Consultant: Climate and Conflict Review

Aug 21, 2018 | Mercy Corps
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Mercy Corps is a humanitarian and development organization working to alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping people build secure, productive, and just communities. In 2017, we reached nearly 22 million people, with an annual revenue of $460 million. Operating in some of the world’s most complex and fragile environments, including 17 of the 20 countries ranked lowest in the 2018 Global Peace Index, Mercy Corps currently delivers programs in 40 countries. We currently implement 36 programs in 15 countries, valued at over $156 million, that aim to prevent conflict and promote peace, including a range of programs designed to improve sustainable natural resource practices, enhance cooperative natural resource management, and address natural resource conflict.

Purpose / Project Description:

The purpose of this consultancy is to support Mercy Corps in realizing its niche in the climate change and conflict space. The consultant will review Mercy Corps programs to date that address climate-related drivers of conflict and draft a brief capacity statement, PowerPoint presentation, and 2 case studies. The consultant will also interview up to ten key informants within Mercy Corps about opportunities and challenges to address climate-related drivers of conflict; conduct a rapid literature review and draft a brief taxonomy of programs addressing climate/conflict linkages; and draft a brief summary of challenges and recommendations integrating learning from Mercy Corps current and recent climate/conflict programs, the rapid literature review, and the Mercy Corps key informant interviews.  

Consultant Activities

The Consultant will:

  • Establish workplan in collaboration with supervisor.
  • Conduct a brief external literature review of the climate/conflict and environmental peacebuilding space (with a focus on how practitioners are addressing this nexus on the ground) and develop a succinct taxonomy (2-3 pages) of key approaches/outcomes. LOE 2 days
  • Review current and recently closed (within the last three years) Mercy Corps programs that address the climate/conflict nexus. LOE 1 day
  • Draft 2 short (e.g., 2 pages) case studies of Mercy Corps programs that best illustrate the agency’s climate and conflict programming, summarizing the programs’ approaches, underlying logic, outputs, and impacts. LOE 2 days
  • Conduct interviews of up to ten key informants within Mercy Corps about opportunities and challenges to address climate-related drivers of conflict. LOE 2 days
  • Draft a brief summary of challenges and recommendations integrating learning from Mercy Corps current and recent climate/conflict programs, the rapid literature review, and the Mercy Corps key informant interviews. LOE 2 days
  • Draft a capacity statement (2-3 pages) that summarizes Mercy Corps’ approach to climate and conflict and provides illustrative program examples, as well as a PowerPoint presentation for easy sharing. LOE 3 days

Consultant Deliverables

  • 2 short (e.g., 2 pages) impact briefs of Mercy Corps programs that best illustrate the agency’s climate and conflict programming, summarizing the programs’ approaches, underlying logic, outputs, and impacts
  • Capacity statement (2-3 pages) that summarizes Mercy Corps’ climate and conflict approach and provides illustrative program examples.
  • PowerPoint presentation that summarizes capacity statement materials.
  • Brief summary of challenges and recommendations integrating learning from Mercy Corps current and recent climate/conflict programs, the rapid literature review, and the Mercy Corps key informant interviews.

Note: Changes to assignments or deliverables will be agreed to and reviewed by the Consultant and supervisor.

Consultant qualifications:

Successful candidates will have at least 10 years of experience designing, managing, evaluating, or supporting programs relevant to environmental peacebuilding, natural resource conflict, climate and conflict, or related; strong writing skills; and ability to synthesize information, coordinate with diverse stakeholders at Mercy Corps, and work independently.