UNDP Jobs - 74861- International Consultant

International Consultant - Technical Expert for Project Idea Formulation - Climate Change Adaptation

Location :

Port Louis, MAURITIUS

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

03-Nov-2017

Application Deadline :

20-Oct-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

30 working days, including 15 working days maximum in country

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

30 working days, including 15 working days maximum in country

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

Background/ Project Description

Project/Program Title:

Climate Change Adaptation Idea Note Development

The UNDP Mauritius Country Office, in discussion with the Government of Mauritius, is exploring the viability of developing one selected project idea in the Climate Change Adaptation sector, in relation to one of the following subjects: 1) Coastal Zone Management, 2) Integrated Watershed Management and Ecosystem based Adaptation 3) Climate Smart Agriculture including the improvement of water use efficiency in agriculture, development of new varieties of cane for high biomass and increased resistance to prolonged drought. It is to be noted that concurrently there are other donor funded projects being developed by the Indian Ocean Commission and the Agence Francaise de Developpement. Hence duplication of project ideas should be avoided. The aim of this consultancy is to assist UNDP Mauritius CO in selecting one appropriate project idea for further development at scale, with the Government of Mauritius agreement.

The basis for the development of the Coastal Zone Management project will be an islandwide feasibility study conducted by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency as well as ongoing work by the AF funded project Climate Change Adaptation in the Coastal Zones in the Republic of Mauritius.

In terms of Ecosystem Based Adaptation and Climate Smart Agriculture, climate change is causing intermittently longer droughts and the increasing demand in water for socio economic activities exerts great pressure on the water resources of the island.
The main catchment areas of Mauritius are located on the central plateau (the Mare aux Vacaos, Mare Long region) and at la Nicoliere (central-north) and are mostly planted with exotic pine trees which are known to use far more water through evapotranspiration than indigenous trees (Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security, 2017). In addition, a diverse suite of invasive alien weeds is threatening the remaining native forests and contributes in increasing the evapotranspiration rates thereby potentially affecting water availability in the reservoirs. Other contentious land management issues in the catchments include the clearance of vegetation for agriculture and unsustainable management of forests for deer and pig hunting. These activities can also have direct and indirect impacts on water availability and biodiversity within the catchment (Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security, 2017).

As part of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2017-2025 for the Republic of Mauritius, an Ecosystem services valuation study provided by Mare Longue and Mare aux Vacoas catchments was conducted. The analysis required valuation of various alternative land and water catchment management options in the upper rainfall catchments of the reservoirs. Four different land use management scenarios are considered for each reservoir upper catchment. The scenarios are:

Do nothing – what might may happen if there is no management at all in the catchments;
Basic management (business as usual);
Proposed improved management - how things are likely to look in the coming years;
Ideal balanced management –where money is no constraint. This would involve converting much of the pine tree cover to native vegetation, as well as intensive invasive weed control.

Results for both Mare Longue and Mare aux Vacoas, aggregated over a 25-year period and discounted at 3%, indicate that Scenario 4 would generate most benefits with benefits diminishing to Scenario 2 which generated the least value. Principal sources of increased value were water saved, conservation and recreation. The results suggest that significant economic, and environmental benefits can be gained through improved catchment management. In addition, a significant number of jobs for local people to help clear the invasive species and plant native species and to manage ecotourism activities in these areas will be created.

On top of having clear climate change adaptation and socio-economic benefits, some of the invasives to be cleared like the Chinese guava (Psidium cattleainum) can be used as biomass for electricity generation (co-generation with coal and bagasse). This represents potential climate change mitigation solutions for Mauritius. The government of Mauritius has already endorsed the Protected Area Network Expansion Strategy 2017-2026 with the aim of increasing the coverage of formally protected areas from the 4.4% (currently) to 16% or more over the next 10 years. The areas concerned by the expansion include state and private lands. However, there is a significant shortfall of resource and technical expertise for using a systemic and holistic ecosystem based adaptation approach for the conversion of these degraded catchment areas into protected areas and ensure their effective management over the long run.

The situation with regard to catchment management in Rodrigues is, if anything, more extreme than Mauritius. As early as the nineteenth century, deforestation was affecting water availability and since 1970 the island’s rivers have only flowed after heavy rains. In the meantime the degraded land was losing its ability to absorb heavy rainfall with heavy runoff and soil erosion accompanying the intense rain associated with cyclonic weather systems. Reafforestation efforts since the 1970s have almost exclusively used water-demanding alien species, many of which, notably Acacia nilotica, have become highly invasive. Small scale forest restoration efforts in Rodrigues, initiated in the 1990s, have shown that it is feasible to use native species for the restoration of watersheds on the island. The restoration process in Rodrigues has a great deal of local support and has attracted a great deal of local community participation because of the perceived conservation and socio-economic benefits. A great opportunity exists to implement a watershed rehabilitation in Rodrigues for multiple benefits.

It is envisaged that the eventual project will be financed from a variety of sources including domestic resources, bilateral support and vertical funds such as the GEF, AFB or the Green Climate Fund (GCF). With this overall background, UNDP is seeking a specialist to work with in-house staff on the development of an idea note and an action plan that will be necessary to take project ideas to full bankability.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of the Work

The main objective of the consultancy is to formulate and produce:

Consultations report;
An Idea Note; and
An Action Plan for project development.

The consultant’s main responsibilities are as follows:

Coordinate inputs from relevant stakeholders

To participate in, and lead, discussions with key stakeholders in order to acquire information that is critical for the design of the project that is of interest.
To liaise with and acquire technical inputs from UNDP and Government staff for the design of the project of interest.
To liaise with the relevant experts, both within and outside Mauritius, to obtain their technical inputs that will inform and guide design and feasibility of a project of interest.
A consultation workshop will be organized to feed into the final idea note selection.
Design a draft theory of change and logical framework for the selected project idea.

Design One Idea Note and Action Plan

Discuss with relevant experts and prepare preliminary technical analysis, review and dialogue to detail out project components/outcomes/outputs/activities/sub-activities and inputs.
Produce an Idea Note and Action Plan based on the consultations, research and analysis, including draft log frame, initial risk matrix, and a list of likely studies required.
In coordination with other technical specialists involved, under UNDP’s guidance, conduct necessary consultations with relevant government agencies, stakeholders and experts to obtain comments/suggestions and incorporate these comments into the draft documents.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The expected deliverables are as follows:

Draft Idea Note within six weeks of signing contract;
Final Idea Note Action Plan for project development within eight weeks of signing of contract.

The tentative timeline for deliverables will be as follows:

Deliverables Activities / Outputs: Consultations with Stakeholders;
Estimated Duration to Complete: 10 working days;
Review and Approvals Required: UNDP CO.

Deliverables Activities / Outputs: Draft Project Idea Note/Options report;
Estimated Duration to Complete: 7 working days;
Review and Approvals Required: UNDP CO.

Deliverables Activities / Outputs: One Final Project Idea Note;
Estimated Duration to Complete: 7 working days;
Review and Approvals Required: UNDP CO.

Deliverables Activities / Outputs: Action Plan;
Estimated Duration to Complete: 6 working days;
Review and Approvals Required: UNDP CO.

Institutional Arrangement/ Reporting Relationships

The consultant is required to work in coordination with other relevant experts to prepare all the documents that fully meets Donor investment criteria. S/he will work with UNDP Mauritius Country Office Head of Environment.

Duration of the Work

The duration of the consultancy service will be 30 working days, including 15 working days maximum in country.

Duty Station: Home based with possible travel
Expected Places of Travel : Mauritius and Rodrigues
Expected Start Date: Immediately after concluding Contract Agreement

Competencies

Functional competencies

Good inter-personal communication skills, flexibility;
Knowledge in the area of resilience and disaster risk management;
Excellent report writing skills; and
Proven capability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.

Compliance with UN Core Values

Demonstrates integrity by modelling 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;
Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications of the Successful Individual Contractor (IC)

Academic Qualifications

Postgraduate qualifications in environmental sciences/climate change adaptation with significant knowledge of climate change adaptation, marine infrastructure design and assessments.

Important Note:

The Consultant is required to have the following professional and technical qualifications. Only the applicants who hold these qualifications will be shortlisted and contacted.

Years of experience

At least 15 years of technical experience in designing projects on climate proofing and infrastructure investments;
Demonstrated experience working on Donor funded, GCF and GEF projects;
Demonstrated work experience with various stakeholders in government as well as development partners on gender issues;
Proven experience of conducting similar nature of assignment in past preferably for INGOs / UN organizations;
Experience in the formulation and management of similar projects with global funds including:
Project design, management, and monitoring & evaluation;
Design of logframe with SMART indicators, work plan and budget formulation;
Working with multi-disciplinary teams, including local and expatriate technical experts;
Experiences in analytical work, with strong analytical skills; exceptional ability in communication and networking, negotiations and writing;
Flexibility and ability to operate in different cultural settings and with a variety of stakeholders; culturally and gender sensitive.

Language and other skills

Fluency in English both written and oral.

Payment Milestones and Authority

The consultant must send a financial proposal based on Daily Fee. The consultant shall quote an all-inclusive Daily Fee for the contract period. The term “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, consumables, etc.) that could be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment are already factored into the daily fee submitted in the proposal. Travel costs and daily allowance cost should be identified separately.

Payments will be made based on the agreed financial proposal (contract is based on daily fee) and released upon submission of a certificate of payment request, indicating deliverables achieved and days worked to be verified and cleared for payment by the supervisor.

The qualified consultant shall receive his/her lump sum service fees upon certification of the completed tasks satisfactorily, as per the following payment schedule:

Installment of Payment/ Period: 1st Installment;
Deliverables or Documents to be Delivered: Consultation Report;
Approval should be obtained: UNDP;
Percentage of Payment: 25%.

Installment of Payment/ Period: 2nd Instalment;
Deliverables or Documents to be Delivered: Draft Project Idea Note;
Approval should be obtained: UNDP;
Percentage of Payment: 25%.

Installment of Payment/ Period: 3th Installment;
Deliverables or Documents to be Delivered: Final Submission of Project Idea Note and Action Plan;
Approval should be obtained: UNDP;
Percentage of Payment: 50%.