Background

Those who previously applied need not apply again.

The Philippines is one of the participating countries in a global Low Emission Capacity Building Programme focused on climate change capacity building for low emission development, primarily of the public sector. The global programme is supported by the UNDP with funding assistance from EU, Germany and Australia over a four-year period.
The Programme is being undertaken in the Philippines through the Low Emission Capacity Building Philippines Project (LECB PHL Project). It is executed by UNDP Philippine Country Office with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) as Implementing Partner. The project which commenced in 2012 is expected to run in a span of 2 years, i.e., until the end of December 2014.
The Project is focused on four key sectors, namely: agriculture, waste, industry and transport (AWIT). The expected outcomes of the project are as follows:

• Outcome No. 1 - Robust national system for preparation of GHG emission inventories have been established at a national level;
• Outcome No. 2 - Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) and/or Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS) sectoral road maps have been formulated within the context of national development priorities; and
• Outcome No. 3 - Measurable, Reportable and Verifiable (MRV) systems have been designed to support implementation and evaluation of NAMAs and/or LEDS sectoral road maps.
  

The Project output under Outcome No. 1 is the establishment and/or institutionalization of the National Greenhouse Gas Inventory System (NGHGIS). The LECB PHL Project is currently building capacity for the preparation of GHG inventories through training and seminar/workshops for relevant government officials and staff involved in this activity. It is likewise undertaking the design and establishment of national systems for the national GHG inventory and institutionalizing mechanisms at the national and institutional levels to link GHG inventories to MRV-related activities for long term sustainability.

On the other hand, the Project output under Outcome No. 3 is to build capacity in MRV-related activities in order that government officials and local personnel can support mitigation actions and low-emissions strategies. The Project is to develop national technology systems for information and monitoring.

Lastly, the Project output under Outcome No. 2 are the following: (a) understanding of the coordination, planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of NAMAs and sectoral road maps; (b) creation of NAMAs and sectoral roadmaps at the national level; and (c) establishment of NAMAs and sectoral policy instruments, technology options, and funding strategies. The Project has hired the services of a Consulting Firm to undertake the development of NAMAs options for the government. NAMAs are any voluntary mitigation action tailored to the national context, characteristics and capabilities, and embedded in national sustainable development priorities with the goal to deviate from BAU emissions.

Inasmuch as NAMAs address only future emissions, i.e., deviation below business as usual, these take into account or respect the existing policies and development priorities of the Philippine Government. Accordingly, and while these are voluntary and do not represent a legal obligation under the UNFCCC, the Government is already developing its options should NAMAs become an integral part of a new global climate agreement, say by 2015.

Duties and Responsibilities

The LECB PHL Project requires the services of an Individual Consultant referred herein as “Consultant” to assist the CCC in its development/formulation of the National Climate Change Mitigation Framework Strategy (NCCMFS). The Consultant is expected to undertake, at the very least, the following major tasks in the development of the Strategy:

Environmental Scanning. This activity can be useful particularly in understanding the objectives or benefits of developing the Strategy. It involves, among others, the gathering, collation and assessment of policies, strategies, plans and programs, best practices of NGAs/institutions and private sector activities in the agriculture, waste, industry, transport, forestry and energy (AWIT-FE) sectors that are related to climate change mitigation. The Consultant may also look into the documents discussed in the previous section for reference, e.g. NFSCC and NCCAP.

Visioning Activity. Stakeholders recommended the conduct of a Visioning Workshop to define not only the sectoral but also the national mid- to long-term goals of the Government on climate change mitigation. Vision statements provide a clear set of directions and expectations within which the entire Strategy can be framed. They must be not only aspirational and inspirational but also measurable. A quantified vision statement provides a clear focus for the Strategy by including a measurable outcome, a targeted output and a timeframe. The use of visioning tools may be looked into and considered, e.g. macro-economic modeling tool such as the Threshold 21 (T21) , vision-reality gap tools , and goal-achievement matrix (GAM) .

Strategy Setting or Formulation. Specific strategies shall be developed for each of the AWIT-FE sectors. Taking off from the result of the visioning activity, the objectives of the strategy and the goals or the changes that are necessary to attain the objectives are set or developed. The desk study conducted by the Chief Technical Adviser on the Proposed Philippine Climate Change Mitigation Strategy may be considered as reference for this activity.

Evaluation and Selection of Strategy Options. Each sectoral strategies shall be evaluated or analyzed for, among others, their in-depth economic analysis of climate change impacts, and of cost benefit analysis of alternative policy and mitigation/adaptation options, directed towards promoting socio-economic growth and greenhouse gas reductions. The conduct of a SWOT analysis or other applicable tools to evaluate and select the options may be considered.

Action Plans. Each strategy should have an action plan detailing how the strategy objectives will be reached or achieved. It includes the identification of stakeholders (who), the assignment of responsibilities (what) and timeframe (when) to reach the strategic goals.

Institutional Strengthening. A needs assessment may have to be conducted and a capacity building program developed for relevant stakeholders on the policy options/strategies on climate change mitigation and to strengthen national and local institutions to work on or implement the said strategies.

Monitoring and Evaluation Framework. Key performance indicators to track and monitor the implementation of the different aspects or elements of the NFSCCM will be set. A monitoring and evaluation system (e.g. UNDP’s Result-Based Management System) on the implementation of the action plans will be developed. Impacts of each strategy will be assessed against results-based indicators and impact criteria. The commitment of the Philippine Government in the UNFCCC negotiations on climate change mitigations (e.g. target date for submitting NAMAs options) should be considered. It should also include on what basis and when will the Strategy be reviewed and revised, if necessary.

Launching of the Strategy. The conduct of iterative meetings and/or focused group discussions at the local and national level on the above major tasks may have to be conducted in order to ensure that stakeholders’ inputs are taken into consideration in the Strategy development process. Thereafter, a program and action plan should be developed to launch or present to the public or nation-wide the NFSCCM.

Competencies

Corporate competencies

• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; 
• Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.
  

Functional and technical competencies

• Strong knowledge of the latest theories and concepts in urban development and sustainable cities in the Philippines and broader region;
• Strong analytical and research skills; 
• Familiarity with current actors working on urban development challenges in the Philippines; 
• Strong communication skills and ability to communicate with different stakeholders; 
• Excellent in oral and written communication; have skills to write independent reports, documents, maintain systems and procedures in administering programs.
  

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Degree in social sciences, human resources, environmental planning, environmental science, or related fields;
• Advance or graduate degrees are preferable.

Experience:

The Consultant should have successfully executed at least one similar contract (policy or strategy development) within the last 10 years.

• At least 5 years work experiences on climate change mitigation, GHG inventory and/or projects related to capacity building or institutional strengthening;
• Strong familiarity with planning processes and regulations at the national, subnational and local levels; 
• Familiarity with UNFCCC rules and guidelines would be an advantage; and,
• Demonstrated written and presentation skills and the capacity to relate to both internal and external constituencies of the project.

Language:

• Fluent in English.