| Overview : Project Description Papua New Guinea (PNG) has one of the most significant areas of largely-intact tropical forest in the world, although these forests appear to be facing acute and imminent threats. The Papua New Guinea Forest Authority (PNGFA) estimates that approximately 80% of the total area of the country is covered by natural forests, of which 60% are considered intact forests. Approximately 10 per cent of global GHG emissions are caused by land-use change and, in particular, the destruction of tropical forests. Slowing deforestation and forest degradation is a likely cost effective way of reducing carbon emissions compared to other mitigation strategies, such as curbing emissions from power stations. Since 2005, PNG has been at the forefront of intergovernmental negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to develop an international mechanism to compensate developing countries for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). To be eligible to receive results-based finance for REDD+ results-based actions under the UNFCCC, PNG will have to develop the following elements: - A National Strategy or Action Plan;
- A national forest reference emission level and/or forest reference level;
- A robust and transparent national forest monitoring system for the monitoring and reporting of the REDD + activities;
- A system for providing information on how the safeguards on local community and forest biodiversity are being addressed and respected throughout the implementation of the REDD+ activities while respecting sovereignty.
The Government of Papua New Guinea (GoPNG) is receiving international support from a number of bilateral and multilateral sources to prepare the country for implementing REDD+ under the UNFCCC, including through readiness support from the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF). A major component of the FCPF project is to support the development of PNG’s National REDD+ Strategy. SCOPE OF WORK The objective of this assignment is to support the development of PNG's National REDD+ Strategy. In undertaking this assignment the international consultant ( working closely with a national consultant, the FCPF team,government counterparts, private sector stakeholders and NGOs) will: - facilitate the solicitation of feedback from the report on issues and options for REDD+ in PNG,
- Support the design and drafting of PNG's National REDD+ Strategy document,
- Support initial stake holder consultations on the Strategy,
- Develop a proposal for PNG's FCPF rediness top-up gratn request.
The International expert will take conceptual leadership of the tasks under this assignement, while working in close coordination and consultation with the national consultant, goernment, UNDP and FCPF staff and the UNDP regional technical advisor. Key elements of the assignment will include: 1. Solicit feedback from stakeholders on PNG’s REDD+ issues and options report A report on the issues and options for PNG’s National REDD+ Strategy will be finalized in August 2016. Feedback on this report from stakeholders will form the basis of the vision for REDD+ that will be set out in detail in the Strategy document. The Climate Change and Development Office (CCDA) will lead the organization and delivery of these consultations, with support from other government agencies, in particular PNGFA, and UNDP. The first activity under this assignment is to support the dissemination of information on the issues and options report, and the gathering of feedback from stakeholders, as part of a clearly defined stakeholder engagement plan that the consultant will help develop and implement. The international consultant will consider the outcomes of a validation workshop on PNG’s REDD+ issues and options held in September 2016. At this stage in the assignment the consultant will also gather experiences and lessons learned from the National REDD+ Strategy (or Action Plan) processes that other REDD+ countries have followed, and document best practices, for sharing with stakeholders in PNG and consideration/incorporation into the PNG Strategy development process. 2. Support the design and drafting of PNG's National REDD+ Strategy The development of PNG's National REDD+ Strategy will be informed and structured to reflect the decisions made on the issues and options report. This will include desicions on PNG's vision for REDD+ (level of ambition in terms of emission reducing Priority intervention sites), Priority policies and measures (PAMs) for REDD+ implementation in PNG. Building on these preliminary decisions and consolidating them further though additional technical work and stakeholders engagement processes, the strategy will include sections on: - PNG's development and forest contect including how REDD+ is aligned with and intergrated within the wider development processes ( including SDG's, StaRs, MTDP, relevant sectorial policies, and related planning process and strategic documents);
- Legal and institutional framework for REDD+ implementation;
PNG’s Vision for REDD+, including principles and objectives for REDD+ implementation, emissions reductions objectives and relation to PNG’s INDC and sectoral and cross-sectoral commitments; Drivers and agents of deforestation and forest degradation; Operational components for REDD+ implementation: national forest monitoring system (NFMS), the forest reference emission level (FREL) and the safeguards and safeguards information system (SIS), including how they will be coherently aligned; Policies and measures (PAMs) for REDD+ implementation in PNG and how they a) address the direct and indirect drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in PNG, and b) build on and complement existing PAMs, and including training and capacity building needs; Stakeholder engagement and participation – both during the design/consultation phase of the Strategy and during implementation; Financial aspect for REDD+ implementation, comprising a) a financial mechanism for investment and results-based payments, and b) financing plan to set out budget needs, potential sources and approaches to resource mobilization; Monitoring and evaluation
3. Support stakeholder consultations on PNG’s National REDD+ Strategy Following the production of a full draft of PNG’s National REDD+ Strategy, the consultant will support the organization and delivery of a series of sectoral and cross-sectoral meetings and workshops throughout the drafting process to gather feedback and input for the Strategy. The consultant will develop preparatory information materials, such as background briefs or others, for these consultation meetings, where necessary. The consultant will also support the organization and delivery of a national consultation workshop on the Strategy that will bring together all relevant stakeholders for solicitation of inputs. 4. Develop a proposal for PNG’s FCPF readiness top-up grant request On the basis of the contents of PNG’s National REDD+ Strategy and progress made under each of the outputs of the FCPF readiness project, the consultant will develop a $5m proposal to be submitted to the FCPF for additional readiness finance. The consultant will work closely with the FCPF PMU and government agencies, as well as other donor and technical cooperation partners, including FAO, the EU and JICA, to ensure that the proposal addresses real gaps and needs in PNG’s REDD+ readiness plan. The proposal will be structured in such a way that 1) will lead the country towards enhanced action at the provincial and local level (while maintaining and building on the national REDD+ architecture), and 2) maps a clear path for PNG towards results-based payments under the UNFCCC. The development of the top-up grant proposal will also consider additional financing needs for PNG as the country moves towards REDD+ implementation, including feasibility studies that would be relevant for an application for a REDD+ investment finance grant under the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Institutional arrangements The work will be undertaken over a six month period from September 2016, with the international consultant undertaking at least three visits to PNG. Following stakeholder consultations on the issues and options report, the consultant will support a validation workshop organized by CCDA to set out PNG’s vision for REDD+, scope and scale of implementation, priority drivers to be addressed and policies and measures to be implemented. Following the drafting of PNG’s National REDD+ Strategy, the consultant will support a consultation workshop organized by CCDA to present the document to stakeholders. The FCPF project management unit (PMU) will provide support to the consultant with regard to logistics when in PNG, including introductions to key stakeholders and organization and financing of workshops. Travel outside of Port Moresby, if required, will be covered by UNDP. The consultant will be responsible for her/his own transport within Port Moresby. Duration of the assignment The duration of the assignment is 45 days over five months from September 2016 to January 2017. In accordance with expected outputs and deliverables, the International Consultant submits reports to FCPF REDD+ Project Chief Technical Advisor for review outputs, comments, certify approval/acceptance of works afterwards. In case of any delays to achieve the expected outputs, the International Consultant should notify the FCPF REDD+ Chief Technical Advisor in advance to take necessary steps. Duty station The duty station for this assignment is Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea and Homebased. DEGREE OF EXPERTISE AND Qualifications Education Post-graduate degree (MSc or PhD) in agriculture, natural resources economics, development economics, finance, or closely related field.
Work experience A minimum of 10 years progressive experience in natural resource management or a related field Strong understanding of REDD+ under the UNFCCC, including application of REDD+ concepts and implementation in developing country contexts; Experience with REDD+ development and implementation in PNG, or the Pacific region; Strong inter-personal skills, in particular, demonstrated team leadership qualities and excellent oral communication skills. Experience of PNG is a requirement.
Language requirements APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Qualified candidates are requested to apply by September 14, 2016 by sending their application packages to registry.pg@undp.org with the subject line “FCPF REDD+ International Consultant on the development of a National REDD+ Strategy”. The application should contain: Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work (if applicable). Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application. Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees, please upload the P11 instead of your CV.
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