Climate Change Consultant – Abyan

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Background:
Yemen is one of the most water scarce countries in the world & is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The country’s agricultural sector, which is critical for food security, is highly dependent on water resources that are increasingly becoming scarce.
Hunger, food insecurity & malnutrition are among the most pressing challenges in Yemen, exacerbated by protracted conflict in the country. A series of civil wars, the latest of which is now in its eight year, distorting & misaligned national & local agricultural policies, major pest outbreaks such as desert locusts & more frequent droughts & floods have steadily eroded the country’s agricultural assets.
Yemen’s agriculture sector supplies only 15 – 20% of its staple food needs despite the sector being the backbone of Yemeni livelihoods.
Agriculture still has much more to offer to help escape the vicious cycle of repeated crises & chronic poverty that can help move the country toward a path of long term resilience.
Water security is a critical issue in Yemen, with only 48% of the population currently having secure access to water.
Predicted climate change is expected to exacerbate water scarcity, particularly affecting the overall agriculture sector & in particular the rain dependent farmers & livestock raisers.
At the same time, Yemen’s energy sector is heavily reliant on fossil fuels, which are both costly & unsustainable in the long term.
Therefore, there is a need to adopt an integrated approach to managing energy, water & food resources that takes into account the interlinkages between these sectors & promotes sustainable development.
Both agriculture & water sectors in the Yemen delta regions are facing significant challenges due to the impacts of climate change.
Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns & increased frequency of extreme weather events have severely impacted agricultural productivity & the availability of water resources.
It is crucial to address these challenges & build climate resilience in these sectors to ensure food security & sustainable development in the region.
Delta Abyan & Shabwah governate are part of the important food production areas where practicing agriculture is very common among the inhabitants of the area.
The impact of climate change on Delta Abyan & Shabwah in Yemen is significant & multifaceted.
The delta region, like many other coastal areas around the world, is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including rising sea levels, changing precipitation patterns & increased frequency of extreme weather events.
Against this background, our client based on a direct request from the government, represented by the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) in Yemen (the GEF operational focal point) is in the process of developing a Project Identification Forms (PIF) for GEF / LDCF funding with initial proposed title “building climate resilience of livelihood systems in the agriculture & water sectors in Delta Abyan & Shabwah governorates in Yemen”.
It is in view of the above, a National Consultant (NC) is being sought to provide expert advice in the area of climate change adaptation & in the development of the PIF for submission to our client for consideration of GEF funding under the LDCF. The NC will work in close collaboration with & provide support to an International Consultant (IC) who is recruited to lead the development process of the project as briefly described in the project ideas / concepts.

Objective & scope of the work:
The purpose of this consultancy is to work with our client & the government of Yemen, under the leadership of the IC to scope and develop the PIFs that would be eligible for funding by GEF / LDCF. The PIF should be aligned with the expectations of Yemen, UNDP’s experience, GEF / LDCF guidelines & where possible with the concept note / project ideas already developed.
In particular, the PIF should incorporate the climate change adaptation measures into the food production systems & natural resources in Shabwah governorate in Yemen, that will promote synergies between addressing development priority in the area, reducing vulnerability to the impact of climate change while enhancing the adaptive capacity & resilience of communities.

Role objectives:
The NC will undertake a comprehensive review of available information as guided by the IC & as identified by the government of Yemen, our client & other stakeholders in terms of generating local & global environment benefits. The consultant will work closely with the environment, energy & climate change group of our client in Yemen, EPA, the relevant authorities in Shabwah & related government ministries & institutions & other deemed relevant stakeholders. The NC national consultant, with guidance from the IC will undertake the following responsibilities:
Collect background materials & review relevant background documents on current baseline situation (reports, policies, strategies, plans, acts, legislation, procedures, studies / assessments & on going & completed projects) in Yemen related to climate change adaptation, poverty reduction, water, agriculture & natural resources degradation in particular & share with IC.
Analyze & propose a list of potential sites / locations for interventions with high risk of disaster & that are recently affected by climate driven disasters such as rising sea levels, changing precipitation patterns, increased temperature & frequency of extreme weather events in Shabwah governorate.
Provide detailed information on proposed areas, population, weather, events & social & environmental issues relating to the specific proposed sites.
Develop selection criteria for screening the proposed list of potential sites in order to come up with the final list of sites / locations for interventions in close consultation with the key stakeholders including the environment, energy & climate change group of our client in Yemen & EPA.
Make suggestions of the intervention strategy that comprises but not limited to improvement of agricultural productivity, securing sustainable water resources & clean energy options that will contribute to reducing adverse impacts of climate change on the food production systems in the Shabwah governate, possible support to women, microfinance options, other natural resources deemed important in the area.
In consultation with the potential microfinance institutions, explore the possible modalities, capacities, experiences & opportunities to propose the applicable options for the concessional loans under the project.
Undertake necessary preliminary consultations with key informants, including government authorities on proposed & possible interventions to improve food production systems, community resilience & conservation of natural resources in the face of climate change.
Travel within the targeted governorate & visit important ecosystem / resource areas to provide an updated perspective of the situation.
Identify possible scenarios for interventions & the most cost effective approach within the GEF / LDCF strategic objective.
Identify challenges, opportunities, available resources, infrastructure, marketing opportunities, strengths & weakness of the government system in the area & availability of private sector & security issues.
Remain available for quick reviews & possible adjustments during the GEF approval period.
Stay connected with the IC & provide written summaries of the above findings & provide additional necessary information needed for the preparation of the PIFs, under the guidance of the IC.

Project reporting:
Our client Yemen Country Office (CO) will lead the project development process in full consultation with our client & the Government.
The NC will work closely with the IC & report to him / her with copy to the CO team for our client in Yemen.

Key competencies:
Master’s degree or equivalent in environment & natural resources management, social or political sciences or any relevant discipline with a minimum 5 years of demonstrable experience in, preparing high quality consultancy reports on technical fields of climate change (adaptation & mitigation), natural resources conservation & management & community resilience.
Demonstrable experience in research, project planning/design.
Prior experience of the UN – GEF system preferred.
Demonstrated experience in technical issues related to adaptation to climate change.
Strong interpersonal skills & the ability to initiate discussions about climate change adaptation & reliance issues specifically in the water, energy & agricultural sectors.
Prior experience & demonstrable knowledge of the social & environmental context in Yemen & specifically in Shabwah is important.
Fluency in written & spoken English & excellent communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to plan, organize logically, effectively implement & meet set deadlines.
Good interpersonal & communication skills.
Conceptual & strategic analytical capacity coupled with good writing skills.
Ability to coordinate & work in teams, as well as in complex environments.
Proven experience in participatory processes and in facilitating dialogue between government, development partners, private sector & civil society.
Understanding of GEF functioning & procedures.
Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values & ethical standards.
Promotes the vision, mission & strategic goals of our client.
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality & age sensitivity & adaptability.
Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
Ability to work with a multicultural & diverse team.

Team management:
This role has no team management responsibility.

Further information:
The total duration of this consultancy will be 22 working days, spread over the period of 2 months.
Proposed dates are February – March 2024.
The consultancy will be home based with extensive travel within Abyan Governorate.
Travel cost will be included in the consultant fees.
Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply for this role.
For detailed TOR with actual deliverables please refer to this advert on CTG careers portal.