Background

The Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) is a signatory to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and is a REDD+ partner country. The objective of REDD+ is to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and the conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. Some countries that participate in REDD+ efforts may be eligible for Results-Based Payments (RBP) for Emission Reductions (ER) and/or enhanced carbon stocks. Several initiatives (e.g. the Green Climate Fund (GCF), FCPF Carbon Fund, etc.) and the voluntary carbon market offer such forest carbon finance under different terms; there are also emerging carbon markets (e.g. Japan Crediting Mechanism (JCM), ICAO’s CORSIA) that may provide new opportunities for forest carbon credits.

Cambodia has made progress in efforts to address deforestation. In 2017, the RGC approved the NRS highlighting three strategic objectives: (i) improve management and monitoring of forest resources and forest land use; (ii) strengthen implementation of sustainable forest management and (iii) mainstream approaches to reduce deforestation, build capacity and engage stakeholders. The NRS primarily builds upon three national policy frameworks that guide forest management: (i) the National Forest Program 2010-2030 (NFP), (ii) the National Protected Areas Strategic Management Plan 2017-2030 (NPASMP) and (iii) the Strategic Planning Framework for Fisheries 2010-2019 (SPFF).

In addition, the RGC has been working to develop other Warsaw framework elements, such as the Action and Investment Plan for NRS implementation and the Safeguards Information System (SIS). It also submitted a first Forest Reference Level (FRL) in 2017 and is working to continuously improve its National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS). As part of those improvements, the RGC has progressively enhanced the data and methodologies for both Emission factors (EF) and Activity Data (AD), building more robust datasets that will enable an update of the FRL in 2020 for its submission to the UNFCCC in 2021.

The REDD+ process in Cambodia is transitioning from the readiness phase to implementation. In doing so, Cambodia is facing challenges with domestic management and accounting of diverse REDD+ actions implemented by various actors at multiple scales, such as the national, jurisdictional (e.g. provincial) and project scales. The use of different methods to measure carbon performance makes it difficult to coordinate and monitor REDD+ efforts, complicates carbon accounting (including the avoidance of double-counting) and, more generally, the overall dialogue on sharing potential REDD+ benefits at multiple levels and across different actors.

Therefore, there is a need to clarify rules and methodologies to account for and keep track of ERs at multiple scales, and an agreed system to share REDD+ benefits at multiple levels.

In Cambodia, several forest carbon projects, that use different methods to measure carbon performance, have already been implemented by various actors at different geographical areas and over different periods of time:

• two Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) projects approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF),

• two VCS projects approved by the Ministry of Environment (MoE) and

• one Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) project to be endorsed by MoE in 2019.

The following table presents existing Measuring, Reporting & Verification (MRV) systems currently used for different geographical areas within Cambodia.

As mentioned above, this situation complicates carbon accounting at national scale (notably the avoidance of double-counting) and presents challenges for sharing potential REDD+ benefits at multiple levels and across different actors.

Cambodia has initiated a strategy for “nesting” or integrating smaller-scale activities into national (or subnational) programs. This assignment aims to support the development of a nested system for Cambodia by assisting the development of a new FRL and developing options to allocate the FRL at different spatial scales, including jurisdictional and project scales. This allocation would seek to ensure that project baselines, in aggregate, do not exceed (and ideally only comprise a “fair share” of) the national reference level, ensuring that both REDD+ results and benefits may also be shared at multiple scales. This assignment also aims at providing recommendations for carbon accounting at multiple spatial scales, notably for the measurement and monitoring of AD and EF.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant should provide the specific key sets of technical and coordination support to meet the objectives and deliver the outputs of this assignment.

1. Support the development of an updated national FRL

2. Gather key information and develop spatial modeling of deforestation risks

3. Methodological options for FRL allocation at different subnational scales

4. Develop a common set of rules for carbon accounting at multiple spatial scales

5. Organize two consulting mission in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

6. Finalize report.

Interested offeror must  read  the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice, which can be viewed at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=61251for more  detail information about term  of references, instructions to offeror, and to download the documents to be submitted in the offer through online.

Competencies

• Strong analytical skills, solid writing, reporting and presentational skills;

• Demonstrated ability to work on complex and politically sensitive issues with different stakeholders (government agencies, industry, NGOs and local communities);

• Understanding of social, political and cultural context of natural resources management and land-use governance in Cambodia is an asset.

• Experience with development cooperation projects and procedures is an asset.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Master’s degree in natural resource management, forestry, geography, statistics or a related and suitable field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant working experience on GIS analysis and remote sensing, analytical modelling (statistical and geospatial modelling);

• Minimum of 5 years of relevant working experience on forest inventories, forest biomass assessment, allometric equations and emission factors calculation in the context of REDD+;

• Comprehensive knowledge of REDD+, Forest Reference Level and MRV procedures and methodologies under the UNFCCC, Verra/VCS and other carbon credits mechanisms;

• Experiences undertaking similar assignment in other countries;

Language Requirement: Professional proficiency in written and spoken English.

UNDP reserves right to reject any applications that is incomplete.

Please be informed that we don’t accept application submitted via email.

Interested individual offeror must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Proposal:

(i) Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work

(ii) List of publications written by candidate

2. Financial proposal

3. Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references

Interested Offerors are required to submit application via UNDP jobsite system as the application screening and evaluation will be done through UNDP jobsite system. Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file. Your on-line applications submission will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an e-mail acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. Please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Any request for clarification/additional information on this procurement notice shall be communicated in writing to UNDP office or send to email sereyvattana.chan@undp.org and cc procurement.kh@undp.org . While the Procurement Unit would endeavor to provide information expeditiously, only requests receiving at least 5 working days prior to the submission deadline will be entertained. Any delay in providing such information will not be considered as a reason for extending the submission deadline. The UNDP's response (including an explanation of the query but without identifying the source of inquiry) will be posted in Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice page as provided above. Therefore, all prospective Offerors are advised to visit the page regularly to make obtain update related to this Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice.