Individual Consultant – Policy Specialist for People’s Survival Fund (PSF)

To address this challenge, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) through the support of the Government of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) in the Philippines, is implementing the Strengthening Institutions and Empowering Localities Against Disasters and Climate Change (SHIELD) Programme. Together with its consortium partners, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP), National Resilience Council (NRC), and Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS), SHIELD aims to transform its 11 target provinces, Metro Manila, and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) into safer and resilient communities by achieving three interdependent outcomes:

Outcome 1: Government, private sector, and civil society stakeholders in targeted local government units (LGUs) are collaborating to unlock funding and implement informed and inclusive resilience actions.

Outcome 2: Relevant national government agencies (NGAs) are prioritizing action on local climate and disaster resilience.

Outcome 3: Philippine scientific agencies are producing tailored and accessible information for local resilience action.

The Philippines’ unique position in a disaster-prone region and its high vulnerability to climate change present a significant challenge. Annually, the country faces numerous typhoons, seismic activities, volcanic eruptions, and extensive flooding, which not only claim lives but devastate infrastructure, disrupt economic activities, and result in substantial financial losses. The exacerbating effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels, increased temperatures, and changing precipitation patterns, further amplify these challenges, affecting agricultural productivity and water resources and increasing the frequency, intensity, and unpredictability of weather- related disasters.

 The People’s Survival Fund (PSF) is a cornerstone of the Philippine government’s climate adaptation finance strategy, established under Republic Act No. 10174 to support LGUs and accredited local/community organizations in implementing climate change adaptation projects. With a commitment of at least PHP 1 billion from the national budget, the PSF has already approved 13 climate adaptation initiatives and 6 project development grants (PDGs) as of May 2024, committing 100% of the PSF budget.

Since 2017, the Department of Finance (DOF), with its Secretary as the Chair of the PSF Board and in DOF’s role as the Secretariat, has intensified climate action initiatives and streamlined Board approval processes, project development support, fund utilization and project proposal processes, among others.

Despite these efforts, the PSF has faced operational and institutional hurdles limiting its success in supporting local climate adaptation initiatives. Click here to enter text.The DOF is actively working to improve and continue reforms to streamline the PSF process, including studies to improve obligation, utilization, and disbursement rates, introduce efficiency measures for faster fund distribution, and reduce requirements for PSF proponents.

Scope of Work

UNDP seeks to engage the services of an Individual Consultant (IC) to serve as PSF Policy Specialist. The Specialist will work closely with the Climate Finance Policy Group (CFPG) of the DOF to provide technical assistance in streamlining the PSF process, supporting capacity building of LGUs towards understanding and access, and strengthening the operationalization of the PSF by developing/enhancing mechanisms and policies that will enable it to receive grants and donations from sources other than the national government.

The tasks of the PSF Policy Specialist include:

1. Streamlining PSF Policies and Procedures

● Conduct a comprehensive assessment of the PSF, around three key areas: application and evaluation processes, communication and coordination mechanisms, optimization of fund disbursement and monitoring systems, with the aim of identifying gaps and inefficiencies in its implementation and developing the necessary instruments that will operationalize these reforms/improvements;

● On improving application and evaluation:

o Review and refine the current application guidelines and requirements to ensure clarity and accessibility for all potential applicants

o Develop/enhance standardized evaluation criteria and processes to ensure consistency and fairness in the assessment of proposals

o Design/enhance a feedback mechanism to continuously improve the application process based on the experiences and inputs of applicants.

● On enhancing communication and coordination mechanisms:

o Establish/enhance communication protocols between the PSF Secretariat, applicants, and other stakeholders to ensure timely and effective information sharing

o Develop/enhance a framework to track applications, approvals, and project progress, ensuring transparency and accountability

o Facilitate regular coordination meetings with relevant government agencies, NGOs, and other stakeholders to align efforts and share best practices

o Enhance and popularize the existing PSF website to serve as a user-friendly online portal for improved information dissemination, application submission, and status tracking

● On optimizing fund disbursement and monitoring systems:

o Review and streamline the fund disbursement process, including the current procedures and documents (e.g., work and financial plan, liquidation reports) required by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), to ensure timely and efficient allocation of resources to approved projects

o Develop/enhance existing mechanisms to strengthen LGU compliance with document submission deadlines to delays in disbursement

o Develop/enhance monitoring and evaluation frameworks to assess the impact and effectiveness of funded projects

o Implement a robust reporting system to capture project progress, financial expenditures, and outcomes, and effectively communicate LGU progress to relevant nationa