UNDP Jobs - 71035- International Consultant

International Consultant - Midterm Review Protected Area Systems in Eritrea

Location :

Asmara, ERITREA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

20-Apr-2017

Application Deadline :

27-Mar-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

30 Working Days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

30 Working Days

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

Eritrea hosts a wealth of globally significant biodiversity, including remnant populations of African wild ass, highland forests unique to the Horn of Africa, and an extensive, ecologically intact Red Sea marine environment. However, Eritrea has yet to establish a contemporary system of protected areas. It is on this basis that Projected Areas project was designed with the goal of ensuring the integrity of Eritrea’s diverse ecosystems in order to secure the viability of the nation’s globally significant biodiversity. The project objective is to create policy and institutional conditions to operationalize the national protected area system. Interventions to achieve this objective are structured into three outcome components, designed to address barriers that hinder baseline efforts to establish a national system of conservation areas:

Outcome 1: establishment of protected area policy and institutional frameworks to operationalize national protected areas system;

Outcome 2: emplacement of required protected area management capacity and experience; and,

Outcome 3: generation of SLM/SFM capacity required to restore/maintain ecosystem services required to support achievement of protected area conservation objectives.

The Protected Areas project is aligned with the national development priority and fits well within the UN’s Strategic Partnership Cooperation Framework (SPCF) 2013-2016 strategic priority 4 on Environmental Sustainability. The project is developing long-term policy environment, institutional capacity and empowerment of local communities to safeguard the globally significant biodiversity through area-based development and integrated approaches. SO far, the major area of intervention has focused on raising community awareness, demarcation and mapping, restoration of degraded wildlife habitats and strengthening communities’ productive capacity in the identified biodiversity hotspots within the Semenawi Debubawi Bahri Greenbelt proposed protected areas.

See project document: http://www.er.undp.org/content/eritrea/en/home/operations/projects/environment_and_energy/integrated-semenawi/)

Duties and Responsibilities

The MTR team will consist of two independent consultants that will conduct the MTR - one team leader (with experience and exposure to projects and evaluations in other regions globally) and one team expert, usually from the country of the project.

The MTR team will first conduct a document review of project documents (i.e. PIF, UNDP Initiation Plan, Project Document, ESSP, Project Inception Report, PIRs, Finalized GEF focal area Tracking Tools, Project Appraisal Committee meeting minutes, Financial and Administration guidelines used by Project Team, project operational guidelines, manuals and systems, etc.) provided by the Project Team and Commissioning Unit. Then they will participate in a MTR inception workshop to clarify their understanding of the objectives and methods of the MTR, producing the MTR inception report thereafter. The MTR mission will then consist of interviews and site visits to (Semenawi Debubawi Bahri Green Belt; Buri Peninsula and Irrori/Hawakil Bay; and Bara’sole Estuary).

The MTR team will assess the following four categories of project progress and produce a draft and final MTR report. See the Guidance For Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects (http://web.undp.org/evaluation/documents/guidance/GEF/mid-term/Guidance_Midterm%20Review%20_EN_2014.pdf ) for requirements on ratings. No overall rating is required.

Project Strategy

Project Design:

Review the problem addressed by the project and the underlying assumptions. Review the effect of any incorrect assumptions or changes to the context to achieving the project results as outlined in the Project Document.
Review the relevance of the project strategy and assess whether it provides the most effective route towards expected/intended results.
Review how the project addresses country priorities
Review decision-making processes

Results Framework/Logframe:

Undertake a critical analysis of the project’s log-frame indicators and targets, assess how “SMART” the midterm and end-of-project targets are (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound), and suggest specific amendments/revisions to the targets and indicators as necessary.
Examine if progress so far has led to, or could in the future catalyse beneficial development effects (i.e. income generation, gender equality and women’s empowerment, improved governance etc...) that should be included in the project results framework and monitored on an annual basis.

Progress Towards Results

Review the logframe indicators against progress made towards the end-of-project targets; populate the Progress Towards Results Matrix, as described in the Guidance For Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects; colour code progress in a “traffic light system” based on the level of progress achieved; assign a rating on progress for the project objective and each outcome; make recommendations from the areas marked as “not on target to be achieved” (red).
Compare and analyze the GEF Tracking Tool at the Baseline with the one completed right before the Midterm Review.
Identify remaining barriers to achieving the project objective.
By reviewing the aspects of the project that have already been successful, identify ways in which the project can further expand these benefits.

Project Implementation and Adaptive Management

Using the Guidance For Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects; assess the following categories of project progress:

Management Arrangements
Work Planning
Finance and co-finance
Project-level monitoring and evaluation systems
Stakeholder Engagement
Reporting
Communications

Sustainability

Assess overall risks to sustainability factors of the project in terms of the following four categories:

Financial risks to sustainability
Socio-economic risks to sustainability
Institutional framework and governance risks to sustainability
Environmental risks to sustainability

The MTR consultant/team will include a section in the MTR report setting out the MTR’s evidence-based conclusions, in light of the findings.

Additionally, the MTR consultant/team is expected to make recommendations to the Project Team. Recommendations should be succinct suggestions for critical intervention that are specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant. A recommendation table should be put in the report’s executive summary. The MTR consultant/team should make no more than 15 recommendations total.

Competencies

Good analytical and strategic thinking skills
Excellent inter-personal, communication, and teamwork skills
Excellent written and spoken English and presentational capacities
Extensive knowledge of qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods
Ability to meet tight deadlines
Excellent oral and written communications skills in English, especially in drafting and editing reports.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

The International consultant/ team leader should possess a Master’s degree or higher in biodiversity conservation, ecology, environmental or natural resource management, park/protected area management, wildlife conservation/management, or other closely related field.

Experience of the Team leader:

The selection of Lead Consultant will be aimed at maximizing the overall “team” qualities in the following areas:

Experience with result-based management evaluation methodologies for at least 10 years, out of this at least 5 years with GEF or GEF-evaluation;
Experience applying SMART targets and reconstructing or validating baseline scenarios;
Demonstrated understanding and a working experience of at least 7 years on issues related to biodiversity conservation and in particular Protected Areas Management Systems;
Demonstrated understanding of issues related to gender and biodiversity; experience in gender sensitive evaluation and analysis;
Competence in adaptive management, as applied to biodiversity conservation and land degradation focal areas;
Experience working in the Horn of Africa and in particular Eritrea will be an added advantage;
Project evaluation/review experiences within United Nations system will be considered an asset.

Language:

Excellent command of English and communication skills.

For more information please refer the attached TOR or at the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3e7PXhoryWLNDFaUlFMRkk4VTg/view?usp=sharing