UNDP Jobs - 51731- South-South Illegal Wildlife Trade Partnership Con

South-South Illegal Wildlife Trade Partnership Consultant

Location :

Home-based with Mission travel to up to three countries in Asia and Africa

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

15-Dec-2014

Application Deadline :

27-Nov-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Part-time over seven months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Both legal and illegal exploitation of wildlife has affected the status of the earth’s biodiversity for millennia. Unprecedented biological or commercial extinction of many life forms is now a critical reality throughout the world, jeopardizing the very foundations of biodiversity, including the future well-being of humans and requiring unprecedented political will, social sacrifice and law enforcement action to stem further losses. Progressively, through the advent of the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1976, together with a host of national legislative and regulatory instruments and mechanisms, the global community has moved to address the threat to thousands of endangered species of wildlife posed by unfettered trade. Although the value of illegal trade remains uncertain, it has variously been estimated at between USD 5 – 20 billion per annum. These estimates suggest that wildlife crime is the fourth most lucrative type of transnational crime after trade in illegal narcotics, humans and armaments.

Currently, two of the most prominent aspects of wildlife crime link the survival of Africa’s elephants and rhinoceroses with consumer demand for wildlife products, much of it from Asia.

African Elephants: Pachyderms throughout Africa and Asia are under epic assault. Serious elephant poaching is now occurring throughout Africa and even celebrated elephant strongholds are collapsing. For example, Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve has seen an elephant population that once numbered over 100,000 in the mid-1970s and reportedly still reached over 70,000 animals as recently as 2007, plummet to a paltry 13,000 animals in the last credible survey conducted in late 2013. The illegal hunting of African Elephants for ivory has been accompanied by a more than doubling of the illegal ivory trade since 2007 and is more than 3 times greater than it was in 1998[1].

Rhinos: Illegal trade in rhino horn has now reached the highest levels since the early 1990s and in 2013 nearly 2,000 rhino horns are estimated to have gone into illegal trade. Comparatively speaking, the illegal supply of rhino horn out of Africa is now over 30 times greater than what was observed in the early 2000s.

Tiger: Since 2000, there have been 654 seizures of Tiger parts and derivatives across 12 Tiger Range Countries (Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Viet Nam). It is estimated that a minimum of 1,425 tigers were seized during this period. Since only a fraction of Tigers in illegal trade are intercepted by law enforcement, the scale of criminal activity represents a serious ongoing threat to the survival of wild Tigers, generally considered to number as low as 3,200. India the country with the largest national wild Tiger population, reported the most seizures since 2000 (336). Next were China (58) and Viet Nam (50), which have small numbers of wild Tigers, but large numbers of captive animals. Both China and Viet Nam have been identified as important zones of consumption for illegal Tiger products.

Pangolin: By the most conservative estimates, 10,000 pangolins are trafficked illegally each year from both Asia and Africa. The illicit pangolin trade has become extremely lucrative. According to Environmental News Network, pangolins were worth around US$10 per kilogram in the early 1990s and had soared to US$175 per kg by 2009. The decline of these species presents one of the most immediate threats to the integrity of ecosystems across the globe and is widely accepted to be the result of the illegal, unsustainable trade in species, their parts and derivatives. Wildlife trafficking networks are increasingly recognized as organized criminal networks. Individuals are collaborating across the globe to illegally move large shipments of high-value products, they are well–financed, utilize sophisticated smuggling methods, and operate through countries where opportunities are created by weak governance and corruption.

The increase in poaching and trafficking is driven, among other factors, by growing demand from Asia’s urban wealth centers. The consequences of the illegal trade in wildlife span environmental, social (including security), and economic impacts. This theft of sovereign natural capital affects the resource base for local communities and threatens security and stability of societies spanning the trade chain. The illegal trade in wildlife is therefore a barrier to sustainable development in Africa and Asia, involving a complex combination of weak environmental governance, unregulated trade, loopholes in legal system and regulations and laundering systems used to conduct serious transnational crime, and undermining government institutions and legitimate business.

Shipping and the illegal wildlife trade

Both air and sea transport are important for illegal wildlife trafficking, with shipping the dominant mode of transport for ivory. Since 2009, nearly two-thirds of the large ivory seizures by number, and three-quarters by weight, have transpired as containerized shipping through seaports. This is not surprising as container shipping certainly represents the most cost-effective transport option for moving a commodity that is heavy like ivory and the risk of detection is, generally speaking, minimized. Indeed, container shipping presents a major challenge to effective law enforcement as only a small percentage (typically less than 5%) of the containers in trade are actually subjected to inspection of some description. For example, the port of Hong Kong processes over 19 million containers annually. Most African seaports lack expensive technical equipment such as cargo scanner machines that can scan containers. A further complication is that, in general, the focus of inspection in most countries is directed at import trade and surveillance of export traffic is comparatively ignored.

As such, poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking requires stronger international action to ensure the protection of wildlife and a greater focus on three key themes:

Sustainable livelihoods;
Law enforcement and governance; and
Addressing the demand for illegal wildlife products.

Countries require comprehensive legislation that sets out strict penalties for wildlife crime, and consistent and effective enforcement and prosecution. As illegal wildlife trade transcends borders, international cooperation is instrumental to curbing these illicit flows. Local communities also need to be engaged throughout.

UNDP has a potential key role in co-leading and coordinating the design and implementation of national strategies to combat illegal wildlife trafficking (IWT) in countries where there is demand and in line with a global UNDP strategic framework. In 2013-14 UNDP led the design of such a national strategy in Tanzania, and has been asked by the Government to coordinate donor support for its implementation. At the February 2014 London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade and subsequently, several governments and/or in-country agencies, expressed their interest in having UNDP lead similar national strategy processes.

To respond to this growing demand, UNDP will support preparations for national strategy processes in up to three countries covering Asia and Africa. In addition to supporting stakeholder consultations in each country, UNDP will develop country reports with recommendations for advancing a national strategy.

This proposed work involves building stronger partnerships with public, private, and civil society country stakeholders, as well as, within the UN system, e.g. UNODC, UNEP and UNEP-WCMC, within CITES and INTERPOL, and other multilateral and bilateral actors.

To support this work, UNDP will hire an international expert consultant on South-South Illegal Wildlife Trade Partnerships. A second international expert consultant may be hired to support this work if additional countries are selected based on demand and timing.

[1] CITES et.al. 2013

Duties and Responsibilities

Under overall guidance of the UNDP’s Global Advisor on Wildlife Enforcement and UNDP-GEF Ecosystems and Biodiversity (EBD) Regional Technical Advisors (RTAs) for Asia and the Pacific , and in close collaboration with the country offices (COs), the consultant will provide technical support and recommendations in the form of a strategic intervention plan that will highlight the crucial role UNDP can play in the reduction of IWT between Africa and Asia, with the specific objective of reducing the IWT in African Elephant ivory and Rhino horn between the two continents, as well as, support national consultations in 2-3 countries in Africa and Asia.

Scope of Work

The resultant strategic intervention plan will need to catalyse a ‘game changing’ shift for illegal wildlife trade control through:

Strengthening south-south (Asia-Africa and Asia-Asia) cooperation and private sector participation to prevent illegal import and export of wildlife products through seaports;
Improving the deterrence effect for smugglers through establishing stronger and more effective screening and seizure procedures at seaports, both in Africa and Asia;
Strengthening the policy and legal basis and the effectiveness of the criminal justice response of selected African and Asian countries’ agencies in prosecutions following seizure of shipments, and linking to efforts to reduce demands for selected globally-significant wildlife species; and
Supporting national consultations in 2-3 countries in Africa and Asia, including summary reports.

The international consultant hired to support this work will:

Review UNDP’s experience in supporting consultations and developing a national strategy in Tanzania;
Prepare and/or co-lead national consultations in up to three countries, drawing on Tanzania experience;
Prepare and/or review a report for each country summarizing the consultations and outlining ways forward for developing a national strategy, drawing on the Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit;
Through this work, strengthen collaborations with country and international partners.

Expected Tasks and Deliverables

Approved workplan and technical approach – December 2014;
Scoping report tabling existing “reduction of IWT” players and defining a distinct niche UNDP should occupy in the environment – February 2015;
Scoping report describing the IWT between Asia and Africa, defining the most strategic and cost-effective reduction entry points within the trade routes - February 2015;
Scoping report analyzing the shipping industry and its involvement in the IWT of Ivory between Africa and Asia, including recommendations on interventions that will lead to a reduction in use of shipping as a mechanism to transport IWT products – February 2015;
Strategy document to increase private sector involvement in the reduction of IWT, especially in the reduction in the use of shipping as mode of transport for IWT products – March 2015;
Succinct document articulating the link between reduction of IWT and poverty reduction, with a specific focus on human development in Asia, including estimates of economic loss derived from IWT – March 2015;
Workshop Report regarding consultation in the formulation of a strategy describing how UNDP will engage in the reduction of IWT between Africa and Asia – March 2015;
A Conceptual Framework describing how UNDP will engage in the reduction of IWT between Africa and Asia, with results framework, indicative outputs and estimate costs – April 2015;
Partnership Strategy in regards to a strategy describing how UNDP will engage in the reduction of IWT between Africa and Asia – May 2015;
UNDP technically cleared PIF titled “South-South Cooperation to Combat Shipping of Illegal Wildlife Products” and PPG plans – May 2015;
National consultations conducted in up to three countries including bilateral meetings and stakeholder workshops (final set of countries to be determined). Each Mission is expected to take on average up to 6-8 days in country – timing based on country demand;
Reports developed from the workshops and meetings on: national context, issues to be addressed by a national strategy, and options for advancing the design and implementation of a national strategy including links to other existing policy and budgeting processes, and UNDP’s and partners’ roles. Each report, one per country mission, will be approximately 5-10 pages, not including Annexes, and is due within one week of completing the in-country mission – timing based on country demand.

For these two country deliverables immediately above, the exact dates for completion depend on final country selection and the timing of nationally-owned policy processes.

Institutional Arrangements

The consultant will report to, and be directly supervised by, UNDP’s Global Advisor on Wildlife Enforcement, who is based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and UNDP-GEF Regional Technical Advisors for Biodiversity and Ecosystems for Asia and the Pacific, in close collaboration with the country offices (COs);
The Consultant will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;
The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own work station (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, etc.) and must have access to reliable internet connection;
The consultant will engage regularly by email, Skype and/or and phone on a weekly and/or as needed daily basis. In addition, the consultant will also engage with other UNDP colleagues based in NY, relevant regional hubs, and country offices;
UNDP Country Offices will also provide technical development advice;
The consultant will also engage directly with national consultants hired to support the national consultations and report preparation. Additionally, the consultant will meet with country stakeholders from government, civil society, and private sector during workshops and bilateral meetings, as well as, staff from UNODC, UNEP, UNEP-WCMC, CITES, INTERPOL, and other multilateral and bilateral actors.

Duration of the Assignment

The consultant will work over a seven month period for an estimated 80 work days, including mission travel, starting December 2014 or upon contract signature, whichever comes first;
The exact timing of some deliverables will depend in part on how fast target counties are able to agree and commit to the national consultations.

Duty Station and Travel

The consultant will be home-based;
The consultant will travel to up to three developing countries in Asia and Africa to conduct national consultations and bilateral meetings with country stakeholders. Expected travel duration for each mission is up to 6-8 days in country;
The Advanced and Basic Security in the Field II courses must be successfully completed prior to commencement of travel;
Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director;
Consultants are required to comply with the UN security directives;
The consultant will be responsible for making his/her own mission travel arrangements in line with UNDP travel policies;
All related travel expenses will be reimbursed as per UNDP rules and regulations upon submission of an F-10 claim form and supporting documents. Costs for mission travel (airfares and living allowances) should not be included in financial proposal.

Competencies

Demonstrated comprehensive technical knowledge related to illegal poaching and trafficking of wildlife;
Strong analytical, reporting, and writing abilities;
Excellent presentation and facilitation skills;
Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
Ability to plan, organize, implement, and report on work;
Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards;
Positive, constructive attitude to work;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in relevant field(s), including environmental, social, economic, and political studies, or other closely related field (Max 10 points).

Experience:

Minimum of 5-years work experience in areas relevant to the illegal trafficking of wildlife, including demonstrated knowledge of CITES, Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit, the work of national stakeholders and international development partners (Max 30 points);
Demonstrated experience in project development, implementation, management and monitoring and evaluation of sustainable development projects, in particular in the areas of biodiversity and ecosystem management, including drafting reports and policy recommendations (Max 10 points);
Experience in guiding stakeholder consultations and South-South partnerships highly desirable (Max 10 points);
Demonstrated experience in developing countries of Asia and/or Africa highly desirable (Max 10 points);
Knowledge of and experience working as a consultant with UNDP/UN system preferred (Max 10 points).

Language requirements:

Fluency of English language, both written and oral, is required (Max 5 points);
Knowledge of another UN language is an asset (Max 5 points).

Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Consultant must submit an all-inclusive daily fee financial proposal based on anticipated number of work days.

The total amount quoted shall include professional fees for completing all deliverables described below. The contract price will be a fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the herein specified duration (if necessary). As noted above, when calculating his/her financial proposal, airfares and living allowances should not be included in the financial proposal.

Payments will be made upon satisfactory completion and acceptance of the deliverables and as per below percentages:

Deliverable 1: Approved workplan and technical approach: 5% of total contract amount;
Deliverable 2: Scoping report tabling existing “reduction of IWT” players and defining a distinct niche UNDP should occupy in the environment: 10% of total contract amount;
Deliverable 3: Scoping report describing the IWT between Asia and Africa, defining the most strategic and cost-effective reduction entry points within the trade routes: 10% of total contract amount;
Deliverable 4: Scoping report analyzing the shipping industry and its involvement in the IWT of Ivory between Africa and Asia, including recommendations on interventions that will lead to a reduction in use of shipping as a mechanism to transport IWT products: 10% of total contract amount;
Deliverable 5: Strategy document to increase private sector involvement in the reduction of IWT, especially in the reduction in the use of shipping as mode of transport for IWT products: 10% of total contract;
Deliverable 6: Succinct document articulating the link between reduction of IWT and poverty reduction, with a specific focus on human development in Asia, including estimates of economic loss derived from IWT: 5% of total contract amount;
Deliverable 7: Workshop Report regarding consultation in the formulation of a strategy describing how UNDP will engage in the reduction of IWT between Africa and Asia: 5% of total contract amount;
Deliverable 8: A Conceptual Framework describing how UNDP will engage in the reduction of IWT between Africa and Asia, with results framework, indicative outputs and estimate costs: 10% of total contract amount;
Deliverable 9: Partnership Strategy in regards to a strategy describing how UNDP will engage in the reduction of IWT between Africa and Asia: 10% of total contract amount;
Deliverable 10: UNDP technically PIF titled “South-South Cooperation to Combat Shipping of Illegal Wildlife Products” and PPG plans: 10% of total contract amount;
Deliverable 11: 1st National consultations and country report: 5% of total contract amount;
Deliverable 12: 2nd National consultations and country report: 5% of total contract amount;
Deliverable 13: 3rd National consultations and country report: 5% of total contract amount.

Evaluation Method, Criteria, and Award of Contract

Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated;
Offers will be evaluated according to the Combined Scoring method – where the technical criteria will be weighted at 70% and the financial offer will be weighted at 30%;
The technical criteria (education, experience, language, and interview (max 10pts) will be based on a maximum 100 points. Only the top 3 candidates that have achieved a minimum of 63 points from the review of the education, experience, and language criteria will be deemed technically qualified and considered for interview and financial evaluation;
Financial score (max 100 points) shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal of those technically qualified;
The financial proposal shall specify an all-inclusive daily fee, including breakdown per deliverable as outlined above. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal must additionally include a breakdown of this daily fee (including number of anticipated working days and all foreseeable expenses to carry out the assignment);
Applicant receiving the Highest Combined Score and has accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract.

Documentation required:

Applicants must submit a proposed approach/methodology for carrying out this assignment and a duly completed and signed UNDP Personal History form (P11) to be downloaded from the below link. Kindly note you can upload only one document to this application (scan all documents in one single PDF file to attach). In addition, applicants must reply to the mandatory questions asked by the system when submitting the application.

UNDP Personal History form (P11) required of all applicants:

http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/library/corporate/Careers/P11_Personal_history_form.doc.

General Conditions of Contract for the ICs:

http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/procurement/documents/IC%20-%20General%20Conditions.pdf.