Background

BACKGROUND

The Contact Group on Sulu and Celebes Seas is a trilateral mechanism bringing together maritime law enforcement agencies from The Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. The Contact Group aims to strengthen cooperation and response to maritime threats in the Sulu and Celebes Seas which include kidnap-for-ransom and facilitation of terrorism support activity. The Contact Group has established a Working Group and have identified several areas for collaborative engagement. The Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) supports the Contact Group as the Secretariat and supports the implementation of recommendations within the mandate of UNODC.

Last 27 October 2020, GMCP virtually convened the fourth iteration of the Contact Group meeting to map and respond to maritime crime in the Sulu and Celebes Seas. The meeting brought together key maritime law enforcement actors from Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines as well as other relevant national agencies, foreign missions, international organizations, academics, civil society and private sector actors to capture a comprehensive and shared understanding of maritime crime trends, threats and responses in the Sulu and Celebes seas. The meeting concluded by identifying a list of four (4) proposed action items to address some of the major challenges identified.

GMCP is supporting one of the key recommendations from the Contact Group which is the facilitation of a quarterly Trilateral Coast Guard Regional Commanders Meeting (3SuluX). The meeting aims to build a shared understanding of developments in the Sulu and Celebes Seas and facilitate fluid responses to unanticipated incidents at sea by bringing together commanders at the local level.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The UNODC seeks a consultant to provide substantive direction, guidance and strengthen trilateral cooperation on maritime law enforcement efforts around issues impacting the Sulu and Celebes Sea region facilitated by the Contact Group.

The Consultant is also required to moderate and support the overall coordination of the Trilateral Coast Guard Regional Commanders Meeting, working closely with the GMCP Team, in particular, UNODC National Programme Officers (Maritime Crime) in Manila and Jakarta, and UNODC/GMCP Focal Point for Malaysia, and Programme Assistant supporting the Contact Group activities.

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT

The consultant will perform its work under the supervision and report directly to the Regional Programme Coordinator of Southeast Asia and the Pacific of the Global Maritime Crime Programme of UNODC.

The consultant will work closely with the GMCP Team, in particular, UNODC National Programme Officers (Global Maritime Crime Programme) in Manila and Jakarta, UNODC/GMCP Focal Point for Malaysia, and Programme Assistant supporting the Contact Group activities.

Expected tangible and measurable outputs

• Deliverable A – Completed study on maritime threats and maritime law enforcement gaps
• Deliverable B – Completed concluding report on the 3SuluX meeting

Duty Station: Manila, Philippines

The consultant will be home based during this consultancy. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and declaration of State of Public Health Emergency in the Philippines, all work and travel of the Individual consultant shall be done within the guidelines and protocols set by the local and national government. Field work, meetings, and coordination shall be done in compliance with community quarantine policies.

Duration of work: 12 working days in February 2021 (schedule of report submissions and other related documents is as indicated in the Expected Outputs and Deliverables clause).

Regular updating/reporting to the designated coordinator assigned for the particular project is as stated above.

Travel: UNODC will cover the costs related to travel, including tickets, lodging, and terminal expenses in cases when necessary travel is required.

Note: It is understood that the consultant would not hold UNODC responsible for any unforeseen or untoward incident during the duration of the consultancy service. It is recommended that the consultant secure his/her own insurance coverage during the conduct of the consultancy. The IC will report to UNODC the progress of the tasks agreed upon and closely consult with UNODC in carrying out the assignments.

SCOPE OF PRICE PROPOSAL AND SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS

The IC will be paid with a lump sum amount (all-inclusive package) after completion and submission of every deliverable, as specified in the schedule of payments below:

Note: If duty travels are expected/needed, UNODC will cover the cost of the airfare/accommodation.

However, no DSA is to be provided. UNODC will make all the travel arrangements as necessary.

Duties and Responsibilities

SCOPE OF WORK

Under the overall supervision of the UNODC GMCP Programme Coordinator (Southeast Asia and the Pacific) based in Bangkok, the consultant will perform the following tasks for the period 10-28 February 2021:

Deliverable A – 7 Days

• In close consultation with UNODC National Programme Officers (Maritime Crime) in Bangkok, Manila and Jakarta, work towards implementing the outcomes of the fourth CGSCS discussions.
• In support of the Regional Commanders Meeting, conduct a study of the maritime security threats in the Sulu and Celebes seas region, with a focus on gaps relating to maritime law enforcement cooperation between Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. Preferably the study to be done with field visits, but due to the global health crisis home-based research is acceptable.
• Provide briefing notes on maritime security threat assessment of the Sulu and Celebes Seas based on the study conducted. 

Deliverable B – 5 Days

• Convene regular meeting with the GMCP Tea using virtual formats.
• Conduct exploratory meetings with relevant officials
• Provide overall support and coordination for the 3SuluX meeting.
• Serve as the meeting Moderator.
• Submit a summary report of proposed activities and recommendations.  

EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND DELIVERABLES

The following task and deliverables table shall guide the Consultant’s work:

Competencies

Corporate competencies

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

Functional and technical competencies

• Ability to work in a diverse and multi-cultural environment;
• Self-motivated and ability to work under pressure and to meet strict and competing deadlines;
• Displays analytical judgment and demonstrated ability to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities

Required Skills and Experience

Offers will be evaluated based on the combined scoring method :

• Technical qualifications = 70%
• Financial Proposal =    30%

For the evaluation of the Technical Proposal, the selection of the successful consultant must be based on the following qualifications (with the appropriate obtainable points):