Historique

UNDP and the Ministry of Environment (MoE) are implementing the “National Adaptation Plan to advance medium and long-term adaptation planning in Armenia” UNDP-GCF Project (NAP Project) and the “Building Armenia’s National Transparency Framework under Paris Agreement” UNDP-GEF Project (CBIT Project).

The NAP Project objectives are to build on the national climate priorities communicated in Armenia’s NDC, to support the Government of Armenia in advancing its medium and long-term Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) planning. To reach its objectives the project will (i) identify information and capacity gaps, and support improved synergies and coordination between and across sectorial initiatives, (ii) build and strengthen institutional, functional and technical capacities to plan CCA with specific focus on gender responsiveness of national adaptation plans and programs, (iii) establish climate change monitoring capacity, and (iv) develop a CCA financing strategy. The project will support the Government of Armenia to advance its medium and long-term adaptation planning. With the development of a NAP process, Armenia will lay the groundwork for the systemic and iterative identification of medium- and long-term climate-induced risks, CCA priorities, and specific activities that promote climate adaptive and resilient growth in its key sectors. Concurrently, as part of the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the NAP process will contribute to the formulation of corresponding national climate-responsive indicators and targets. For more project information visit: http://www.nature-ic.am/en/projects/National-Adaptation-Plan/1030.

The immediate objective of the CBIT Project is to meet enhanced transparency requirements as defined in Article 13 of the Paris Agreement by strengthening institutional and technical capacity for measuring and reporting on emissions, mitigation and adaptation activities, and support received. The project will provide support for building institutional and technical capacities to meet these enhanced transparency requirements as defined in Article 13 of the Paris Agreement. It will use a capacity strengthening approach to shift from ad hoc reporting to a continuous process of Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) that will capture transparency activities and allow the country to track its progress against its commitments under its NDC.

Objectives:

The overall objective of the assignment is to lead, in conjunction with national consultants, the development and establishment of a M&E framework for adaptation planning and its effectiveness, taking into consideration national framework, the proposed MRV system, and appropriate integration into these systems.

Based on the MRV framework for climate mitigation (developed under the UNDP-GEF “Building Armenia’s national transparency framework under Paris Agreement” project) create a complementary framework for Adaptation M&E (AME), and determine the short-, medium-, and long-term indicators specific to adaptation. The AME system will contribute to national capacity to assess and track progress towards achieving adaptation goals on building resilience and enhancing adaptive capacity, as well as achievement of the NDC adaptation targets and the SDGs. By tracking progress under NAPs/SAPs, the AME framework will support determining to what extent Armenia’s vulnerability to climate change is mitigated - thus serving as a basis for planning future iterations of each plan. It will further. The AME system should also be based on EU best practices and incorporate the existing monitoring mechanisms on the national level (i.e., the MRV system and the SDG M&E).

The AME should contain a clear set of gender-responsive indicators measuring impact, outcomes, and outputs that will allow governmental stakeholders to track the progress, including the sectoral targets, evaluate the effectiveness and plan further interventions in the NAP process based on sex-disaggregated data. Initially the system will have a smaller number of indicators and sectors, which are to be expanded over time as the country gains experience with AME and climate adaptation actions. The two priority sectors for development of indicators within the AME system are agriculture and water.

A secondary objective of the consultancy is to develop guidelines and training materials that will contribute to increasing institutional capacity on AME. Consequently, the expected activities will also have a component of capacity building and training for relevant governmental stakeholders on applying the AME and the indicators.

Devoirs et responsabilités

Under the overall guidance of the UNDP Climate Change Program Coordinator and direct supervision of the Projects Managers, the Consultant will liaise with national stakeholders, collect data, conduct interviews, and undertake the specific tasks listed below, in collaboration with a National Consultancy Company:

Task 1. Develop an Inception Report.

Undertake desk review and prepare an Inception Report outlining detailed workplan and timeline for conducting the tasks. In particular, the Inception Report should adequately describe the purpose of the AME system/framework, approach and methodology for implementation of arrangements, including but not limited to data collection methods, data sources; a work plan indicating the phases of the assignment, timing, stakeholder mapping for consultations/ interviews, key deliverables and milestones.

Task 2. Develop the M&E Framework for Adaptation.

Review current and desired AME needs and gaps on various administrative (national/sub-national), sectoral levels - to include, but not be limited to, existing data, possibility to generate additional data, and roles and responsibilities of involved ministries and organizations. This should occur in conjunction with the ongoing development process for the MRV system. In particular:

• advise on how to effectively reflect decisions and guidelines of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement relevant to M&E of climate adaptation, as well as other best available practices or relevant guidelines in the AME system;
• explore potential requirements, including legal and administrative requirements for establishment of AME in the context of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), as well as other international agreements;
• review the hosting institution(s) and mechanism for cooperation for the AME data platform and its management, including possible institutional arrangements, if separate from the MRV system;
• propose governance structure for the suggested AME;
• identify and present several international best practices in M&E of climate change adaptation actions applicable for the country for integration into the AME, in the context of the MRV system;
• In conjunction with the legal consultant, identify gaps in legal and regulatory framework for use and tracking of climate adaptation indicators.

Develop recommendations on integration of the AME into the MRV system, integration of the progress reported by the country towards commitments on adaptation stipulated in the NDC and the National Action Program of Adaptation to Climate Change and the List of Measures for 2021-2025” (NAP).

Formulate the AME Framework and develop the roadmap for its implementation that should include, but not be limited to:

• relevant institutions/organizations that could provide relevant data;
• data management model, including data processing, quality control, division of roles and responsibilities of institutions for each phase (e.g., collection, analysis, dissemination, communication), processes for measuring, reporting and verifying adaptation actions in the respective sectors;
• set of relevant indicators to measure impact, outcome, output/activity, response, etc. and a detailed description for each of them; at different scales (macro, meso, micro, etc.) and different spatial scales (national, sub-national, sector, etc.) as required by Government Decree N749-L;
• procedures for reporting and collecting performance indicator data;
• procedures for data communication and dissemination;
• governance mechanism for the data management and maintenance;
• integration of the “Guideline for NAP Process M&E” (to be provided by the NAP Project) into the AME;
• roadmap of implementation phases, including the division of responsibilities, timeline, and allocation of resource, and technical and methodological details related to AME capacity building needs and training programme the proposed AME system.

Present the findings and recommendations from the AME and its implementation Roadmap to stakeholders in a workshop, collect feedback from stakeholders, and summarize main findings.

Task 3. Lead the National Consulting Company (NCC) in development of Indicator Reference Sheets for adaptation indicators in priority sectors

• Lead the development of an Indicator Reference Sheet template for all indicators (anticipated minimum number of indicators is thirty), including unique indicator title, indicator detailed description and definitions, detailed explanation of the choice of indicator, adaptation relevance, potential limitations, explain the systematic position of the indicator in the indicator system, methods of measurement for the indicator, units of measurement, calculation requirements/details and the reproducibility of the calculation, if necessary, calculations for disaggregation (by province, national, sector, gender), tools and procedures for data collection, monitoring and reporting, data availability and frequency, data sources to be used, responsible parties, and impacts on SDGs, and a weighting of importance for Government priority, etc.;
• Substantiate the relevant adaptation indicators proposed by the consultants to measure impact, outcome, output/activity, response, etc. and a detailed description for each of them; at different scales (macro, meso, micro, etc.) and different spatial scales (national, sub-national, sector, etc.) as required by Government Decree N749-L for each of the three sectors (agriculture, water and energy). Where relevant, provide guidance and direction.
• In cooperation with the NCC, conduct validation meetings on indicator selection with each of the sectors.
• Guide and substantiate the population (by the NCC) of the Indicator Reference Sheets for all the indicators.
• In cooperation with the NCC:

1. create a fact sheet for each indicator that summarizes the above information (expected to be maximum of 2 pages per indicator);
2. conduct/co-lead a national validation meeting/workshop with stakeholders for target indicators that also summarizes the adaptation baseline against the proposed indicators and targets.

• Establish the annual reporting format on adaptation and create the baseline report on adaptation (which will be the year 2019).

Task 4. Guide the NCC in development of recommendations on technical and standard operating procedures for the AME and its indicators:

• Lead the discussion with key stakeholders/state partners on how to formalize the operationalization of the AME, such as development of a regulative/legal framework for AME, including, but not limited to institutional arrangements, assignment of roles and responsibilities for data collection, flow, management – for adaptation monitoring and evaluation at national- , sub-national- and sectoral levels. 
• In cooperation with the NCC, review proposed standard operating procedures for application of the M&E indicators and the mechanisms for coordination of horizontal and vertical exchange of CCA indicators (considering the existing protocols and operating procedures on data flows between sectors), as well as indicator maintenance and updating responsibilities (Finalization of the standard operating procedures, development of the appropriate legal framework and development of an online platform for AME will be supported by other UNDP project in 2023).
• In cooperation with the NCC, conduct a validation meeting, collect feedback and incorporate into the standard operating procedures.

Task 5. Support the project team in capacity building measures of key responsible institutions in M&E data management, as well as communication and information sharing on the M&E framework:

• Develop a guideline and training materials that will contribute to increased institutional capacity on AME.

Expected Deliverables:

Compétences

• Ability to work independently and to participate efficiently and effectively in a team-based information sharing, including remotely writing and revising documents
• Ability to integrate different experiences, methodologies, and approaches from a diverse range of stakeholders, organizations, and technical experts from multiple sectors
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Demonstrated attention to details and organizational skills
• Good analytical and writing skills
• Timely delivery of high-quality products
• 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

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education

• An advanced academic degree in any of the following fields: social science (preferably in development planning), climate or environmental sciences, economics; a PhD will be an added advantage

Experience

• A minimum of 10 years in monitoring and evaluation, results-based management, climate change and climate adaptation at national or regional level
• Demonstrated experience in designing adaptation M&E systems and adaptation indicators, evidenced by a minimum of 2-3 examples/references
• Demonstrated experience in working with government partners and other stakeholders
• It is desirable for the Consultant to have worked with the United Nations system on previous assignments

Language Skills

• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English

CANDIDATES WILL BE EVALUATED BASED ON THE FOLLOWING METHODOLOGY:

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants' technical qualifications, experience and financial proposal.The contract will be awarded to the candidate whose offer has been evaluated and determined as technically responsive/compliant/acceptable to the requirements of the ToR and received the highest cumulative (technical and financial) score out of below defined technical and financial criteria.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation - max. 70 points

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

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION.

• Financial Proposal and Availability form: OFFEROR’S LETTER TO UNDP (A total lump sum  option is applicable for this assignment)
• CV shall include Education/Qualification, Processional Certification, Employment Records /Experience

General Conditions of Contract is available here: GENERAL CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT

Note: Please note you can upload only one document to this application (scan all documents that should be included in the application in one single PDF file and upload it).