Technical Expert for GCF/AF Project Formulation

WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles

Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THE ASSIGNMENT:

Regional and local climates are rapidly changing, impacting developing countries and people in high-risk communities the most. As highlighted by the IPCC in recent assessments, poverty, vulnerability and exposure to climate-related risks are expected to significantly increase as global warming increases. Semi-arid regions, small island developing states and vulnerable developing countries being most at risk. Extreme meteorological and climate events, such as heavy rainfall (leading to flooding, mudflows and landslides), or high temperatures (leading to heatwaves, droughts and warming oceans), are either already increasing in intensity, duration and frequency, or are likely to do so in the future. These impacts will affect global development across all sectors including health, food and water security, disaster management and economic development. Over 60% of the global population is dependent on agricultural livelihoods, which are particularly vulnerable in developing countries.

Weather, water, and climate (hereafter hydromet) information and services can play a critical role in aiding adaptation decision-making at regional, national and community levels by providing key information to help anticipate, prepare for and respond effectively to many climatic and environmental changes. These services comprise the production, analysis, translation, distribution and use of hydromet information in decision-making to cope with current climatic variability including limiting or preventing the impact of climate-related disasters and building resilience to future climatic changes. To be effective, these services rely on both climate and non-climate information needed to contextualise decisions (i.e. socio-economic, food security and other vulnerability data), feedback mechanisms to evaluate their effectiveness and aid in their future development as well as appropriate stakeholder capacities to translate these services into effective actions.

Accurate, relevant, reliable, and timely hydromet information services and robust early warning systems are crucial for reducing losses and damages resulting from climate-related and extreme weather events and increasing the resilience of vulnerable populations. The World Bank estimates that globally improved weather, climate, and water observation and forecasting could lead up to USD 2 billion/year in reduced asset losses an estimate seconded by the Global Commission on Adaptation that found that early warning systems can save lives and assets worth at least 10 times their cost, with investment in USD 800 million on early warning systems in developing countries resulting in avoided losses of USD 3-16 billion per year .

Anticipatory Action (AA) approaches have gained significant momentum in recent years. Anticipatory Action leverages scientific improvements in climate and weather forecasting to prevent predictable climate hazards (e.g. storms, floods, and droughts) from turning into humanitarian disasters. By acting based on forecasted risks as opposed to manifested needs, AA has high potential to provide a more efficient, effective and sustainable way of managing shocks that upholds the dignity of affected populations while addressing some of the ‘residual risks’ that have not been reduced through longer-term investments in resilience. The benefits and effectiveness of anticipatory action (AA) have been showcased by a growing number of evidence. In Kenya, for instance, the estimated long-term impacts of drought-related AAs could result in a saving potential of US$20 billion over a 20-year period (i.e. US$1 billion per year). The same study also estimated that AAs based on ‘false alarms’ could be taken two to six times before the total costs would reach those of a single late response.

Within this context, the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) have all committed to working with partners to jointly make one billion people safer from disasters, greatly expand early action financing, improve early warning systems and the capacity to act on the risks they identify through the Risk-Informed Early Action Partnership (REAP), launched at the UNGA in 2019. The three agencies have now partnered to develop a programme towards operationalizing the commitments made under REAP by strengthening early warning systems and anticipatory action in southern Africa to be submitted to the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for funding.

On behalf of the partners consortium, WFP is seeking the services of an International Consultant to support the development of such a programme.

In addition, in November 2022, the Guinea Bissau Country Office requested support from WFP Headquarters to support in the development of a Concept Note (CN) for the Adaptation Fund (AF). The concept note will contribute towards Outcome 3 of the Guinea Bissau Country Strategic Plan (CSP) and build on climate risk analyses carried out by WFP and partners last year. It is expected that a project concept note for a USD 10 million project will be submitted by WFP and the Guinea Bissau Government to the Adaptation Fund in August 2023.

Finally, the interest in gathering data and perspectives to analyze how to enhance efficiency and effectiveness on how the unit approaches the concept note and funding proposal development cycle was identified. In this regard, the unit seeks the services from an international consultant to gather, analyze and provide recommendations for systemizing tools and processes and eventually training consultants hired to develop concept notes and funding proposals for the Adaptation Fund.

ACCOUNTABILITIES/RESPONSIBILITIES:

The objective of the consultancy is threefold: 1) Provide support and expertise for the finalization of a regional GCF Concept Note and provide strategic support and coaching in the development of a regional and country GCF Funding Proposal in Southern Africa in a collaborative and inclusive way with consortium partners; 2) Finalize the development of an Adaptation Fund Concept note in Guinea-Bissau and kickstart the proposal development stage; and 3) Provide strategic support to the HQ PRO-C unit in collecting and analyzing data and developing a methodology for enhancing the systemization of concept note and proposal development methodology for the Adaptation Fund.

For the GCF proposal, the consultant will be responsible for responding and integrating GCF feedback on the regional Concept Note and providing strategic support and coaching for the new WFP lead consultant in developing a regional and a country funding proposal that will contextualize the regional approach to one of the countries in the region. The incumbent will be expected to provide support to the new WFP lead consultant and provide guidance on linking the Theory of Change from country level proposal based on the regional one, and contextualized project structure based on the regional approach. Additionally, the consultant will take on the role of leading a collaborative process with consortium consultants, Country Offices and WFP lead consultant to develop a data collection methodology at the country level ensuring coherence between country and regional level proposal to reach a common objective. The consultant will work under overall technical guidance of the WFP’s Climate Finance Team Lead and the rest of the technical task team including technical representatives from UNDP, UNU and IFRC. He/she will fully collaborate and coordinate with the UNDP technical expert leading the regional Funding Proposal development and the WFP lead consultant for the regional Funding Proposal and country specific GCF Funding Proposal.

In addition, the consultant will finalize an Adaptation Fund concept note for Guinea Bissau which started in January 2023. Upon approval of the concept note by the Adaptation Fund Board, the consultant will initiate the next phase of the process in developing a full Funding Proposal. During this process, the consultant will also support the HQ PRO-C unit in the systemization of data collection tools and process for concept note and proposal development for the Adaptation Fund with the objective of enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in future project development cycles and providing recommendations for developing capacities and quality assurance of consultants going through this process. The consultant will work under the supervision of Guinea Bissau WFP Country Office, with the support of WFP Regional Bureau for Western Africa (RBD), and the oversight of the WFP Climate Finance Team in HQ.

A separate assignment-specific TOR will be prepared in coordination with the relevant Regional Bureau and Country Office for each of the proposals assigned to the consultant. A list of the key tasks for each component of the consultancy are listed below:

1. GCF: Concept note finalization and strategic support with regional and country level proposal

1. Support the consortium lead consultant in providing response to the GCF Secretariats’ comments and amend the concept note and annexes accordingly, in coordination with CO/RB/HQ staff for the final Concept Note and Pre-feasibility study.
2. Provide coaching strategic input to consortium team and WFP lead consultant for country level proposal on data collection tools (surveys, questionnaires, participatory tools etc.), approach, strategies for facilitation/validation workshops with key stakeholders and linking strategically to regional level proposal concept.
3. Provide training and coaching to enhance capacities on AA initiatives including support to CO and WFP lead consultant.
4. Revise and provide input into draft country and regional proposal prepared by lead consultant.
5. Ensure the concept note/funding proposal and its annexes are of high quality and comply with the GCF policies and guidelines.

1. AF: Concept note finalization and initiate proposal development stage

1. Draft the AF concept note for Guinea Bissau in a format and template previously agreed with WFP and acceptable to the Adaptation fund, which includes: i. context analysis, including climate analysis, climate change related problem and impacts, key factors of vulnerability and barriers to adaptation, national policies and priorities, existing initiatives; ii. design the project theory of change and structure, defining project components, outcomes and outputs in coordination with the Country Office and relevant stakeholders; iii. justification for the proposed project, including an analysis of factors such as sustainability, alignment with national priorities, cost-effectiveness, coordination with other relevant initiatives, additionality as required. A summary of the content will then be included in the concept note.
2. Submit concept note to Adaptation Fund and provide responses to the Adaptation Fund Secretariats’ comments and amend the concept note and annexes accordingly, in coordination with CO/RB/HQ staff for the final Concept Note.
3. Ensure the concept note/funding proposal and its annexes are of high quality and comply with the AF policies and guidelines.
4. Lead the design of the project funding proposal, drafting all of the sections using the results from the pre-feasibility assessment, the consultations, and coordinating inputs from technical experts, gender and ESS experts, and CO.
5. In collaboration with main stakeholders, and with support from CO/RB/HQ staff, clarify project implementation and management structure and mechanisms.
6. Lead the drafting of the proposal annexes with inputs from CO/RB/HQ staff.
7. Prepare materials (e.g. questionnaires) and participate in stakeholder consultations at national/sub-national/local level to gather the information needed to the design of the project and the drafting of the proposal.
8. Prepare materials (e.g. questionnaires) and participate in community consultations to assess communities’ vulnerabilities, capacities and needs in terms of climate change adaptation, discuss activities’ ideas, collect information on gender roles and specific vulnerabilities/needs, collect information on environmental and social risks – in collaboration with gender and Environmental and Social Safeguards (ESS) experts, confirm/finalize project activities, and receive feedback, concerns, and/or approval from communities on the proposed activities.
9. Prepare and facilitate multi-stakeholder workshops to facilitate project design and validation in a participatory and inclusive manner
10. Coordination with in-house and external specialists, including drafting or fine-tuning TORs for external specialists.

1. AF project development cycle systemization

1. Conduct a diagnosis based on various perspectives from multiple stakeholders: consultations with consultants, HQ, RB and selected COs to understand the bottle necks and opportunities to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in the proposal development cycle.
2. Conduct a Learning Needs Assessment considering the needs of consultants developing AF concept notes and funding proposals and quality assurance needs from the PRO-C unit.
3. Analyze and evaluate data to propose a new methodology for knowledge management, capacity development of consultants and design of concept notes and proposal funding.
4. Present results to HQ PRO-C unit with suggested next steps and recommended methodology and tools for systemization and quality assurance.
5. Coordination with in-house and external specialists, including drafting or fine-tuning TORs for external specialists.

DELIVERABLES AT THE END OF THE CONTRACT:

For the GCF regional programme (SADC region):

• • • Support in responding to GCF comments on submitted regional concept note;
    • Coaching and training consortium consultants, WFP consultant and CO teams on design and development of data collection tools for regional and country level proposal phase on AA component;
    • Coaching of WFP consultant and CO team on linking country proposal to TOC for regional level proposal and providing timely feedback;
    • Provide comments on First Draft of the country-specific theory of change and project structure, aligned with the regional approach.

For the AF concept note (Guinea Bissau):

• • • Project concept note and related annexes as requested by AF, namely:
      • Stakeholder consultations summaries;
      • Community consultations summaries;
      • Gender preliminary assessment;
      • Environmental & Social risks screening checklist.

For the HQ leading in diagnosing/assessing, and designing a methodology on training and AF systemization:

• Diagnosis of current concept note and proposal development cycle for Adaptation Fund
• Learning Needs Assessment for training new consultants
• Presentation of results and recommendations for methodology on systemizing concept note and proposal development cycle.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

Deadline for application: 19th May 2023

VA number 826929

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