Background
Following from the success of the Tonga R2R Phase 1 project, the Government of Tonga (GoT) had requested UNDP for assistance in programming its GEF7 STAR in mid-2019. A PIF was submitted in June 2020 which has now recently been approved from GEF. A team of consultants both international and local will be recruited to facilitate the development of the Tonga R2R Phase 2 Project Document. This will be an 18-month process which includes UNDP – GEF review and clearance process and GEF Secretariate submission, review and CEO Endorsement.
The Tonga R2R Phase 2 project will focus implementation on 2 islands – Tongatapu and Vavau. The success of the Tonga R2R Phase 1 in Tongatapu has resulted to this project being replicated to Vavau Island taking on lessons learnt.
Fangauta Lagoon is the largest catchment areas in Tonga collectively and covers about 36.6km2. The Fanga’uta Lagoon is the semi-enclosed lagoon of Tongatapu. Fangakakau is a further embayment within the Fanga’uta Lagoon, serving as a second lagoon system (both are referred to, collectively, as “the Fanga’uta Lagoon”). The Fanga’uta Lagoon encompasses an area of 36.6 km² with a mean depth of ~1.4 m and a maximum of 6 m, excluding the entrance channel (MACBIO, 2017). The Fanga’uta Lagoon supports several types of very diverse and productive ecosystems, including mangroves, mudflats, seagrass beds, and coral patch reefs. The lagoon also contributes to the sustainability of the Tongatapu Island’s coastal fisheries. The fauna and flora of the Fangan’uta Lagoon system is relatively diverse: 96 species of fishes; 9 species of large algae (macroalgae); 2 species of seagrasses; 16 species of near-shore plants; 1 species of jellyfish; 1 species of sea anemones; 30 species of hard and soft corals; 40 species of mollusks (including octopus, clams and other shellfish); over 13 species of crustaceans; and over 11 species of echinoderms (starfish, cucumbers and urchins). The lagoon is an important breeding ground for birds and fish, which live within and are supported by the mangroves growing around the lagoon's shores.
The lagoon was declared a Marine Reserve in 1974 by the government under the Birds and Fish Preservation (Amendment) Act for the protection of fish species and for protection of mangroves as the key nursery habitat for finfish including snapper and mullet. The biodiversity values of the lagoon are noted in the IUCN Directory of Protected Areas in Oceania published in 1991 and the Tonga’s NBSAP Stocktaking Report of 2004 which record the number of species in the lagoon. The Fanga’uta Lagoon marine reserve fits into IUCN Category VI i.e., a protected area with sustainable use of natural resources. The Fanga’uta Lagoon is also important culturally as a place of beauty and enjoyment, and it has a rich archaeological history dating back over 2,850 years to early Lapita settlement.
Management of the lagoon is guided by the Fanga’uta Stewardship Plan (FSP) that was gazetted in July 2017. The Fanga’uta Lagoon is the only protected area in Tonga for wetland habitat and also has the largest area of wetlands in Tonga. The FSP was developed through GEF-5 investment and the UNDP supported project “Integrated Environmental Management Plan of the Fanga’uta Lagoon Catchment Project (FLC)” (referred to as Tonga R2R Phase I in this document). The Tonga R2R Phase I project was formed as part of the “Pacific Islands Ridge-to-Reef National Priorities” project. The terminal evaluation for the Tonga R2R Phase I project recommended that the project should be upscaled and the lessons learned from this project should be replicated by GoT, UNDP and other agencies involved through a second phase. The project was commended for piloting community-based management approaches of the Fanga’uta Lagoon and catchment area, and for generating a lot of practical knowledge. The Phase I terminal evaluation recommended that the second phase should cover all areas of lagoon with a comprehensive suite of activities to improve the lagoon’s ecosystem services.
Specific to this TOR, an International Gender Specialist consultant will be recruited to conduct a Gender Assessment and its associated plan respectively – Gender Assessment Action Plan.
Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of Work
The International Gender Specialist together with National Safeguards, Gender and Stakeholders Engagement Expert and other team members will develop mandatory project Annexes related to application of Social and Environmental Safeguards and support adherence of project development to UNDP’s SESP and specific requirements, as appropriate. The consultant will be a gender and social inclusion expert with experience in-depth gender analysis and local community engagement.
Expected Outputs and Deliverables
- Preparatory Technical Studies and Reviews: Prepare inputs and support the required analyses/studies, as agreed with the International and National consultants including:
- Work with the SESP Specialist to ensure assessment on the Gender component is well represented into the SESP and ESMF.
- Review the SESP pre-screening of the PIF and provide comments to the Safeguard Specialist to ensure that Gender related risk and measures for management are well represented.
- Prepare the gender analysis and action plan and work closely with the GEF PPG Team Leader to ensure its findings are meaningfully integrated into the project’s strategy, theory of change and results framework;
- Advise on gender responsive stakeholder analysis and consultations and ensure that they are complete and comprehensive; and
- Support the completion of any additional studies that are determined to be needed for the preparation of the ProDoc and all other final outputs as guided by the PPG Team Leader.
- Ensure that project activities are inclusive of gender engagement and targets and indicators specific to gender are well represented.
- Formulation of the ProDoc, CEO Endorsement Request and Mandatory Annexes as well as project specific annexes:
- Complete a Gender Assessment and Develop a Gender Action Plan
- Inception and Validation Workshop:
- Contribute to the inception and validation workshop; and
- Support all necessary revisions that arise during the workshop, as appropriate.
- Final Deliverables:
- Finalised Gender Assessment Report and a Gender Action Plan
- Appropriate inputs to the comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement Plan including on gender-responsive consultation and consultations with local communities.
- Appropriate inputs to the final UNDP-GEF project document based on guidance from the PPG Team Leader.
Institutional Arrangement
- The consultant will be working very closely with UNDP RTA (NCE team) and Programme Analyst (UNDP Pacific Office) specifically in charge of the project.
- He/She will be expected to work closely with the Department of Environment that will provide guidance and support on stakeholders consultation etc
- He/She will be expected to work as a team with all other consultants identified as the Tonga R2R PPG team and especially with the National Safeguards, Gender and Stakeholders Engagement Expert
- He/She is expected to provide input to the work of the national consultant and ensure that their respective deliverables are acceptable to UNDP
- All deliverables identified must be fully met by the consultant at the end of the consultancy term.
Duration of the Work
- The total number of days for this consultancy is 20 working days for a period of 12 months or longer as may be extended subject to progress of work.
Duty Station
- This consultancy will be home-based with possibility of travel to Tonga depending on travel restriction conditions for Tonga.
Competencies
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills;
- Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities skills;
- Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
- Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work;
- Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
- Comprehensiveness knowledge of Conservation work in the Pacific Region
- Proficiency in the use of office IT applications and internet in conducting research;
- Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills;
- Excellent presentation and facilitation skills.
Required Skills and Experience
Educational Qualifications:
- Master’s degree or higher in a relevant field, environment, natural resource management and sustainable development or related fields.
Experience
- Minimum 7 years of demonstrable experience in the technical area of gender mainstreaming, community development, and social and environmental safeguards risk assessment and mitigation;
- Demonstrated understanding of the GEF and LDCF rationale and procedures, and demonstrated experience in formulation of GEF-funded project proposals, using the logical framework and the results-based management approaches;
- Experience carrying out participatory gender analysis; experience collecting and formulating gender responsive indicators and sex-disaggregated data and preparing gender responsive project analysis; developing gender action plans;
- Prior experience in the safeguards assessments and processes of international organizations and donors,
- Demonstrated understanding of the links between sustainable development, social and gender issues;
- Demonstrated experience working on policy and programmatic issues with national and local governments and civil society organizations including community organizations;
- Demonstrated experience in carrying out consultations with Indigenous Peoples, FPIC, protection of cultural heritage, and/or community engagement is highly desired;
- Experience with project development and results-based management methodologies is highly desired;
- Excellent analytical, writing, advocacy, presentation, and communications skills are required; and
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
- Work experience in the Pacific and has understanding of the Pacific Context
Language requirements
- Fluency of English language is required;