Pacific Island States’ maritime areas are vastly greater than their land areas, and the ocean is critical to Pacific peoples’ societies, cultures, food security, and economic prosperity. On the subject of Maritime Security, on 5 September 2018, the Pacific Islands Forum adopted the Boe Declaration on Regional Security. The new declaration recognizes an expanded concept of security, including human, cyber and environmental security, and frames regional responses to emerging security issues. The importance of maritime security goes well beyond just the maritime domain. Maritime security might also involve the protection of the marine environment, the blue economy, and the human security of coastal communities. It interlinks with other areas –economy (including the ‘blue’ economy), energy and transports (supply chains), tourism, access to and conservation of marine natural resources, the critical infrastructures (including offshore and underwater infrastructures). Although it is essential, maritime security is nevertheless affected by a growing number of challenges arising from traditional (overfishing and illicit fishing) and new or non-traditional threats (organized crime, various forms of illicit activities taking place at sea like smuggling, dumping waste), all of which require multiple forms of cooperation to provide enduring responses. In recent years, the Pacific region has witnessed increased random criminal activities. Thus, demand and pressure for Maritime Law Enforcement Agencies (MLE) to strengthen their capabilities and capacities for monitoring and policing for safety, security, and environmental protection are increased. The regulatory environment for these activities has become more complex over the years, necessitating a higher level of training for the officers of MLE agencies. At the same time, the capacities of criminals to avoid the detection the illegal activities have increased, thus requiring better capacities of MLE to use various data for analysis and sophisticated equipment for detection and successful operations. The covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation as the recovery process has seen increased activities at sea as the borders open, but this has brought increased challenges of illegal and criminal activities. Moreover, recent geo-political security challenges have put more emphasis on sovereignty and national capacities of states to maintain peace and stability and to ensure safety and security, including in maritime. The isolated nature of the Pacific islands, their sparse population and geographic positioning between the Americas and Asia make the region attractive to organized crime. Much of the transnational crime reported in the region has a maritime dimension. The tasks of MLE in the Pacific islands’ ocean domains have never been more difficult. There are operational gaps in maritime patrolling on many islands. Aerial surveillance of remote areas, offshore zones, and adjacent areas of high seas is only conducted on a limited basis. Based on the above, there is a recognized need to engage a Research and Project Development Consultant for Maritime Security in the Pacific under the Pacific Integrated Border Management Project to research deeper on this field and develop the project related to maritime security in the Pacific. Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload maximum one document: - Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided in Annex II.
- Personal CV, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.
- Technical proposal, including a) a brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment; and b) a methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment.
- Financial proposal, as per template provided in Annex II. Note: National consultants must quote prices in United States Dollars (USD).
Note: Successful individuals will be required to provide proof of medical insurance coverage before commencement of contract for the duration of the assignment. kindly follow the link to apply : https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_jobs.cfm |
