Background

Projects title:

 Strengthening Marine Protected Areas in Southeast China to Conserve Globally Significant Coastal Biodiversity (China-Protected Areas System Reform – C-PAR 4)

1.Background

This project aims to conserve globally significant coastal biodiversity in south-east (SE) China through integrated seascape planning and threat management, MPA network expansion and strengthened MPA operations. The project focuses on coastal ecosystems, using the Chinese white dolphin (CWD) as an indicator and flagship species to engage multiple stakeholders in novel ecosystem-based approaches. The target area for the project is three provinces in south-east China: Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi.

The project objective is to conserve globally significant coastal biodiversity in SE China through integrated seascape planning and threat management, MPA network expansion and strengthened MPA operations. Three components are designed to achieve this object:

Component 1: Strengthened MPA legal framework and mainstreaming and expansion of MPA network. This will expand the area and improve the connectivity of MPAs protecting globally significant biodiversity, as well as piloting innovative mechanisms to mainstream biodiversity conservation into marine spatial planning, and improving MPA regulations and financing.

Component 2: Demonstrations of improved MPA and ESA (Ecologically Sensitive Area) management. This will strengthen the management effectiveness of MPAs in the project’s three pilot areas, build the capacity of MPA staff, enhance the participation of communities, and reduce locally specific threats in MPAs and across wider seascapes through participatory action and enforcement and improved awareness.

Component 3: Monitoring, evaluation and sharing of knowledge and information on coastal habitats and species. This will establish a functioning MPA Network linking MPAs across SE China, including a GIS-based information platform for knowledge and information sharing, enhance the coordination of research and monitoring for globally significant biodiversity, and ensure that the project is implemented effectively and knowledge and lessons learned are widely shared with project stakeholders, including the wider public in coastal SE China and nationally through the GEF-financed, C-PAR Program, of which this project is a part.

As the only C-PAR child project focusing on coastal and marine ecosystems, this project offers particular opportunities for replication and learning both across the marine environment, linking marine and terrestrial approaches, and between MPAs and terrestrial PAs.

This project has recently concluded its Midterm Review, in which it achieved an overall Satisfactory rating.

2. Social and Environmental Safeguards:

UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards (SES) underpin our commitment to mainstream social and environmental sustainability in our Programmes and Projects to support sustainable development. The objectives of the standards are to:

• Strengthen the social and environmental outcomes of Programmes and Projects;
• Avoid adverse impacts to people and the environment;
• Minimize, mitigate, and manage adverse impacts where avoidance is not possible;
• Strengthen UNDP and partner capacities for managing social and environmental risks;
• Ensure full and effective stakeholder engagement, including through a mechanism to respond to complaints from project-affected people.

A key mechanism to ensure these standards are applied is through UNDP’s project-level Social and Environmental Screening Procedure (SESP) which is a requirement for all proposed projects. The objectives of the SESP are to: (a) Integrate the SES Overarching Principles (human rights, gender equality and environmental sustainability); (b) Identify potential social and environmental risks and their significance; (c) Determine the Project's risk category (Low, Moderate, High); and (d) Determine the level of social and environmental assessment and management required to address potential risks and impacts.  

UNDP’s SES and SESP came into effect January 1, 2021. All guidance on UNDPs Social and Environmental Safeguards can be found in the SES Toolkit.

Duties and Responsibilities

3. Scope of work

UNDP, in collaboration with the Government of China, is seeking the services of a social and environmental safeguards practitioner with international experience to undertake an assessment of safeguards risk management implemented to date, screen remaining activities for environmental safeguard risks (using the updated template) and identify appropriate SES risk management plans with an accompany implementation schedule and monitoring plan.

The Consultant will work closely with the Project Director, Project Manager, Chief Technical Adviser and project teams to conduct the necessary assessments to identify potential environmental and social risks, and ways to avoid negative environmental and social impacts where possible, and where risk avoidance is not possible, to identify appropriate mitigation and management measures, in line with the UNDP Social and Environmental Standards.

The Consultant will support the project teams in reviewing and updating the Social and Environmental Screening Procedures (SESP) and ESMF and developing targeted SES risk management measures. The international Social and Environmental Safeguards Specialist will work 22 days for PIMS 5379, and complete all the mission tasks no later than Mar.31 2023.

The consultant will be responsible for the following outputs and related activities:

1. Prepare a safeguards risk management assessment report (for activities completed to date): Working from the current SESP and ESMF (which were approved at CEO endorsement of the project), conduct an assessment of the effectiveness of safeguards risk management in the project to date, incorporating:

• Comprehensiveness of risk identification and accuracy of risk ratings (based on implementation experience and safeguards risk management reports in the annual PIRs) – this should also identify if there have been risks which emerged during implementation but were not reflected in the current SESP
• Effectiveness of the risk management measures implemented to date
• Summary of identified adverse social and environmental risks and impacts that could not be avoided during implementation or remain after impact minimization efforts 
• Targeted assessment of the risk of economic displacement at specific project sites, to assess the need for targeted Livelihood Action Plans and to define their scope.
• Stakeholder engagement, including FPIC consultations with ethnic minorities

2. Prepare an updated SESP (using the 2021 template) to screen the remaining project activities for risks and identify appropriate SES risk management plan

3. Based on the updated SESP, prepare an action plan for enhanced safeguards risk management for activities still to be implemented, incorporating:

• time-bound measures or targeted plans (e.g. Livelihoods Action Plans) to avoid, reduce, mitigate and manage potential impacts of the risks identified in the updated SESP, and to enhance risk mitigation where current measures have not been fully effective  
• a Livelihoods Recovery Framework, IF the risk screening determines that there is a moderate or higher likelihood of economic displacement risks being triggered
• plan for stakeholder engagement during implementation of management measures for remaining activities, including ongoing FPIC and its documentation, and an appropriate project-level Grievance Redress Mechanism
• an implementation schedule for the identified actions (including capacity-building) , and monitoring and reporting plan, with costs and plan for delivery 

4. Capacity building for implementation of management measures, with particular attention given to FPIC and operation of the GRM

4. Expected outputs and deliverables  

Payment Schedule

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

• Any travel expenses will be paid for directly by UNDP and should not be included in the price proposal.
• Payment will be made according to the following schedule:
• First payment: 50% contract price shall be paid following submitting Safeguard Implementation Assessment Report and revised SESP
• Second payment: 30% contract price shall be paid following completion of Action Plan for Enhanced Safeguards Implementation.
• Third payment:20% contract price shall be paid after capacity building training is conducted and final SES package is submitted and approved by UNDP (including Safeguard Implementation Assessment Report, updated SESP, Action Plan for Enhanced Safeguards Implementation, and other management measures as required).

5. Information on Working Arrangements: 

During the entire assignment period,

• The consultant will work under the direct guidance of Project Director and will work closely with the the Project Manager, Chief Technical Adviser and project teams;
• The Consultant will be given access to relevant information necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment;
• Provide support for project monitoring and evaluation, e.g., preparation of project reports and mid-term/terminal review;
• Payments will be made upon submission of a detailed time sheet and work report, and acceptance and confirmation by the NPMO and CTAs, on days worked (with a “day” calculated as 8 hours of work) and outputs delivered. If the quality does not meet standards or requirements, the consultant will be asked to rewrite or revise (as necessary) the document before proceeding to payment.

Competencies

6.  COMPETENCIES:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of the UN;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism.

Required Skills and Experience

7. Education & Experience

• Master’s degree or above in environment, sociology, economics, development, community-based natural resource management or a closely related field;
• At least 5 years of experience related to social and environmental standards and impact assessment in an international development context; previous experience in supporting UNDP will be an added advantage;
• Knowledge of Human rights (including human rights-based approach and human rights impact assessment); gender equality and women’s empowerment (including gender mainstreaming and gender analysis); community engagement;
• Demonstrated knowledge of cultural heritage (including chance find procedures, physical and intangible cultural resources); displacement and resettlement (including Livelihoods recovery Action Plan);
• Experience working with indigenous peoples/ethnic minorities (including Free, Prior and Informed Consent, Indigenous Peoples Plans);
• Demonstrated knowledge of sustainable development-environmental management issues, and other related sustainable human development issues;
• Experience related to social and environmental safeguards and/or impact assessment in an international development context;
• Experience in the GEF/ UNDP projects is an asset;
• Good communication and coordination skills with project areas and institutions.

Language

• Fluency in English is required.

8. APPLICATION PROCESS

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Financial Proposal:

• Financial proposals must be “all inclusive” and expressed in a lump-sum for the total duration of the contract. The term “all inclusive” implies all cost (professional fees, travel costs, living allowances etc.);
• For duty travels, the UN’s Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) rates will be followed by UN rules during the reimbursement, which should provide indication of the cost of living in a duty station/destination (Note: Individuals on this contract are not UN staff and are therefore not entitled to DSAs.  All living allowances required to perform the demands of the ToR are expressed as daily fees.)

Recommended Presentation of Proposal: 

1. Offeror's Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the provided by UNDP(Please find the link on the top/bottom of the page);
2. CV
3. Brief description of approach to work/technical proposal of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a proposed methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment, as per template attached to the Offeror's letter of Confirmation of Interest template; (max 1 page)
4. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price and all other travel related costs (such as flight ticket, per diem, etc), supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template attached to the Offeror's letter of Confirmation of Interest template.  If an applicant is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the applicant must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP. 

Incomplete applications will be excluded from further consideration.

Criteria for Evaluation of Proposal:  Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated.  Offers will be evaluated according to the Combined Scoring method – where the educational background and experience on similar assignments will be weighted at 70% and the price proposal will weigh as 30% of the total scoring.  The applicant receiving the Highest Combined Score that has also accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract.

Please provide Offeror’s Letter and proposal together with your CV and cover letter (if applicable) in one single file while submitting an application. And please note that the system will not accept the uploading of more than one document so please merge or scan all your documents into one prior to uploading. Below is the download link of the Offeror's Letter. 

Offeror's letter download link: 

https://pan.baidu.com/s/19CXrbs42hvH9yHe1Tw_CTQ?pwd=x6kb          Code: x6kb

OR

http://docs.google.com/document/d/1YNiH2FrNDbkuL-kryoA5BNALmksjbXexo1D5F1X4t2c/edit?usp=sharing