Iraq: Climate Change and Environment Advisory Services

Nov 28, 2022 | Cowater International
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With more than 35 years' experience, Cowater International is one of Canada's global leaders in management consulting services specializing in international development and has managed the implementation of over 800 projects in more than 80 countries around the globe. We work with governments, partner organizations, communities and civil society to design and implement sustainable solutions that generate lasting social, financial, and environmental impacts. Our adaptive approach to management has led to our award-winning work and recognition as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies in 2017 and 2018. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, Cowater International also has corporate offices in Montreal, Quebec, Paris, France, Pretoria, South Africa, and London, United Kingdom, Nairobi, Kenya in addition to project offices in a wide variety of other locations across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

Summary of Project

Launched in December 2021 and implemented by Cowater International, the Middle East Support Services Project (ME-FSSP) will primarily support the development and humanitarian objectives of Canada’s Middle East Strategy by providing administrative, financial, procurement, and logistical services in Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and the region.

The Middle East Field Support Services (ME-FSS) will also support the regional development programming for the Government of Canada through the provision of technical specialists in gender equality, governance and human rights, environment and climate action, and food security.

Background

Environmental Sustainability is acknowledged in Canada's Official Development Assistance Accountability Act (2008) as one fundamental value behind Canada's approach to development assistance. Canada is committed to supporting international environmental agreements such as those pertaining to the conventions on Climate Change, Biological Diversity, and Combating Desertification. Canada also supports environmental and climate change commitments adopted in the Sustainable Development Goals (2015) and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (2015).

GAC recognizes that in order to achieve sustainable development results, it is imperative to integrate environmental sustainability considerations into all its policies, programs, projects, and decisions. GAC’s Environment and Climate Action Area (2019) commits the Department to mainstream environmental and climate change considerations in all sectors of Canadian international assistance programming to ensure its environmental sustainability. It also supports GAC’s programming in the sector. The environmental integration process ensures not only that international assistance efforts do not harm the environment, but also that environmental degradation does not erode development gains and that opportunities linked to environment, climate change, and natural-resources management are identified and seized.

As part of its Environmental Integration Process, GAC carries out environmental analyses of all its initiatives and complies with both the Government of Canada's Cabinet Directive on the Environmental Assessment of Policy, Plan, and Program Proposals (1999) and the Impact Assessment Act (2019).

Iraq is classified as the fifth most vulnerable country in the world to climate change and is currently experiencing critically high water-stress. These issues are having devastating socio-economic impacts upon public health and sanitation, food security, agricultural production, and livelihoods, and are contributing to rural-urban migration and internal displacement. Climate change is further driving dramatic changes in precipitation patterns. Severe droughts increased and more intense floods, and more frequent sand storms and heatwaves compound the water scarcity in the region. In order to respond to these issues and support the Government of Iraq with efforts to mitigate the effects of and adapt to the impacts of climate change, Canada’s programming seeks to help strengthen resilience to climate change and environmental resource governance, particularly in relation to water management. It is also exploring opportunities to support and enhance the adoption of sustainable livelihood and resource management practices by communities and individuals. In order to advance these objectives, the Middle East Development Program, through the FSSP, is seeking expert environment support beyond what the department is currently able to provide by engaging a senior-level consultant to deliver environmental services in support of operational and planned initiatives. The Climate Change and Environment Advisor will assist GAC Iraq in implementing its environmental and climate change commitments through its development, humanitarian assistance, and, (ODA-related) security and stabilization programs.

Objective

The objective of this consultancy is to provide technical support to Global Affairs Canada (GAC) Iraq programs in the area of environment and climate change and ensure effective and resource-efficient programming. The ultimate goal is to contribute to better programming results in Iraq by limiting environmental risks and capitalizing on environmental opportunities, while also enabling Canada’s support to the Government of Iraq’s efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Description of Services and Scope of Work

Description of Services

The Advisor's services will focus on supporting GAC's programming efforts in Iraq related to the environmental and climate change issues based on quarterly work plans and any additional services requested by the GAC Representative.

The provision of technical advice and support includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Technical Support to GAC:
    • Review project documents and advise on the quality and integrity of information and on compliance with local and Canadian regulatory and policy frameworks.
    • Review GAC's programming documents for environmental integration and/or programming and provide written analysis and advice on best practices and approaches to achieving results, potential risks, issues, constraints, opportunities, lessons learned, and possible synergies with other programs and sectors.
    • Assist GAC's programming teams to monitor and follow up on the implementation of the Feminist International Assistance Policy's Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) recommendations.
    • Support GAC's programming teams in the review and development of project proposals in the different thematic areas of programming, including environment and climate action. This includes providing advice on environmental sustainability and climate change into all planning documents including logic model, performance management framework, risk registry, project management framework, budget and Project Implementation Plan, using results-based management and monitoring frameworks.
    • Assist GAC with project monitoring and follow-up on the implementation of environmental deliverables identified in project documents and related correspondence with the partners. Visit projects in the field, document progress, findings and results through progress reports, and make recommendations about any needed corrective or additional measures
    • Provide technical assistance to incoming missions from Canada. Provide written and oral briefings and accompany visiting GAC staff, Canadian Government officials and consultants on field trips and meetings. Prepare meetings notes and field visits reports and make recommendations about any needed corrective measures.
    • Provide guidance to GAC projects' implementing partners and Executing Agencies on GAC and host country' environment policy, legal and administrative requirements. Develop training material related to environment and deliver presentations and training.
  • Knowledge Management and Local Systems:
    • Maintain ongoing communications with the environment community of practice, which includes the HQ Assigned Specialist, GAC's programming teams and other local specialists as appropriate. Research, collect, analyze, update and exchange country and region-specific environmental and climate change information and perspectives with GAC field staff, HQ desk officers (including relevant Environment Specialists) and recipient country partners, including UN Organizations, CSOs, and think tanks, as relevant.
    • Assess the capacity of local organizations and institutions to implement environmental and climate change initiatives and achieve meaningful results, and identify potential partners with appropriate environmental programming capacity.
    • Collect and analyze information from environment and climate change programs and environment integrated programs implemented by the government, GAC, other donors and organizations, including identification of best practices, new approaches and lessons learned in order to achieve better results in environment programming. Review and analyze technical reports on the impacts of climate change on Iraq.
    • Provide advice to GAC's programming teams on environmental and climate change issues that need to be raised in policy dialogue and advocacy with government, other donors, civil society organizations and the private sector. Attend donor and technical group discussions on environment and climate change as a resource person, contributing to knowledge-building/sharing and policy dialogue. Review and provide written analysis on environmental and climate change issues and challenges in Iraq as well as on environment and climate change policies, strategies and planning documents, outlining linkages with GAC's policy framework and country program priorities.
    • Provide advice to GAC's programming teams on opportunities, needs and entry points for action on environment and climate change issues, including on possible cooperation with other donors.

Scope of Work

  • Reviewing and commenting on environmental analyses, environmental impact assessments, project progress reports, annual work plans, implementation plans and other documentation, as requested.
  • Provision of research, analytical work and reports on environmental and climate change issues relevant to GAC's development and humanitarian assistance programming in Iraq, as requested.
  • Provision of strategic recommendations on how to maximize environment and climate change results achieved through GAC's existing and planned programming in Iraq and possibly other ME countries.
  • Provision of technical advice on environmental and climate change issues in relation to planning and implementation of GAC program/projects, as requested. Participating in relevant missions and events, as required.
  • Attending various events upon request from GAC officers/staff, preparing reports, and occasional translation from Arabic to English as requested.
  • Contribute to the development and dissemination of materials and tools for use by GAC and its partners, as requested.
  • Supporting GAC's capacity development activities.

Roles and Responsibilities

The Advisor:

The Advisor is responsible to deliver the services described in section 4 according to timelines, expected results and deliverables established in an approved work plan, and any additional services as requested by the GAC Representative for this Contract. The Consultant will provide leadership, technical support and advice to GAC's programming teams in the area of Climate Change and Environment. The Consultant must work in close collaboration with field staff, GAC HQ Country Program teams and assigned HQ Specialists, and whenever necessary with other consultants (including experts on gender equality and governance).

The Technical Authority (TA) identified by GAC is responsible for:

  • The provision of service requisitions to the Advisor, including the approval of the Advisor’s assigned work and deliverables.
  • Reporting to GAC on the completion of services and deliverables against the approved tasking as set out in the online Tracking Table and Service Requisition forms. A detailed reporting schedule will be agreed upon and attached to the contract.
  • Delivering initial and periodic information sessions and ‘updates’ on GAC’s policies, programming approaches processes and, regulatory or other reporting requirements for Environment relevant programming.

ME-FSSP Team:

  • Managing the competitive process of identifying and hiring the Advisor, including signing the contract.
  • Communicating/disseminating key documents related to GAC policies, programming approaches and processes, regulatory or reporting requirements
  • Review and approve payments based on the invoices and timesheets submitted by the Advisor.

Reporting/Deliverables

The Consultant is expected to work in close cooperation with GAC in the Region and in HQ to produce the deliverables as follows:

  • The Advisor reports directly to ME-FSSP (Project Manager) who has full responsibility for the administration of the contract, including the approval of timesheets and invoices. Technical assignments, Service Requisitions and deliverables, evaluation of the quality of services and deliverables, etc. are approved by GAC’s TA. Deliverables include, but are not limited to:
    • Financial reporting which consists of a detailed monthly invoice, covering the Advisor’s fees for the services rendered during the previous month(s) indicating the date, the day and the number of hours worked for each day as well as any necessary and reasonable expenses incurred during the previous month(s), including all original receipts in support of the expenses claimed.
    • Research or analytical narrative reports, as requested by GAC.

Location, Timelines and Estimated Level of Efforts

This contract will be valid until December 31st, 2023, with a 6-month probationary period. The advisor should be located in Iraq. The Advisor must be ready to travel in Iraq to support GAC’s development and, to a lesser extent, humanitarian assistance programs’ planning and monitoring activities and to meet with partners. The ME-FSSP PM must approve all travel prior to the travel.

Payment and payment schedule will be based on a fixed-time rate contract.

The level of effort is estimated at up to 140 days depending on the needs and activities of the program.

Administrative Arrangements

  • The Advisor will report to the Cowater/ FSSP PM in Amman.
  • The contract will be signed between Cowater International/ME-FSSP and the selected candidate.
  • Work will be performed out of the Advisor’s own office and the Advisor will be responsible for providing all required overhead, including maintaining internet access and an email account.
  • The Advisor will be expected to use their own workspace, equipment and materials (office space is not provided).
  • The Advisor will be paid according to the agreed-upon daily rate based on the level of effort reflected in the monthly financial report and requisition forms. Activities and services rendered should be in line with the tasks agreed and approved by the TA.

Support Documents to be Provided by GAC

GAC will provide the Advisor with the following documents:

  • GAC’s policies and strategies relevant to country programs
  • GAC’s programming documents [e.g. Strategic Environmental Assessment, Environmental Integration Process, Climate Finance requirements, RBM tools, Performance Evaluation Framework]
  • Existing GAC tools and resources related to Environmental Justice.

Experience

Asset Criteria

To be considered for the role, it is important that the Advisor have:

  • Experience across the full project cycle, specifically experience mainstreaming Environment and Climate Change considerations in development projects as well as environmental programming in Iraq and the ME region.
  • Experience in providing climate change analysis and advice to donors which included a gender lens and/or a gender-based analysis.
  • Experience in assessing international development programs and project proposals in various sectors, including assessing the quality and relevance of gender equality analysis as it pertains to environment and climate change programs.
  • Additional experience:
    • Minimum 5 years of experience since 2005 in assessing international development program and project proposals in various sectors, including assessing the quality and relevance of environment analysis of projects and programs; and the inclusion of environmental results, environmental indicators, environmental baseline data. (Extra points will be awarded for experience assessing GAC projects);
    • Minimum 5years of experience since 2005 in providing project monitoring and evaluation services in environment and climate change in various programming sectors;
    • Minimum 5 years of experience since 2005 in providing advice to donors on environmental and climate change issues.
    • Minimum 5 years of experience since 2005 in conducting or writing environmental and climate change analyses or research.

Education

A minimum university degree in environmental studies or a related discipline such as Water Resources Management, Renewable Energy, Environmental Studies, Environment Assessment, Physical Geography, etc.

Language Requirements

Fluency (Advanced Professional Proficiency - level 4) in oral, reading and writing in English and Arabic languages. French is an asset. The description associated with the language requirement can be found at the following website: http://www.international.gc.ca/ifait-iaeci/test_levels-niveaux.aspx?lang=eng

How to apply

For your application to be considered, please send all requested documents to info@me-fssp.com, with “Iraq Climate Change and Environment Advisor” in the subject line latest by 29/November/2022.

Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible by sending the following documents:

  • A CV indicating all experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) with at least three (3) professional references.
  • A brief statement as to why you consider yourself the most suitable for the assignment.
  • A Financial Proposal specifying an all-inclusive daily rate in USD.

Due to the large number of applications, we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidate(s) about the outcome or status of the selection process. Qualified women and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Kindly note that received CVs might be added to the ME-FSSP database for experts for potential future assignments.