Background

As an LDC, Yemen experiences numerous development challenges which include high population growth rate and poverty, inadequate access to basic social services, limited infrastructure, high illiteracy rate, low per capita income, slow economic growth, and environmental degradation. Poverty in Yemen is also more pronounced in rural areas. Rural areas have 72.6 percent of the total population, it accounts for 84 percent of the poor. Yemen is characterized by a rich variety of natural habitats, species and genetic diversity, including many endemic species. These resources are of major economic importance because of their potential for tourism and the wildlife and fisheries they support. Yemen's coastal and marine ecosystems which include extensive mangroves, coral reefs, and sea grass areas are of major economic importance for fisheries and tourism. However, in recent decades human activity has transformed the landscape and resulted in over-exploited biological resources, resulting in the deterioration of many habitats, land degradation which jeopardizes livelihood sustainability of the vulnerable communities especially the poor.

Under current economic growth patterns, environmental quality is fast deteriorating, as dramatized by the increased occurrence of environmental problems. Specifically, the gains of economic growth are being diminished, or even negated, by numerous factors including: deforestation; pervasive coral reef destruction; massive pesticide poisonings; degradation and erosion of agricultural lands; pollutant intrusion into aquifers; irresponsible tourism activities; marsh and mangrove destruction; loss of forest and green cover associated with massive urbanization; industrial pollution; continued reliance on non-renewable energy sources; destructive fishing methods; and indiscriminate oil exploration and exploitation.

 Biodiversity is an important issue that does not only refer to the environmental challenges that affect natural resources and its life; it affects also the quality of life, especially the vulnerable groups such as the poor, women and children. Since the majority of the Yemen population are rural dwellers whose main livelihoods depends on access to natural resources, poverty will tend to rise when biodiversity declines and vice versa. As such, any efforts to reduce poverty in Yemen, must constantly come accompanied by proper biodiversity conservation and land management measures.

Main threats in Yemen are due to land resourses degradation in various forms, over hunting and overexploitation. In general , Yemen vegetation is being drastically in Yemen and threaten about perecent of the land and can be attrivuted to the following: cultivation and poor agriclture practices; wood cutting for firewood ,timber and charcoal; over-grazing; soil salinity;wind erosion and sand dune encroachment ;and constraction expansion in cities and villages. On the other word ,threats to terrestrial fauna in Yemen are also common and are mainly to: destruction ,degradation and loss of habitats; over-hunting and proliferation of firearms;and road constraction opening up avenues into the hinterland. Climate change is also emerging as an issue posing new threats to biodiversity conversations in Yemen.

The project proposal is contribute to support the Government of Yemen addressing the aforementioned issues and specially the following national biodiversity and land degradation priorities:

• Establishment of new protected areas;
• establishment of national protected area network;
• Sustainability of key protected areas;
• Control of Invasive Alien Species (IAS);
• Sustainable land management;
• Promotion of livelihood approaches in Natural Resource Management (NRM).

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultation firm is assumed to perform following major tasks:

• Conduct extensive national consultations with national stakeholders, local donors and potential implementing agencies on national priorities in biodiversity conservation and land degradation;
• Review relevant documents (reports, plans, strategies and action plans, studies/assessments) in Yemen related to biodiversity conservation and land degradation;
• Identify the key stakeholders to be involved in the formulation and implementation of the project;
• Building on this information, develop the baseline situation for the project and identify planned or on-going initiatives that could serve as a baseline project for the GEF investment;
• Conduct the development of this project proposal through a consultative process with other regional and international partners;
• Work in close cooperation with UNDP CO and other stakeholders in order to define the project budget;
• Formulate, in close consultation with all key stakeholders, a draft PIF addressing the following issues;
• Development of the problem tree and sketching of the intervention strategy;
• Identification of several possible scenarios for intervention and identification of the most cost-effective approach within the GEF strategic objective;
• Preliminary identification of key areas for piloting and implementation;
• Preparation of the project results framework– including indicative indicators – and GEF tracking tool;
• Identification of main risks and associated mitigation measures according to the UNDP typology and approach to risk management;
• Identify interlink ages between biodiversity conservation and land degradation for sustainable livelihoods;
• Identification of co-financiers and indicative amounts of co-financing from potential partners;

Deliverables:

• Inception Report for  2 working days (Home based);
• Stakeholder  consultations for 5 working days (Sana’a,Yemen);
• Draft PIF for 8 working days (Home based);
• Draft E&SS screening report for 2 working days (Home based);
• Final PIF and E&SS screening report for 3 working days (Home based);

Note

The type of the contract  for the  position is ( Reimbursable Loan Agreement )  in other words; the contract should be signed through Consultancy Company.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent inter-personal and team-work skills, with a demonstrated ability and commitment to knowledge sharing, collaborative work, and ability to contribute innovative solutions to achieve common aims;
• Ability to work under tight deadlines;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Good drafting, writing, and communications skills (oral and written), including previous experience in preparing similar assignments.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment;
• Ability/disposition to work as part of a team.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Postgraduate or other advanced university degree related to environmental management, biodiversity conservation, land management or relevant disciplines.

Experience:

• At least (10) years of relevant experience in drafting UNDP/GEF project PIFs and documents;
• Proven working experience in the field of biodiversity and land management in developing countries, and working the region is an asset;
• Demonstrated experience in capacity development initiatives, notably at the systemic and institutional levels;
• Extensive conceptual and practical knowledge of UNDP/GEF systems and practices;
• Demonstrated ability of analytical and report drafting work;
• Extensive experience analyzing data and preparing analytical reports.

Language:

• Written and spoken proficiency in English;
• Arabic language skills are desirable.