Senior Regional Advisor for Asia/Oceania

SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES

REGIONAL DUTIES

1. Act as the lead contact point for the relevant region, working closely with relevant members of the Secretariat, for the provision of advice to Contracting Parties and other stakeholders on implementation of the Convention and specifically on wetland conservation and wise use.

2. Support Contracting Parties and partner organizations to implement the current Ramsar Strategic Plan and the Sustainable Development Goals, including through the designation and management of Ramsar Sites and wise use of wetlands .

3. Develop and maintain regular contacts with the Administrative Authorities of Contracting Parties to the Convention in the Region, as well as create and maintain linkages with high level officials in other relevant government ministries and agencies, Regional Organizations, Multilateral Environmental Agreements, International Organization Partners and NGOs.

4. Promote and facilitate accession to the Convention by countries that are not Contracting Parties.

5. Prepare and lead technical missions and more specifically Ramsar Advisory Missions (RAMs) to review the conservation status of Ramsar sites, at the request of Contracting Parties.

6. Working closely with the Director of Science and Policy, and as part of the Secretariat workplan, provide support on policy-related matters, including promoting synergies with other conventions relevant to biodiversity, water, disaster risk reduction, climate change, etc., at regional and national levels.

7. Within the regions concerned, advise and support the development of Regional Initiatives that have been approved by the Conference of the Parties as operating within the framework of the Convention, and keep them under review.

8. Working with the Director of Resource Mobilization and Outreach, support engagement of Contracting Parties in communications activities and ensure that the lessons learnt from field and policy experience are analysed and shared throughout the Ramsar networks.

9. Working with the Director of Resource Mobilization and Outreach, support Contracting Parties to source funding for the priorities identified by the Conference of the Contracting Parties for the implementation of the Ramsar Strategic Plan. Maintain and extend contacts with funding organizations and partner organizations, in close cooperation with the Director of Resource Mobilization and Outreach and senior management.

10. Advise the Secretary General and the Deputy Secretary General on global wetland priorities on the basis of experience in the region. Support the work of Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) and the programme on Communication, Capacity Building, Education, Participation and Awareness (CEPA) in order to ensure that regional scientific and technical issues are handled to the highest professional standards.


GLOBAL LEADERSHIP FOR THEMATIC ISSUES

1. Take a global lead role in, and act as the Secretariat’s focal point for, developing and implementing the Secretariat's work on specific thematic issues, including topics identified in Resolutions adopted by the Conference of the Parties in the context of the Secretariat’s workplan, based on the incumbent's areas of experience and expertise and according to the distribution of tasks within the Ramsar Convention Secretariat.

2. Provide advice to Contracting Parties on the issues under the leadership of the Adviser and support the Secretariat’s work on such issues in areas such as policy, communications and fundraising.

3. Take the lead for identified policy processes, including those of Multilateral Environmental Agreements, as part of the Secretariat’s workplan; identify priorities; develop strategic engagement of the Secretariat; foster partnerships and enable engagement from Contracting Parties on issues of relevance to the Convention.


MANAGEMENT

1. Represent the Secretary-General and the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, in relation to regional matters and specified thematic areas, in meetings and in contacts with government officials, intergovernmental organizations, secretariats of other conventions, partner organizations and other institutions, and national and international NGOs.

2. Supervise staff reporting to the Adviser, and ensure that all supervised staff have annual workplans linked to the workplan of the Secretariat, and encourage and assist their professional development. Hold staff accountable for results and for the quality of outputs. Ensure that they work together and with the other staff of the Secretariat as needed to achieve synergy and a unified approach to attain the objectives of the Secretariat.

3. As a member of the Senior Management Team, participate in the work planning of the Secretariat, and coordinate activities with those of other sections of the Secretariat to ensure efficient operations and implementation and a whole-of-Secretariat approach to the Secretariat’s workplan.

4. Prepare reports or other documents as needed for the governing bodies of the Convention and support or assist as required in the organization and conduct of their meetings.

The above job description contains the main duties and responsibilities for this position. However, staff members may be required to undertake other tasks that are reasonably allocated to them but which are not part of their regular job description. Where any task becomes a regular part of an employee's responsibilities, the job description will be changed in consultation with the employee and the IUCN Human Resources Management Group.