Environmental Law and Governance Specialist, Paris, France

## Environmental Law and Governance Specialist, Paris, France - Organization:UNEP - United Nations Environment Programme The consultancy is expected to deliver: - A comprehensive Country Readiness Assessment Report assessing Uganda’s environmental legal, policy and institutional readiness for responsible investment in critical energy transition minerals. - An assessment of Uganda’s compliance with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Principles on Critical Energy Transition Minerals, including identification of strengths, gaps and priority actions. - Recommendations for strengthening environmental governance, responsible mining practices and green investment readiness. - Validated stakeholder consultation outcomes. - Recommendations for enhancing UNEP’s CETM Policy Package based on Uganda’s experience. Under the supervision of the Programme Management Officer (Industry and Economy Division) and the Legal Officer (Law Division), the consultant will undertake the following assignments: I Conduct a comprehensive assessment of Uganda’s policy, legislative, institutional frameworks relating to CETM and prepare a Country Readiness Assessment Report. The assessment shall: - Evaluate Uganda’s readiness to support environmentally responsible investment in critical energy transition minerals. - Assess the extent to which Uganda’s legal, policy and institutional frameworks align with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Principles on CETM, particularly regarding: o environmental stewardship; o protection of biodiversity and ecosystems; o climate change mitigation and adaptation; o sustainable land and water management; o pollution prevention and waste management; o mine closure and rehabilitation; o transparency and accountability; o human rights and community participation; o equitable benefit-sharing; o responsible investment and governance. - Assess the adequacy and effectiveness of environmental legislation, mining legislation, environmental impact assessment systems, strategic environmental assessment, environmental compliance and enforcement mechanisms, licensing procedures, monitoring systems and institutional coordination. - Identify legal, institutional and policy gaps that may limit Uganda’s ability to attract environmentally responsible investment while meeting international good practice. The assessment shall incorporate: - findings from field missions and stakeholder interviews; - literature review and analysis; - review of existing policies, legislation and institutional arrangements; - additional desk research. II Develop actionable recommendations for strengthening Uganda’s policy, legislative and institutional frameworks to support environmentally responsible development of critical energy transition minerals. Recommendations should include measures to: - strengthen environmental governance throughout the mining lifecycle; - improve environmental safeguards and compliance systems; - promote sustainable green mining practices consistent with international standards; - enhance environmental monitoring, mine rehabilitation and mine closure requirements; - strengthen biodiversity conservation, pollution control and water resource management; - improve institutional coordination and enforcement; - promote responsible investment consistent with the UN Secretary-General’s CETM Principles; - support climate-smart, resource-efficient and circular approaches to mineral development. III Facilitate stakeholder consultations and validation workshops involving relevant government institutions, environmental authorities, mining and environmental regulators, private sector representatives, civil society organizations, local communities, academia and development partners. The consultations shall: - validate findings from the readiness assessment; - identify barriers to environmentally responsible investment; - assess Uganda’s alignment with the UN Secretary-General’s CETM Principles; - identify priority reforms required to advance responsible and green mining; - validate recommendations for strengthening environmental governance and investment readiness. The consultant shall prepare presentations, provide technical inputs to workshop agendas, review stakeholder lists, contribute to workshop reports and incorporate stakeholder feedback into the final reports. IV Prepare a report containing recommendations for strengthening the UNEP CETM Policy Package based on lessons learned from Uganda’s country readiness assessment, including recommendations for improving environmental governance indicators, legal assessment methodologies and responsible mining guidance for broader application across Africa. V Work closely with UNEP, UNECA and national stakeholders throughout the assignment, providing regular progress updates and undertaking any additional tasks required under the project. Duties and Responsibilities The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. This position is located in UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division while collaborating closely with UNEP’s Law Division. The Industry and Economy Division provides solutions to decision-makers and helps change the business environment by offering platforms for multi- stakeholder dialogue and cooperation, innovative policy options, pilot projects and creative market mechanisms to improve the quality of the environment and the well-being of citizens. It promotes sustainable patterns of consumption and production, makes efficient use of natural resources, ensures safe management of chemicals and contributes to making trade and environment policies mutually supportive. This opportunity is located within the Mining Unit at UNEP. The Unit promotes responsible mining and sustainable use of mineral resources, including through resource efficiency and circularity. The Law Division is the lead Division responsible for advancing UNEP’s work in environmental law, governance, and related policy issues, including those related to multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). The Division provides technical support to countries to develop, strengthen, and implement environmental law, and to build the capacity of stakeholders and institutions for effective compliance and enforcement. The accelerating global transition towards low-carbon and renewable energy systems has significantly increased demand for critical energy transition minerals (CETMs), including copper, cobalt, graphite, lithium, nickel and rare earth elements. These minerals are indispensable for renewable energy technologies, battery storage, electric mobility and modern electricity networks. At the same time, their extraction presents significant environmental, social and governance challenges, including biodiversity loss, water pollution, land degradation, greenhouse gas emissions, waste management, community impacts and human rights concerns. Uganda possesses significant mineral resources with growing potential to contribute to global energy transition value chains. As exploration and investment increase, Uganda has an opportunity to position itself as a supplier of responsibly produced CETM while ensuring that mineral development contributes to sustainable development, environmental protection, climate resilience and inclusive economic transformation. Recognizing these opportunities and challenges, the United Nations Secretary-General established the Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals (CETM Panel), which released its report Resourcing the Energy Transition: Principles to Guide Critical Energy Transition Minerals toward Equity and Justice in September 2024. The report outlines voluntary global principles aimed at ensuring that the extraction, processing and trade of cr