International Trainer/Coach in Negotiation Skills and Conflict Resolution

Dec 12, 2022 | Nile Basin Initiative
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The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) is a partnership of riparian states of the Nile River Basin that was formed to promote sustainable management and development of the region through improved management of the Nile River water resources. There are ten riparian member states, typically divided into two groups: Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan and Ethiopia in the Eastern Nile (with observer state Eritrea), and Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Nile Equatorial Lakes region.

The NBI seeks to develop the basin in a cooperative manner, share substantial social and economic benefits of the Nile River water resources, and promote regional peace and security. NBI countries are guided by a Shared Vision with the Objective: To achieve sustainable social-economic development through equitable utilization of, and benefit, from, the common Nile Basin water resources. The goal of this objective is to improve and support a healthy and prosperous region based on mutual respect and fairness.

The Basin. The Nile River Basin hosts a diverse ecosystem, from the lush green hills, productive valleys and broad parks of the equatorial lands to the arid desert lands of the Sahara region. As one would expect, the vast environmental differences throughout the Basin also host differences in ethnicity, culture, language, geopolitical influence, and national interests. Such diversity, connected as it is by an essential resource, the Nile River, gives rise to valuable synergies in economic development, trade and interaction, as well as significant differences in political structures, national interests, policy and planning processes, and resulting actions.

Areas of Uncertainty. Despite many common interests, the differences among riparian states can affect the way their societies perceive events or situations, raising the possibility that debates or conflicts may stall or prevent planned development activity. Moreover, the impact of climate change has placed uncertainty about the near-term future as a challenging agenda item in dealing with many more conventional issues facing each riparian member state.

Uncertain rainfall fluctuations in the Basin are of great concern for those who work in areas of agricultural production, food security, energy generation and urban water resource use. Geopolitical tensions, both intra-Basin and external, often create events that significantly impact the level of cooperation over common water resources. The fact that civil societies now have instant communication via social media technology presents additional uncertainty in the way populations respond to pressures over natural resources.

Role of Negotiation Skills. The NBI organization’s objective of cooperation flows naturally from the Nile River water the member states share and from the agreed commitment to the “equitable” use and benefit of those waters. Equity and fairness requires good working relationships among member countries and their governmental leaders. Skillful negotiation by all actors sustains these working relationships and is essential for achieving the level of cooperation necessary to support equity among member states.

Achieving competent negotiation skills also helps build confidence among Basin officials that they can manage difficult situations. Skillful negotiation and conflict management abilities are the foundation for how to deal systematically and successfully with uncertainty and the concerns and fears that flow from it. Providing the opportunity for training in state-of-the-art negotiation skills is the objective of this ToR.

Objectives

The overarching objective is to develop essential skills of relevant officials of NBI Member states in negotiation and conflict management.

Specific objectives of this assignment are to:

• Prepare for and conduct a three-day negotiation skills and conflict management workshop, with a maximum of 36 participants selected from the ten NBI-member riparian countries and management of NBI,
• Facilitate interaction between participants representing the Eastern Nile and the Nile Equatorial Lakes groups to achieve a common negotiation approach and commitment to cooperative activities throughout the Nile River Basin, and
• Develop and implement a mentoring program that assists each participant in applying relevant and useful negotiation skills to actual problems or projects being handled in their normal workload.

The negotiation skills offered during the workshop and mentoring program will be state-of-the-art analytical and tactical tools specifically relevant for Nile River Basin water resource issues and useful in supporting the responsibilities of workshop participants.

Scope of Work

The consultant shall:

1. Design and coordinate prior to the workshop the circulation and return of an e-questionnaire for workshop participants, and organize and record the “challenges” the participants report that they face in their work
2. Develop a final draft of a syllabus/agenda for the three-day workshop and submit it to the NBI program officer at least two weeks (10 working days) in advance of the scheduled workshop
3. Meet with the NBI program officer on the day before the workshop begins to review preparation steps, agenda, supplemental materials, logistics and other issues
4. Conduct a three-day workshop on negotiation skills and conflict management relevant to the participants’ handling of the Basin’s challenges in transboundary water resource management
5. Coordinate with participants from each riparian state and the NBI secretariat to initiate a mentoring/coaching program for the following three (3) months to help sustain the learnings of the workshop and respond to questions/concerns in applying the negotiation skill set
6. Provide the NBI program officer with a final report evaluating workshop activities and products, and offer recommendations for next steps to sustain the productive application of the learned negotiation skills.

Deliverables and Schedule

The consultant shall submit to the NBI Program Officer a draft workshop agenda and supporting materials at least ten (10) working days before the three-day workshop is scheduled. The consultant will meet with the NBI Program Officer on the day before the workshop begins to finalize the workshop agenda, supporting materials and logistics. The consultant will conduct the training workshop for participants from each of the ten riparian states, plus key personnel from the NBI Secretariat. The number of participants will not exceed thirty-six (36 ) officials.

The consultant will organize and conduct remote mentoring sessions for participants over the following three months, conducting at least one personal mentoring session each month with a participant(s) from each riparian state. The consultant will submit a final report evaluating the workshop experience within two weeks after the workshop ends and submit another report evaluating the mentoring program one week following the last mentoring activity.

Qualifications and Experience

The consultant should have:

• An advanced degree in law, humanities, development studies or any other relevant field
• At least ten (10) years of experience in conducting negotiation skills workshops, with a substantial part of this experience in situations that relate to issues arising within a transboundary water resource context, including issues related to water, energy, agriculture and/or environment
• An understanding of transboundary water law and river basin cooperation in general, and specific knowledge of Nile River Basin water resource issues, including the Nile River Basin geopolitical context
• A capacity to use international internet communication tools, such as Zoom, Skype, WhatsApp or other software app
• Strong spoken and written English language skills; a working level understanding of French language is an advantage.

Level of Effort

This assignment is expected to take a total of 15.0 days, spread over 2 months consisting of:

• Preparing and coordinating a questionnaire and organizing results, plus an organizing and logistics day immediately prior to the workshop (2),
• Finalizing syllabus/agenda, preparing exercises, producing supplemental materials (2),
• Conducting the 3-day workshop, plus the following day to follow up issues raised during the workshop and coordinate additional needs for the mentoring program (4),
• Designing and conducting a remote mentoring program for workshop participants for the three months following the workshop, assuming one Zoom or Skype call per country per month (6), and
• Preparing final reports on the workshop and mentoring program (1).

Reporting

The consultant shall report to the Program Officer, Mr. Tom Waako, with oversight by Dr Michael Kizza, Deputy Executive Director/Head of Basin-wide Program