International Consultant to Conduct Mid-Term Review of Sustainable Forest Management and Bioenergy Production (SFM)

The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UNDP. The GEF’s aim is sustainable management of forests to achieve global environmental benefits as well as local livelihood benefit. Under climate change it refers to forest and carbon protection through accelerating wood energy efficiency in improved cook stoves and combating forest degradation. The project will deliver simultaneous global benefits, in terms of improved conservation, reduced land degradation, reduced loss of carbon stocks and reduced GHG emissions, as well as improved local livelihoods. The National Forest Program 2010-29 (NFP), Sub-program 4, is the national framework for project implementation. Its Sub-Program 4 addresses community forestry (CF) in four decentralized modalities (Community Forestry, Community-based Production Forestry, Partnership Forestry and Community Conservation Forestry) with the aim to cover 2 million ha by end of program in 2029. Only the first modality of CF has a regulatory framework, but the project will help to develop the framework for the rest.

The objectives of the SFM project are to strengthen sustainable forest management (SFM) through decentralized forest management integrating SFM in Community Forestry (CFs) and Community Protected Areas (CPA) and promoting a landscape based approach. The results will increase communities’ income from decentralized forest management and feed into policy, planning, and ongoing implementation and investment frameworks and also create the basis for sustainable wood-energy efficiency technologies, which reduce CO2 emissions. Field implementation takes place in Battambang, Pursat, Kampong Chhnang and Kampong Speu.

The project has 3 main components:

• Component 1 for capacity building and policy development
• Component 2 for CF and CPA and selected CLUP integrating CF and CPA
• Component 3 for wood energy efficiency promoted by improved stoves and kilns.

The project is executed by the Forest Administration (FA)/Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (MAFF), which is the Implementing Partner for UNDP/GEF. The FA has contracted with 2 service providers (Regional Community Forestry Training Centre (RECOFTC) and Group for Environment, Renewable, Energy and Solidarity (GERES) to implement technical assistance to the project. The project also works with Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC), Ministry of Industries, Mines and Energies (MIME), Ministry of Environment (MOE)/General Department Administration Nature Conservation and Protection (GDANCP). The collaborative arrangement has been set up at the technical level through the designation of focal persons in the said ministries and departments. At senior executive level, the inter-ministerial project supervision is carried out by the project board. 

The main purpose of the MTR is to assess whether the project in on course in line with its project strategic target setting and UNDP Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) 2011-2015, and make recommendation to enhance and improve the project performance as well as suggestion for future improvement (i.e. in the areas related to the appropriate project design, process of implementation, effectiveness, efficiency, partnership and sustainability):

•  Promoting accountability and transparency, assessing and disclosing levels of project achievements whether the project outputs remain relevant, effective and efficient
• Assessing the relevance of project document design, scope, strategy and the Results Resource Framework (RRF) and make recommendation for redesigning the ProDoc. taking into account changes in the operating environment in the areas of sustainable management of forests to achieve global environmental benefits as well as local livelihood benefit.
• Using the results findings and lessons learnt to improve the project document and framework to reflect on the current project context and situation with strong connection to the Country Proramme Action Plan (CPAP) and related current strategic country focused areas. 
• Providing feedback on the issues that are recurrent across the portfolio and need attention for future better project intervention.

The assessment will be based on the GEF Evaluation Guidelines and UNDP Evaluation Policy, and will include an assessment of 1) Project results 2) Assessment of Sustainability of Project Outcomes 3) Catalytic Role 4) Monitoring and Evaluation Systems 5) Processes that Affected Attainment of Project Results. The report will also present the evaluation team’s Lessons and Recommendations. Ratings for different aspects of project will need to be presented by the evaluation team with appropriate data, analysis and explanations as outlined below. All these sections MUST be presented in the final report. The report must also contain an annex with co-finance details and appropriate tracking tools.

In line with the above mentioned, the scope of the assignment will cover:

• Review the progress and assess the quality of the outputs produced by SFM as of 2013
• Analyse the extent to which the delivery of the project outputs has thus far contributed to the achievement of the project outcome and sustainable forest management as stated in the project document
• Review and assess whether the project is progressing well toward enhancing the synergy between its different components which includes the support to policy level, support to specific sector and support to grassroots level
• Review and assess whether the project used proper strategic approaches that will enhance national ownership, hence contributes to capacity building of the national counterparts as implementing as the implementing partners
• From financial perspective, review and analyze whether the project allocated the resources properly forward delivering project development results
• Assess whether the current project design including its results and outputs formulation, the project scope, and the project management arrangement allow the project to move toward the right direction to bring the expected results as stated in the project strategic framework
• Produce the SFM MTR report by reflecting as well the lessons learnt, the recommended ways forward, the proposed relevant actions plan to put in place the recommendations
• Present the MTR findings in order to get validation from different layers of SFM project including the project management team and the senior representative of the project
• Based on the decision by the project management, update the SFM project document including mainly the results resource framework of the project, the M&E plan and the project management arrangement
• Present the update prodoc. in order to get endorsement from different layers of SFM project including the project management team and the senior preventatives of the project
• Produce a precise accompany note with justification to track the changes. 

Functional Competencies:

• Demonstrate ability to assess complex situations, succinctly distills critical issues, and draw forward-looking conclusions and recommendations;
• Ability and experience to lead multi-disciplinary and national teams, and deliver quality reports within the given time;
• Highly knowledgeable of participatory monitoring and evaluation processes, and experience in evaluation of technical  assistance projects with major donor agencies;
• Familiarity with the challenges developing countries face in adapting to climate change;
• Familiarity with Cambodia or similar countries;
• Excellent interpersonal, coordination and planning skills, and ability to work in a team.
• Ability and willingness to travel to provincial areas
• Computer literate (MS Office package).

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards; 
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP; 
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability 
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism; 
• Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in in fields related to Agriculture, Water Resource Management, and Climate Change Adaptation/Disaster Management.

Experience:

• Strong technical background in biodiversity conservation, protected areas management, or related areas of natural resource management in Cambodia. A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience is required. 
• Substantive experience in reviewing and evaluating similar projects, preferably those involving UNDP/GEF or other United Nations development agencies or major donors;

Language Requirements:

• Excellent in English writing and communication skills 

FC : 04000