Procurement Notices

To apply, kindly read the procurement notice, attach the following documents and submit through the following email:  ic.jo@undp.org  

1.  CV with at least three references;
2. Applicant’s letter to UNDP/Confirmation of interest form;
3. Technical proposal (to showcase requested experience and competencies); and
4.  Financial proposal as in the attached template.

no later than 19 January 2020 at 15:00 HRs (Jordan time) with subject: “Biodiversity Specialist”.

Any request for clarification must be sent in writing, or by standard electronic communication to the e-mail address indicated above. UNDP will respond in writing or by standard electronic mail and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all consultants.

Jordan is among the most affected countries in the world in terms of the extent, intensity and economic impact of land degradation. Current estimates suggest that over 40% of the land area is adversely affected by wind and water erosion, loss of grazing, deforestation and salinization.

As the Jordan’s economy has expanded rapidly over the past decade, land degradation has intensified with direct and indirect impacts.  With arable land per capita at 0.03 in 2015, according to the World Bank, the impact of land degradation especially in poor rural areas is considerable.

Shobak area is located about 210 km from Amman in the southern part of Jordan. Shobak also lies on the mountainous west edges of Wadi Araba. There is a great variation in the nature of the topography in the area. The elevation varies from 1340 m above mean sea level in Shobak area to maximum altitude of 1734 m above sea level at Jabel Al-Hisha. The area in general is considered as a very arid to semiarid area, and is marked by sharp seasonal variation in both temperature and precipitation. The total rainfall for year investigated was about 321 mm/year.

Tourism and recreation has very scarce impact on the income of Al Shobak local community. Tourism practices in the District is only limited to either visitors to the well-known Crusader Shobak Castle or picnickers from the local community and communities from the neighboring towns  that enjoy the mountainous area  spring greenery during spring and summer time. The number of tourists visited Shobak during 2015-2016 was about 42,351 (of which 35,786 foreigners), however, didn’t contribute to the local income due to lack of tourists facilities or infrastructure. The development of Ecotourism in Shobak natural areas is a potential that support the chance to introduce many nature-based activities such as:

• Cultural Bedouin live practices

• Hiking

• Bird watching

• Camping

• Star gazing

• Traditional local cuisines and herbal products

Land degradation, deforestation, overexploitation  of natural resources and loss of biodiversity  have explicit impact on livelihoods - through affecting soil moisture and water supply,  increasing risk of crop failure and animal mortality, food insecurity, loss  of income, increasing poverty. The communities have always benefited from ecosystems through the provision of ecosystem services. Many of the rural poor in the target areas are dependent on the forests and the other ecosystems through for instance the collection of wood for fuel and non-timber forest products. Overuse and degradation increase the vulnerability of rural communities already susceptible to frequent environmental and social disasters.

To ensure a continuous flow of these benefits to the communities specifically to local people who tend to have few assets and depend for an important part of their livelihood on the natural resources base,  UNDP Jordan has been endorsed by the Government of Jordan to provide support for the development of a project document under GEF-7 programme for the purpose to conserve land resources, sustain their functions and services and thereby, improve the basis of livelihood in Shobak and its surroundings. The proposed project is meant to be among a set of initiatives aiming to ensure resilient and sustainable responses to protect vulnerable ecosystems across Jordan and addresses environmental challenges by advocating for both the protection of forest and other key ecosystems and the protection of the livelihood interests of the community in the long term through sustainable and alternative livelihood activities and diversification.

Objective of the assignment:

The objective of the assignment is to develop a medium size GEF Project Preparation Grant (PPG) on: Conserving and Mitigation the adverse impact on threatened forest ecosystem services and achieving Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) in Shobak, South Jordan. The overall aim of the project is to offsett the impacts on the forest ecosystems services in Shobak area that are already caused by natural-physical and human induced factors resulting from different activities. The project is also meant to avoid further degradation in ecosystems health and functions and create an enabling environment in place to monitor and mitigate potential impacts from these activities.

The final outputs of the Medium Size Project (MSP) GEF PPG are:

1. UNDP-GEF Project Document (ProDoc), using the standard template.
2. Mandatory annexes to the ProDoc, including gender analysis and action plan, stakeholder engagement plan and project specific annexes (e.g. landscape profile, institutional and legal analysis, ..etc).
3. GEF CEO Endorsement Request and all co-financing letters.
4. Validation Workshop report (as appropriate for projects with a moderate and high SESP risk rating).

Any additional studies and other reports produced under the GEF PPG and not included in Annex to the project document should be submitted to UNDP and saved for future reference.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. All individuals including persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with strictest confidence and equally.

Technical and financial proposals along with CV & 3 references should be submitted, and without such will not be considered). 

(Only Short Listed Candidates will be contacted)

UNDP is an employer committed to gender equity and to providing equal opportunities to both males and females.