Job: UN-REDD Regional Workshop Support Consultant

Location: Panama 
Deadline: Monday, 07 October 2013 

Description

UNOPS mission is to expand the capacity of the UN system and its partners to implement peacebuilding, humanitarian and development operations that matter for people in need. Working in some of the world's most challenging environments, our vision is to always satisfy partners with management services that meet world-class standards of quality, speed and cost effectiveness.

UNOPS provides services in sustainable infrastructure, sustainable procurement and sustainable project management, with projects ranging from building schools, roads, bridges and hospitals to procuring goods and services and training local personnel.

By assisting UN organizations, international financial institutions, governments and other development partners, UNOPS makes significant, tangible contributions to results on the ground.

We employ more than 6,000 personnel annually and on behalf of our partners create thousands more work opportunities in local communities. Through our headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark and a network of regional and country offices, we oversee activities in more than 80 countries.

UNOPS is committed to achieving a truly diverse workforce.

Background Information - Development Group Cluster

Development Group Cluster

The UNOPS Development Group Cluster is based in the North America Office and supports a diverse and complex portfolio including partners such as the United Nations Development Programme (the Bureau for Development Policy, the Human Development Report Office, and the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation), the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Capital Development Fund, the United Nations Secretariat and a broadening community of primarily New York-based UN partners in the delivery of project management, implementation and administration services.

Background Information - Job-specific

Context

Deforestation and forest degradation contribute close to twenty per cent of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions globally. Negotiations are underway within the auspices of The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) with a view to reducing emissions from these sources (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation or REDD+). To facilitate REDD+, efforts are urgently needed to adapt forest management systems and establish financing systems and associated monitoring and verification systems attuned to country needs.

These systems need to address concerns relating to the cost-effectiveness of REDD+ approaches, leakage, additionality and the rights and responsibilities of local communities, amongst other issues. The UN-REDD Programme was established in 2008 as a partnership between FAO, UNDP and UNEP, financed through a multi-donor trust fund, to assist countries to address these needs. Recognizing the critical role of indigenous peoples and other forest-dependent communities to the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of REDD+, the UN-REDD Programme has prioritized stakeholder engagement from its inception.

Recognizing that a key component of effective stakeholder engagement is the right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and responding to calls from stakeholders, countries, partners and donors for further clarification on FPIC in the context of REDD+, the UN-REDD Programme has developed Guidelines on FPIC to guide the work of the Programme in countries. The Guidelines outline a normative, policy and operational framework for seeking and obtaining FPIC in the context of REDD+.

The UN-REDD Programme will support countries to apply and tailor the Guidelines to their national context in order to support the principle of FPIC in UN-REDD Programme activities. Efforts to support FPIC implementation in national processes in Latin America and the Caribbean have included a regional workshop held between 1-3 February in Lima, Peru that focused the development of FPIC implementation roadmaps for a number of UN-REDD Programme partner countries in the region.

Building on this activity, the UN-REDD Programme is organizing a workshop focusing on assisting government and UN-REDD Programme staff to support FPIC implementation in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Surinam. The workshop will include a review of how national experiences with FPIC and/or other consultation approaches can be incorporated in the Programme's support to partner countries.

Objectives of the workshop

1. Understand the progress, practice and challenges of each participating country in the implementation of FPIC or prior consultation in the UN-REDD Programme.

2. Understand in more depth the relevant international and regional frameworks, including ILO Convention No. 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

3. Build capacities of UN-REDD technical staff and governmental officials to implement FPIC and/or prior consultation according to the needs of the Programme.

4. Generate ideas, recommendations and provide assistance to advance the implementation of FPIC and prior consultation in the technical tasks of UN-the REDD Programme.

5. Build tools for the technical specialists in the UN-REDD Programme and government officials so they can implement FPIC and prior consultation in their UN-REDD National Programmes.

Participants

1. UN-REDD technical staff and governmental officials from the following countries: Paraguay, Honduras, Colombia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru, Suriname.

2. UN-REDD Programme/UNDP Regional staff

3. Facilitator

4. Co-Facilitator/Rapporteur/Panelist from Canada

5. UN-REDD National Coordinators

6. Panelists from ILO, OHCHR and Panama

Expected Results

The expected results and actions from the workshop are as follows:

1. Gain an in-depth understanding/Knowledge of FPIC, including concepts, legal framework, background, and principles.

Actions:

UN presentations (on Background, concepts, legal bases, international and regional jurisprudence); Panel of experts; Experiences in implementation; Lessons learned; Results from prior consultation pilots or experiences; Case studies.

2. Gain an in-depth understanding/knowledge of FPIC implementation including analysis, experiences, results, and evaluation.

Actions:

Panel of experts; Experiences in implementation; Lessons learned; Results from previous consultation; Case studies.

3. Share experiences of international and regional lessons learned from FPIC.

Actions:

Presentations from the regional representatives; Progress in implementation of previous consultation in their respective countries:

1) macro; and

2) micro in UN-REDD National Programmes; Examples; Identification of opportunities, challenges and recommendations; Panel of experts; Experiences in implementation; Lessons learned; Results from previous consultation; Case studies.

3. Produce a report from the workshop that includes: Studies from prior consultation in 8 countries; Descriptions of the 8 countries; Opportunities and challenges; Conclusions.

4. Facilitate the Drafting of (Future) Work plans: Each representative from UN-REDD and their national counterparts will develop an action plan for the implementation and mainstreaming of the FPIC/prior consultation in their jobs.

UNDP will commission a UN-REDD Regional Workshop Support Consultant to: (a) support the organization and execution of the Regional Workshop on FPIC; and (b) lead in the documentation and analysis of outputs from the workshop. The consultant will be expected to attend the Regional Workshop on FPIC, arriving in Panama City on 28 October and departing on 1 November.

Functional ResponsibilitiesScope of Work Under the supervision of the Regional Stakeholder Engagement Specialist for Latin America and the Caribbean, the consultant will be responsible for the following activities:

1. Preparatory support (7 days)

• Review of supporting background material on FPIC and on national contexts
• Contribute to the design of the workshop
• Contribute to the preparation of the agenda and participants list
• Preparation of detailed structure of each presentation that will be given by the service provider
• Preparation of the workshop flyer
• Preparation of presentation and specific material as panelist

2. During the workshop (3 days)

• Co-facilitate the workshop
• Deliver presentations
• Record information and experiences shared by participants on FPIC and prior consultation processes and experiences in their countries

3. Post workshop (10 days)

• Preparation of an initial draft of the workshop report
• Addition and synthesis of comments from the UN-REDD Programme
• Incorporation of comments and suggested modifications
• Production of final draft

Expected outputs

1. Finalize final agenda, outline of presentation, specific materials for the panel sessions and workshop flyer. (By 14 October 2013) 2. Produce a full draft workshop report in Spanish (by 18 November 2013) with the following outline: Overview/background of the context of FPIC and REDD+ in the region (e.g., national and international legal commitments, commitment to FPIC under the UN-REDD Programme), including challenges and opportunities. I. Summaries of experience in FPIC and prior consultation in the participating countries, that provide:

• Overview of past, current and planned national actions on FPIC;
• Review of key national FPIC guidance documents highlighting strengths and weaknesses;
• Analyses of information obtained from country presentations/discussions during the workshop, including reviewing country approaches with international norms and standards, and the guidance provided in the UN-REDD Programme Guidelines on FPIC;
• Key conclusions including best practices, recommendations for improvement and emerging needs for support.

II. Conclusions and recommendations

• Common challenges, issues and opportunities;
• Emerging best practice in FPIC, including the identification of useful tools, references and examples which could be applied more broadly to other countries' approaches (and which could be annexed or linked to the UN-REDD Guidelines on FPIC);
• Recommendations on how FPIC could be better supported in the region.

3. Produce final Workshop report incorporating UN-REDD comments. (by 14 December 2013)

CompetenciesRespect for Diversity

• Respects gender, ethnic and cultural diversity.

Teamwork

• Ability to resolve conflict.
• Capacity to work with teams and diverse stakeholders.
• Positive response to feedback.

Client Orientation

• Capacity to establish good relationship with stakeholders.

Accountability

• Capacity to work under pressure.

Commitment to Continuous Learning

• Promotes knowledge and learning exchange.

Communications

• Proven written and spoken abilities.

Judgement/Decision Making

• Open to change and ability to handle complex situations.

Leadership

• Capacity to lead participative process at a high level.

Education/Experience/Language requirements EDUCATION

Master's degree is preferred in the areas of social science, political science, and/or conflict resolution with emphasis in the areas of consultation with stakeholders.

EXPERIENCE

At least 4 years of professional experience in the areas of consultation, conflict resolution and design and facilitation of participative dialogues with indigenous peoples; Proven professional experience in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

LANGUAGE

Written and spoken fluency in both English and Spanish are required for this post.

Contract type, level and durationContract type: International ICA Contract level: IICA-SP 1 Contract duration: The duration of the consultancy services will be 2 months, beginning on 14 October 2013 and concluding by 13 of December 2013. For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this link: http://www.unops.org/ENGLISH/WHOWENEED/CONTRACT-TYPES/Pages/Individual-Contractor-Agreements-ICAs.aspx

Additional Considerations

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns. Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.

More Info and Application