UN Environment is the leading global environmental authority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. UN Environment Ecosystems Division works with international and national partners, providing technical assistance and capacity development for the implementation of environmental policy, and strengthening the environmental management capacity of developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

The consultant will work for the Ecosystem Services Economics Unit in the Ecosystems Division to execute various work packages of The Economics of Ecosystem and Biodiversity (TEEB) project, “Promoting biodiversity and sustainability in the agriculture and food sector through economic valuation” funded by the European Commission (henceforth ‘TEEBAgriFood project’).

The consultant will report to the TEEB coordinator and Head of Ecosystem Services Economics Unit in the Ecosystems Division.

Results of Service

1. Promote the implementation of the TEEBAgriFood assessments in India to maximize the chances of policy uptake vis-à-vis the change scenarios being modelled.
2. Development of briefing documents on policy interventions and opportunities for TEEBAgriFood implementation in India, as background to the project inception workshop.
3. Effective implementation of meetings and collaboration between partners and stakeholders in India, following set timelines and delivering the agreed results. Steering committee & workshop agendas agreed with national executing agencies; workshop/meeting reports drafted and cleared by national executing agencies and TEEB office; and quarterly progress reports throughout the consultancy’s duration.
4. TEEBAgriFood disseminated in national and international forums in India and more widely across the Asia and the Pacific region.
5. Timely inputs to regional reporting processes (e.g. Programme of Work, UNDAF)

Duties and responsibilities of the consultant will entail coordination support for policy implementation and stakeholder engagement of the TEEBAgriFood project in India.

1. Facilitate the collaboration between partners and stakeholders in India including: the TEEBAgriFood political focal point in India; TEEBAgriFood research institutes; the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare; the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change, other members of the TEEB India Steering Committees; and other stakeholders as necessary.

2. Produce draft 4-6 page background documents for the inception workshop and revise based on feedback/review. Draft documents are entitled ‘Opportunities for agri-food sector reform to improve biodiversity outcomes in India and ‘Policy mapping of agri-food sector interventions in India’.

3. Lead the organization of an inception workshop for the project in India, in collaboration with the national nodal agency for the project in India. Be responsible for successful organization of the inception workshop, including: a) preparation of the above-mentioned background documents, and agenda and a list of invitees; b) overseeing the arrangement of adequate logistical arrangements for the workshop; c) writing a review of workshop outcomes; and d) drafting a policy options summary for the Steering Committee.

4. Convene the first meeting of the Project Steering Committee, chaired by the Ministry of Agriculture or the Ministry of Environment, or potentially co-chaired. Representation will include broad representation of change agents, such as government (national and regional, the latter determined by the geographical scope of the intervention), line ministries, key research partner, agri-business, farmers’ groups, and civil society groups. The meeting of Steering Committee is to use the inception workshop outcomes summary and policy options summary to make suggestions to UN Environment as regards (i) the specific pilot projects that the project will focus on, providing justifications for this selection, and (ii) a host policy institution. UN Environment would then review these proposals and in consultation with the Chair(s) of the Steering Committee, agree the foci and host policy institutions. Following the first meeting of the Project Steering Committee, the consultant will produce a summary of the list of national/local stakeholders, the proposed geographic area for the study, the proposed agricultural value chain, the proposed policy invention, and expected changes envisaged were implementation to be successful – all of which define the foci of the remainder of the project.

5. Under the guidance of the TEEB Coordinator, develop via a participatory and consultative process a roadmap for policy implementation vis-à-vis the scenarios being evaluated by the research institutes through the application of the TEEBAgriFood Evaluation Framework. This will include:

a) consulting with stakeholders/change agents and documenting potential opportunities and threats to policy uptake;

b) explaining the nature of the analysis being conducted by the research institutes to these stakeholders/change agents;

c) determining options for dissemination after results from the scenario analysis are available; and

d) developing and providing options that would promote the shift assessed by the scenario analysis beyond dissemination.

6. Work with the TEEB communications officer, and the TEEB country focal point to develop and disseminate outreach materials.

7. Act as national project focal point to coordinate interactions between project stakeholders. Report quarterly to TEEB office on progress of policy scenario analysis work undertaken

8. Lead the organization of a second in-country workshop for the project in India, in collaboration with the national nodal agency for the project in India to discuss methodologies applied and interim findings from policy scenario analysis. Be responsible for successful organization of the workshop, including: a) preparation of background documents, and agenda and a list of invitees; b) overseeing the arrangement of adequate logistical arrangements for the workshop; c) writing a review of workshop outcomes; and d) a summary for the Steering Committee.

9. Convene the second meeting of the Project Steering Committee to discuss outcomes of the second in-country workshop and provide future direction for the project.

Outputs/Deliverables

1. Background documents for the TEEBAgriFood inception workshop in India, content of which is detailed above.
2. Organization of TEEBAgriFood inception workshop in India.
3. Report on outcomes of TEEBAgriFood inception workshop in India, including policy options for Steering Committee.
4. Background documents for TEEBAgriFood Steering Committee
5. Report on outcomes of TEEBAgriFood Steering Committee and road map for policy mainstreaming
6. Quarterly updates on progress on stakeholder engagement and policy mainstreaming
7. Background documents for the second TEEBAgriFood workshop in India
8. Organization of second TEEBAgriFood inception workshop in India.
9. Report on outcomes of second TEEBAgriFood inception workshop in India
10. Background documents for second TEEBAgriFood Steering Committee
11. Report on outcomes of second TEEBAgriFood Steering Committee and road map for policy mainstreaming

• Teamwork
• Professionalism
• Client Orientation

Academic Qualifications: An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent), preferably with a specialization in environmental management, environment and development, sustainable development, agricultural economics, environmental economics or related fields is required. A first level degree in combination with 5 additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience: A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in government, non-governmental organization, or policy-mainstreaming/research-focused organization with a focus on environment and/or development. Experience working on agri-food issues in the context of India is desirable.

Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in spoken and written English is required. Fluency in spoken and written Hindi is desirable.  

Payment terms:

A lumpsum amount of INR 178,375/- shall be released monthly basis upon submission of monthly progress report as mentioned in the
above table.

Travel:
Prior approved travel expenses will be reimbursed as per actuals in line with UNDP rules.

Evaluation Criteria:

The consultant would be selected based on the following criteria:

Technical: 100 points

Educational Qualification - 35 points
Professional Experience - 35 points
Interview - 30 Marks

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points would be considered for Selection.

Documents to be submitted by Consultants:

• Cover letter expressing Suitability for the assignment and Updated CV

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The following documents can be accessed, clicking the link:
General Conditions for Individual Contract http://www.in.undp.org/content/dam/india/docs/procurement/UNDP%20General%20Conditions%20for%20Individual%20Contracts.pdf   

For queries, please email to: ic.india@undp.org

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