Project Title: Project Preparation Grant: Protecting priority coastal and marine ecosystems to conserve globally significant Endangered, Threatened, and Protected marine wildlife in southern Mindanao, Philippines

Project Description   

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) in its the 7th replenishment (GEF-7),  with a view to maintain or improve ecosystem services, land productivity, food security, and to increase the resilience of the land and the populations dependent on it, provides supports to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)’s Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) concept.  Similarly, the GEF-7 Biodiversity Focal Area programming responds directly to the GEF7 Four-year Framework of Program Priorities agreed by countries at CBD COP-13, as well as the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, 2011-2020. Specifically, the proposed Biodiversity Focal Area is built around achieving the Four-year Programs three objectives: (i) Mainstream Biodiversity Across sectors as Well as Within Production Landscapes and Seascapes, (ii) Reduce Direct Drivers of Biodiversity Loss, and (iii) Strengthen Biodiversity Policy and Institutional Frameworks. Moreover, the GEF to continue and further enhance means to harness opportunities for leveraging synergies among the Rio Conventions and other relevant multilateral environmental agreements.

In line with the GEF-7 strategic synergistic programming for Land Degradation and Biodiversity, the project “Protecting priority coastal and marine ecosystems to conserve globally significant Endangered, Threatened, and Protected marine wildlife in southern Mindanao” aims to strengthen management effectiveness and address underrepresentation of Marine Conservation Areas designed to conserve Endangered, Threatened, and Protected (ETP) marine wildlife and sustain ecosystem services for human well-being.

The project will contribute to the conservation of globally significant biodiversity by conserving priority habitats and ecosystems to secure viable populations of globally significant ETP MW through the use of MCAs as mechanisms to implement conservation activities. The project will create GEBs by supporting the protection of habitats for, and reducing direct pressures on, a number of ETP MW species, including the dugong, three species of marine turtles, Cetaceans, whale sharks, and manta rays. In addition, important coastal and marine ecosystems and their services will be conserved. Coral reef diversity is high in all of the project sites (e.g. at least 25 genera of hard and soft corals are found in Pujada Bay ); these reefs are critical habitat for numerous marine species, and a significant percentage of people living in the project sites rely on the health of reef ecosystems to sustain their livelihoods and improve their well-being. 18 species of seagrass have been identified in the Philippines (9 in Pujada Bay ); seagrass ecosystems are important nurseries for various marine species, critical food sources for dugongs, marine turtles, and other marine herbivores, and provide carbon sequestration and coastal protection services; their conservation is critical in the face of coastal development and unregulated upland practices that can negatively impact their functioning (i.e. through silt and sediment flows). The health of seagrass beds is directly tied to mega-herbivores like dugongs and marine turtles, which can influence biomass, increase productivity, and microbial nutrient cycling, lead to higher leaf growth and ultimately provide the mechanisms for meadow recovery. The project will help to conserve mangrove ecosystems (including approximately 85 ha of mangroves in Pujada Bay ) that serve as habitat for juvenile marine species, including fish and crustaceans, and as food and income sources for local communities. Mangrove forests are also carbon sinks and have been found to sequester more carbon compared to any other ecosystem; disturbing them will result in high greenhouse gas emissions.  The project will also conserve beaches and coastal forests that act as barriers against winds and waves and help to prevent coastal erosion, including in areas that contain nesting sites of marine turtles such as Dahican Beach in Mayo Bay. At the same time, the project will help communities that depend on these ecosystems for ocean-based tourism, fisheries, and other natural resource-based livelihoods to sustain their ways of life and become more resilient to the damaging impacts of climate change.

The project will also support the goals and targets of a number of International Environmental Agreements, including species conservation objectives of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS); the CBD Aichi Targets 5, 6, 10, 11, 12 and 14; and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 14.2, 14.4, 14.7, 15.5 and 15.7. The project also will assist the Philippines in achieving its commitments in Regional Action Plans and Agreements that support GEBs, including the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries, and Food Security (CTI-CFF) Regional Plan of Action (RPOA), and the Comprehensive Action Plans of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Eco-region, in particular the Action Plan for Marine Turtles, Marine Mammals, Sharks, and Climate Change.

Table 1. brief description of the Project’s objectives, grant amounts, components, project location, and the PPG team composition can be viewed at https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=92620

NDP, in collaboration with the Governments of the Philippines, seeks to engage a qualified national Environmental and Social Safeguards Specialist to finalize the SESP and to prepare an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for the project.

The PPG will support all the preparatory work required to draft and finalize all the documentation required by the GEF for CEO Endorsement. The PPG phase will be underpinned by a participatory approach, with regular consultation and working meetings with all key PPG stakeholders throughout the PPG phase. Specific attention will be given to gender issues by undertaking a gender analysis to ensure optimal involvement of women in, and beneficiation from project interventions.

UNDP’s Social and Environmental Standards (SES) underpin our commitment to mainstream social and environmental sustainability in our Programmes and Projects to support sustainable development. The objectives of the standards are to:

• Strengthen the social and environmental outcomes of Programmes and Projects
• Avoid adverse impacts on people and the environment
• Minimize, mitigate, and manage adverse impacts where avoidance is not possible
• Strengthen UNDP and partner capacities for managing social and environmental risks
• Ensure full and effective stakeholder engagement, including through a mechanism to respond to complaints from project-affected people

A key mechanism to ensure these standards are applied is through UNDP’s project-level Social and Environmental Screening Procedure (SESP) which is a requirement for all proposed projects. The objectives of the SESP are to (a) Integrate the SES Overarching Principles (human rights, gender equality, and environmental sustainability); (b) Identify potential social and environmental risks and their significance; (c) Determine the Project's risk category (Low, Moderate, High); and (d) Determine the level of social and environmental assessment and management required to address potential risks and impacts.

UNDP’s SES and SESP came into effect on January 1, 2015. All guidance on UNDP's Social and Environmental Safeguards can be found in the SES Toolkit.

Institutional Arrangement

The National Stakeholder Engagement and Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) Specialist will work under the guidance of the National Lead and will report to the CAP Programme Analyst. The Consultant will be given access to relevant information necessary for the execution of the tasks under this assignment. S/he is expected to be reasonably flexible with his/her availability during the PPG tasks.

Payments will be made upon submission of a certification of payment form, and acceptance and confirmation by UNDP Country Office (CO) and RTA, and outputs delivered. If the quality does not meet standards or requirements, the consultant will be asked to rewrite or revise (as necessary) the document before proceeding to payment.

Duration of Work

The expected duration of work is estimated to be 30 working days spread over 12 months.

Duty Station

• The Consultant will be Philippines-based with mission(s) to the project sites;
• For meetings related to the project, UNDP will cover all costs of three (3) trips to and from Metro Manila, if the Consultant’s duty station is outside Metro Manila;
• The Consultant will travel to the Project sites, the COVID19 travel restrictions permitting. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and declaration of State of Public Health Emergency in the Philippines, all work and travel of the Individual consultant shall be done within the guidelines and protocols set by the local and national government. Field work, trainings, meetings, and coordination shall be done in compliance with community quarantine policies;
• Any necessary mission travel must be approved in advance by the CO focal point;
• The BSAFE course must be completed before the commencement of travel;
• Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when traveling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director;
• Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under https://dss.un.org/dssweb/; 
• The UNDP CO will be responsible for  making his/her site travel arrangements and will shoulder related expenses in line with UNDP travel policies;
• In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging, and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, before travel and will be reimbursed based on the provision of supporting documentation.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

• The Consultant should send the financial proposal based on a lump-sum amount for the delivery of the outputs identified below. The total amount quoted shall be “all-inclusive” (professional fees, medical insurance, communications, transportation, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor should be factored into the final amount submitted in the proposal. Travel, as deemed relevant by UNDP and compliant with government guidelines on community quarantine, will be arranged and paid for by UNDP and should not be included in the financial proposal. Breakdown of the financial proposed should be reflected on page 4 of the template provided
• Medical/health insurance must be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense, and upon award of contract, the Contractor must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during the contract duration
• The contract price will be a fixed output-based price. Any deviations from the output and timeline will be agreed upon between the Contractor and the UNDP.

• Payments will be done upon satisfactory completion of the delivery by target due dates. Outputs will be certified by the environmental focal point in UNDP Philippines prior to the release of payments.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the National Coastal and Marine Resources Management Specialist and the Programme Analyst of Climate Action Programme (CAP), the National Stakeholder Engagement and Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) Specialist shall:

Role

The National Stakeholder Engagement and Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) Specialist will lead an appropriately-scaled assessment/ analysis of stakeholder participation dimensions that should cover all onsite and offsite stakeholders who have an interest in and/or are impacted on by activities to be implemented in project sites. This will comprise stakeholders from all levels, including Indigenous Peoples (IPs). This stakeholder analysis will provide the basis for the development of the project’s Stakeholder Engagement Plan, facilitate prioritization of engagement activities with particular stakeholder groups and individuals, and ensure relevant culturally sensitive indicators are integrated into the results framework. 

In addition, s/he will develop mandatory project Annexes related to the application of social and environmental safeguards and support adherence of project development to UNDP’s Social and Environmental Screening Procedure (SESP) and specific requirements, as appropriate. The consultant will support the identification of sustainable livelihood activities resulting from conservation initiatives in the target sites. S/he will also assist the Coastal and Marine Resources Management Specialist (CMRM) Specialist with generating support and commitment for co-financing from relevant stakeholders for the project. The Consultant will propose mid-term and end-of-project sustainable financing targets and indicators for monitoring to be developed by the project.

Responsibilities

The list below outlines the key responsibilities and deliverables of this contract. The PPG Initiation Plan for these projects provides further and more detailed guidance regarding the responsibilities of the prospective PPG team and must be consulted accordingly.

Preparatory Technical Studies and Reviews (Component A): Prepare inputs and support the required analyses/studies, as agreed with the GEF PPG Team Leader, including:

Stakeholder Engagement

1. Conduct a stakeholder mapping of project relevant organizations at the national, regional, local/site levels, and review the engagement of potential partners in the project, their roles, and which formal agreements may be required e.g. between DENR-BMB and DA-BFAR, building on on-going convergence efforts of organizational mandates between the two agencies;
2. Identify private sector companies and other organisations with an interest in sustained conservation activities who can contribute to long-term financing and clarify their potential contributions to the project as well as the conservation of ETP MW;
3. Facilitate stakeholder consultations of the project, at the national, regional, local/site levels and ensure that these are adequately and comprehensively documented;
4. Assess the presence of Indigenous Peoples/ethnic minorities within project landscapes and their interests, if present, assess potential impacts of the project on rights and interests, lands, territories, resources, and traditional livelihoods and determine when FPIC applies in accordance with national contexts and preferences;
5. Carry out consultations with communities at demonstration landscape to assess the level of understanding and capacity to give consent and identify community preferences for FPIC process, based on these assessments, and if relevant, integrate relevant matters as needed including FPIC into project design and the comprehensive Stakeholder Engagement Plan;
6. Develop a Stakeholder Engagement Plan which will include an Indigenous Peoples Plan, as appropriate, and Livelihood Action Plan (with inputs from the Gender and CEPA specialist) for the project to inform interventions to project outcomes and work closely with the GEF PPG Team Leader to ensure its findings are meaningfully integrated into the project’s strategy, the theory of change and results in framework;
7. Conduct preliminary socio-economic and livelihood assessments, assess the current status and challenges of eco-tourism and its potential in the project sites, identify the underlying causes of risks to livelihoods of marginalized sectors in society and make recommendations for addressing these risks and initial recommendations for potential livelihood interventions in the Livelihood Action Plan that will be developed for the ProDoc; 
8. Work with the CMRM Specialist in the identification and description of baselines of co-financing partners, in ensuring commitment from project partners (e.g., from local governments, private sectors and civil society organizations), and in obtaining co-financing letters; and
9. Provide support to the Gender and CEPA Specialist in the assessment/analysis of stakeholders’ awareness, perceptions, beliefs, practices, and systems in relation to marine biodiversity conservation

• Environmental and Social Safeguards

1. Review the pre-SESP of the PIF, agree to project-specific safeguards approach, work plan and mission schedule (as needed) with the UNDP Country Office, UNDP-GEF Regional Technical Advisor (RTA) and the PPG Team Leader, and familiarise other PPG team members with UNDP’s SESP and specific requirements, as appropriate;
2. Based on stakeholder consultations, with support from the Gender and CEPA Specialist and in coordination with the PPG leader; assess all Moderate and High risks identified in the SESP pre-screening (mission required); update the SESP and develop an ESMF for the project; and, assist and/or advise the PPG Team in applying FPIC where required;
3. Support the detailed assessment of all project risks including consultations with local stakeholders;
4. Support the completion of any additional studies that are determined to be needed for the preparation of the ProDoc and all other final outputs as guided by the PPG Team Leader; and
5. Propose mid-term and end-of-project targets and indicators in mitigating and safeguard environmental and social risks to be developed by the project

Formulation of the ProDoc, CEO Endorsement Request, and Mandatory Annexes as well as project-specific annexes (Component B):

1. Formulate a Stakeholder Engagement Plan and budget, which is Socially Inclusive and Gender Responsive, and contributes to the formulation of the ESMF with an Indigenous Peoples Plan and inputs to the Livelihoods Action Plan as appropriate;
2. Verify and finalise the Social and Environmental Screening (SESP), based on assessments undertaken during Component A and detailed development of project interventions, and identify management measures to mitigate risks to be incorporated into the ProDoc;
3. Review and verify proposed Outputs and Indicators based on the information gathered during the PPG-Phase and, where appropriate, propose new ones for each Outcome, and establish baselines and targets to be monitored and tracked during implementation, for inclusion in the Results Framework, as appropriate;
4. Participate in consultations, workshops, meetings, etc. and provide inputs to management arrangements;
5. Work with the Gender and CEPA Specialist in the review and verification of Core Indicators, especially Core Indicator 11 (i.e., number of direct male and female beneficiaries), provide inputs to establish baselines and allow for a more realistic calculation of extent and reach of stakeholder engagement from project activities
6. Work with the GEF PPG Team Leader to ensure relevant findings and stakeholder needs are meaningfully integrated into the project strategy, the theory of change and results framework and its implementation are monitored as appropriate

Validation Workshop (Component C):

1. Fully support the PPG Team Leader with the validation workshop; and
2. Support all necessary revisions that arise during the workshop, as appropriate.

Final Deliverables:

1. Stakeholder Consultation Report
2. Stakeholder Engagement Plan
3. Final and complete Social and Environmental Screening (SESP) (Component A), including management measures to mitigate risks and recommendations for design of project interventions, to be incorporated into the ProDoc;
4. Final and complete ESMF  (i.e. with IPP and Livelihood Action Plan, as appropriate);
5. Mid-term and end-of-project targets and indicators for environmental and social safeguards;
6. Direct inputs to the Project Risk Log; and
7. Appropriate inputs to the final UNDP-GEF project document based on guidance from the PPG Team Leader

Competencies can be viewed at https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=92620

Required Skills and Experience