Organizational management and systems consultancy support - Ramsar, Gland, Switzerland
Closing date: Friday, 28 February 2014
More
vacancies from:
Organization
Country
Field
location
Office
consultancy (consultant 2) support to the Ramsar Convention'sReview Committee on Ensuring Efficient Delivery of Scientific andTechnical Advice and Support to the Convention (Resolution XI.16)
I. Background
In Resolution XI.16, the Contracting Parties at Ramsar's 11th meeting of the Conference of theContracting Parties (COP11, Bucharest, 2012) approved 'a review of the delivery, uptake andimplementation of scientific and technical advice and guidance to the Convention,' the findings ofwhich would be reported to the 12th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP12).
The Convention's Scientific and Technical Review Panel (STRP) is now 20 years old, and hasadapted over time to the changing needs and priorities of the Convention. However, ResolutionXI.16 made clear that Parties believe there are opportunities for significant improvements in thedelivery, uptake and implementation of scientific and technical guidance. Parties also indicated thatall bodies of the Convention have roles to play in ensuring that scientific and technical advice andsupport is delivered in ways that support effective (and more efficient) implementation of theobjectives of the Convention, and that it is necessary to reassess the priorities and focus of currentConvention mechanisms including, but not limited, to the STRP.
The Review Committee, which is chaired by the United States of America (USA) and reports to theConvention's Management Working Group, was established during the 46th meeting of the RamsarStanding Committee (SC46) in April 2013. Its members, listed below, reached broad agreementduring SC46 on Terms of reference (TORs) for the Review Committee, which were finalized afterthe meeting and shared with all members. A key element of these TORs was the option of usingexpert consultants to support the Review Committee on specific tasks. The work will be dividedbetween two consultants, a senior consultant experienced on Multilateral EnvironmentalAgreements (MEAs) (consultant 1), and a consultant experienced on organisational managementand systems (consultant 2).
Members of the Review Committee are interested members of the Management Working Group of the Standing Committee and any other interested Contracting Parties, including Australia,Cambodia, Chile, Finland, France, Guatemala, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the USA. Also participating are the STRP Chair, the Secretariat's Scientific and Technical Support Officer and the Ramsar Regional Center – East Asia (RRC-EA). The Secretariat's Senior Regional Advisors were also asked to participate in the reviewprocess.
II.Expertise and profile of the organisational management and systems consultant
To ensure his or her independence and avoid potential conflicts of interest, the consultant may not be a current or previous direct employee of the Secretariat, and may not have been hired previouslyby the Secretariat to implement the Ramsar Convention or the work of its bodies or processes.The consultant will have primary responsibility for management and systems issues, following the advice of the MEA-experienced consultant as needed, and requires experience and expertise in:
- undertaking survey-based reviews of government or intergovernmental processes and issues;
- conducting field surveys and collecting data to establish baseline conditions;
- interpreting and reporting on data collected: this can include detailed assessment of data, often using software modelling packages;
- writing of detailed scientific reports in a manner that can be understood by non-technical people; and
- establishing dialogue and formal lines of communication with government agencies, non-government organisations (NGOs), regulators and sub-contractors.
The overall work of the Review Committee is planned to be undertaken in three phases. The consultant will make substantive contributions to a number of tasks in phases 1 and 2.
IV. General approach and outputs
The consultant will review all the ways in which Contracting Parties' scientific and technical needsare currently identified, how they seek advice and guidance, and how different scientific andtechnical products are prepared, disseminated, and used. The consultant will identify the currenteffectiveness of advice and guidance products, and the real and perceived barriers, gaps andlimitations to the communication of this advice.
The consultant will explore and provide recommendations on:
- possible changes to improve the effectiveness of the current Ramsar scientific and technicalbodies and processes; and
- whether additional mechanisms, processes or bodies, complementary to existing Ramsar
V. Specific tasks to be undertaken
Note. The task numbering below is taken from the TORs of the overall work of the ReviewCommittee; therefore, it does not include all tasks listed there, since many will be the responsibility of the Review Committee's members. Timelines have been adjusted since the Review Committee'sTORs were finalized.
Phase 1
Task 1 (Timeframe March 2014)To be undertaken by the Review Committee.
Description
The Review Committee will identify priority target audiences of scientific and technical advice.
Note: Resolution XI.16 paragraph 9 provides a list of suggested priority targets for consideration.
Task 2 (Timeframe March/April 2014)To be undertaken by consultant 2
Description
The consultant will review the application and utility of Ramsar guidance and the full range ofprocesses by which scientific and technical Convention implementation needs are identified,articulated, prioritized, and converted into tools and guidance for the range of implementationstakeholders, and the extent to which the tools and guidance are disseminated to, and taken up by, identified stakeholders.
The consultant will construct the survey in a manner that it builds upon previous reviews,1 using theinformation collected from them and prioritizing constituencies which are missing but should be surveyed.
Methods
The consultant will seek the support, as needed of Senior Regional Advisors, the STRP Chair andthe Scientific and Technical Support Officer, undertake a range of surveys, including at relevantSTRP guidance users' meetings and through webinars, telephone and email, of the priority targetaudiences identified,2 National Focal Points, STRP National Focal Points and Ramsar Site Managers
See An evaluation of the use and utility of Ramsar guidance athttp://www.ramsar.org/pdf/strp/Use_utility_Ramsar_guidance_report.pdf.2 Resolution XI.16 paragraph 9 identified the following target audiences to include inter alia:
- managers of individual wetland sites, as well as managers of networks of wetlands such as on migratorywaterbird flyways;
- wetland policy makers and those responsible for regulating use of and impacts on wetlands;
- policy makers in other sectors such as water, agriculture, health, urban development, and energy;
- stakeholders and local communities who may depend upon wetlands and wetland ecosystem services;
- (if they are not already identified within a priority target audience, and being aware that a wide rangeof people are considered to be ‘Ramsar Site Managers').
- The survey will be based on a short series of questions, to be prepared by the consultant and agreedwith the Management Working Group's Chair.
- assess individuals' awareness of, access to, and use of scientific and technical materials(primarily but not exclusively those prepared by and through the STRP);
- assess their interest in and use of the current range of formats used for of scientific andtechnical (STRP) products ; andseek to determine what type(s) of scientific and technical advice, and in what form ofproduct or process, would be most helpful to the individual in implementing the Convention's objectives.As well as directly targeting identified audiences for this survey, the survey questions could bedistributed online (web, listserves, questionnaire tools such as SurveyMonkey) to reach additional target audiences.Task 3 (Timeframe April 2014)This task will be undertaken by both consultants (consultant 1 and consultant 2). The task pertainingto consultant 2 is as follows:
The consultant will review the roles of roles of bodies and processes of the Convention providingscientific support and delivery, including the STRP, STRP National Focal Points, National FocalPoints, the Communication, Education, Participation and Awareness (CEPA) Oversight Panel, theSecretariat, Ramsar Advisory Missions, Regional Initiatives and International Organisation Partners.
Methods
The consultant will also conduct, as needed and appropriate, short interviews with the STRP Chair,STRP Vice Chair, current and former STRP members and observers, the CEPA Oversight Panel,Senior Regional Advisors, Deputy Secretary General, Scientific and Technical Support Officer and the Regional Initiatives.
Task 4
(Timeframe May 2014)
To be undertaken by consultant 1.
Description
The consultant will review the means and processes that other MEAs' scientific bodies use toprovide scientific and technical advice to those Conventions to support their implementation.Consider other bodies' best practices beyond the scientific and technical arena in addition to data collection.
- educators and researchers; andprivate sector organisations.
The consultant will conduct interviews with Secretariat staff of other MEAs and the chairs of theirscientific bodies (and particularly those of the other biodiversity-related conventions) to identifyhow they provide scientific and technical advice to support implementation of the theirConventions, and their merits and effectiveness of those methods, in order to identify goodpractices which are relevant to Ramsar.Task 5To be undertaken by consultant 2.
Description
The consultant will review means through which other (non-MEA) bodies provide scientific andtechnical advice to their constituencies to support implementation of their activities.
Methods
The consultant will conduct interviews with leaders of a selected group of relevant inter-governmental organisations, wetland organisations, advertising agencies, information clearinghouses,philanthropic organisations, and scientific societies (such as the American Association for theAdvancement of Science, Society of Wetland Scientists), as appropriate, to identify how they providescientific and technical advice to their constituencies to support implementation of their activities, inorder to identify good practices which are relevant to Ramsar.
Phase 2
Task 1 (Timeframe March 2014)To be undertaken by both consultants. The task pertaining to consultant 2 is as follows:
Description
The consultant will compile and synthesize information collected in the surveys of individuals andother MEAs, and in the literature review (Tasks 2-5 above).
Methods
The consultant will compile and synthesize, and prepare a report on, the results of the surveys ofindividuals and literature and others, identifying common themes emerging as well as areas ofcommon views and provide this information and, as appropriate, who are the priority users, whatproducts are useful, what are the effective distribution channels for STRP products, options for therefinement of Convention processes, to the Review Committee.Task 2 (September 2014)To be undertaken by the Review Committee.
Description
The Review Committee will consider information collected and compiled by the consultant. It willshare ideas and provide recommendations for:
- ways to address issues identified by the data, including, inter alia, adding/deleting scientificproducts from the current suite of scientific and technical products produced by STRP,CEPA, the regional initiatives and centres, and the Secretariat to effectively supportContracting Parties' ability to advance implementation of the Convention;possible refinements or changes to all relevant Convention processes to facilitate effectivecommunication and uptake of Convention tools and advice to enhance capacity forimplementation; andany other complementary mechanisms which might be established.Task 3To be undertaken by consultant 2.
Compile and synthesize ideas collected from Review Committee members in response to the ideasand recommendations which they provide as Task 2.
Methods
The consultant will compile and synthesize views and recommendations from the Review Committee resulting from Task 2, and prepare a report identifying areas of convergence in viewsand areas identified as concerns to form the basis of the Review Committee's further considerationregarding the preparation of a draft COP12 Resolution on the matters raised in Resolution XI.16.It is recognized that the Review Committee may call upon the consultant as needed (and asresources permit) to provide additional support, as the review work progresses.
VI. Location of consultant
There is no geographic location requirement for this consultancy. Consultants may work remotely.
VII.Application deadline and process
Application deadlineApplications must be submitted by 28 February 2014, no later than midnight Swiss time(GMT+1/GMT+2 during Daylight Saving Time, DST). Applications will not be accepted after the closing date.
Application process
Applicants are requested to submit official proof of self-employment status.
Please send your CVand proof of self-employment status to the Ramsar Convention Secretariat at: STRP@ramsar.org.
Click the bar below to visit the original announcement on the recruiting organization's website.
More information and Application Details
0 comments:
Post a Comment