Historique

UNDP is the UN’s global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in about 170 countries and territories, working with national counterparts on solutions to global and national sustainable development challenges. UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific (RBAP) covers work in 36 countries where it is a trusted development partner supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It helps identify solutions to today’s complex, trans-boundary challenges through initiatives aimed at delivering lasting social, economic and environmental improvements. Guided by UNDP’s Strategic Plan (2018-2021), our advisory and implementation work focuses on democratic governance and peacebuilding, climate and disaster resilience, and sustainable development. In the context of Covid-19, UNDP leads the UN’s socio-economic response, and is helping countries look beyond recovery, towards 2030, making choices and managing complexity and uncertainty in four main areas: governance, social protection, digital disruption and green economy.

Covid-19 pandemic impacted both the human system and natural system, and highlighted the intimate link between them. UNDP has been engaged in both the immediate recovery from the current Covid-19 crisis and longterm recovery through promoting green economy, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem management and working in harmony with nature.

UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub(BRH)/Inclusive Growth Team has been producing Regional SDG Report on the theme of High Level Political Forum (HLPF) annually under the ESCAP-ADB-UNDP Partnership. The thematic focus of the 2022 HLPF is “Building back better from the coronavirus disease while advancing the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. Apart from Goal 17 on partnerships, the following four SDGs are under in-depth review in the 2022 HLPF: Goal 4 on quality education; Goal 5 on gender equality; Goal 14 on life below water; and Goal 15 on life on land. In view of this, UNDP/BRH is recruiting a Biodiversity/Ecosystem International Consultant to write a background paper to inform the Regional SDG Report which will focus on the Covid-19 recovery and full implementation of the SDGs. The paper will focus mainly on two of the five SDGs under review at the HLPF: Life below water (SDG14) and life on land (SDG15).

Devoirs et responsabilités

Objectives of the Assignment:

Covid-19 pandemic has severe impact on both the human system and natural system. It has also reinforced the intimate link between them, as well as between the three pillars of the SDGs. It has demonstrated that there is urgent need for investing in nature. The pandemic is not only a human health crisis or socio-economic crisis but also an environmental crisis which has long-term implications for all people, particularly those who depend on nature for sustenance. In view of this, the objective of the Background Paper is to assess the impacts of Covid-19 and its interlinkage with the natural ecosystems and specifically the terrestrial and marine biodiversity/ecosystems against the backdrop of the current government policies including Covid-19 recovery plan and policies. Drawing on the analysis of the evidence on impacts under the current policy environment, the Paper should also suggest measures to be incorporated in the recovery plan in order to conserve the biodiversity and ecosystems. The paper will thus contribute to the conservation of terrestrial and marine biodiversity.  

Scope of Work and description of responsibilities:

The International consultant will perform following functions and responsibilities:

1. Review and Assessments

• Document the impact of Covid -19 on the marine and land biodiversity and their various ecosystems.

• Collect and analyze data and evidence on the impact of Covid -19 on both the marine and land biodiversity, and their impacts on the humanwellbeing as well as on the economy such as the loss from the eco-based tourism and consequent impact on poor and vulnerable groups.

• Distill and summarise the impacts with their clear policy implications

2. Management of terrestrial and marine biodiversity

• Conduct a review of country level, regional and international efforts on the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity including the Aichi Biodiversity targets, the post-2020 Global Framework for Biodiversity, and country led biodiversity action plans of some countries.

• Review and assess how far the Covid-19 country recovery plans are pro-poor, pro-nature, and supporting green recovery and/or mainstreamed biodiversity through repurposing the funds such as through eliminating subsidies that damage environment or implementing pro-nature or biodiversity conservation programmes.

• Anlayse data collected on governments’ recovery plans and assess how adequately governments have allocated budget under the recovery plan for the conservation and management of biodiversity or green recovery to prevent future zoonotic disease outbreaks and reduce their impacts on people, especially vulnerable groups.

• Based on the review, identify 5 countries, one from each of the five sub-regions of Asia and the Pacific, and prepare two page note for each of the five countries outlining the pro-nature/biodiversity features of their Covid recovery plans. The five sub-regions are: East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and the Pacific. (The list of countries under each sub-region will be provided later).

3. Discussion and Policy implications

• Identify gaps in government’s recovery efforts against the backdrop of Covid-19, and suggest policy actions which need to be mainstreamed in the current Covid-recovery plans of Asia-Pacific countries.

• Suggest how the current recovery plans can be made pro-biodiversity and pro-nature to ‘build forward better’.

• Suggest briefly how quality education (SDG 4) and gender equality (SDG 5)could help promote the conservation ofmarine and terrestrial biodiversity.

Expected Outputs And Deliverables

The deliverables are listed in the table below

Institutional Arrangements

The consultant will report to the Programme Specialist (focal point), and team leader of Inclusive Growth and Prosperity Team at UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub (BRH), in all aspects of the activities.  She/he will also consult with  other relevant experts of the BRH.

Duration

From 22 October 2021 to 31 January 2022, with maximum 30 working days.

Duty Station

Home-Based with telecommunication engagement with country office and relevant counterparts in Asia and Pacific, no travel required.

Expected places of travel:  None

Compétences

Competencies

• Ability to effectively plan, organize and report on work;

• ProactivenessPatience and detail orientation;

• Openness to change and ability to integrate feedback;

• Knowledge and understanding of data applications and underlying operating systems;
• Cultural and gender sensitivity; ability to work with people from different backgrounds;
• Ability to work independently and in a team; and to deliver high-quality work on time;
• Ability to network and leverage collaboration from stakeholders and partners.
• Excellent inter-personal skills

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education:

• At least Master's degree in natural resource economics, sustainable land and marine management, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem management or environment and natural resources management or related field.

Work experience:

• Minimum 10 years of experience related to biodiversity/forestry/ sustainable land and marine management. Recent experience in mainstreaming biodiversity in Covid-19 recovery plan and/or assessing the impact of Covid-19 on terrestrial and marine biodiversity is a great advantage;

• Proven knowledge with land and marine management policies and structures in Asia and the Pacific countries. Relevant experience in the Asian and the Pacific region in development and implementation of sustainable landand/or marine management related projects is a great advantage;

• Performed work related todeveloping, reviewingand evaluating biodiversity or eco-system projects related to land and marine management or other relevant fields;

• Recently conducted studies or engaged in the development and implementation of sustainable land and/or marine management related projects in Asia and the Pacific region.

• Knowledge of land and marine conservation and management tools, preferably in the area of biodiversity conservation;

• Awareness and understanding of the relevant land degradation, biodiversity, climate change, and other related conventions;

• Updated knowledge in global and international meetings on various land, marine and natural resource management related environmental issues and the outcomes of those meetings.

Required Language

• High level of proficiency in English is required.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

Please indicate any special payment terms for the contract.

X Lumpsum                         

Payments shall be done on a lumpsum basis, upon verification of satisfactory delivery and of completion of deliverables and approval by the supervisor.

In general, UNDP shall not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources

In the event of unforeseeable travel not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Travel costs shall be reimbursed at actual but not exceeding the quotation from UNDP approved travel agent.  The provided living allowance will not be exceeding UNDP DSA rates. Repatriation travel cost from home to duty station in Bangkok and return shall not be covered by UNDP.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

Evaluation Method and Criteria

Cumulative Analysis: The candidates will be evaluated through Cumulative Analysis method. When using the weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will 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 set of weighted combine technical evaluation of desk review and interview (70%), and financial criteria (30%). Financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment. 

Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 100 points)

**Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% or above in the Technical evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Personal interview may be required.

Financial Evaluation (30%)

Financial proposals from all technically qualified candidates will be scored out of 30 marks based on the formula provided below. The maximum marks (30) will be assigned to the lowest financial proposal.

All other proposals will receive points according to the following formula:

• p = y (µ/z).

  Where:

• p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
• y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal;
• µ = price of the lowest priced proposal;
• z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

Documentation required

Instructions to Applicants: Click on the "Apply now" button. Input your information in the appropriate Sections: personal information, language proficiency, education, resume and motivation. Upon completion of the first page, please hit "submit application" tab at the end of the page then the uploading option for the required document will be available.

Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the application system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Interested candidates must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document:

1. Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability with Financial Proposal (in USD) using the template provided as Annex III 

[Financial proposal: Consultant shall quote an all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided for the entire assignment. The term “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, consumables, etc.) that could be incurred by the IC in completing the assignment are already factored into the proposed fee submitted in the proposal]

If an Offeror is employed by an organization/ company/ institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

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

3. Portfolio or sample of work (softcopy or accessible link to sample of work is acceptable) to demonstrate the knowledge and expertise in the area of biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management.

4. Brief technical proposal that clearly demonstrates the methodology approach in order to perform the responsibilities mentioned under the Scope of Work section.

**Failure to submit the above-mentioned documents or Incomplete proposals shall result in disqualification

The short-listed candidates may be contacted, and the successful candidate will be notified.

Annexes:

Annex I - ToR_Consultant on Biodiversity
Annex II - General_Terms_and_Conditions_for_Contracts_Individual_Consultants.pdf
Annex III - Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability and financial proposal
Annex IV - P11 Form_for_ICs_optional
Annex V - Procurement notice

***All documents can be downloaded at: https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=83689

For any clarification regarding this assignment please write to procurement.th@undp.org under Subject: JobAds 102153 - Biodiversity/Ecosystem International Consultant