Procurement Notices

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. Forests are also a vital resource for the local population particularly in the remote rural areas of PNG, providing food, fibre, building materials, and support a variety of wildlife and ecosystem services.

A mechanism for Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+) being developed through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) provides an opportunity to support PNG’s efforts to reduce levels of deforestation and help to maintain and protect its natural forest. PNG has been a leading proponent of REDD+ at the international level, and has made significant progress towards developing the capacity to engage in an international mechanism on REDD+. This progress has initially been supported by the UN-REDD Programme and is now being aided by the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) through a project that will run until the end of 2020.

Increases in land clearance for agriculture are likely to increase in a country with population growth of over 2%, increasing global demand for agricultural commodities and only 4% of land area currently dedicated to agriculture when an estimated 30% is considered suitable for agriculture. Agriculture is a mainstay of the PNG economy and thus represents an important area for economic growth and stability. The sector accounted for 19% of total exports and 25% of GDP in 2010, as well as forming a major part of rural economy on which 80% of the population directly depend.  As such there is a need to ensure that continued agricultural development not only supports economic growth and poverty alleviation, but is also socially and environmentally sustainable. A report on sustainable commodity production in PNG, commissioned by FCPF in 2016, found that sustainable agricultural commodities production can provide strong benefits for PNG's people, economy and the environment by increasing employment, protecting the environment and associated livelihoods and health benefits, helping to secure and diversify the exports market, and securing foreign exchange.

Palm oil is the primary source of agricultural export revenue in the country and is likely to have the most impact on forest cover change in the short to medium term due to its currently unregulated expansion. It is therefore proposed that PNG’s National REDD+ strategy which was endorsed by the Government of PNG in May 2017, will focus its efforts on abating the impacts of this sector.

The sustainable commodities assessment which was carried out in 2016 set out two recommendations:

• development of a national policy for sustainable palm oil;
• establishment of a multi-stakeholder PNG Palm Oil Platform (PNGPOP).

In 2017, the FCPF project conducted a follow up assignment to take stock of the above recommendations and prepare a list of policy options through rigorous multi-stakeholder consultations and a high-level meeting. The participants of the high-level meeting agreed to the following vision for the palm oil sector: “To position PNG as the global leader for sustainable palm oil production, by producing palm oil in a way that sustains and advances economic growth, is respectful to the environment and landowner rights, yields social benefits and improves PNG’s market competiveness for its primary agricultural export”.

Thus, as a way forward, there is a need to establish PNGPOP to strengthen smallholders’ capacity through increased productivity, improve environmental management, support government strategies to develop the agricultural sector, protect forests, enhance biodiversity conservation, mitigate and monitor greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, facilitate social responsibility through empowering local communities and enhance mediation systems, identify standards for wider acceptance, and improve market access in the country and abroad.

SCOPE OF WORK

Under the overall supervision of the FCPF Chief Technical Advisor (CTA), the Consultant will be responsible for providing support in the initial set up of the PNGPOP and developing a Statement of Intent on sustainable development of the oil palm sector in PNG. The incumbent will take conceptual leadership of the assignment but will work closely with a team of national consultants, the Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA), the Department of Agriculture and Livestock (DAL), and other key government bodies as well the Private Sector. The work will be supported by technical advice from the FCPF CTA and the UNDP Regional Hub in Bangkok and will also link with other activities related to REDD+ development in PNG of which the consultant will need to remain cognisant.

Key elements of the assessment will include:

A) Develop a Statement of Intent for PNG’s Sustainable Palm Oil Sector

• Review the national legislation and policies and develop a framework for the development Sustainable Palm Oil Policy;
• Support the government to establish a Task Force with representatives from government, civil society and the private sector to develop the Statement of Intent;
• Review and incorporate recommendations based on the Marrakesh Declaration on the sustainable development of the oil palm sector and prepare a final draft for review and adoption by the Ministry of Agriculture;
• Support the government to convene a Task Force Meeting to discuss and agree on the Statement of Intent.

B) Support the establishment of PNG's first multi-stakeholder palm oil platform (PNGPOP)

The UNDP PNG Country Office is currently recruiting two national staff - a Platform Coordinator and a Technical Specialist for the PNGPOP. The objective of the platform is to create a multi-stakeholder national action plan for the long-term sustainability of palm oil, to help monitor and adopt actions that address the root causes limiting the sustainability of the PNG palm oil sector as well as harmonise government policies to ensure a strong and coherent legal framework for the sustainability of PNG palm oil production. It will also provide the government of PNG with an important opportunity to translate the STaRS long term development strategy into practice, build a new image for the sector, and position the country as a global leader for sustainable palm oil production. Ultimately, it will enable collective agreement on sustainable and systemic solutions for the production of palm oil that is respectful for the environment, expands social benefits and improves PNG's market competitiveness for its primary agricultural export.

The Consultant is expected to support the inception of the PNGPOP, particularly:

• To identify and support the establishment of a coordination and management structure for the implementation of the platform and its relationship with the FCPF REDD+ project as well as broader REDD+ coordination in PNG through CCDA;
• To deliver capacity building support to the platform staff;
• To maintain constructive relations with key stakeholders, including Government institutions, donors, companies and NGO partners, informing them and consulting with them as appropriate regarding strategic decisions, and, in discussion with the international and national technical advisors, promoting the balanced participation of different Government entities in platform activities and benefits;
• To provide support to UNDP in the preparation of annual and semi-annual reports, as appropriate, incorporating inputs provided by project contractors in relation to each of the PNGPOP annual work plan and road map;
• To establish and implement a framework for monitoring and evaluating the platform’s implementation;
• To review quarterly work plans and provide recommendations to UNDP regarding their approval or, where necessary, modification prior to approval.

EXPECTED OUTPUTS/DELIVERABLES

The international expert will, in collaboration with a national expert, deliver the following outputs: