Background

With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the approval of the list of global indicators by the UN Statistical Commission, the challenge of nationalizing Sustainable Development Goals and operationalizing the SDG indicators at national level began. Governments are expected to take ownership and establish national frameworks for the achievement of the 17 Goals. 

The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Administration is expected to take the lead in identifying national priorities for Goal 2 of the 2030 Agenda and also have to play a part in determining national targets under goals 6, 8, 12, 13, 14 and 15.

TCP/ALB/3604/C4 aims at enhancing awareness and capacities of MARDWA on SDGs implementation and monitoring, with special attention to the Department of Agriculture Policy, in order to enable the Ministry to meet the challenges deriving from nationalization of the 2030 Agenda and effectively contribute to the implementation and monitoring of SDGs at country level.

On the other hand, donor support to the agriculture sector of Albania has considerably reduced in the last decade, with non-further presence of some traditional donors, and with the EU getting a more prominent role.

In such a context, the MARDWA is expected to play a more active role in donor coordination through closely monitoring donor programmes and activities in the country and, at the same time, through promoting further donor support to the agriculture sector.

TCP/ALB/3603/C3 FAO aims at strengthening MARDWA role on donor coordination as well as at identifying voluntary contributions to help the MARDWA in implementing Albania Strategy for agriculture and rural development (SARD).

Duties and Responsibilities

Tasks and responsibilities:

Under the overall supervision of the Lead Technical Officers (LTO) of TCP/ALB/3604/C4 and TCP/ALB/3603/C3 and in close collaboration with the Assistant FAO Representative in Albania, the National Expert on Agriculture in Albania is responsible for providing support to the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Administration (MARDWA) regarding the implementation and monitoring of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) pertaining the Ministry’s responsibility as well as regarding donor coordination and identification of funding opportunities for Albania agriculture sector. He/she reports to the LTO. 

Specific responsibilities

The assignment focuses on five main areas. The incumbent will (1) provide support to MARDWA in liaison with PM office and UNCT regarding the implementation and monitoring of SDGs; (2) prepare the action plan and conduct the related consultation workshop, as well as (3) contribute to the awareness raising on SDGs implementation and monitoring. The incumbent will more specifically:

(1) Support MARDWA in liaison with PM office and UNCT regarding the implementation and monitoring of SDGs focusing on SDGs 2, 14 and 15

• Liaise in collaboration with assigned Ministry staff with the Prime Minister’s office and the UNCT in order to coordinate the inputs from the agriculture sector to the process.
• Consultations with civil society and private sector about their potential support in SDGs implementation

(2) Elaborate a two-year Action Plan for the implementation and monitoring of SDGs in agriculture and rural development sector in Albania

• Prepare the Action Plan to support the positioning of the Ministry in the national process of SDGs implementation and facilitate the accurate and timely monitoring and reporting in the agriculture and rural development sector. The Action Plan will include inter-alia:
  1. a baseline report to assess where the Ministry stands with the SDGs implementation and establish a baseline to measure progress;
  2. setting national targets and identifying means of verification for national indicators related to overall reporting on SDGs
  3. specific areas identified to pursue in the short or medium term as an entry point to SDG implementation in agriculture and rural development (stocktaking and prioritization);
  4. mapping of linkages between SDGs and national strategy and sectoral policy documents, statistical reports and all relevant data and information pertaining the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture in order to assess the extent to which SDGs are already reflected in national strategies, identify gaps and make recommendations how to amend strategies to insure the implementation of SDGs (integration);
  5. critical actions to be taken by the Ministry in a two-year period for the mainstreaming of SDGs, with timeframe, approximate costing, resource mobilization, linkage to other ministries, etc.;
  6. recommendations about the path to take until 2030.
• Organize a national workshop to discuss and finalize the Action Plan with the active participation of UNCT, PM Office, other national counterparts, civil society and private sector.

(3) Contribute to the awareness raising on SDGs implementation and monitoring

• Participate in the technical workshop on the process of SDGs implementation and stakeholder’s sensitization about SDGs
• Provide comments and recommendations to the capacity development plan for national stakeholders to enable the definition of national targets, its means of implementation and national indicators.
• Promote advocacy and communication at national level on SDGs 2, 14, 15.

(4) Contribute to strengthening the position of the MARWA in donor coordination:

• Develop an outline on the current functioning of donor coordination on agriculture in the country: main actors involved (both, from donor, and key institutions, MARWA and PM Office), roles and responsibilities of each of those actors, communication channels among them.
• Identification of gaps and bottlenecks that prevents the MARWA in getting the lead on donor coordination through a consultation process with all relevant parties involved.
• Develop an alternative outline proposal for reinforcing MARWA role in donor coordination, including meetings schedules, and communication tools.
• Organization of a workshop to present and discuss the results of the consultation process and the new proposal for donor coordination in the country, with the MARWA  as driver of the process.
• Development of a roadmap on a basis of the conclusions and results achieved from the workshop.

(5) Support FAO in the identification of resource mobilization opportunities for the agriculture sector of Albania

• Preparation of a donor mapping with identified funding opportunities
• Support the LTO and AFAOR in the organization of relevant meetings with donors
• Liaison with the MARWA for the organization of technical discussions related to eventual resource mobilization opportunities identified
• Support the preparation of Concept Notes and project proposals 

Competencies

Required Skills and Experience

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced degree (MSc or above) in relevant areas of consultancy such as agriculture and rural development, economics and agribusiness, or related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in agriculture and/or rural development
• Relevant experience in project management and implementation capacity development and agriculture policy analysis
• Strong understanding of Albanian agriculture’s policy priorities and national plan and its link with the global development agenda.
• Fluent in english and albanian language.
• Ability to deliver quality products timely

Selection criteria

• Extent to which above minimum requirements are met.
• Ability to plan and organize work and participate in a multi-disciplinary team.

Additional Information

All candidates should adhere to FAO values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.

How to apply

FOR THIS CONSULTANCY POSITION, PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION by email with VA FAO/ALB/2017/002 in the subject-line to Natalia.Costin@fao.org

For this position, a duly completed Personal Profile Form (PPF) generated from FAO’s iRecruitment portal is to be submitted by email together with a cover letter.

Please note that attached resumes or CV’s in place of the PPF will not be accepted.

In order to prepare a Personal Profile Form, you must first register on the FAO iRecruitment site (click on the following link to register: http://www.fao.org/employment/irecruitment-access/en/).

Important notes: As you fill in your information online you should make sure to click Save after each section before logging out. Also be aware that the session times out after 20 minutes of inactivity.

For details, please visit: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Employment/docs/creating_your_application_irec.pdf    AND http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Employment/iRec/iRC_UG08_ExternalApplicant_UserGuide.pdf