Background

The Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) located in south-eastern corner of Bangladesh, is recognized as one of the most diverse areas in the country. The CHT is unique with hilly and remote terrain, poor rural communication infrastructure, ethnic & cultural diversity, scattered settlements on the isolated and remote places, and a history of political unrest that ended through the Peace Accord signed in 1997.

Following the signing of Peace Accord in 1997, UNDP responded to the development needs, with the support of international Donors and Government of Bangladesh through the project titled Promotion of Development and Confidence Building in the CHT – which started in 2003. The Community Empowerment programme (CEP) is one of the components of the project that manages Agriculture and Food Security Project (AFSP), community empowerment, rural women empowerment, marketing and economic development and recently signed agreement with USAID to implement a project titled “CHT Watershed Co-Management Activity (CHTWCA)” under UNDP’s “Adaptive Environmental Governance for the Poor (AEGP)” programme.

The apex of the problems and challenges relating to natural resources and community livelihood in the CHT region broadly reflects a two-fold crisis: (i) an increasingly unsustainable land use system, and (ii) the associated stress and insecurity in maintaining livelihood for the poor local communities. The mainstay of hill agriculture and land use has of late become unsustainable both in terms environmental conservation and livelihood security for the local communities.

“Adaptive Environmental Governance for the Poor (AEGP)” – a new programming endeavour of UNDP Bangladesh. The programme will apply adaptive co-management approach to ecosystem based adaptive NRM for biodiversity conservation and community resilience benefits.

This proposed programme will build on the work over the recent years to develop existing and new local institutions as a means of empowering user communities and improving natural resource sustainability through community based management and co-management.

The programme aims to develop adaptive co-management arrangements across ecologically significant areas of Bangladesh and will operate through the following five components:

• Co-management of wetlands, coastal forests, Ecologically Critical Areas (ECAs) and common-pool resources;
• Chittagong Hill Tracts Watershed Co-management;
• Pro-poor enabling policy reform in the natural resources sector;
• Capacity Building for community based NRM;
• Environmental monitoring and compliance.

These components are focused on building the capacity of the communities and institutions to manage critical ecosystems in a sustainable manner and to improve their livelihoods. This in turn, will enhance the resilience of both ecosystems and communities. The second component of AEGP covers both Reserved Forest (RF) and Village Common Forest (VCF) of CHT.

Specific purposes of CHTWCA (component two) are:

• To secure well-functioning community based management for targeted VCFs, small streams and associated watersheds that delivers restored habitats and biodiversity and improved livelihoods for a majority of poor in those communities;
• To clarify and streamline the policy and institutional roles and mandates towards effective management of mouza forests/HDC forests including VCFs and small streams;
• To restore and enhance stocking of the selected RFs through community participation;  
• To demonstrate sustainable hill farming practices for resilient livelihoods and watershed.    

The AEGP CHT Watershed Co-management activity will deal with both VCF and RF management through the following three sub-components. CHTWCA will cover necessary efforts in line with its purposes under component 3, 4 and 5 as well.

• Sub-component 1: Sustainable Management of Village Common Forests (VCFs), Small Streams and Associated Watersheds for Livelihood Improvements;
• Sub-component 2: Support to the Forest Department in RF management activities in CHT;
• Sub-component 3: Promoting sustainable hill farming practices for resilient ecosystems and livelihoods.

In general, the AEGP CHT Watershed Co-management Activity will focus on creating and sustaining a participatory forest management model for VCFs and initiate RF management activities in CHT. According to the Peace Accord of 1997, the VCFs are managed by traditional institutions and communities that falls under HDC’s jurisdiction while the RFs remain under jurisdiction of the FD. One of the major challenges to initiate any forestry based NRM program is the low level of confidence and trust between the key actors: Forest Department, MoEF, MoCHTA, CHTRC, HDCs and traditional institutions and IP leadership of CHT. UNDP’s Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Facility (CHTDF) has successfully engaged with the CHT institutions and leadership for development and confidence building in the CHT. Hence, the CHT Development Facility will implement the VCF related activities in CHT under AEGP programme, while the AEGP programme will coordinate with Forestr Department and relevant institutions at national level. UNDP has initiated discussion with relevant parties to ensure smooth implementation of proposed activities.

It is noteworthy to mention that a project document has been prepared earlier capturing broader aspects, submitted to USAID and agreed accordingly. Now, the component documents, particularly the component of CHTWCA (VCF and RF parts) needs to be elaborated to translate into workable version with detailed inputs.

The International Consultant / Team Leader will work under the supervision of Chief, CEP Programme of CHTDF, UNDP – while s/he will take overall guidance from the Programme Analyst (Environment) of CCED Cluster of UNDP Country Office-

Duties and Responsibilities

The objective of the assignment is to review and further develop the Project (Component) Document on CHT Watershed Co-Management Activity in collaboration with National Consultants. The specific objectives are: (i) developing VCF component document and (ii) RF component document with detailed project formats.

The scope of the assignment remains to review the existing project document and further develop it with providing substantial intellectual inputs, facilitating stakeholder consultations and reflecting those in the document.

• Review existing relevant documents available including AEGP programme document and existing CHTWCA documents;
• Consult with relevant stakeholders (includes, but not limited to the traditional leaders of 3 circles, Ministry of CHT Affairs, CHT Regional Council, Hill District Councils, Forest Depart, Ministry of Forest and Environment, NGOs etc.);
• Prepare a detailed project document covering VCF and RF parts strengthening the points/arguments where CHTWCA will be contributing in peace building process in CHT and addressing the needs of institutional capacity building in line with the peace accord.

The international consultant will give technical inputs and supports in the following areas:

• Careful review of relevant laws/policies and provide substantial inputs both on VCF and RF parts considering specific governance structure established through the spirit of Peace Accord signed in 1997;
• S/he will review both “Adaptive Environmental Governance for the Poor (AEGP)” of UNDP and CHTWCA project documents, consult with relevant personnel from UNDP Country Office and CHTDF, conduct consultative workshops, meetings with relevant stakeholders in order to get their valuable opinion and input on the project;
• Guide the national consultant to facilitate stakeholder consultations/discussions/FGDs;
• Revisit the logframe and provide inputs to improve with SMART indicators;
• Provide substantial inputs to the finalization of a quality project document.

Deliverables/Outputs of the assignment/service:

• Detailed work plan following the introductory/inception meeting with CHTDF-UNDP;
• Review of key documents;
• Submitting project component document on VCF part;
• Guide and lead the national consultant in consultative meetings/workshops with relevant stakeholders;
• Finalising the reports on different consultations obtained from national consultant with necessary guidance/feedback considering CHT context;
• Developing the draft project document (VCF and RF parts together) based on inputs from different consultations and presentation to CHTDF-UNDP management for feedback;
• Submission of final project document to CHTDF-UNDP after incorporating the feedbacks.

• Detailed work plan following the introductory/inception meeting with CHTDF-UNDP;
• Review of key documents;
• Submitting project component document on VCF part.

• Guide and lead the national consultant in consultative meetings/workshops with relevant stakeholders.
• Finalising the reports on different consultations obtained from national consultant with necessary guidance/feedback considering CHT context.
• Developing the draft project document (VCF and RF parts together) based on inputs from different consultations and presentation to CHTDF-UNDP management for feedback.

• Submission of final project document to CHTDF-UNDP after incorporating the feedbacks.

CHTDF will provide working space in its offices, transport facilities for project related visits and necessary supports for the workshops and meetings. CHTDF will bear the costs of any travel outside duty station if required. All other inputs to carry out the service will have to be borne by the consultant including travel costs to duty station.

Competencies

• Knowledge on decentralized governance and socio-political context of CHT is desirable
• Excellent writing skills in English including good oral communication capability;
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multicultural setting.
• Working as team leader in different assignments will be an added advantage.
• Knowledge on decentralized governance and socio-political context of CHT is desirable
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work in a multicultural setting.
  

Required Skills and Experience

• Advance degree in relevant disciplines such as development studies, natural resources management, community forestry or any relevant earth/life/social sciences discipline.

• At least 10 years’ experience including in programme design and implementation in the areas of environment, climate change and natural resources management including experience in designing environmental governance programmes;
• Working experience in CHT or on forestry in areas inhabited by indigenous peoples will be an added advantage.
• Working experience in cross cultural team environment with international organizations and specific knowledge of Bangladesh context in the programme area is desirable;
• Extensive experience in developing UNDP project documents is desirable;
• Experience in participatory Natural Resources Management including experience in biodiversity conservation and/or environmental governance;
• Extensive experience in problem analysis, programme appraisal, M&E systems and logical framework development

• Excellent writing skills in English including good oral communication capability.

• Proposal should be submitted at ebidbox-chtdf.bd@undp.org no later than 23 April 2014;
• Proposal submitted to any other email address or location or submitted in hard copy shall not be considered;
• Email subject line should contain the reference number “IC-IN/2014-CHTDF02”;
• Please refer to the IC Notice (including TOR,) General Terms & Conditions (Annex ll) and the submission template (Annex lll) available in the following location for details evaluation criteria and proposal submission procedure. Incomplete proposals shall not be considered for evaluation.

http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=15246.