Background
The project will conserve biodiversity in key landscapes within the Caspian broadleaf deciduous forest Eco region. The Eco region is recognized for its high levels of endemism; it is also an important storehouse of threatened species. It will do this by strengthening the national and local policy framework governing land use in the Caspian forests (which cover an area of approximately 1.8 million hectares), enhancing the rights and roles of the local communities in their management and demonstrating ways and means of improving management (including land use planning, zoning, compliance monitoring and enforcement).The project will trigger a paradigm shift from sector-focused management to multiple use management, to reduce the conjunction pressures arising from different land uses. It will put in place the necessary policy and regulatory mechanisms needed to mainstream biodiversity conservation considerations into land use plans and build the capacities of key institutions to implement the reformed planning and management approach. The project is thus consistent with GEF Strategic Objective 2 of GEF 5: Mainstream biodiversity conservation and sustainable use into production landscapes, seascapes and sectors and in particular Outcome 2.1: Increase in sustainably managed landscapes and seascapes that integrate biodiversity conservation. The successful implementation of this project will set the foundations for replication of the approach in other important forest ecosystems across the country. The project will be responsible for achieving the following project objective: “To put in place a collaborative governance system and know-how for managing a mosaic of land uses in the Caspian Hyrcanian forest that provides habitat integrity and helps maintain landscape level ecosystem functions and resilience”. The proposed project is designed to lift the barriers to establishment of a landscape approach to the management of biodiversity.
The project will comprise three complementary components, which will be cost shared by the GEF and co-financing. Each addresses a different barrier and has discrete outcomes.
- Component 1. An enabling policy and regulatory framework;
- Component 2. Institutional and staff capacity strengthening for multiple-use forest management;
- Component 3. Community piloting of integrated forest management.
Duties and Responsibilities
The International Project Advisor (IPA) will represent the primary source of international technical support and supervision for project implementation. The IPA will monitor and support the implementation of all project components, by means of 10 visits during consultancy period (till Dec. 2015) to Teheran and to the project sites. This in-country support will be supplemented by periodic home-based support, which will include responding to technical queries, commenting on technical reports, etc. Despite his/her part-time status, the IPA will be considered as a member of the Project Board (PB), and as such will work closely with the National Project Manager (NPM). The IPA will be contracted by, and will report to UNDP Tehran.The International Advisor will ensure that the project maintains strategic direction during implementation with a sharp focus on quality outputs. He/she would also support the project in high quality planning, monitoring and supervising as well as transferring up-dated technical knowledge especially in the area of Forest management, biodiversity mainstreaming and community based landscape management. The IPA would support the project by providing relative experience as well as UNDP/GEF best practices.
In addition to direct technical support, this will include the identification of international experts, the scoping of international study tours and international training opportunities, and the development of linkages between the project and other UNDP/GEF projects implemented in the region and in other parts of the world. He/she would also help the project to ensure a learning and adaptive approach to project management and implementation as well as development of TORs, and intra-project communications.
Competencies
Corporate Competencies- Demonstrated consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN in actions and decisions, inline with the UN code of conduct;
- Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity
- Advocates and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the project;
- Compelling (verbal & written) communication skills including ability to prepare reports, formulate and defend sound recommendations and articulate opinions concisely conveying maximum necessary information.
- Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work;
- Ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders and focus on impacts and results;
- Demonstrated aptitude to build effective partnerships with a diverse group of stakeholders;
- Capacity to coordinate monitoring activities, to mentor programme/project staff/national counterparts as well as national/international consultants and provide guidance and support;
- Leadership and Self-Management;
- Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities,
- Ability to conceptualize issues and analyze data;
- Excellent communication and networking skills.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:- PhD or Masters degree in the area of Forestry and forest management or Natural resources Management or Environment or Biodiversity Management/mainstreaming.
- Long standing demonstrated experience in managing international projects;
- Demonstrated experience on building capacity for individuals and project teams, and of passing management skills to partners;
- Knowledge and experience of Community based forestry, Multiple use of forests, biodiversity conservation and mainstreaming, rural development or natural resources management;
- Knowledge of Iran and/or the project region would be an asset;
- Excellent knowledge of English language;
- Knowledge of Farsi would be an asset.
- Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
- Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
Financial Criteria weight: 30%.
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (70 points out of 100) of the total obtainable technical points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.
The pre-determined questions to be asked during the interview would be considered as the technical criteria in line with the below breakdown.
- Background - educational and experience : 40;
- Technical approach to the subject position : 30;
- Interview discussions: 30.
- Brief expression of interest: a brief narrative on why you think you are qualified to undertake the consultancy including your approach and methodology to achieve the deliverables under the assignment;
- Personal CV / P11 form, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as current email and telephone contacts and at least three (3) professional references.
For more information please visit UNDP procurement notices as :http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=12439