TROSA, October 2017
Terms of Reference Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) on Conflict and Cooperation in the Transboundary River Basins of Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) and Salween (Myanmar)
Background
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Working at Oxfam is so much more than just a job. As an Oxfam employee, consultant, or volunteer, you will join a team of dedicated and passionate professionals working to save lives, help people overcome poverty, and fight for social justice.
Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA) is a five year (2017-2021) program aimed at reducing poverty of river basin communities in the transboundary river basins of Ganges -Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) and the Salween with programs in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar. Oxfam envisages that poverty will be reduced for marginalised and vulnerable river basin communities through increased access to and control over water resources.
Although these rivers basins are endowed with rich water resources, large section of the communities inhabiting these rivers basins are poor. Their livelihood systems are negatively impacted by climate change impacts, frequent water-related disasters and competing demands for food, water and energy. These transboundary river systems are also flashpoints of intense competition and conflict among the riparian countries. Much of the water resources development and benefit sharing opportunities in these basins are undermined because of lack of trust and cooperation among these countries (Biswas, 2011; Yasuda et al., 2017).
Development of new water infrastructure in these basins has further strained the relationships and geo-politics in the region. A recent analysis finds that the some of these basins are more vulnerable to hydro-political tensions (Stefano et al., 2017). There are also growing efforts to mediate the water sharing disputes and strengthen the existing international legal instruments on transboundary water governance among the riparian countries in the region (Shrestha and Ghate, 2016).
Program Objectives
The program has four inter-linked objectives aimed at influencing change in three groups of actors; government, private sector and civil society:
1. Improved policies and practice of governments that protect the rights of river basin communities to water resources.
2. Improved policies and practice of private sector and other actors30 that respect the rights of river basin communities to water resources.
3. Strengthened capacity of river basin communities and civil society to influence trans-boundary water resource management.
4. Amplification of women’s profile and influence in dialogues and decision-making on water management and water infrastructure.
The Consultancy
The program needs a better understanding of the nature and dynamics of (potential) conflict and cooperation in the transboundary basins to be able to develop evidence-informed and strategic engagement with the stakeholders that the program aims to influence. The emerging geo-politics, trade dynamics and unfolding climate change impacts in the GBM and Salween basins offer unique and unforeseen opportunities, as well as challenges, in this.
The goal of the Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) is to:
a. Stock-take of the existing evidence on the dynamics of conflict and cooperation in the transboundary river basins at various levels (global, regional, national, sub-national) , including the impact and opportunities at the community level.
b. Identify suitable and strategic entry points and stakeholders for potential transboundary water cooperation.
Duration, deadlines and timelines
The total number of days for the REA will be 25 days from the date of signing the contract (November 10 to December 15). The following timeline will be followed:
Date / Activities / # of days07/11/2017 / Deadline for applications
10/11/2017 / Selection of Consultant and Contract
15/11/2017 / Preparation of Research Plan (submitted to Oxfam) / 01
16/11-05/12/2017 / Research / 20
07/12/2017 / Draft Report (submitted to Oxfam)
11/12/2017 / Feedback on draft report
15/12/2017 / Revision and Submission of Final Edited Report / 04
Total number of days / 25
Requirements of Consultant
Qualifications
· Relevant qualifications: PhD Degree in a relative field of expertise and at least 10 years of experience in the specific fields of conflict and cooperation in natural resources management, including transboundary water resources.
· Strong knowledge and experience working around transboundary water cooperation in South Asia preferable.
· Experience of working on policy and practice relevant interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary research on international water cooperation and transboundary water governance (candidates should provide copies of research publication/ other reports produced)
· Excellent communications and interpersonal skills;
· Knowledge of the use of conflict management curriculum, behaviour change communications and media.
Applications
Interested candidates should send an expression of interest, a CV, and proposed budgeting plan to , by 7th November 2017 before 5 pm.
References
Biswas, A., 2011, Cooperation or conflict in transboundary water management: case study of South Asia, Hydrological Sciences Journal, 56:4, 662-670. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2011.572886
Shrestha, A., Ghate, R., (2016) Transboundary water governance in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region: Beyond the dialectics of conflict and cooperation. HI-AWARE Working Paper 7. Kathmandu: HI-AWARE. http://lib.icimod.org/record/32518/files/hiawareWP7_2017.pdf
L. De Stefano, Jacob D. Petersen-Perlman, Eric A. Sproles, Jim Eynard, Aaron T. Wolf., 2017, Assessment of transboundary river basins for potential hydro-political tensions, Global Environmental Change, 45:35-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.04.008
Yasuda, Y., Aich, D., Hill, D., Huntjens, P., Swain, A., 2017, Transboundary Water Cooperation over the Brahmaputra River: Legal Political Economy Analysis of Current and Future Potential Cooperation. The Hague Institute for Global Justice, http://www.thehagueinstituteforglobaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/WADI-Brahmaputra-basin-report-final_design.pdf
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