Background

The long-term goal of the Safeguarding and Restoring Lebanon’s Woodland Resources Project (SRLWR) is to complement the on-the ground investments undertaken through the National Reforestation Program through the creation of an enabling environment and by building capacity for sustainable land management as a contribution to greater ecosystem stability, enhanced food security and improved rural livelihoods. The rationale is to remove the institutional, economic, technical barriers to Sustainable Land Management in this sector in order to enable the National Reforestation Plan to meet its targets and up-scale forestry Sustainable Land Management models and approaches over 20 years at the national scale. The immediate objective is to develop a strategy for safeguarding and restoring Lebanon’s woodland resources and assist its implementation through capacity building and execution of appropriate SLM policies and practices.
 
The project has implemented 3 sets of trials in 7 pilot sites on different innovative technologies of reforestation, including different irrigation techniques, use of seedlings of different ages and direct sowing of seeds, having as purpose to decrease reforestation costs in Lebanon, which are currently very high.
 
Data has been gathered, analyzed and interpreted by the project management in coordination with a national expert in forestry. These interpretations have been written up in different sections that would form part of a larger project report. The assistance of an international consultant is needed for the revision of the drafted sections, support in structuring the report and in drafting additional sections as needed including the conclusion and recommendations. In addition, an executive summary or summary for policy makers is required.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will write the final report of the SRLWR project, covering the period extending from 2009 till 2014, in line with UNDP standards and requirements.
 
The report will be written in English language, highlighting the achievements of the project, with special focus on the trials implemented, analysis of the results and recommendations on the best practices to adopt. In addition, an executive summary or summary for policy makers is requested.
 
Under the supervision of the project management, the consultant will edit, synthesize and finalize the final report into a coherent narrative, by bringing forward its arguments and messages with a scientific approach, in a clear, consistent and well-structured context.
 
For this purpose, review of the drafted sections, literature review and consolidation of different sections will be needed, as well as preparation of the graphs and charts needed and their integration into the report, along with pictures and text boxes.
The consultant will verify the report for any possible errors, style, punctuation, spelling and grammar prior to the submission of the first draft to the project management.
 
In addition to the table of contents and the literature review, the final report will be composed of the sections outlined below:
  • Introduction;
  • The SRLWR project;
  • The trials;
  • Recommendations;
  • Conclusion.

Competencies

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.

Functional Competencies:

  • Proven experience in editing, proof reading and writing;
  • Excellent writing skills in the compilation of high level quality documents in English language;
  • Demonstrable analytical skills;
  • Proficiency in the use of the computer.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in development studies, environmental sciences, forestry or related field.     

Experience:

  • A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience as a consultant or university professor, with experience in the preparation of scientific documents/articles/reports/project documents written in English;
  • Proven experience in editing, proof reading and writing;
  • Experience in presenting complex technical information in an easily comprehensible way for non-specialist readers and the general public;
  • Experience in drafting of different publications, articles and different types of creative text related to forests, scientific research;
  • Previous experience in conducting research, data analysis, reporting and interpretation in the field of forestry;
  • Experience in the preparation of statistical tables, graphs, charts and concepts.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluent in spoken and written English.
Kindly refer to the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and all related Annexes by visiting the below link:
 
Please make sure to submit all the requested documents/information; otherwise, your application will be considered incomplete.