countries into the regional and international discussions on taxation.

Environmental taxes are on the agenda of many developing countries, for both revenue purposes and for meeting countries’ commitments on climate change and sustainable development. Tax and fiscal policies can be effective tools for tackling environmental challenges and ensuring country’s sustainable development, but to achieve these goals such policies need to be based on empirical evidence and carefully designed with the local context taken into account. Building on its strong in-country presence and existing working relationships with relevant Ministries as well as partnership with international and bilateral organizations, UNDP is responding to Member States’ demands to support design and implementation of environmental taxation and to facilitate stronger planning, evidence-based policy making, enforcement and coordination for relevant issues across government sectors.

Institutional Arrangement

1. The Technical Specialist will report to the Head of Tax SDGs.
2. Throughout the project, collaboration and coordination with the rest of UNDP Tax for SDGs team will be required.

UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) is seeking a Technical Specialist in Tax and Environment to work with UNDP Sustainable Finance Hub’s Tax for SDGs Initiative to develop, pioneer and mobilize additional partnerships, activities and resources for an integrated service offering to strengthen the consideration of environmental issues when designing tax policies, administration and system reforms with the objective to finance Agenda 2030 and achieve Sustainable Development Goals. The technical specialist will be part of Sustainable Finance Hub’s Tax for SDGs team including in respect to regular team meetings.

1) Policy and Technical Support

1. Develop a new service offering to support countries in leveraging evidence based environmental tax policies as a means of financing and achieving the SDGs. This will include building capacity to conduct relevant economic modelling scenarios and institutional and context analyses, as well as supporting inter-ministerial dialogues.
2. Support the integration of environmental taxes scenario projections into national financing plans and SDG Taxation Frameworks.
3. Provide advice to align tax system’s design, fiscal policies and practises with policies and objectives of promoting environment and sustainability.
4. Support national tax administrations with tackling environment-relevant tax crime as well as illicit financial flows under the Tax Inspectors Without Borders programme.
5. Design a capacity development module for national fiscal policy units and revenue administrations to support design and more effective national implementation of environmental taxes, incorporating national academic institutions and regional bodies where relevant.

2) Programmatic Support

1. Training through a capacity development module for national fiscal policy units and national revenue administrations to support more effective national design and implementation of environment-sensitive tax policies and tax system reforms, incorporating input from national academic institutions and regional bodies where relevant.
2. Organizing and coordinating meetings, workshops, missions, conferences and side events to strengthen UNDP’s work on taxation and environment.
3. Advise UNDP Tax for SDGs team in implementing environment-related aspects of Tax for SDGs Initiative.
4. Support senior level managers in developing countries’ Ministries of Finance, National Tax Administrations, and other relevant agencies to help design and implement Tax and Environment strategies.
5. Mobilizing additional resources and partnerships for scaling up support for UNDP’s services on tax and environment.

3) Knowledge Management

1. Develop internal and external facing presentation material on UNDP Taxation and Environment service offer.
2. Develop a knowledge product for senior policy officials in developing countries to embed the Taxation and Environment service offer.
3. Engage with other agencies and capture good practices that may have been developed on taxation and environment in achieving the SDGs.

4) Communication and Outreach

1. Facilitate South-South and triangular sharing of good practices in advocating, developing, implementing, monitoring, reporting and increasing effectiveness for environmental considerations in taxation policies and tax system reforms.
2. Any additional related tasks as assigned by the Manager.