Technical Assistance - GCCA Climate Support Facility

ANNEX II: Termsofreference

for

Technical Assistance - GCCA Climate Support Facility

under the 10th EDF Intra-ACP Financial Framework

CONTENTS

1.OVERVIEW

1.1.Project context

1.2.Project orientation

1.3.Beneficiary countries

1.4.Contracting Authority

1.5.Current state of affairs in the climate change sector

2.PURPOSE AND EXPECTED RESULTS

2.1.Purpose of the Climate Support Facility

2.2.Results to be achieved by the Consultant

3.Assumptions and risks

3.1.Underlying assumptions

3.2.Risks

4.SCOPE OF WORK

4.1.General work flow

4.2.General responsibilities of the Consultant

4.3.Specific responsibilities of the Consultant

4.4.Project management

5.LOGISTICS AND SCHEDULE

5.1.Location

5.2.Commencement date & period of performance

6.REQUIREMENTS

6.1.Personnel

6.1.1.Key experts

6.1.2.Other experts

6.1.3.Allocation of working days

6.1.4.Support staff & backstopping

6.2.Office accommodation

6.3.Facilities to be provided by the Consultant

6.4.Incidental expenditure

6.5.Expenditure verification

7.BUDGET

8.REPORTING

9.ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

1.OVERVIEW

1.1.Project context

This project is programmed under the umbrella of the EUR 40 million Financing Agreement within the EDF Intra-ACP financial framework of support to the EU Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA). The objective of the Intra-ACP programme is to support the sustainable development of the ACP regions and countries, ensuring their progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

1.2.Project orientation

The specific focus of these Terms of Reference is a EUR 4 million (indicative budget) technical assistance component of the above-referenced Financing Agreement, hereafter referred to as the “Climate Support Facility” or the “CSF.” It will provide short-term technical assistance to regional institutions and countries in a range of areas related to climate change. Typical TA will include the organisation of workshops and seminars, developing climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and priorities, elaborating climate change mitigation and adaptation projects to be funded from other sources, capacity building, awareness raising, improving dialogue and exchange of knowledge, enhancing the ability of countries to fully engage in international climate change negotiations, etc.

Climate change is of major concern to countries of the ACP Group, as expressed in a number of political declarations. The European Consensus of 2005ensured that adaptation to the negative effects of climate change would be central to the Community's support of LDCs and SIDS (Part 2, Art. 76). In September 2007, the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) was set in motion by the adoption of the Communication on Building a Global Climate Change Alliance between the European Union and poor developing countries most vulnerable to climate change. The joint Africa/EU Strategy and first Action Plan (2008-2010) endorsed by the Lisbon Africa/EU Summit in December 2007 emphasised enhanced action on adaptation, in particular with LDCs, SIDS and other countries most affected by drought, desertification and flooding. More recent were the May 2008 Caribbean/EU joint declaration, the November 2008 joint Pacific/EU declaration, and the December 2008 joint Africa/EU declaration on climate change. The joint ACP/EU declaration on climate change was agreed at the May 2009 Joint ACP-EU Council. Assisting the ACP countries in addressing climate change is not only part of the larger goal of striving for environmental sustainability, but is also important to alleviate poverty through adaptation so that the effects of climate change do not undermine progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.

Priority areas in ACP countries where the need for technical assistance to deal with the effects of climate change may be significant include, inter alia, the water and agricultural sectors, the forest sector (REDD+ and CDM A/R), the global carbon market, disaster risk reduction, and integrating climate change into poverty reduction efforts.

1.3.Beneficiarycountries

Beneficiariesofthe“ClimateSupportFacility” areall ACP countries and ACP Regions.[1]ProjectionsoftheeffectsofclimatechangeshowthattheLeastDevelopedCountries(LDCs)andSmallIslandDevelopingStates(SIDS)willbehitearliestandhardest.Moreover,thesecountrieshavethefewestresourcestopreparefororrespondtoclimate change impacts,andtoadapttheirwayoflife.Withoutappropriatemeasures,climatechangeisthereforelikelytofurtherdelaytheachievementoftheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals(MDGs)intheseandmanyotherdevelopingcountries.

1.4.ContractingAuthority

TheClimateSupportFacility(indicative budget EUR 4M)istobemanagedbytheACP Secretariat on behalf of the ACPGroupofStates(“Contracting Authority”).

TheimplementationoftheClimateSupportFacilitywillbecarriedoutbyaconsulting firmor consortium (the “Consultant”) towhichaservicecontractwillbeawardedinaccordancewithEDFcontractproceduresandstandarddocuments.

1.5.Currentstateofaffairsintheclimate changesector

The European Commission funds many projects with relevance to climate change in areas such as forestry, biodiversity preservation, sustainable natural resources management, energy, agriculture and rural development, the fight against desertification, water management, pollution control, institutional support, etc.

Inordertodealwiththeeffectsofclimatechange,manyoftheLeastDevelopedCountries(LDCs)haveproducedNationalAdaptationProgrammesofAction(NAPAs)withthesupportoftheUnitedNationsFrameworkConventionforClimateChange(UNFCCC)LeastDevelopedCountriesFund.NAPAsidentifythemosturgentandimmediateadaptationneedsofLDCs,andNAPAshavealreadybeenfinalisedinmanyLDCs.However,fundingforurgentactivitiesidentifiedinNAPAshassofarbeenlimited.Increasedeffortsarenecessarytosecure investmentsinlinewiththeNAPAsandtointegrate the NAPA priorities withbroadernationalandregionaldevelopmentstrategies.

In addition to the€40millionGCCA programme underthe10thEDFIntra-ACPfinancialagreement,a further €63 million (including contributions from EU member states such as Ireland, Sweden, Cyprus and the CzechRepublic) have been specifically dedicated under theEnvironmentandNaturalResourcesThematicProgramme(ENRTP)toGCCAactivities.

2.PURPOSEANDEXPECTEDRESULTS

2.1.Purposeof the Climate Support Facility

TheClimateSupportFacility(CSF) is designed to provide technical assistance to ACP regional institutions and countries in a range of areas related to climate change. Its general purpose isthree-fold:

(1)tosupportACP regionalinstitutionsand countries tobettercarry outtheirmandatesintheareaofclimatechange. Examples of such support may include:

enhancing the capacity of ACP regional institutions and countries to provide adequate responses to climate change;
improving the dialogue and exchange of knowledge within ACP regions and between the ACP and the EU with regard topreparing for and dealing with the effects of climate change;
enhancing the ability of ACP regions and countries to contribute to the international debate on climate change;

(2)tosupportthepreparation and/or implementationof regional and national climate change strategies, fixing priorities,etc.;

(3)to help define and support the implementation of specific measures designed to mitigate or adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Experience so far demonstrates that key areas where technical assistance will likely be required include integrated water management, integrated land management and disaster risk reduction.

2.2.ResultstobeachievedbytheConsultant

TheConsultant,throughtheprovisionofshort-term technicalandadministrativeexpertise – and while maintaining acloseworking relationshipwiththeACPSecretariat– will contribute to the attainment ofa range of results, including but not limited to the following:

(1)To provide a Climate Support Facility(CSF) that is widely recognised as being responsive and effective in dealing with regional and national requests for relevant assistance, ensuring complementarity with the on-going GCCA Support Facility.

(2)To enhance the level of clarity and communication with regard tothe GCCA (as a global initiative) and climate change issues of ACP regional and national authorities – with each other, with the EU and with other international organisations – for example, by organising and delivering specific workshops and seminars, developing background materials for such events, etc.

(3)To improve the definition and detail of regional climate change strategies, with implementation measures better prioritised and actual implementation further advanced.

(4)To further regional and country mitigation and adaptation responses to climate change by helping to define and detail actions and projects that may be financed by donors.

(5)To ensure a satisfactory coordination of TA provided through the CSF with other ACP regional activities in the area of climate change, includingthe GCCA Support Facility funded through the ENRTP and managed by the European Commission.

3.Assumptions and risks

3.1.Underlying assumptions

The assumptions that will determine the success of the Climate Support Facility and the delivery of its expected results are mostly associated with the timely (i.e., before the start-up of the CSF) appointment of a dynamic and well qualified Expert to provide climate related technical assistance to the ACP Secretariat, the awareness of stakeholders of the existence of the Climate Support Facility, and the ability of the ACP Secretariat to develop a climate change Work Programme and processrequests for assistance in a timely manner and with sufficient clarity to permit the requests to be rapidly reviewed and the Consultant to provide focused technical assistance through the Climate Support Facility.

3.2.Risks

As mentioned above, aClimate Change Expert will assist the ACP Secretariat to programme the technical assistance that will be provided through the CSF and to monitor the results. Among other tasks the ACP Secretariat will develop a Work Programme of short-term technical assistance to the ACP countries, which will be submitted to the review and approval of the Brussels-Based Sub-Committee (see Section 4.1 below). In order to reduce the risks to the CSF objectives inherent in this process, during the reviewof the Work Programme forshort-term technical assistance, particular attention will be given to theTA relevance, feasibility and potentialto produce results that are also relevant to the needs ofother ACP countries.

4.SCOPEOFWORK

4.1.General work flow

Keeping in mind the need for close collaboration with the ACP Secretariat (see Section 4.4 below), the general work flow of the Climate Support Facility, especially as it relates to the ACP Secretariat, is briefly described here in order for the Consultant to better appreciate its role in the process. The main elements of the general work flow include the following:

Through consultation with the various members of the Steering Committee (see Section 4.4 below), the ACP Secretariat develops a Work Programme of workshops and other short-term technical assistance to the ACP countries and regions, including estimated budgets and schedules, which may be updated periodically;
The ACP Secretariatpresents the Work Programme to the Brussels-Based Sub-Committee(BBSC), described in Section 4.4 below,for general approval;
Other specific requests for technical assistance may be submitted to the ACP Secretariat at any time by stakeholders. The ACP Secretariat will consider the merits of each request in light of the project budget and guidelines approved by the Steering Committee, and if relevant and further approved by the BBSC, the Work Programme will be revised accordingly;
For each element of the approved Work Programme, the ACP Secretariat, in consultation withthe Beneficiary, prepares one or more Work Orders with budget and schedule;
The Consultant identifies the expert(s) who is/are qualified to provide the TA, obtains the approval first of the Beneficiary and then of the ACP Secretariat, and mobilises the TA to implement the Work Order;
The Consultant ensures the overall quality and timely delivery of the work;
The Consultant ensures that the appropriate reporting is carried out, and ensures specific provision for information sharing and knowledge management among the interventions provided through the Climate Support Facility. The ACP Secretariat monitors the responsiveness and effectiveness of the technical assistance provided.

4.2.General responsibilities of the Consultant

The Consultant will be responsible to provide all administrative and TA services for the EUR 4M Climate Support Facility in support of a wide range of climate change related actions and measures as included in the Work Programme to be developed by the ACP Secretariat.

The Consultant will keep informed of climate change activities and developments in the ACP region in order to provide technical assistance in the most effective manner.

4.3.Specificresponsibilities of the Consultant

The keyresponsibilities of the Consultantare listed below:

The Consultant will appointapart-time (80%) “CSF Administrator” based in Brussels.The Administrator will be responsible for the proper functioning of the Climate Support Facility (CSF). Through the CSF, the Consultant will respond tospecificWork Ordersfrom the ACP Secretariat for technical assistance in the field, identify appropriate expert(s) to deliver the technical assistance, and mobilize the expert(s) to provide the requested technical assistance.In general, the technical assistance to be delivered by the Consultant will fall under one or more of the following categories:

(1)support dialogue and exchanges of experience on climate change:

(a)between the ACP and the European Union,

(b)between the ACP regions, and

(c)within the ACP regions;

(2)provide institutional support and capacity building to national and regional institutions through workshops, seminars and other means;

(3)provide technical assistance and expertise to ACP regions and countries for analytical work and specific activities linked to the increase of knowledge and the design of appropriate regional, national and local responses to the impacts of climate change (including adaptation measures);

(4)advise on how to more effectively integrate climate change into regional, national and sector development policies, plans, and budgets.

The Consultantwill establish a close working relationship with the ACP Secretariat on matters related tothe Climate Support Facility.
The Consultantwill establish a reliable mechanism for rapidly processingWork Ordersreceived from the ACP Secretariat, with the objective of mobilising TA within three weeks of receiving sucha request, or in accordance with the pre-agreed Work Programme.
The Consultantwill attend the periodic Brussels-Based Sub-Committee meetings, as required.
The Consultantwill take special care to coordinate activities with, and build upon the work of, the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA)Intra-ACP and ENRTP programmes.
The Consultantwill provide periodic reportsto the ACP Secretariat on the status of all TA delivered under the CSF.
The Consultant will ensure integration of the EC communication and visibility guidelines[2] in all activities.

4.4.Projectmanagement

The Consultant, via the CSF Administrator,will have overall responsibility to providetechnical assistance under the Climate Support Facility (CSF), including day-to-day coordination of technical assistance, meetings and workshops as foreseen in the Work Programme to be developed by the ACP Secretariat.

A Steering Committee will be created to supervise the implementation of the Programme. It will meet once a year to allow for exchange of information on the various components of the programme, to provide guidance and orientation on the overall priorities and management. It will be composed of the ACP Secretariat (Chair) and the EC (DGs DEVCO and CLIMA). The respective regional institutions (the AUC, COMESA, ECOWAS, CARICOM Secretariat/CARIFORUM, the Pacific Island Forum) will participate in this Committee for the purpose of reporting on the implementation of activities under their responsibility, and to be consulted on the orientations and guidance for the future.

Regional sub-committees will be established with participation of the relevant regional institutions, the respective EU Delegations and, as consultative bodies, representatives of countries, regional institutions and stakeholders involved at technical level. Those sub-committees will meet once a year in the region. They will review the implementation of the previous period and recommend activities for the following year. No specific support is foreseen to be provided by the Consultant to these regional sub-committees.

A Brussels-Based Sub-Committeecomposed of the ACP Secretariat, the European Commission and the CSF Administrator will meet quarterly or more often if deemed necessary, to approve, after consultation withthe ACP regions involved, the proposed Work Programme, as well as specific requests for relevant TA that may not yet be included in the Work Programme. In assessing diverse requests for TA, the Sub-Committee will base its decisionson criteria to be defined, including the quality of the requests and the geographical balance.

5.LOGISTICSAND SCHEDULE

5.1.Location

The CSF Administrator must be based in Brussels.

The other key experts and in fact all short-term experts providing TA to the Climate Support Facility may be based anywhere, and may be deployed to any of the ACP countries according to the needs of the project.

5.2.Commencement date & period of performance

For purposes of tendering, the period of performance of this contract is expected to be from approximately 1 March 2012 to 31 December 2014 (34 months). The Special Conditions of the contract will confirm the actual commencement date and period of performance.

6.REQUIREMENTS

6.1.Personnel

6.1.1.Key experts

In view of the management needs and range of issues to be covered by the Climate Support Facility, the Consultant willnominate one Key Expert to administer the CSF, and three other Key Experts to provide significant key short-term technical assistance. It should be noted that there is no restriction with regard to the nationality of the experts as long as they are able to secure the necessary working documents. The Consultant should ensure that the Key Experts, for whom CVs must be provided, comply with the following qualifications, while noting that the “years of experience” requested are not cumulative. For purposes of evaluating the CVs submitted by the Consultant, the various qualifications are identified below as qualifications and skills (Q&S), general professional experience (GPE) or specific professional experience (SPE).

Key Expert 1: CSF Administrator

Based in Brussels, responsible for the day-to-day administrative and logistical tasks of the Climate Support Facility,which will provide technical assistance in the field in line with the Work Programme to be established by the ACP Secretariat. This Key Expert should have, as a minimum:

a university degree or equivalent (Q&S);
at least 3 years of experience in project administration, preferably in dealing with development matters and TA service delivery (GPE);
experience in dealing with environmental issues, and preferably including climate change issues (SPE);
experience in working with ACP states and regions (SPE);
at least 3 years of organisational and administrative experience, preferably related to programme support and services (SPE);
evidence of excellent communication skills (Q&S);
proven ability towork fluently in both English and French (GPE).

The following three Key Experts are representative of those that will be mobilised on a short-term basis to respond to TA needs.

Key Expert 2: Expert in Climate Change

a university degree in the area of environment, natural resource management, or other relevant discipline (Q&S);
at least 10 years general working experience (GPE);
at least 3 years experience in areas directly related to climate change, among themdemonstratedinvolvement in adaptation and/or mitigation issues, preferablywith regard to integrated water or land management,disaster risk reduction, and mainstreaming climate change in sector policies, strategies and programmes (SPE);
at least 3 years experience with projects in ACP countries (SPE);
proven ability to work competently in French or English, with a working knowledge of the other language (GPE).

Key Expert 3: Expert in Environmental Economics