FAO contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its global mandate and goals and though it Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agri-food systems.
The Inclusive Rural Transformation and Gender Equality Division (ESP) coordinates FAO’s work on social protection, gender equality, decent rural employment, rural institutions and people’s empowerment, and the right to food. It is responsible for working with member countries and other partners to reduce rural poverty through strengthening social protection systems, diversifying rural employment opportunities, reducing gender gaps and other social inequalities in agriculture, strengthening producer organizations, improving the rural poor’s access to productive resources and rural services, and achieving the overall goal of realizing the human right to adequate food for all.

The Social Protection (SOCPRO) team is part of the ESP Division. The SOCPRO team provides overall guidance on FAO’s approach to social protection, and technical support to decentralized offices in five core areas: (i) ensuring the expansion of coverage of social protection to rural areas; (ii) promoting policy and programmatic synergies between social protection, economic inclusion and climate change; (iii) promoting nutrition sensitive social protection systems; and (iv) social protection and resilience.

Reporting Lines

Under the general guidance of the Social Protection team leader, the consultant reports to the lead of thematic area on Climate Change and Economic Inclusion.

Technical Focus 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report 6 highlights the importance of inclusivity for fostering sustainable climate resilient development. Small-scale producers contribute the least to climate change but are the most at risk of welfare losses due to increasing global temperatures and extreme weather events. They are also the ones who have the least resources and capacity to adapt to climate change. Women and youth face additional challenges due to structural barriers that further limit their access to resources, services, markets, technologies and institutional support. Well targeted and adequate funding is required to address the unequal impacts of climate change on poor and vulnerable rural populations, and to support an inclusive and gender-responsive development pathway in a world of increasing climate uncertainty and inequalities.
Despite their key role in agri-food systems, small-scale farmers receive only 1.7 percent of global climate financing (IFAD 2020). Current adaptation financial flows are insufficient to meet the growing needs of the agriculture sector and of the most vulnerable people living in rural areas (UNEP 2022 ). In addition, most funding targets climate mitigation rather than adaptation efforts.  Towards that end, in 2019, nine Multilateral Development Banks announced a collective commitment to double their total levels of adaptation finances by 2025 to USD 18 billion annually. The World Bank announced a 35percent climate finance target out of the total finance from 2021-2025, of which at least 50percent will support climate adaptation.
The incumbent is expected to contribute to informing the design of social protection interventions within investment programmes for climate resilience and mitigation to advocate for the mainstreaming of social protection in global funding mechanisms and national climate actions. In addition, the incumbent will support the SOCPRO’s team partnership building efforts to strengthen FAO’s engagement and impacts in this agenda.