Back Climate Investment and Value Chain Economist

Organizational Setting

The main aim of FAO Country Office, headed by an FAO Representative, is to assist governments to develop policies, programmes and projects to achieve food security and to reduce hunger and malnutrition, to help develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors, and to use their environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner. FAO Kyrgyzstan assists the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to develop policies, programmes and projects to address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition, to develop the agricultural, fisheries and forestry sectors and to use environmental and natural resources in a sustainable manner. FAO participates in the development and implementation of field projects in the sectors of food security, agriculture and rural development. This requires the integration within the broader framework of sustainable food and agriculture that aims at increasing production and productivity, addressing climate change, and managing natural resources; and enhance rural livelihoods.  

FAO/GCF \"Carbon Sequestration through climate investment in forests and rangelands in the Kyrgyz Republic (CS-FOR)\" project was approved at the 24th meeting of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board on 14 November 2019 in Songdo, South Korea. The project agreement between FAO, in its capacity as Accredited Entity of the Green Climate Fund, and the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic was countersigned on 4 March 2022 in Bishkek and ratified by the Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament) Resolution № 233-VII dated 27 April 2022 and was declared effective by the GCF Secretariat on 25 October 2022.  
The Kyrgyz Republic’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement commits to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 15.97 percent by 2030.  

The goal of the CS-FOR project is to contribute to the development of a low carbon-emission and climate resilient economy, while capitalizing important co-benefits from adaptation and disaster risk reduction. The project will lead to the sequestration of 19.8 million tCO2eq in 20 years. These reductions represent 7.6 percent of the country’s total emissions, and 22.6 percent of the agricultural share of emissions.  

The objective of the project is to increase carbon sequestration through supporting climate investments in forests and rangelands and through reducing drivers of degradation and emissions via institutional support, participatory ecosystem-based sustainable management of natural resources and green growth investments.  
FAO is the Accredited Entity, representing the GCF implementing partner guided by the GCF investment framework and the priorities of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic and acts as the Executing Entity with respect to project implementation.  
FAO, Forestry Service under the Ministry of Emergency Situation (MES) of the Kyrgyz Republic, Russian-Kyrgyz Development Fund (RKDF) and Community Development and Investment Agency (ARIS) are Executing Entities ensuring coordination of planning and the execution of project activities where the entity holds highest comparative advantages and at the same time Executing Entities are co-financier(s) contributing to the project in the form of in-kind or loan in addition to the GCF proceeds.   
The core intervention area of the CS-FOR project is in the four contiguous districts of Ak-Talaa, Toguz-Toro, Suzak and Uzgen located in three regions – Jalal-Abad, Osh and, Naryn.  

Reporting Lines

The Climate Investment and Value Chain Economist will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Representative and the Assistant FAO Representative, the technical supervision of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO), the operational leadership of the National Project Coordinator, and in close cooperation with the International Technical Advisor (ITA). The Climate Investment and Value Chain Economist is responsible for implementing the project tasks in close cooperation with FAO, ARIS, RKDF, and other partners.

Technical Focus

Provides technical support in natural resource management, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and climate-resilient value chain development, with a focus on economic analysis and investment planning. Promotes sustainable, inclusive, and gender-responsive approaches to enhance climate-smart agriculture, improve livelihoods, and mobilize climate finance. Supports evidence-based policy, stakeholder engagement, and scaling of innovations aligned with national climate goals.

Tasks and responsibilities

Develop the project M&E system, Learning and Green Value Chain Support:

•     Develops indicators and tools to track economic, social, environmental, and gender-related impacts of supported value chains and green businesses, aligned with GCF performance frameworks 
•     Provides regular progress reports and contributes to the development of the overall CS-FOR project reporting process 
•     Supports the preparation of mid-term evaluation and reporting, using FAO’s M&E procedures and GCF performance measurement standards 
•     Ensures alignment of related activities with the project Gender and Social Inclusion Action Plan targets and indicators, as well as FAO guiding framework, including the “Developing Gender-Sensitive Value Chains” framework and associated guidelines for practitioners.
•     Ensures all monitoring data is disaggregated by sex, age, region, type of beneficiary, and training topics (where applicable)
•     Ensures reports of the partners banks including disaggregated data by sex, age, region.

Capacity Development, Training, and Empowerment

•     Develop a long-term training plan that incorporates relevant gender and social inclusion aspects, ensuring equal access, participation, and benefits for women and youth.
•     Assists in training for FAO, ARIS and RKDF employees on green investments, policy development, monitoring, and assessment of value chains 
•     Designs training modules and materials for local entrepreneurs and cooperatives on climate finance, market access, business management, and sustainable sourcing, ensuring that 100% of of training modules include gender and social aspects.
•     Supports technical capacity development through training and resource material for NTFP collectors, farmers, intermediaries, and agribusinesses 
•     Provides financial literacy training to villagers to raise awareness on green economy; at least 50% of trainees will be women and 50% youth (with equal representation of young women and men). 
•     Promotes women’s participation and empowerment through training and business development support

Value Chain and Market Development

•     Integrates solutions into national natural resource monitoring systems: 
•     Conducts mapping of climate-smart and green value chains relevant to the project regions (e.g., forestry products, sustainable livestock, NTFPs, agri-processing, etc.), integrating gender-sensitive analysis of roles, access to resources, and participation of women, men, and youth in each value chain. 
•     Identifies bottlenecks, investment needs, and areas with the highest potential for carbon sequestration, employment, and gender-inclusive growth, ensuring analysis of opportunities and constraints faced by women, men, and youth across selected value chains 
•     Based on ARIS’s market analysis, selects green value chains to identify profitable, climate-resilient products and services 
•     Supports alignment of local investment initiatives with national green growth strategies and NDC targets 
•     Fosters sustainable natural resource use while creating economic opportunities for women engaged in non-timber forest product (NTFP) activities 
•     Supports value chains including tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios), dried fruits (apricots, plums), orchards (cherries, apples), beekeeping, poultry, and other complementary products for rural income diversification 
•     Enhances transparency within value chains using geotagging, blockchain principles, and establishment of certified logistical centers 
•     Supports resource inventory using geospatial tools and preparation of a Market Development Plan, including introduction of Geographic Indications (e.g., for walnuts) 

Stakeholder Engagement, Financial Access, and Technical Support

•     Conducts workshops at district and regional levels with entrepreneurs to reach both women and men, including vulnerable groups (female-headed households, low-income families, unemployed) within Component 3, ensuring women’s equal participation and addressing barriers to their engagement. 
•     In consultation with ARIS, RKDF and hired companies, consults and monitors the process of business trainings, business development, and credit line access 
•     Supports the National Project Coordinator, International Technical Advisor (ITA), and Lead Technical Officer (LTO) in overall coordination, technical support, and monitoring of Component 3 implementation and progress, ensuring gender and social considerations are systematically integrated and aligned with Gender and Social inclusion Action Plan 
•     Provides technical guidance and tools/templates to entrepreneurs and cooperatives for developing climate-resilient and bankable business plans aligned with INRMCRPs and as per requirements of RKDF 
•     Advises on financial modeling, cost-benefit analysis, and risk assessments for proposed green enterprises 
•     Facilitates structured dialogue and match-making events between local entrepreneurs, FAO, ARIS, RKDF, and commercial banks 
•     Assists in the design of financial instruments (grants, guarantees, collaterals, loans) that can de-risk green investments and attract co-financing including the development of women- and youth-friendly credit lines and mechanisms to improve their access to finance.
•     In close cooperation with the ESS Specialist, performs Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) screenings as per RKDF requirements 
•     Conducts gender-responsive analysis of selected value chains and ensures that interventions under Component 3 promote women-led enterprises and youth participation. 
•     Promotes adoption of international certification standards (e.g., FSC, HACCP, Fair Trade, Organic, GlobalGAP) to enable direct linkages with end markets and drive forest use paradigm shift ensuring that women producers and processors are equally supported to meet certification requirements.
•     Conducts end market assessments (national and international) for Kyrgyz NTFPs and monitors market trends, supply calendars, bottlenecks, and risks 
•     Implements market prospecting campaigns to identify premium buyers with environmental and social commitments 
•     Accompanies the preparation of business proposals by agribusinesses (where necessary jointly with supplying communities), ensuring proper design and evaluation of business plans 
•     Supports certification processes and third-party audits based on targeted market/client requirements ensuring that women producers and processors have equal access to certification processes and benefits
•     Promotes marketing efforts, including chemical testing of NTFPs, co-financing of exporters' participation at trade fairs, development of promotional materials, and support for creation of an Export Promotion Secretariat 

Stakeholder Engagement, Financial Access, and Technical Support:

•     Facilitates the preparation of recommendations for the formation of Integrated Natural Resources Management and Climate Resilient Plans (INRMCRPs) from an economic perspective iincluding gender-responsive measures and strategies to enhance women’s and youth’s participation.
•     Provides expert support during the preparatory phase of the program for credit lines to develop agribusinesses ensuring mechanisms specifically address the needs and constraints of women and youth entrepreneurs
•     Provides economic analysis to inform policies and regulations promoting green value chains (e.g., tax incentives, certification standards, procurement policies) 
•     Contributes to raising awareness of stakeholders and local population about project activities, ensuring that outreach and communication efforts are inclusive, and data disaggregated by gender, age, and socio-economic status
•     Documents and disseminates success stories, lessons learned, and scalable models for green value chain development highlighting women-led and youth-led initiatives
•     Takes any other action related to the project as requested by the PIU/FAO or the National Project Coordinator 
•     Performs any other tasks relevant to the position.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements    

•     Advanced university degree in economics, finance, banking, agribusiness, business administration or a related field
•     Five years’ experience in implementing or coordinating projects funded by international development partners, or professional experience in commercial banks, investment funds or development finance institutions, including experience in integrating gender aspects
•     Working knowledge of Kyrgyz and Russian
•     National of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan.

FAO Core Competencies

•     Results Focus
•     Teamwork
•     Communication
•     Building Effective Relationships
•     Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills

•     Experience in facilitating stakeholder consultations, trainings, or public-private dialogues, particularly in rural or regional development contexts 
•     Familiarity with concepts of green/climate finance, inclusive business models, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) principles, and gender equality concepts .
•     Strong analytical and writing skills; experience in preparing reports, policy briefs, or strategic documents for development projects
•     Experience in developing training modules and materials on topics such as financial literacy, green economy, entrepreneurship, or business planning. 
•     Proven experience in value chain analysis, business development services, market assessment, or climate-resilient rural enterprise development with capacity to gender-responsive analysis. 
•     Demonstrated ability to design, review, and analyze bankable business plans, feasibility studies, or investment proposals 
•     Excellent planning and time management skills, with the ability of meeting deadlines
•     Flexibility and adaptability to work in uncertain and changing environment
•     Ability to work in interdisciplinary and multicultural teams
•     Strong written and verbal communication skills
•     Working knowledge of English is considered an asset
•     Knowledge of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Power Point, Project, Outlook)
•     Experience with information databases.
 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION