International Specialist for GEF Biodiversity Project Development and Social and Environmental Safeguards (Team Leader)

The International Specialist for GEF Biodiversity Project Development and Social and Environmental Safeguards (Team Leader) will be responsible for the timely development of the UNDP Project Document and the GEF-CEO Endorsement Request package for submission to the GEF. He/She will lead on UNDP-GEF processes and deliverables, team coordination and on quality assurance of team inputs; lead on project design, defining activities, outputs and outcomes of the project and the related costing, based on international best practice; lead conduct and write up of the Gender Assessment and Social and Environmental Impact Assessment (and UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Procedure); co-lead capacity training of national stakeholders; and lead the write up of PRODOC and CEO Endorsement Request package, through an iterative process responding to guidance and comments from national stakeholders, UNDP Country Office, UNDP-GEF Regional Team, UNDP-GEF Directorate and GEF Secretariat. The International Specialist/Team Leader will work closely with UNDP and government specialists and other key stakeholders at the country level as well as with the UNDP-GEF regional staff providing technical and administrative support to this project. One extended mission to Djibouti is proposed (of altogether c. 28 days).

Under the above overall responsibilities and with support from the team of further PPG consultants, more specific tasks of the International Specialist/Team Leader are expected to include, but may not be limited to:

Component A:  Technical review and stakeholder consultations

• Together with the UNDP-GEF RTA and fellow consultants, define the scope of PPG activities & work plan and provide overall guidance and leadership to the PPG team on data collection needs and methodologies, on GEF requirements for project design, and on the content, format and quality of PPG deliverables.

• Participate in regular exchanges between the UNDP Country Office, UNDP-GEF RTA, Government Partners and further stakeholders on the development and finalization of the PRODOC and CEO Endorsement Request package.

• Participate in PPG inception at the onset of the PPG, bringing together the leading stakeholders from government, partners and UNDP (country office and RTA), as well as the team of PPG consultants to agree on process and roles and quality assurance; depending on timelines and availability, this may involve participants participating online. Lead the preparation of a key-point inception report.

• Stakeholder analysis and engagement:

  • Building on the tentative list of stakeholders already identified in the PIF, contribute to the further elaboration of the analysis of relevant stakeholders, including from national government (sector administrations/ ministries/ agencies), local administrations, civil society/NGOs, local communities, the private sector, and universities and research institutes, especially with regard to their interest, potential conflicts of interest and roles in the project;

  • Help determine entry points that will yield the highest leverage for strengthening the management of marine and coastal biodiversity in Djibouti;

  • Contribute to a plan for stakeholder participation/ engagement for both PPG and especially FSP;

  • Contribute to reaching out, engaging and sensitising stakeholders about the project and to securing their input to its design, including through national and/or regional/local workshops and dialogues; including to determine needs in terms of strengthening the CSO, CBO and private sector in understanding impacts on and benefits from the conservation of marine and coastal biodiversity;

  • Contribute to securing a strong national ownership, ensuring full participation of – and agreement by – key government representatives and other stakeholders in the development of the project strategy and results framework building on the objectives, outcomes and outputs defined in the PIF.

• Review integration of the project with the goals and priorities of relevant national and sector development plans, policies and budgets.

• Contribute to the identification of other relevant existing and planned initiatives, possibly negotiating partnerships to align activities and build synergies, and reflecting this in the project strategy.

• Lead, contribute to or review desktop and field-based research and stakeholder consultations aimed at further elaborating the situation analysis and project interventions (building on the PIF). This will include inter alia:

  • Reviewing research by the PPG team into the problems and barriers, to include inter alia

    • a review and data collection regarding the existing and anticipated sector-specific impacts on marine and coastal biodiversity and marine living resources (from port and infrastructure construction and operations, shipping and maritime risks, petroleum development and transport, tourism, hotel construction, urban development, fisheries, solid waste, waste water, etc.);

    • a review of government sector and private sector policies, plans and investments due to impact marine and coastal biodiversity and MCPAs;

    • a review of the institutional set up and decision making processes (evolution, main actors, roles and responsibilities, coordination, partnership, decentralization and local governance, level of participation of actors, procedures and operational mechanisms), legal and regulatory frameworks, planning and approval systems, and common practices in the key sectors affecting the marine environment and biodiversity; with an assessment of their strengths, weaknesses/gaps, opportunities and threats/risks, and of mainstreaming entry points;

    • identification of barriers impeding a better management of marine and coastal biodiversity and marine and coastal protected areas; of barriers to the expansion of the national system of MCPAs; and of barriers to and opportunities for increased finance for marine and coastal biodiversity and MCPAs and for effective operationalisation of the National Environmental Fund;

    • desktop research into the value of the pre-selected sites for MPA system expansion and PA management, justifying their current and future relevance (to include information, including spatial information, on globally significant biodiversity, ecosystem status, socio-economics/livelihoods, local threats);

  • Lead research to establish the baseline investment of the government and its partners in relation to the issues to be addressed by the project, in order to help determine the incrementality of the GEFintervention;

  • Together with the National Specialist in Community Engagement/Socio-economics, conduct a full Social and Environmental Impact Assessment, with an evaluation of the opportunities and risks identified, and a risk mitigation strategy to be incorporated into project design and budget, and defining the direct and indirect benefits to targeted communities; and building thereon complete a UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Procedure.

  • Together with the National Specialist in Community Engagement/Socio-economics, conduct a Gender Assessment with recommendations to be integrated into project design and budget, including through a Gender Mainstreaming Plan (short text and matrix describing the project mainstreaming strategy and budget, per component/outputs) to be annexed to the PRODOC;

  • Contribute to an assessment of institutional/technical/individual capacity and capacity development needs for key stakeholder groups on marine and coastal biodiversity, marine living resources, marine protected areas, and on sector mainstreaming;

  • Together with the International Specialist on Marine Biodiversity, Financing and Sector Mainstreaming and with support from the national consultants, lead and support further research compiling relevant information/data (including primary) required to confirm or define suitable objective-level and outcome-level quantitative and qualitative SMART indicators (including socio-economic and sex disaggregated indicators) and determine end-of-project targets and means of measurement; the indicators should build on those in the PIF and attempt to include: state indicators (e.g. spatial coverage, ecosystems quality, species populations), pressure indicators (threats and drivers) and response indicators; the strategic results framework must also refer to a suitable indicator for one of the outcomes of the UNDP Integrated Results and Resources Framework, to be selected with UNDP Djibouti; specific activities (incl. collection of primary data) to establish baselines and targets will include inter alia: defining the exact PA area to be newly designated; defining baseline management effectiveness in existing and new PAs; determining baseline species abundance (records of whale sharks, dugong, fish, seabirds and sea turtle nests/tracks) or coral reef health indicators; determining baseline income levels in targeted local community households and contribution of revenues generated through tourism to local communities; determining baseline financial flows for PA system management;

  • Guide and support the definition of adequacy, technical feasibility, incrementality and cost-effectiveness of the project’s interventions, to include international benchmarking;

• Contribute to the identification / confirmation of specific sites for intervention and MPA system expansion.

• Lead / contribute to capacity training workshops on issues related to the project and its development.

  Component B:  Institutional and management arrangements, co-financing investments

• Coordinate and contribute to consultations with partners to secure a coherent and sustainable financing package for the project including post-GEF grant phase, exploring multilateral and bilateral co-financing opportunities as required.

• Together with UNDP Djibouti, secure issuance of the required co-financing letters/guarantees by participating government institutions, bilateral development partners, multilateral development partners and NGOs who commit to provide cash or in-kind contributions to the project.

• Review and comment as required the institutional, implementation and management arrangements agreed between UNDP and key government representatives and other stakeholders (including roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of lead and partner agencies, and the organisational structure and board governing the project).

  Component C:  Consolidation, Validation and Finalisation of Key Outputs

• Building on the PIF and the above consultations and background research, and with significant input from the International Specialist on Marine Biodiversity, Financing and Sector Mainstreaming and national consultants, formulate/consolidate the full PRODOC and Request for CEO Endorsement package with all relevant sections and annexes following the standard GEF-6 templates. This includes inter alia:

  • consolidating the summary problem, baseline investment and barrier analyses, and elaborating adequate and technically robust project interventions in detail, defining incrementality and cost-effectiveness of the project’s interventions;

  • developing the strategic results framework, to include suitable objective-level and outcome-level quantitative and qualitative SMART indicators (including socio-economic and sex disaggregated indicators) and the related baselines and end-of-project targets, and means of measurement; the indicators should build on those in the PIF and attempt to include: state indicators (e.g. spatial coverage, ecosystems quality, species populations), pressure indicators (threats and drivers) and response indicators; the strategic results framework must also refer to a suitable indicator for one of the outcomes of the UNDP Integrated Results and Resources Framework, to be selected with UNDP Djibouti;

  • developing a detailed monitoring and evaluation (M&E) work plan, to include clear identification of responsibilities and accountabilities as well as an appropriate M&E budget; the plan will be based on the standard template provided in the UNDP-GEF project document template that reflects the mandatory requirements of the GEF M&E Policy, but should add further elements allowing continuing in-depth M&E throughout the project in line with the need for increased attention on M&E;

  • preparing a detailed multi-year budget and work plan for the project (following the standard template provided in the UNDP-GEF project document template), indicating the inputs needed (consultants, contractual services, travel, etc.) in the applicable format;

  • defining the configuration of the implementation team and developing the according Terms of Reference together with an indicative procurement plan to ensure a smooth transition from the PPG to the implementation phase;

  • developing a sustainability plan, outlining the principles and guidelines for ensuring the long-term sustainability of project achievements;

  • addressing/answering the opportunities/risks identified in the context of PIF approval, as appropriate, in the GEF Secretariat Review Sheet, the GEF STAP Review, and by the GEF Council;

  • completing/updating the GEF and UNDP Tracking Tools required for the project: GEF-6 Tracking Tools 1 and 2 (PA Management Effectiveness for targeted MCPAs; PA Financial Sustainability Scorecard), 9 (Managing the Human-Biodiversity Interface) as well as the UNDP Capacity Development Scorecard;

• Submit the PRODOC and Request for CEO Endorsement package to the UNDP-GEF RTA for review;

• Participate (electronically if required) in a validation workshop gathering key stakeholders to present and discuss the final draft PRODOC in all its aspects.

• Finalise the PRODOC and Request for CEO Endorsement package for submission to UNDP-GEF and GEF Secretariat for CEO Endorsement.

If required, compile expertise-specific responses to any reviews by the GEF Secretariat for resubmission of the PRODOC and Request for CEO Endorsement package.

Key UNDP/GEF references for this Project/PPG

• GEF-6 Focal Area Strategy for Biodiversity;

• PIF for “Mitigating key sector pressures on marine and coastal biodiversity and further strengthening the national system of marine protected areas in Djibouti”;

• GEF Secretariat Review Sheet and GEF STAP Review of the PIF/Project;

• UNDP Project Document and GEF CEO Endorsement Request package guidelines and templates;

• UNDP & GEF M&E Guidance;

• GEF Biodiversity Tracking Tools and UNDP Capacity Development Scorecard;

• UNDP Environmental and Social Screening Procedure - Guidance Note and PIF Environmental and Social Screening;

• UNDP Guidance on Gender Assessment;

• Relevant UNDP Programme and Operations Policies and Procedures;

• Relevant documents of the predecessor project UNDP # 4049 GEF # 3713 “Establishing Effectively Managed Marine Protected Areas in Djibouti”, most notably annual implementation reports and terminal evaluation

• Relevant national sector development and investment plans

• Documents of relevant other initiatives, most notably of UNEP, PERSGA and IUCN.

Key deliverables and terms and conditions for provision of services

The International Specialist for GEF Biodiversity Project Development and Social and Environmental Safeguards (Team Leader) assumes the overall coordination and responsibility for the timely completion of the full GEF CEO Endorsement Request Package and PRODOC in appropriate quality. This will involve writing the largest share of these documents as well as editing, reconciling and merging sections prepared by the team of supporting consultants. The key deliverables under this contract will be:

• Research/studies identified under Duties and responsibilities above to be led/conducted by the Team Leader, which may be written for direct integration into the PRODOC and CEO Endorsement Request;

• Relevant reviews/contributions to Duties and responsibilities to be supported;

• A separate/annexed full Social and Environmental Impact Assessment of the project and building thereon a UNDP Social and Environmental Screening Procedure;

• A separate/annexed Gender Assessment;

• The completed and cleared GEF CEO Endorsement Request and UNDP-GEF Project Document, as well as the required UNDP and GEF Tracking Tools, using updated templates following guidance by the UNDP/GEF Regional Technical Advisor;

• The required co-financing letters.

  UNDP may contact the contractor at any time during working hours and request the contractor’s expert support and guidance, technical inputs, participation in meetings and elaboration of a document pertaining to the execution of the PPG/Initiation Plan outlined above.

  Payment is based upon output and will be made upon confirmation by UNDP that contract obligations have been met in a satisfactory manner in accordance with milestones, i.e. delivery of the services specified in the ToR to be approved by UNDP and meeting agreed deadlines. The tentative payment schedule is as follows: Upon contract signature: 20% of the total amount. Upon submission of a complete draft CEO Endorsement Request Package and a complete draft PRODOC and clearance for submission by UNDP: 40% of the total. Upon subsequent review and final approval by the GEF Secretariat of the PRODOC and issuance of CEO Endorsement: 40% of the total.

  Approval: Review of the deliverables regarding quality and timeliness will be undertaken by the UNDP Country Office and the Djibouti Government counterparts, then the UNDP/GEF Regional Technical Advisor and eventually the UNDP/GEF Senior Technical Advisor to ensure alignment and compliance with UNDP and GEF requirements.

Implementation arrangements

• To guide and assist the team of national and international consultants, a joint project development and facilitation team will be established that includes the UNDP-GEF Regional Technical Advisor, the UNDP Country Office, as well as project focal points at the Ministry of Housing, Urban Planning and Environment of Djibouti. The main responsibilities will be to provide the required data/information and feedback to the team of consultants; backstopping and providing relevant templates; supporting stakeholder consultations and ensuring their participation; supporting problem analysis; liaising with partners and leading national stakeholder involvement on project strategy and institutional and management arrangements and on co-financing matters; and supporting alignment with national priorities and understanding of the local and national contexts.

Further aspects

• 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 and should have concluded the UNDP Basic Security in the Field course prior to travelling.

• Excellent technical, analytical and editing skills, allowing effective communication of complex technical information

• Strong strategic planning, results-based management and reporting capabilities

• Excellent team player with good interpersonal skills

• Ability to manage workload with minimum supervision

• Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines

• Ability to accommodate additional demands at short notice

• Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;

• Skills in achieving results through persuading, influencing, & working with others;

• Skills in negotiating effectively in sensitive situations;

• Skills in facilitating meetings effectively and efficiently and to resolve conflicts as they arise.