Background

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels, forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.

Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan.  BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.  BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response.  BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working.  BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

Climate change mitigation – or reducing greenhouse gas emissions - is essential to fulfilling commitments to the Paris Agreement and limiting the global mean temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. UNDP, with more than 280 climate change mitigation projects and programs in over 110 countries, is a key actor supporting countries in their emission reduction plans, contributing to ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions. Activities in energy, as well as forests and agriculture, will be critical to meeting global mitigation objectives. 

UNDP’s approach to forestry aligns with the SDG 15 and contributes to UNDP's 'signature solution' on environment and nature-based solutions for development. Deforestation and forest degradation accounts for more than 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and it is clear that the stabilization of global temperatures cannot be achieved without reducing emissions from the forest sector. UNDP's Climate and Forests Programme supports countries to conserve and sustainably manage forests and ensure sustainable and equitable development paths that lead towards carbon neutrality. More information here: www.climateandforests-undp.org.

UNDP’s Climate and Forests programme consists of a portfolio of partnerships, projects and initiatives that reaches some 65 countries throughout the three major tropical forest areas (Amazonia, Congo and Southeast Asia) and provides direct technical assistance to a growing number of countries and jurisdictions. In this context, UNDP is seeking a consultant to provide programme and partnership management services for its Global Project on Support to REDD+ Implementation and for its contribution to the UN-REDD Programme partnership.  Entering a new phase of operation in 2021, the UN-REDD Programme supports nationally-led REDD+ processes and promotes the informed and meaningful involvement of all stakeholders, including indigenous peoples and other forest-dependent communities in partner countries.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

1.        Support programme management of the UNDP Global Project on Support to REDD+ Implementation, which is carried out by the UNDP Climate & Forests programme. This role assists with maintaining the delivery of the required technical, operational, and administrative outputs, while tracking the project’s progress through monitoring, evaluation and reporting mechanisms. In particular:

• Assist with the coordination of the implementation of project activities, including guidance to project specialists and consultants in order to achieving timely, coherent and qualitative project results;
• Facilitate project revisions and extensions (as needed), project board preparation, results monitoring & reporting, and quality assurance for the mentioned Global Project on REDD+;
• Coordinate the delivery of key performance indicators under the Climate & Forests Programme strategic framework;
• Monitor project risks initially identified and their management, submitting information on the new risks and possible mitigating measures to the Project Board for consideration and updating the status of these risks by maintaining a Project Risk Log;
• Ensure that gender equality is pursued in all project activities and reflected in work plans, budgets, reports, research and analyses and, where specifically relevant, analyzed in detail;
• Maintain a pipeline of knowledge products and publications for UNDP’s Climate and Forest Programme, in line with the Programme’s Strategic Framework, to synthesize lessons and stimulate the uptake of best practices and knowledge, and the development of knowledge materials that promote knowledge development and sharing on new approaches, thinking and techniques on REDD+;
• Communicate project goals and activities clearly to both stakeholders and the wider public, by facilitating the production articles, opinion pieces, multimedia and social media content to communicate the broader picture of support to countries, for dissemination via UNDP web platforms and social media;
• Contribute to the consolidated progress updates and annual/final reports as outlined in the programming cycle and legal agreements.

2.        Coordination and delivery of UNDP’s contribution to the UN-REDD Programme partnership, including with implementing partners and key stakeholders:

• Maintain strong relationships with the UN-REDD implementing partners and other relevant partners and donors to ensure effective joint planning, budgeting, implementation, delivery and reporting;
• Represent UNDP’s Climate & Forests Programme in the development, implementation and evaluation of UN-REDD Programme programmes/projects; monitor and report UNDP’s deliverables under the partnership; review relevant documents and reports; identify problems and issues to be addressed and propose corrective actions; liaise with relevant parties; identify and track follow-up actions;
• Represent UNDP on the UN-REDD Knowledge Management and Communications Working Group in order to document and share best practices and lessons learned and amplify achievements resulting from technical assistance delivered via the partnership;
• Facilitate the preparation and delivery of timely, accurate and appropriate progress updates and the identification of constraints and risk management for UNDP’s UN-REDD Programme service line;
• Contribute to, review, and provide feedback on the narrative and financial programme reports compiled by UN-REDD Programme Secretariat;
• Prepare and monitor the implementation of work plans and coordinate support for planned meetings and workshops in collaboration with UN-REDD Programme counterparts;
• Provide substantive support to consultative and other meetings and events to include proposing agenda topics, identifying participants, preparation of documentation and presentations;
• Maintain regular communication on relevant project issues with UNDP and partner agency counterparts, consultants and experts and ensuring quality and timely delivery of all agreed outputs.

The consultant will be responsible for the following deliverables:

Institutional Arrangements

This consultancy will be home-based. The consultant will be supervised by, and report directly to the Principal Policy and Technical Advisor, Climate & Forests Programme (BPPS/Nature Climate and Energy cluster).  S/he will be expected to provide monthly updates. In addition, s/he will be expected to regularly liaise and collaborate with the professionals of the UNDP Climate & Forests Programme. 

Duration of the Work

The consultancy will be for a duration of up to 180 days/over 12 months starting on 4 January 2021.  

Competencies

Technical Competencies:

• Climate Change Mitigation: Knowledge of climate change mitigation concepts and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations
• Effective Development Cooperation, provider recipient coordination: Ability to manage complex relationships through pathways
• Knowledge Management: Ability to efficiently handle and share information, knowledge and outreach activities

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UN/UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to convey concepts and approaches in a clear and persuasive style.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Demonstrates ability to manage complexities and work under pressure, as well as conflict resolution skills;
• Capability to work effectively under deadline pressure and to take on a range of responsibilities;
• Demonstrates ability in analytical thinking, work-planning, multi-tasking and strategic planning. 
• Ability to establish and maintain productive partnerships with UN-REDD partner agencies, technical service providers and stakeholders and pro-activeness in identifying partners' needs and matching them to appropriate solutions.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic background:  Master’s degree in international development, international relations, environmental policy or related field

Experience:

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in project or programme design, management and coordination for international organizations;
• Technical knowledge of REDD+ and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC);
• Demonstrated experience working in partnership with multiple UN entities and diverse stakeholders to deliver coordinated results
• Demonstrated experience in drafting and managing knowledge products and reports

Language requirement:  Proficient in written and spoken English.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

UNDP applies a fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of Individual Consultants as well as their financial proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate whose offer:

• Is deemed technically responsive / compliant / acceptable (only technically responsive applications/ candidates will be considered for the financial evaluation)
• And has obtained the highest combined technical and financial scores.

The individual contractor will be compensated based on an all-inclusive daily fee, to be paid on a monthly basis upon submission of a signed IC time sheet, to be cleared and approved by the Principal Technical Advisor. [In the event that mission travel is required, this will be administered and compensated separately in accordance with standard UNDP travel policies and procedures.]

Presentation of Offer

Applicants are requested to submit/upload online the following on or before 2 November :

• Personal CV or P11 form, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) and at least three (3) professional references

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

The application submission is a two-step process and based on the following criteria:

Step 1:  Interested individual consultants must apply online and include the following documents when submitting the application in the UNDP job shop.

• Personal History Form (P11 for ICs) or Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Step 2: Submission of Financial Proposal. Technically qualified applicants will be instructed to submit their financial proposals using the UNDP IC Offeror’s letter template. Daily fee/rate must be expressed in US dollars. The offeror’s letter/financial proposal should be submitted separately by email to the panel/staff who will conclude the technical-financial evaluation.

The candidates will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Combined Scoring method – where the technical qualifications, including interview will be weighted a maximum of 70%, and combined with the price/financial offer which will be weighted a maximum of 30%. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points would be considered for the financial criteria.
• A panel interview will also be conducted by the hiring unit.

The key criteria for rating the qualifications are as follows:              

Technical Criteria:  70% of total evaluation (minimum technical score of 70/100 points, including panel interview)

Educational background:  Master’s degree in international development, international relations, environmental policy or related field (15 points)

Experience:

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in project or programme design, management and coordination for international organizations (20 points);
• Technical knowledge of REDD+ and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) (20 points);
• Demonstrated experience working in partnership with multiple UN entities and diverse stakeholders to deliver coordinated results (20 points);
• Demonstrated experience in drafting and managing knowledge products and reports (15 points)

Language requirement:   Fluency in English language (10 points)

Financial Criteria:  30% of total evaluation