| Overview : To apply, interested persons should upload the combined* Technical Proposal/Methodology (if applicable), CV and Offeror’s Letter to “UNDP Jobs” by navigating to the link below and clicking “APPLY NOW”, no later than the date indicated on the “UNDP Jobs” website. Applications submitted via email will not be accepted**: - UNDP Job Site – https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=95934 (cut and paste into browser address bar if the link does not work) * PLEASE NOTE: The system allows the upload of one (1) document ONLY – if you are required to submit a Technical Proposal/Methodology, this document along with your CV/P11 and Offeror’s Letter, MUST be combined and uploaded as one. NOTE: The Financial Proposal should not be uploaded to “UNDP Jobs” **. <IMPORTANT> **Please email the password-protected Financial Proposal to procurement.bb@undp.org. The subject line of your email must contain the following: “BBRSO##### Financial Proposal – Your Name” If the password for your Financial Proposal is required, it will be requested by the Procurement Unit. Any request for clarification must be sent in writing to procurement.bb@undp.org within three (3) days of the publication of this notice, ensuring that the reference number above is included in the subject line. The UNDP Barbados & the Eastern Caribbean Procurement Unit will post the responses*** two (2) days later, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to: - http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=73939 (cut and paste into browser address bar if the link does not work) A detailed Procurement Notice, TOR, and all annexes can be found by clicking the above link. *** UNDP shall endeavour to provide such responses to clarifications in an expeditious manner, but any delay in such response shall not cause an obligation on the part of UNDP to extend the submission date of the Proposals, unless UNDP deems that such an extension is justified and necessary Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries continue to be highly vulnerable to shocks caused by natural disasters that are now exacerbated by Climate Change. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that between 1990 and 2014, the Caribbean lost between 1.8 - 2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually as a result. Losses have exceeded 100% of GDP in many instances, as demonstrated in the cases of Hurricanes Ivan (Grenada, 2004), Matthew (Haiti, 2016); Irma (BVI, 2017), (Barbuda, 2017); Maria (Dominica, 2017). Since the hurricanes of 2017, the ongoing recovery efforts have revealed some major challenges in the Region with the most critical being the imperative of building climate resilience through economic diversification and the use of innovative approaches that are apt for the region. In this regard, several Governments in the Region have initiated discussions on optimizing the potential of the “Blue” or Ocean economy. The ocean covers more than 72% of the earth’s surface and is responsible for 80% of global trade, 32% of hydrocarbons extracted for energy needs and for both domestic and international tourism for almost 200 countries and overseas territories. The contribution of the ocean economy to global value added has recently been estimated, conservatively suggesting its contribution is in the order of US$1.5 trillion annually, or roughly 3% of global value added. Since Rio+20, the Blue Economy has been gaining momentum as coastal and island nations are looking at the ocean as the next frontier for economic development. An ocean-based approach to growth not only offers the marine and coastal resources, but a way to boost growth and tackle some of the key challenges related to the high unemployment, food security, poverty and resilience to climate change. The emerging concept of the Blue Economy presents a promising development opportunity for Caribbean SIDS and the wider Caribbean. This approach is centered on the promotion of economic growth and diversification, social inclusion and securing coastal livelihoods while ensuring environmental sustainability of ocean and coastal areas. An integrated Blue Economy approach can create a new vision in a way that both supports economic development and maintains healthy and productive oceans and is directly relevant to the achievement of many of the targets set out in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). An effective blue economy, supported by the protection and sustainable utilization of marine ecosystem services, should map across several of the SDGs including: • Goal 2: Zero hunger through the critical role living marine resources play in food security; • Goal 7: Affordable and clean energy through the contribution marine renewable sources play in energy security; • Goal 8: Decent work and economic growth through the diversification and growth of marine-based economic sectors; and • Goal 13: Climate Action through the implicit link between the oceans and climate change, and the adaptive measures countries can take to maintain ocean integrity and resilience. • Goal 14: Life Below Water through identifying risks to the marine environment, especially to marine living resources, and proposing strategies that mitigate those risks; and • Goal 16: Strong Institutions through establishing robust national marine regulators and incorporating participatory processes in decision-making about marine management issues. Following national endorsement of the initial project concept, the SDG Joint Fund has approved the Joint Programme (JP) entitled “Harnessing Blue Economy Finance for SIDS Recovery and Sustainable Development” (short description Blue Economy Finance project) led by UNDP and co-implemented in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as well as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Using the Blue Economy as an integral driver for resilient economic recovery and growth in the Eastern Caribbean, the Joint Programme’s (JP) emphasis will be on the development of an enabling and supporting environment for financing the Blue Economy in Barbados, Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, through different measures (1) the identification of policy and regulation gaps; (2) a methodology to identify key Blue Economy opportunities: and (3) the definition of specific financing mechanisms for Blue Economy initiatives to achieve resilient growth. Through a multi-country approach, the Blue Finance project is expected to enable the governments of Barbados, Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to accelerate resilient economic recovery and progress towards the implementation of the SDGs in support of national commitments within the Blue Economy. Specifically, the Blue Economy calls for the sustainable management of ocean resources to drive economic growth while promoting resilience, ensuring livelihoods while promoting gender equality and conserving ocean health. Therefore, a development strategy grounded in the Blue Economy principles will enable these beneficiary countries to promote the growth of existing productive sectors, expand into emerging blue industries, improve food security, and potentially reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels. The project aims to contribute to the acceleration of several SDGs and respective targets by building on specific interlinkages between them. The project will also promote the development of a regional Blue Economy approach to measurement of SDG 14. The Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF) will promote the development of key sectors within the Blue Economy context. The specific targets that will be addressed are listed in the following table. Most critical needs/gaps the project will focus on which should be considered for this assignment include: Ocean governance. The existing ocean governance framework in the beneficiary Caribbean countries emphasizes a traditional sector-specific approach to management and planning and thus shows symptoms of the problem facing many countries seeking to implement a Blue Economy approach. As a generalization, governmental attempts to mitigate or adapt to particular resource uses on a sector by-sector basis normally prove ineffective and are unable to respond to the cumulative and synergistic impacts and pressures from human activities. Regulation and enforcement. Although legal frameworks exist in the three beneficiary countries for many marine activities, there are often several regulatory gaps compared to the range of activities undertaken, as well as duplication between pieces of legislation addressing the same issue. These operate in silos with different ministries in charge of different sectors not always operating in a coordinated manner. Of critical importance to future economic development is the fact that such frameworks often do not anticipate or provide an enabling environment for future uses of the marine environment. A further pressing concern is that the current regulations are not enforced robustly in many countries. Education and capacity building. The lack of education and training in the beneficiary countries leads to chronic gaps in the technical capacity for marine research, planning and decision making. Also, the ability to retain talent in these countries is very low as most “capable” persons often elect to leave their home countries. Marine research and information. Knowledge of the marine environment is a critical need for effective decision making. The marine environment, both globally and within the beneficiary countries, is far from completely understood. There is a paucity of data relating to the offshore waters in the Caribbean Sea. Furthermore, indigenous marine research is not well developed in most Caribbean countries inclusive of the three beneficiary countries due to a lack of funding and research institutions. Lack of data and research capacity hampers the potential development of new sectors and is a major impediment to effective planning of marine space. - < > With regards to gender, there is also a general lack of data surrounding for example the social landscape of marine communities, including sex disaggregated data that shows the gender differentiated relationship and dependence on marine ecosystems and resources and gender differentiated involvement in marine commodities value chains.
In the context of this joint programme, UNDP is seeking the services of an individual consultant to undertake rapid assessments of national Blue Economy objectives and priorities in the context of national SDG strategies which will contribute to the definition of a completed diagnostic of the key policy, regulatory, institutional and capacity constraints related to the development and financing of Blue Economy projects in the context of national SDG strategies. | 
