UNDP Jobs - 91951- Social and Environmental Safeguards Specialist

Social and Environmental Safeguards Specialist

Location :

Beirut

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

19-Jun-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

20 working days spread out over the period from July 2020 to December 2020.

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

20 working days spread out over the period from July 2020 to December 2020.

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

The current Lebanese transport sector is not sustainable characterized by the absence of reliable public transport, underdeveloped and uncoordinated public works, prevalence of old and pollutive cars, and very high rate of car ownership. As a result, the transport sector is the second largest contributor of Lebanon’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for 23% of the total emissions and also contributing the emissions of other pollutants such as NOx (60%), CO (99%), SO2(5%) and particulate matter, VOC, copper, zinc and lead. As for the contribution of the different vehicle categories, passenger cars have the highest share of the emissions with 58.38% of the total transport GHG emissions while light-duty vehicles (LDV), heavy-duty vehicles (HDV), and motorcycles account for 17.46%, 23.81%, and 0.35% respectively. It is estimated that air pollution from polluting old cars costs at least $ 200 million of economic loss per year resulting from morbidity, adult mortality, child mortality and discomfort, which does not include the cost from health care services. A substantial additional impact is that of congestion, leading to an estimated increase of travel time, where one estimate puts the burden of congestion at 8% of GDP per annum

The public institutional structure of the transport sector in Lebanon is subjected to fragmented structure. The planning and regulation of public transport is undertaken by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT). This includes the licensing of companies to undertake public transport services, fare setting, and planning. The MPWT oversees the construction and maintenance of the national highways and road networks. The MPWT is also the guardian of the state-owned enterprise, the Railways and Public Transport Authority (RPTA), a public institution with a semi-independent legal identity with financial and administrative autonomy. However, the RPTA has not been able to effectively play its role due to the destruction of railways, tramways, and most of the buses that were once under its management. The Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (MoIM) licenses vehicles and drivers and undertakes the overall management of vehicle inspections, in addition to the responsibility for the enforcement of traffic law, including on public transport, through the Internal Security Forces (ISF). Municipalities are also assigned some public transport competences through the Municipal Law while also being responsible for planning and implementation of urban projects. The Council for Development and Reconstruction (CDR) has competencies in national planning, including transport planning, and the execution of large infrastructure projects such as road and transport through project-specific mandates by the Council of Ministers.

The transport sector lacks technical capacity and remains institutionally weak, particularly in terms of coordinating all the activities related to transport due to the fragmented structure and the absence of leading institution. As a result, the comprehensive approach and systematic integration of sustainability are missing particularly considering the NDC commitments of the government and the potential for the introduction of alternative modes of transport, electric and hybrid vehicles in both the public and private spheres. Due to the lack of the integrated approach to financing, limited state budget for necessary infrastructure investment and incentives pose a significant challenge toward sustainable mobility transformation. Moreover, the current state revenue structure heavily depends on fuel consumption and vehicle purchase, negatively affecting the transition toward sustainable transport. Thus, the adaptation or proactive shift of the taxation structure will be required. From a technical perspective, although the national market has seen a growing appetite for electric vehicles, little is known about the electricity infrastructure needs, the technical needs for recharging stations, the capacity of the grid, the safety and maintenance needs of these types of vehicles. Weak enforcement of traffic rules results in illegal parking and reckless driving, undermining road safety and exacerbating congestion. In addition to the issues of road safety, lack of supportive infrastructure such as quality pedestrian zones and parking facilities is hindering the promotion of non-motorized transport.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP Lebanon in partnership with the Ministry of Environment is preparing a full-project proposal to be submitted to the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) which aims to work towards sustainable low-emission transport system. The project will consist of 3 main components: on one hand to tackle the policy issues and provide technical options for the best way forward to improve the transport sector and to introduce efficient transport technologies to the market. On the other hand, the project will consider piloting a renewable energy pilot application for charging stations or some other modality to determine the applicability of charging electric vehicles. Finally, the project will work with NGOs and universities to promote research on the topic and raise awareness on sustainable transport and modal transport change.

The proposed UNDP-GEF project will be complementary to the baseline initiatives as it addresses barriers that are specifically related to the transformation towards sustainable mobility. The main ongoing/planned initiatives includes Great Beirut Public Transport - Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project by the World Bank, Bus Transportation Public-Private Project by the local private company (WeGo) and feasibility studies for bus network system and revival of the railway systems by European Investment Bank (EIB).

This consultancy is one of a number being set up by UNDP to formulate the project document and related documentation leading to project implementation. The Objective of this consultancy is to develop the Social and Environment Safeguards Plan (SESP) for the full project.

For additional information, please refer to ANNEX I – Terms of Reference

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Proficiency in English language;
Excellent analytical skills, excellent interpersonal and communication and writing skills as well as ability for coordination

Corporate Competencies:

Ability to establish and maintain good relationship with stakeholders;
Ability to meet deadlines and prioritize multiple tasks and work under pressure;
Demonstrated ability to work in an independent manner and ability to plan, organize, implement, and report on work

Required Skills and Experience

I. Academic Qualifications:

Master’s degree or higher in a relevant field, such as environmental science, policy, environmental engineering, environment, health and safety (EHS) or closely related fields.

II. Years of experience:

Relevant experience of minimum 7 years of demonstrable experience of environmental assessments, social and environmental plan development and/or safeguards.

III. Technical experience:

Familiarity with UNDP or other UN or international development agencies, its rules and regulations and its operational procedures.
Experience with GEF project design, implementation or evaluation is an asset.

How to apply:

The consultancy is open for all national / international consultants who meet the selection criteria and propose a competitive fee. Interested consultants are requested to apply only through this UNDP jobs portal.
Submissions through any other media will not be considered.
The application must include all of the following documents:

1. P11,
2. Technical Proposal,
3. Annex 3 (Offerors Letter) and
4. Financial proposal

Kindly note that you may find all the required documents on the below link: https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=66296 ; whereas the application must be submitted through this Jobs portal.
All files shall be submitted in one single document and uploaded as word or PDF file to the UNDP job site.

It has been observed that bidders don’t submit all requested documents and thus reducing their chance to be selected for a contract with UNDP. before you submit your offer please revise that the application is complete and comprises all four (4) documents.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.