Organizational Setting

The Government of Mauritius has mandated FAO to lead the development of a project funded through the 8th funding cycle of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project will be entitled “Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions in land-use systems for productive and resilient ecosystems” and ambitions to support transforming land use systems throughout the country by putting NbS at the heart of sustainable development, delivering on Mauritius’s commitments under multiple MEAs, increasing sustainable food production  and enhancing the provision of ecosystem services that underpin it, while adapting to climate change and creating inclusive employment opportunities and wealth. The project will be structured around 4 main components, namely: (1) Enabling policy environment for the governance and management of healthy and productive ecosystems ; (2) Nature-based solutions (NbS) for sustainable, resilient and productive landscapes ; (3) Unlocking private sector capital for improved ecosystem services and livelihood opportunities and (4) Knowledge management and learning for scaling.

A Country Concept Note describing the main elements of the project was included in the technically cleared Program Framework Document (PFD) approved by the GEF Council in June 2023. FAO has now engaged into the Project Preparation Grant (PPG) phase that will lead to drafting the detailed project document and its annexes, all to be submitted to the GEF Secretariat by June 2024. Project preparation activities will include desk studies as well as multi-stakeholder consultations and workshops to ensure the participation of key stakeholders in the project design processes. These activities will contribute to project awareness and ensure active participation of technical sectors and political support to maximize synergies during the project development phase.

The main outputs that will contribute to the preparation of the detailed project document will be: relevant baseline data and information collected during the preparation period, workshop reports, analyses and recommendations delivered by the consultants, financing plan and risk analysis and mitigation measures and realistic targets and indicators. The final product will be the detailed design of the project components, including the results framework, budget allocations and co-financing mobilization, based on which the FAO-GEF project document and CEO approval request will be prepared.

Reporting Lines

Under the direct managerial and administrative leadership of the FAO Representative in Mauritius as the Budget Holder, the technical supervision of the Lead Technical Officer (LTO) and in close collaboration with the national team

Technical Focus

Ecosystem and Landscape

Tasks and responsibilities

Under the supervision of the FAO Representative, of the National Correspondent in Mauritius, the technical supervision of the international GEF design expert, and in close collaboration with other national and international experts, as well as FAO project task force, the incumbent will:

Gender:
•    Compile a gender analysis based on literature review and the field data collected to understand the underlying gender dynamics in the context of NR management to address socio-economic drivers and barriers to change and issues faced by rural women that hamper sustainable NRM, NbS and restoration of target landscapes/ecosystems;
•    Based on the gender analysis, develop a Gender Action Plan (GAP) with specific entry points for gender mainstreaming into project design and implementation to ensure that women, men, youth and all relevant social groups can equally benefit from project interventions;
•    Organize and lead gender-focus working groups and other gender and social specific stakeholder interventions for the preparation of the gender analysis and associated gender action plan;
•    Perform a gender screening in support of the identification of potential value chains and target beneficiaries.
•    Support the drafting (provide inputs and review other sections for gender and socio-environmental elements) of the Prodoc sections relevant including a gender-responsive results framework;
•    Ensure that gender considerations are mainstreamed throughout the PPG process by using gender lenses to review supporting baseline reports and project document;
•    Identify any negative implications/risks (i.e. creating/contribution to community issues that can have negative repercussions on women) and provide mitigation solutions.

Stakeholder engagement, Capacity, institutions:
•    In close collaboration with other team members, conduct stakeholder mapping and assessment of their capacity gap of the relevant (implementing and supporting) government agencies and community institutions for implementing the project in the target landscapes;
•    Prepare a detailed stakeholder analysis and participatory communication plan (which will include the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) steps 1, 2 & 3, as necessary). Stakeholder analysis will serve as the basis to further build on the PFD and define direct and indirect beneficiaries, project barriers, risks and assumptions, and implementation arrangements;
•    Review the existing institutional frameworks of relevance. Propose ways to strengthen them.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements    

•    University degree in Agriculture, Social and Economic Sciences, Environmental Management or related field
•    At least 5 (five) years of related working experience in implementation of projects in NRM and community based natural resource management areas is required; and 2 years of experience in gender and socio-environmental analysis and grassroots and government/ NGO stakeholder consultations
•    Working knowledge of English and limited knowledge of French.
•    Nationality of Mauritius

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    Extent of relevant working experience and technical experience;
•    Personal skills: Self-driven, team player, patient, self-confident, reliable and empathetic;
•    Demonstrated organisational, communication and organizational skills;
•    Quality of oral and written communication skills in English and French.
•    Previous experience working on GEF projects or other international donors’ projects highly preferable;
•    Demonstrated experience and good knowledge of the national NRM policy framework, climate change related agenda and mitigation/adaptation activities related to forest ecosystems.
•    Experience in facilitating consultative processes and negotiating with high-level decision makers and wide range of other stakeholders in the area of natural resources management.