(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)Expected Duration of Assignment :The project preparatory grant (PPG) is to prepare a medium-sized project “Supporting Sustainable Land Management in Steppe and Semi-arid Zones through Integrated Territorial Planning and Agro-environmental Incentives” for a regional UNDP/GEF project in land degradation focal area.
The Republic of Kazakhstan is the ninth largest land-locked country spanning 272.5 million hectares. It is predominantly an arid country with dryland ecosystems covering over 260 million ha, or 99.1 per cent of its land area. According to various sources, 179.9 million ha (66% of the overall territory) belong to degraded lands, of which arid ecosystems account for about 119.9 million ha, and the remaining 60 million ha are affected by desertification. It is estimated that 78.9% of agricultural land is subject to erosion, and wind and water erosion affects more than 67% of rain fed areas. Over the past 30 years, humus content in topsoil decreased by 10-20% . This among other things leads to a decreased fertility of agricultural lands that can put at risk the national food security. Moreover, this tendency can compromise the Kazakhstan’s ability to export wheat crops to other Central Asian countries
Land degradation costs an estimated US $ 6.2 million annually, without taking into account hidden costs of increased fertilizer use, loss of biodiversity and loss of unique landscapes . The existing structure of government subsidies largely supports monoculture production and expansion of livestock numbers thus failing to motivate farmers to opt to more sustainable land and livestock management practices. Also, government subsidies mostly target large-scale farms without properly addressing the issue of small farm holders given, for example, that over 80% of livestock is dispersed across a large number of smallholders and family farms .
The overall goal of the medium-sized project is to build upon existing government national agricultural financial subsidizing programmes as well as national environmental development concept by facilitating the development of integrated land use planning approaches, with emphasis on decentralization and bottom up planning as opposed to the existing highly centralized top-down system. This will include the wider application of new financial mechanism in pasture and productive landscape management. Building upon the past experience GEF funded projects efforts, the project will create a more conducive policy and legal framework for establishment of agro-environmental incentives for sustainable and better integrated pasture and landscape use planning and management, and build national and local capacity for practical implementation of such planning in the field. Existing best practices and approaches will be replicated at a wider scale within selected representative oblasts.The MSP “Supporting Sustainable Land Management in Steppe and Semi-arid Zones through Integrated Territorial Planning and Agro-environmental Incentives project” aims at re-directing current agricultural subsidies to finance environmentally friendly, yet economically profitable, agricultural practices via a system of agro- environmental incentives. This will result in overall improvement of living standards of rural population including food availability and security. The potential financial incentives through so called agro environmental incentives for better pasture and crop field use will bring even greater benefits, both to the overall rural economy and the country. For example, provisional estimates from the realignment of the current agriculture subsidy mechanism implies that the improved financial mechanism is expected to increase income per hectare of pasture lands by about 41%. Thus, with right incentives in place for sustainable land management, the project will create a favorable environment for increased investments in sustainable rangeland management and crop cultivation. This will indirectly improve the status of endemic species of landscape plant communities thus generating global environmental benefits beyond the project’s lifetime. The project covers the geographic region with estimated population of nearly 200,000 people, where women constitute 43%. Thus, women are expected to benefit from the new financial scheme resulting in increased income of rural households. Pilot activities will put local population at the core of implementation thus demonstrating the important role of communities in the successful uptake of proposed schemes and practices. Local farmers and communities will be encouraged to share generated benefits and experience creating a positive environment for add-on investments from landowners and users. Additional financial instruments such as tax and loan windows for investments in sustainable land use will also be assessed and tested.
This objective will be achieved through the following outcomes:
Investment in integrated territorial planning and start-up of agro-environmental incentives;Enabling policy environment for integrated land use planning and agro-environmental incentives.The project will be implemented in line with the established Government of Kazakhstan and UNDP procedures. The Ministry of Environment Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan will take overall responsibility for implementation of the project, and for the project success. It will establish the necessary planning and management mechanisms to oversee project inputs, activities and outputs. The UNDP CO will support the Ministry as requested and as necessary. The PPG process will be used to further define the management, coordination and consultation mechanisms.
Scope of work:
Develop the Project Document based on the following outline (Main Outputs);Project Executive Summary;Project Document;Develop UNDP/GEF Project Document converted to the finalized Request for CEO Endorsement;Develop a stakeholder participation strategy;CEO endorsement template;Perform an initial quality review of Draft CEO Request: logframe, threats analysis, institutional arrangements for project implementation, context (globally significant environmental issues, socio-economic; institutional, legal and policy), baseline (what will happen without GEF - programs and environmental consequences), project structure - goal, objective, outcomes and outputs; Look for any information & data gaps in the analysis ensuring consistency and the logic of threats & barriers analysis and the proposed course of actions; Prepare a detailed feedback that specifies information/data gaps, analysis and description to be refined and/or added by the team of national consultants;Identify additional partners and assist with the further development of partnerships at global and regional scales. Review and comment a draft project budget; Run a final check on semi-final CEO Request with final inputs from national and international stakeholders & partners Management arrangements: Prepare ToRs for the major consultancies to be undertaken during the preparation stage; Guides the work of consultants and subcontractors and oversee compliance with the agreed work plan; Prepare very clear guidelines on the type of information required from the national counterparts to assist in the project development; Brief national partners on the project development process and help planning the preparatory phase (information gathering and project planning). Ensures timely and quality execution of the project documents;Ensures unconditional carrying out of requirements of the Contract;All information should be presented in typed and electronic format in quality English language; Prior to payments the deliverables of the specalist’s work shall be reviewed and approved by UNDP; The Specialist shall provide a complete list of documents and other sources of information used while working on this assignment. The Specialist should keep in mind that s/he bares personal responsibility for the credibility and reliability of the utilized data and information; In case of poor standard of work by the Consultant UNDP reserves the right to terminate the contract unilaterally. Reports will be verified by the UNDP RTA with the assistance of UNDP CO for integrity, comprehensiveness and quality.Corporate competencies:
Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards; Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment; Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP; Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; Treats all people fairly without favoritism.Functional competencies:
Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision from the spectrum of development experience; Strong negotiation and interpersonal skills; Strong communications and public speaking skills; Proven analytical and problem-solving skills; Strong planning, goal-setting and prioritization skills; Effectiveness in establishing and fostering good relations with government counterparts, UN agencies, donors, and NGO partners; Effectiveness in strengthening accountability and results-based management in supporting organizational priorities, policy and decision-making processes.Education: Advanced University degree in the fields of environmental management, economics, public administration or relevant related fields.
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