Procurement Notices

Botswana has ratified or acceded to a number of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the African Eurasian Waterfowl Agreement (AEWA), with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) being the focal point for the three abovementioned MEAs. All countries that have become members, or are Parties to these conventions, are bound to implement them. There is recognition that there needs to be capacity to implement these. To test the ability of the country to deliver on its MEA obligations, a National Capacity Needs Assessment (NCSA) for the Effective Implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) was undertaken by the Department of Environmental Affairs in 2007, and this represents the last time such a systematic appraisal of the implementation capacity for the MEAs was undertaken in Botswana. The capacity of the MEA focal points (including DWNP) was assessed at three levels, being:

1. Individual capacity: this refers to specific attributes enabling individuals to perform functions, make decisions and ensure these are implemented in an effective, efficient and sustainable manner;
2. Institutional capacity: refers to institutional levels, focusing on the overall performance and functional capabilities of an organisation, access to finances, information, technology, infrastructure and other resources, its organizational structure and its ability to adapt to change; and,
3. Systemic capacity: which was concerned with the creation of “enabling environments”, including policies and plans, economic, regulatory and accountability frameworks within which institutions and individuals operate; and relationships and processes between institutions, both formal and informal, as well as their mandates, are important.

The NCSA found that the Department of Wildlife and National Parks have capacity gaps (across all three levels) for the CBD and CITES, although with CITES implementation capacity being slightly better than that for the CBD. As AEWA was only acceded to in November 2017, this Agreement was not part of the NCSA, but being a new Agreement, whose technical requirements are outside of DWNP’s core competencies (as the department does not have an ornithology division), it is safe to assume that the department is not likely to have the required capacity to ensure adequate implementation of Botswana’s obligations to AEWA.

In realising the need to enhance the capacity to implement MEAs, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) developed a Cross-Cutting Capacity Development (CCCD) program as part of its funding mechanisms to support the implementation of MEAs in developing countries. The GEF defines capacity development as “the process by which individuals, organizations and societies strengthen their ability to address environmental issues, manage natural resource issues, and mainstream environmental sustainability into development policies, plans and decisions.” Botswana is eligible as a GEF grant recipient having ratified the three Rio Conventions, i.e., the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 12 October 1995; Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought (CCD) on 11 September 1996; and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 27 January 1994.

As a result of the weak implementation capacity for the three MEAs that fall within the direct mandate of the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, it is crucial for the DWNP to develop capacity building initiatives, which would at a minimum cover the following four categories: (i) individual capacity of DWNP staff, (ii) DWNP’s institutional capacity, (iii) systemic capacity (within DWNP, the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, and other government agencies whose mandate impacts on the implementation of CITES, CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas and AEWA), as well as (iv) the capacity for non-state actors (especially communities), who either implement parts of the three above-mentioned MEAs, or are directly affected by the implementation of the national obligations to these three MEAs.

In light of this, UNDP Botswana and the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) are launching the process of developing the proposal to the GEF (under the CCCD program) and are seeking a local consultant to develop the Project Identification Form (PIF) and subsequently a Full Project Document (ProDoc). The consultant would have to conduct baseline studies and stakeholder consultations in Gaborone, but with the option to visit and consult in other parts of the country as the process may dictate. A local consultant will be recruited and will be tasked with developing the Project Identification Form (PIF), a Medium-Sized UNDP Project Document (ProDoc) and a GEF CEO Endorsement Request using templates to be provided by UNDP. The UNDP/GEF Regional Coordination Unit will facilitate further contributions to ensure close linkages to other relevant UNDP projects at the global and Africa-level.