Result of ServiceThe consultancy services will be provided under the overall guidance of the Economic Affairs Officer in the Innovation, Enterprise and Investment Section, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division (TIID). Outputs will be delivered in both digital and physical form. ESCAP shall be entitled to all intellectual property and other proprietary rights of any products, ideas, know how, documents and/or contents (not an exhaustive list), which the contractor develops for ESCAP under the contract to be signed and which bear a direct relation to or are produced, prepared or collected in consequence of, or during the course of the performance of the contract. Work LocationBangkok Expected durationDuration: 1 February to 30 November 2026 Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground: The private sector plays a critical role in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As a source of innovation and economic dynamism, they have the potential to address the most critical challenges of our time. The private sector provides the vast majority of employment opportunities and is critical for providing livelihoods opportunities as well as access to valuable goods and services. However, too often economic growth and private sector expansion comes at a detriment of people and planet. This is of particular importance for the Asia-Pacific region, which is disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis and where wide income disparities persist. A just green transition of the region’s economy is an urgent requirement for safeguarding livelihoods and wellbeing of the people of South-East Asia. A green economy requires ‘traditional’ businesses to shift to greener processes, as well as the scaling up of those businesses that are green from the outset. To create systemic change towards a green economy and promote hundreds of businesses to become green, it is critical to create an enabling environment, where businesses can access the relevant skills and funding to ‘go green’ and scale up their positive environmental impact. This requires building the capacities of SME development agencies to support business become greener, exploring incentives for businesses to become green, facilitating linkages among different players, supporting coalitions for change (at the national and regional level), as well as facilitating access to finance. Project objectives: The programme will create an enabling environment for green businesses to drive a new green economy in ASEAN, by strengthening the capacity of businesses and of SME development agencies to promote, recognise and scale up green business models (objective 1) and by developing business collaborations/market linkages for green SMEs (objective 2). Objective 1 will be achieved by assessing training gaps to recognizing and supporting green businesses, developing training and coaching curricula for SME development agencies and businesses, implementing these to strengthen the capacities of SME development agencies and to directly support green businesses, and by sharing such resources at the regional level. Similarly, objective 2 will be achieved by connecting SMEs with large enterprises developing targeted engagements between SMEs and large enterprises and facilitating business collaborations among them. Project outputs: To achieve these objectives, the project will: 1. Develop two toolkits and coach SME agencies in Malaysia (1) and in the Philippines (1) to support green transition of SMEs 1.1. Conduct a training needs analysis 1.2. Develop 2 training toolkits (for Malaysia (1) and the Philippines (1)) for greening SMEs, incorporating gender perspectives 1.3. Coach the SME Development agencies in Malaysia and the Philippines on the two training toolkits 2. Provide coaching to 60 SMs in Malaysia and the Philippines 2.1. Provide coaching services for 30 SMEs in 2026 2.2. Provide coaching services for 30 SMEs in 2027 3. Develop business collaborations between green SMEs and larger enterprises 3.1. Connect participating SMEs with large enterprises through two matchmaking exercises in 2026 and 2027. 3.2. Facilitate successful business collaborations (e.g. letter of intent, purchase order, business agreements) between green SMEs and large enterprises, including through the coaching services. Additional measures of success such as progress towards certification and client ESG requirements, in service of business growth, to be identified with collaboration with the SME coaching agencies and the SMEs. 4. Facilitate exchanges among SME development Agencies at the ASEAN level on promoting 4.1. Organise 3 exchanges for SME development agencies in South-East Asia to discuss and exchange best practices and training resources for supporting green SMEs. 4.2. Develop a compendium of training resources that support the green transition of SMEs, incorporating gender perspectives. 4.3. Prepare a note on policy suggestions on promoting green SMEs in ASEAN Qualifications/special skillsAcademic Qualifications: Master’s Degree in Business, Environmental studies, International Affairs, Management, Finance, Accountancy, Law, Public Policy or related field. A minimum seven years of experience in advising businesses on environmental sustainability and green practices, providing training in this area, developing the capacity of businesses to become greener, and conducting research on the green transition of businesses. Desirable Criteria: • The candidate has work experience in Southeast Asia, including in one of the two countries in which the events will be organized (Malaysia, the Philippines). • Experience in promoting private sector development, SME development, green transition of businesses and inclusive business. • Experience in green corporate procurement, green finance and/or green impact investment. LanguagesFluency in English is required. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE 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.