UNDP Jobs - 26721- FORMULATION OF UNDP ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOUR

FORMULATION OF UNDP ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SUPPORT PROGRAMME TO MALAWI, 2012 – 2016

Location :

LILONGWE, MALAWI

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

19-Dec-11 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 WEEKS

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

Malawi’s environment and natural resources are the main sources of peoples’ livelihoods and the backbone of the country’s main productive sectors. Unsustainable use of these resources makes it harder to achieve food security, poverty reduction and other national development priorities, and will undermine development interventions and achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Malawi. This is further exacerbated by the current and future effects of Climate Change, which are expected to have a significant negative effect in Malawi. Realizing these threats and challenges, the Government of Malawi (GoM) has included ‘Conservation of the Natural Resource Base’ under Theme 1: Sustainable Economic Growth, in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS, the overarching national planning document for the period 2006-2011) and incorporated “Climate Change, Natural Resources and Environmental Management” as one of the nine Key Priority Areas (KPA) in the revised MGDS for 2006 – 2011. These Themes and KPA are reiterated in its successor document, the MGDS-II (covering the period 2011-2016).

The relationship between economic development and environmental and natural resources management is also emphasized under the following policies and programmes in Malawi (inter alia): a) National Environmental Policy; b) National Environment Action Plan (NEAP); c) National Environmental Management Plan (NEMP); d) Environmental Management Act (1996); e) Forestry Policy (1996) and National Forestry Programme (2001); f) National Action Programme (NAP, 2000) under the United Nations Convention for Combating Desertification (UN-CCD); g) National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) under the UN Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD); and h) the National Capacity Self Assessment (2010) focusing on the Multi-lateral Environment Agreements (MEAs).

Environment and Sustainable development is one of focus areas in UNDP’s global Strategic Plan for 2008-2011 (extended to 2013). The UNDP Malawi Country Office has for a number of years supported national Environment and Energy programmes, recently also focusing on Climate Change. Aligning its key priorities with government’s MGDS, the present United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF 2006-2011, the overarching planning document for all UN Agencies in Malawi), features as its first Outcome: “By 2011 Government policies and local and national institutions effectively support equitable economic growth and the achievement of food and nutrition security while minimizing or reversing environmental degradation”. Fitting within the UNDAF Country Programme Outcomes, the current UNDP’s Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP), the strategic programmatic plan for UNDP’s country support in Malawi for 2008-11, has as the first Outcome: “Enhanced Conservation of the natural resource base by 2010”.

A number of projects were developed and implemented under this CPAP Outcome, of which the following are still under implementation: a) UNDP-UNEP Poverty Environmental Initiative (PEI) b) Environment & Energy for Pro-poor Growth and c) National Climate change Programme, including the African Adaptation Programme (AAP). These programmes has been evaluated under the CPAP mid-term evaluation in 2010, under the Assessment of Development Results (ADR, 2011), as well as an end of term Outcome Evaluation in 2011.

Under the newly drafted UNDAF 2012 – 2016 it is proposed that climate change, environment, natural resources, and disaster risk management coordination mechanisms and implementation arrangements will be built at national level, and in all disaster-prone districts. This should be achieved through mainstreaming of climate change, environment, natural resources and disaster risk management concerns into national and district policy and decision-making processes, as well as budgeting. It is also foreseen that National and District institutions will also receive UN support in producing, collecting and disseminating data, information and knowledge on climate change, environmental degradation and natural disaster. Furthermore, aiming at the development of a national programme on sustainable energy, the UN plans to pilot and upscale alternative innovative renewable energy technologies in rural and peri-urban areas. These programmes will be further detailed under the accompanying UNDAF Action Plan for 2012 – 2016 (currently under development).

Following the UNDAF, UNDP Malawi has developed its Draft Country Programme Document (CPD) for 2012 – 2016. The new CPD aims to continue to support Malawi in its efforts in strengthening environment, natural resources and climate change and disaster risk management in a strategic manner, in line with the MGDS-II. More specifically, UNDP's support will focus on improved coordination, investment planning, mainstreaming and knowledge management at the national and district levels, and upscaling of renewable and energy saving measures to ensure a low emission and climate-resilient development.

In order to operationalize the CPD and UNDAF, UNDP plans to formulate a Programme Support Document (PSD) for its support to GoM on Climate Change, Environment and Natural Resources Management. This will be undertaken by 3 separate teams of combined National and International Consultants on: 1. Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation; 2. Environment and Natural Resources Management; and 3. Upscaling of Renewable and Energy Saving Services

Duties and Responsibilities

Overall Objective:

Consultancy services are sought to develop a five year programme for UNDP’s support to the Government of Malawi on Environment and Natural Resources (ENR) Management. This Support Programme for the period 2012 – 2016 should follow the outline of the MGDS-II, the frameworks of the new UNDAF (including the Action Plan) and UNDP CPD for 2012-2016, as well as UNDP’s global mandate and strategies, e.g. the Low Emission Climate Resilient Development Strategies (LECRDS), Sustainable Development Plans, Green Economy, etc. The proposed UNDP supported programme should coordinate ENR Management initiatives with existing National Platforms (e.g. the National Climate Change and ENR Programme structure, and the Joint Resilience Unit, bringing together the main Development Partners on Climate Change), the Sector Working Group (SWG) on Climate Change and ENR, and other Development Partners’ (DPs) initiatives.

Under the umbrella of the UNDAF and the UN Delivery as One (DaO) initiative, UNDP will embrace support from other UN agencies, especially UNEP, FAO and WFP, and will look across the planned UNDP programs and clusters to achieve a coherent ENRM programme for a more resilient population.

Specific Objective and Scope of the Assignment:

Develop a Programme Support Document (PSD) for UNDP’s assistance to Government for an Environment and Natural Resources Management (ENRM) support programme for 2012-2016, following the MGDS-II, UNDAF and CPD priorities, by operationalizing the relevant plans and strategies, and focusing on the following main themes: Mainstreaming, Coordination, Capacity Development and Information & Knowledge Management at national and district levels. The formulation would also need to take into account the Lessons Learned from the different evaluations and other assessments. This will be achieved by undertaking the following (non-exhaustive) tasks:

Analyze the previous evaluations and assessment of UNDP support to GoM on ENRM, with a view to incorporate lessons learned in the present PSD.
Review the existing conceptual framework and operational approaches applied by UNDP Malawi for ENRM support to GoM, assess its strengths and weaknesses and translate findings and lessons into the design of the new programme.
Explore and articulate the current linkages in UNDP support programmes between ENRM, Energy, Climate Change (CC) and Disaster Risk Management (DRM), assess strengths and weaknesses, and translate and incorporate lessons learned into the design of the new support programme framework.
Review previous studies pertaining to ENRM related legal and institutional frameworks at national and local level and its relevance to Malawi’s sustainable development agenda and environmental priorities.
Analyze the national, district and local existing policies, plans, laws, guidelines, protocols, coordination mechanisms and activities related to ENRM.
Assess the national capacity and institutional arrangements for the implementation of the UNDP support programme on ENRM, and recommend appropriate institutional structures and capacity development initiative for the new support programme, taking into account lessons learned from on-going programmes.
Assess existing stakeholders’ partnerships in ENRM, and identify strategic and innovative areas and means of cooperation.
Review budgetary arrangements for integration, coordination and mainstreaming of ENRM concerns.
Map clearly, and identify upfront funding opportunities and potential resource mobilization sources (internal and external) and formulate a resource mobilization action plan to include in the proposed programme framework.
Take cross-cutting issues such as the human rights approach and gender into consideration in the development of the new proposed programme framework.
Develop a detailed Results and Resources Framework (RRF) for the new ENRM support programme, including baseline indicators and targets.
Liaise closely with Consultants working on other UNDP programme formulation documents, especially on CC and DRM, to ensure coherence.

In undertaking the above tasks, the consultant is expected to refer to and consult international and national literature pertaining to the objectives of this consultancy, including international best practices, reviews, etc. Consultation with key stakeholders including the UN (UNDP, UNEP, FAO, WFP), the GOM institutions (Office of President and Cabinet, Ministry of Finance and development Planning, Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment & Energy, Department of Disaster Management Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, and related offices at national and district level), CSOs/NGOs, Development Partners, private sector representatives, and other potential beneficiaries is required. Field visits to selected project sites, briefing and debriefing sessions with UN and the Government officials, as well as with donors and partners are envisaged.

Reporting Lines and Timeframe:

The International Lead Consultant will report and work under the overall supervision of the UNDP Assistant Resident Representative (ARR) for Environment, Energy and Climate Change, and will undertake the assignment in close collaboration with the technical supervision and guidance from the environment and climate change team of the UNDP Country Office, in liaison with relevant Regional and Global UNDP Offices. The International Lead Consultant will work together with a National Consultant, who will be recruited separately by UNDP, and who will look into specific sectors as guided by the ToRS and the International Lead Consultant, and will report to the Lead Consultant. The assignment for the Lead Consultant will be conducted for a period of forty (40) working days, spread out over a maximum of 12 weeks, of which 6 weeks in-country. The International Consultant is responsible for the ultimate delivery of the Outputs (the full and approved PSD).

Competencies

Inception Report (max. 6 pages), including: An assessment of the ToRs; A strategy of how to develop the Programme Support Document (PSD); Draft Table of Content + outline of PSD and a Work plan to develop the PSD including a division of labour between the consultants and a list of stakeholders to consult as Annexes. Draft Inception Report to be delivered max. 7 working days after commencement of assignment, and to be finalized including comments of stakeholders within 12 working days after commencement of assignment.
First draft PSD, to be submitted to UNDP for initial comments, max. 6 weeks after commencement of assignment.
Presentation of second draft PSD in national stakeholder consultation workshop, to be held within 9 weeks after commencement of assignment.
Final and approved UNDP Environment and Natural Resources Management PSD, containing all areas addressed as stated above, including linkages to other programmes, implementation plan, indicative budget, resource mobilization plan, results and resources framework with baselines and indicators, stakeholder engagement plan, etc. To be delivered max. 12 weeks after commencement of assignment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (Masters or higher level) in a discipline relevant to Environment and Natural Resources Management such as: Natural resources management, environment studies, development studies, geography, and other related fields.

Experience:

Minimum of 10 years professional experience in international development, environment, sustainable management of natural resources to poverty reduction, and / or related field;
Expertise: In depth knowledge and understanding of the current issues in environment and sustainable management of natural resources and how this relates to poverty reduction;
Experience in developing overarching national programmes, experience with UNDP and/or UNDAF formulations preferred;
Skills in facilitation and coordination, including high level government consultation, with strong communication and inter-personal skills
Proven team leader, able to lead a team of national consultants;
Sound judgment and strong client and results orientation;
Demonstrated and strong analytical and report writing abilities required;
Experienced in working with government and national stakeholders, with demonstrated ability to work under different settings and cultural environments, and work experience in Southern Africa preferred.