UNDP Jobs - 54931- International Consultant for Development of Mitiga

International Consultant for Development of Mitigation Assessment within Montenegro’s First Biannual Update Report (FBUR)

Location :

Home-based, two missions to Podgorica, Montenegro

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

03-Apr-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Estimated April – October 2015

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Approximately 40 working days

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

UNDP Montenegro and Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism are working jointly on preparation of the Montenegro’s First Biannual Update Report.

Main goal of the project is to assist the country in mainstreaming and integrating climate change considerations into national and sectorial development policies by giving continuity to the institutional and technical capacity strengthening process, partly initiated and sustained by the National Communications.

The immediate objective of the project is to assist the country in the preparation and submission of its First Biennial Update Report to the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC for the fulfillment of its obligations to the Convention under Dec. 1/CP. 16 par. 60 and Dec 2/CP. 17 par. 41 and it’s Annex III.

The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, as competent institution for the application of the UNFCCC at national level, acts as Implementing Entity/Responsible Partners of the Project. In addition to that, the national knowledge, concerns and awareness of the different stakeholders have been increased, in particular those from the government, non-government, private and academic sectors.

Based on the National Communication experience, it is understood that the most effective way to address climate change, is to allow a real co-management of the issue, where all the above mentioned stakeholders are involved, in particular in relation to the design and implementation of the mitigation and adaptation actions, in the framework of pursuing the more wide objectives of sustainable development. The integration of the different sectors strengthens the institutional and technical capacity of the different stakeholders and institutions, not limited to a reduced group of experts and decision makers from the governmental institution where lies the responsibility for the fulfillment of the national obligations to the Convention.

The Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, through its Climate Change Unit performs a leadership and coordination role for the development of actions needed to fulfill the obligations to the Convention and its formal communication to the international community, acting in coordination with the other stakeholders, integrating climate change in the ongoing national activities for the achievement of results to be reported and communicated through the National Communications and Biennial Update Reports.

Environment Protection Agency and National Statistical Office (MONSTAT), as well as relevant sectorial Ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Economy, play a key role in the elaboration of the National GHG Inventories, as they are responsible for the estimation of the respective sectorial emissions according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines and under the guidance and coordination of the Climate Change Unit.

The project objective will be achieved through following set of activities:

National circumstances and institutional arrangements relevant to the preparation of the national communications updated;
GHG inventory for 2012-2013 prepared;
Mitigation actions and their effects, including associated methodologies and assumptions, and progress of implementation are described;
Constraints and gaps identified; related financial, technology and capacity building needs assessed; and recommendation for addressing the needs provided;
Establishment of domestic Measurement, Reporting and Verification arrangements supported;
Compilation, consolidation of information in tabular format and publication of the First Biennial Update Report.

Taking into account that Czech Republic has extensive experience in preparation of National Communication to the UNFCCC (Sixth National Communication to the UNFCCC submitted in 2014), transfer of relevant Czech experience to Montenegrin institutions in relation to the mainstreaming and integrating climate change considerations into national and sectoral development policies, in concrete case of development of mitigation measures, is highly anticipated.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the assignment:

The Mitigation Assessment will focus on clearly defined objectives and emphasize implementation. The results will facilitate the national mitigation action and planning, will enable recognition of the mitigation efforts in the country, as well as will link the national mitigation action to international support.

The scope of the sectorial mitigation assessments will include an analysis of related legislation, policies and programmes that facilitate the rapid implementation of mitigation technologies and practices, as well as – to the extent possible – the macro-economic impact of the mitigation options (including possibilities for green jobs creation). The EU approximation process and international requirements deriving from UNFCCC as guiding principles for development will be taken into consideration while doing the analyses within the FBUR.

Job content:

Under the direct supervision of Programme Manager in the Center for Sustainable Development, UNDP and in close cooperation with the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and Ministry of Economy, the consultant will be responsible for:

Analytical work in order to identify/revise the mitigation potential of the country, considering all relevant aspects – technical, environmental and economic using participatory approach to ensure connection with governmental priorities and to ensure implementation of recommended measures;
Defining of appropriate criteria for prioritization of the mitigation measures;
Evaluation of the mitigation measures against the agreed criteria;
National capacities for GHG mitigation potential including analyses for potential targets for emission limitation/reduction strengthened.

In particular, technical support will be given through this project to the activities of training and awareness rising to the sectors with mitigation potential in the framework of the UNFCCC. Support will also be needed to the process of identification of different types of financing and co-financing needed.

The Consultant will work in close cooperation with the selected national consultant on relevant mitigation issues.

In more details, the tasks will include:

Refine the constraints and assumptions of the mitigation models of the Second National Communication (SNC) to UNFCCC in order to improve reliability and strength of the results, and accordingly revise the climate change mitigation scenarios developed within the SNC;
Analyze the results of the revised climate change mitigation scenarios and develop an updated Climate Change Mitigation Action Plan;
Develop criteria for prioritization of the proposed measures and actions from the Climate Change Mitigation Action Plan;
As part of the consultation process lead by national consultant, evaluate the prioritized revised mitigation actions in terms of their environmental and economic effectiveness;
Identify and propose possible sources of funding for the proposed mitigation activities (national and international);
Presentation of the results at thematic workshop with participation of the relevant stakeholders;
Deliver targeted technical training to relevant stakeholders on the tools used for development of climate change mitigation measures, as part of transfer of knowledge and strengthening of their capacities;
Contribute to the preparation of the policy paper for national GHG emissions limitation/reduction targets;
Provide expert support at critical decision-making points by drafting specific advisory notes (e.g. During the selection of the most feasible mitigation options, prioritization of mitigation measures, and similar);
Compile the Mitigation chapter and the Action Plan as part of the FBUR;
Contribute to awareness rising and increasing of understanding on climate change mitigation issues for decision and policy makers;
Any necessary ad hoc task related to the above.

Key Outputs:

Refine the mitigation scenarios and prepare cost estimations of the refined mitigation scenarios and the economic implications of introduction of limitations on emissions;
Develop criteria for prioritization of the proposed measures and actions within the Climate Change Mitigation Action Plan;
Design and facilitate 2 workshops for participatory prioritization of mitigation actions.
Develop Mitigation Chapter and the Action Plan as part of the FBUR.

Timetable and schedule of payments:

Output 1:

Refine the mitigation scenarios and prepare cost estimations of the refined mitigation scenarios and the economic implications of introduction of limitations on emissions;
Deadline: May 15, 2015; Instalment - 20 % of total amount

Output 2 and 3:

Develop criteria for prioritization of the proposed measures and actions within the Climate Change Mitigation Action Plan;
Design and facilitate 2 workshops for participatory prioritization of mitigation actions;
Deadline: July 2015 (Instalment - 50 % of total amount).

Output 4:

Develop Mitigation Chapter and the Action Plan as part of the FBUR;
Deadline: September 2015 (Instalment – 30 % of total amount).

Timing and reporting:

The Consultant will be engaged on short-term base (up to 40 working days) under Individual Contract following the selection process of the best candidate;
The selected Consultant will be responsible to deliver final Mitigation Assessment and Mitigation Chapter and Action Plan as part of the FBUR no later than July 15th 2015.

Travel:

The task will require 2 missions to Podgorica, Montenegro with max duration of the mission of 5 days.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling 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.

Functional competencies:

Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills;
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;
Ability to work in a team, good decision-making skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

University degree in the thematic areas relevant to the assignment (e.g. technical or environmental sciences); MSc. will be considered as an asset.

Experience:

Minimum 3 years of professional experience in the fields relevant for the assignment (climate change, with emphasis/preference on the mitigation measures);
Track record of at least 2 projects that involve climate change, including development of mitigation measures and scenarios; Publications in areas relevant to the project (climate change mitigation, energy planning, or mitigation in any of the sectors listed above) would be a strong asset;
Czech Republic´s experience in managing climate change/reach out to relevant counterparts is required; relevant International experience shall be considered as asset;
Minimum 2 assignments as a Team Leader or Key Expert.

Language skills:

Fluency in English with excellent writing skills.

Evaluation of Applicants:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications, interviews and financial proposal.
The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (P11 desk review and interviews) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only three best candidates will be interviewed and only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 35 points:

Criteria A (Education) – max points: 5;
Criteria B (Professional track record (max. points: 7); publishing record (max. points: 3)) – max. points: 10;
Criteria C (Key Expert/Team leader experience) – max points: 5;
Criteria D (Czech and international experience) – max. points: 5;
Criteria E (Language skills) – max. points: 5;
Criteria F (Interviews - communication skills; overall technical skills) – max. points: 5.

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 15 points

Application procedures:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application;
Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ); please upload the P11 instead of your CV;
Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount in USD for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days, travel, per diems and any other possible costs);
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials. Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, travel costs, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org
General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://on.undp.org/t7fJs.

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.
Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.