Somalia faces many challenges in achieving the MDGs. Persistent insecurity, coupled with fast depleting natural resources, natural disasters such as floods and droughts, have contributed to Somalia's stunted development and economic growth. Somali women's lack of education and the country's cultural norms give women limited control over resources. Extensive deforestation in Somalia undermines livelihoods and threatens an already deeply fragile environment. 90% of the population does not have access to electricity and their sole dependence is on fuel wood and unsustainably produced charcoal. Less than half the population has access to sanitation, and less than a quarter can access clean drinking water. 

 

Over two decades of the Somali conflict has not only caused severe losses to human life, property, economy and social and political structures, but it has also resulted in colossal losses to natural environment; e.g. damage to water sources, destruction of forests, rangelands and coastal areas, and enhanced desertification. Absence of urban governance system and limited capacities has also resulted in poor solid waste management and non-functional sanitation. Both the conflict and resultant environmental degradation have enhanced exposure and vulnerabilities of Somali communities to adverse impacts of climatic hazards and disasters. The rehabilitation of environmental resources and reduction of climatic hazards will require significant long-term efforts, with a conflict sensitive development paradigm. In the on-going Country Programme (2011-14), UNDP is implementing initiatives to establish foundational policies, institutional arrangements and capacities for environmental recovery, restoration and disaster risk reduction in the Puntland, Somaliland and South Central Somalia. 

 

Under the overall framework of the on-going Country Programme (2011-14), the focus of this assignment is to deal with the charcoal production and trade that is considered as a root cause of degradation of natural resources across Somalia. The charcoal production in Somalia not only destroys the environment and contributes to food insecurity, but it also funds the elements and organisations behind conflicts. According to a case study published in 2007, total charcoal production was estimated to be 112,000 metric tons in 2000 and had increased to 150,000 metric tons by 2005. Though recent estimates of charcoal production are not available, the trend has been on the rise due to increase in demand from local and international markets. The process of turning cut wood into charcoal is also rough and dirty as it pollutes the air, albeit in a very local fashion.

 

The charcoal production accelerates the process of desertification, decreasing the amount of land useable for agriculture or even grazing, pushing locals out of areas as they become uninhabitable after charcoal producers clear all of the trees. This deforestation also decreases bio-diversity as species that relied on the acacia groves habitat are unable to survive. All of this ultimately hurts the livelihoods of Somalis not involved in the charcoal production. Pastoralists and agriculturalists rely on the acacia forests to play their part in maintaining the delicate balance that makes life in arid Somalia possible. Pastoralists graze their cattle in the grass that flourishes while the acacia groves’ root systems hold in ground water and prevent erosion. Agriculturalists grow staple crops in neighboring lands, but as erosion increase without the acacia groves holding in top soil, their lands are becoming fallow. With forests destroyed, these groups must move to other areas in order to survive, or engage in the charcoal production themselves, which only deepens the cycle of destruction and violence.

 

Charcoal trade has become today a serious threat to the security and stability of Somalia as well as a major impediment to the peace process. The charcoal industry has significant implications on livelihood security, exacerbating community conflicts and increasing vulnerability to drought. The industry is a source of tension, particularly with clans who dominate the trade at the expense of others. It is also a source of funding for militias. According to the UN Security Council report , It is estimated that Al-Shabaab currently generates between $70 million to $100 million per year in revenue from taxation and extortion in areas under its control, of which at least $15 million is based on the export of charcoal. Most charcoal is produced in the area lying between Baraawe and Kismaayo. The conflict over charcoal trade has turned violent in this specific area. It is also one of the first areas where famine was declared in 2011 – that later crept into other regions of the Country.

 

To respond to this triple threat on environment, livelihood and conflict, the Somali government has over the years, instituted a ban on charcoal trade. A prohibition was passed in 1969 preventing the export of charcoal and firewood. After the onset of civil war, export oriented charcoal production restarted and there has been a rapid expansion ever since - much of which is reported to be destined for export to other countries. The export ban was re-imposed in 2000 and has been in effect albeit poorly enforced, under changing transitional administrations. In December 2010, the Transitional Federal Government reissued the ban. In response to government efforts, traders have stopped shipping charcoal out of Mogadishu and Marka ports almost entirely. However, the trade is booming in areas controlled by Al-Shabaab, mainly out of Kismaayo port.

 

It is very well understood that the imposition of ban alone cannot help in reducing the charcoal production and illegal trade. An effective set of interventions that is based on alternative sources of livelihoods, alternative energy and institutional support to ban - encompassing all of Somalia’s important ports and charcoal producing areas - will be able to counter the destructive short-term logic of exploiting Somalia’s acacia groves for charcoal exports. Therefore, UNDP and UNEP have committed to develop a comprehensive programme to implement set of interventions that will promote sustainable use of charcoal.

 

 The objective of this assignment is to design a comprehensive programme to support both the domestic and international efforts for sustainable solutions and gradually stop the charcoal trade from Somalia. The programme is envisaged to be a package of integrated activities that help to address the capacity gaps, enforcement of policy and legal frameworks, sensitisation of the key stakeholders, promote alternatives for livelihoods and facilitate access to the alternative sources of energy.

 

 

 

In broader terms the formulation of the Programme Document will require an update of the existing situation, problem and solutions analysis, identification of the key partners, details on implementation strategy, key outputs, activities, sub-activities, management arrangements and detailed budgetary estimates. The Document will follow standard UNDP template. The specific tasks of the Livelihoods Expert, under the supervision of the Team Leader, will be (but not limited to) the following:

 

Detailed Situational Analysis and Gaps Identification:

 

i.              Literature Review and Stakeholders Consultations: This will entail: a) Literature review of the publications, independent articles, research studies, UN reports, government documents that cover the issues associated with charcoal in South-Central Somalia, Puntland and Somaliland; b) Preparation of a structured questionnaire to collect firsthand information from the key government functionaries dealing with national planning, natural resources management, trade, law enforcement, finance, constitutional matters, external affairs etc.; c) Consultation with the key civil society organizations, academia, research organizations, representatives of agriculture communities, representatives of pastoral communities and media from South-Central Somalia, Puntland and Somaliland to collate the evidence on the extent of sensitisation about unsustainable use of charcoal and the general understanding of the cross section of Somali society on the possible alternatives for the control on use of charcoal; d) analysis of the import market chain in other countries; and, e) Consultation with the UN agencies, including UNEP, and other multi/bilateral development and humanitarian organizations to collate information on their associated on-going activities and future plans.

 

ii.             Estimation of Livelihoods Income, contribution to the Economy, Social and Environmental Costs of Charcoal Production, Use and Trade: The evidence based analysis will cover: a) Forming a sample group that is represented by the key individuals engaged in the production, use and trade (if possible) of charcoal in the three regions, i.e. South-Central, Puntland and Somaliland. Quantify by sampling the extent of charcoal use in the three regions and approximation of the traded quantity to other countries; b) Estimation (by gender and age groups) the number of persons involved in the market chain of charcoal production and marketing; c) Estimation of the financial return to the charcoal producers, intermediaries and whole sellers/retailers from the local and international markets; d) Quantification of domestic and international consumption of Charcoal; e) Quantification of the short, medium and long term environmental cost at the national and global level of continued use and trade of charcoal. The global environmental costs to be based on estimates of greenhouse gas emissions as a result of deforestation, charcoal production and burning; f) Assessment of the social cost of the depletion of natural resources because of the charcoal use and trade including a gender perspective. The assessment to be on short, medium and long-term scenarios and based on population projections (segregated by gender, age, major vulnerable groups etc.); g) Estimation of sustainable rate of extraction of charcoal that can support local consumption; and, h) Estimation of the trade of charcoal to other countries from Somalia. The estimates to represent the proportion of trade by each country.

 

iii.            Conflict Analysis: Assist in the analysis to cover: a) the local and national conflicts that are linked to and/or impact on the charcoal production, transportation and marketing; b) the illegal revenue generated as a result of charcoal marketing and trade and use of this revenue in funding or perpetuating conflict; c) understanding networks of influence (including clan-ism) on the charcoal trade, and uncover key links in the chain; d) identify the winners and losers of the charcoal trade and categorize those institutions or individuals who can be targeted as champions of the ban/change/reform and how a support framework can be built around them; e) provide insights to inform the proposed program; and, f) assess how unresolved conflicts and lack of stability continue to adversely affect women and their families.

 

iv.           National and Regional Best Practices: a) Assist in the collection of information on national success stories on self-regulation by the communities to ban Charcoal use or/and control illegal trade; and, b) Prepare a brief on best practices from the regional countries on the successful transition from Charcoal use to environmental friendly sources of livelihoods. 

  

v.            To the extent possible present the quantifiable data in figures and maps for the ease of comprehension.

 

 

 Programme Document for the Control on Use and Trade of Charcoal:     

  

The main output of the assignment is to come up with a Programme Document that is endorsed by the national government and the main implementation partners. The Programme Document will also be presented to the potential donors for resource mobilization. Based on the situation analysis and gap identification the Programme Document will be detailed out on a clearly articulated results framework (logical framework) and is likely to propose targeted outputs and activities in three broad areas, including: i) creating the enabling environment for sustainable solution to charcoal use and trade; ii) promotion of alternative livelihoods and alternative energy; and, iii) linking with global environmental financing mechanisms for financial sustainability. The main tasks of the Livelihhoods Expert will be in the following components:

 

i.              Access to Alternative Livelihoods: Recommend the alternative livelihoods support programme, with clear identification of incremental increase in income by shifting to the proposed alternatives, for the groups and individuals engaged in the production and marketing of charcoal in South-Central, Puntland and Somaliland. The livelihoods programme should fully integrate the needs of the women, children, youth, elderly, physically disadvantaged people and other vulnerable groups. Amongst the vulnerable groups the needs of the women as traders, end users and household providers in the charcoal enterprises are given specific focus with clearly defined interventions. Livelihoods support to act as the incentive scheme (including access to micro-finance) for the communities or producers in Charcoal business to shift to other sources of income. Inclusiveness of all should be ensured to avoid conflict or unequal sharing of the livelihoods opportunities.   

 

ii.             Advocacy and Sensitisation: Advocacy campaigns targeting local producers, traders, users as well as importers in the affected countries is key to attitudinal shift from unsustainable to sustainable use of natural resources. The advocacy campaigns will focus on the environmental and security impacts of charcoal production and charcoal trade – while incorporating gender perspective.

 

iii.            System for Monitoring the Resource: Assist to establish a baseline and measuring the trend of resource improvement or depletion and resource monitoring system will be part of the programme document.

 

iv.           Programme Work Plan and Funding: Assist to prepare the work plan for the complete duration of the programme and detailed work plan for year 1 of implementation. The work plans should include the estimates for human and financial resources.

 

v.            Management Arrangements: Assist in finalizing the management plan with clearly defined roles and responsibilities for different institutions based on their capacities and mandate.

 

 

 

The assignment is to be based on key deliverables in the form of inception report, draft Programme Document and Final Programme Document. The contents of the deliverables with progress control measures are as follows:

 

i.              Inception Report: The team of experts engaged on this assignment will have to produce an inception report within two weeks from the start date to present the findings from the literature review, detail out the methodology and itinerary, tasks assigned to the team members, comments on the TORs and annotated table of contents of the draft Programme Document.

 

ii.             Draft Programme Document: At the end of week 6 of the assignment a draft Programme Document will be submitted for the review and feedback of the government and other programme partners.

 

iii.            Final Programme Document: Final Programme Document (incorporating the comments of the stakeholders, partners and UNDP) will be submitted to UNDP in week 9 of the assignment.

 

 

The main output of the assignment is to come up with a Programme Document that is endorsed by the national government and the main implementation partners. The Programme Document will also be presented to the potential donors for resource mobilization. Based on the situation analysis and gap identification the Programme Document will be detailed out on a clearly articulated results framework (logical framework) and is likely to propose targeted outputs and activities in three broad areas, including: i) creating the enabling environment for sustainable solution to charcoal use and trade; ii) promotion of alternative livelihoods and alternative energy; and, iii) linking with global environmental financing mechanisms for financial sustainability.

 

 

The Livelihoods Expert will be working under the direct supervision of the Team Leader.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a non-staff contract under the Individual Contractor (IC) modality of hiring of the UNDP. Individuals engaged under an IC serve in their individual capacity and not as representative of a government institutions, corporate body or other authority external to UNDP. The incumbent shall not be considered as staff of UNDP, the UN common system or the government and are therefore not entitled to any diplomatic privileges or any other special status or conditions.

 

 

 

Interested and qualified candidates are requested to submit electronic application by visiting http://jobs.undp.org/.

 

 

Applicants are required to fill and sign a P11 Form and submit it together with Curriculum Vitae on the online application.

 

The P11 Form can be obtained from the link below:

 

 

UNDP will only be able to respond to those applications in which there is further interest.