Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) Officer in Bonn bei International Union for Conservation of Nature

IUCN’s mission is “to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.” IUCN projects aim to achieve positive conservation and social outcomes, including benefits for communities that depend on natural resources. However, unwanted negative environmental and social impacts may occur when projects are implemented. Within the context of its mission, IUCN intends to ensure that appropriate measures are taken to avoid or minimise negative environmental and social impacts while stimulating positive impacts. To put this intention into practice, IUCN has established an Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) as an intrinsic part of IUCN’s project cycle. It provides systematic steps and operational tools for managing the environmental and social performance of projects implemented or supported by IUCN. The system allows IUCN to screen potential projects for negative environmental or social impacts and develop suitable measures to avoid, minimise, or compensate for these impacts. It also ensures that the implementation and effectiveness of mitigation measures are monitored and that any impacts arising during execution of the project are addressed. The ESMS requirements are documented in form of a management manual (referred to as ESMS Manual) that together with the ESMS Standards establishes IUCN’s ESMS Policy Framework.

Compliance with the ESMS is required for all projects (i) implemented by the IUCN Secretariat directly, (ii) implemented by a partner organization where IUCN has an oversight and supervision role and is directly accountable to the donor and (iii) grant-making schemes where IUCN acts as a grantor, channelling funding from a donor to the implementing agencies (grantees) that propose and implement sub-projects under a specific programmatic theme.

The WALD Innovation Facility (IF), which was recently initiated and which is funded by German Cooperation via KfW (further referred to as “donor”), is an example of the latter. The IF aims at contributing to climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation by funding Applicants that are proposing innovative nature-based solutions (NbS) projects with high biodiversity, leveraging and expanding the voluntary carbon markets to mobilize private capital. This, to enable the development and implementation of innovative and ambitious project approaches in an economically sustainable manner. In the first phase the IF will have a regional focus on two regions where IUCN has established a regional program and office - East and South Africa (ESARO) and Asia (ARO). There are ten countries to be targeted within these two regions, namely in East Africa: Kenya; Madagascar; Mozambique; Rwanda; Tanzania; and Uganda; and, in Asia: Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR; and, Viet Nam. The Call for Concepts will be officially launched at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference (HSC) on 7 October 2024.