PEI, Rwanda Phase I focused on developing studies that firmly established links between environment and development. Specifically, the Integrated Ecosystem Assessment conducted in Bugesera demonstrated the linkages between environmental degradation and declining ecosystem goods and services to poverty with disproportionate impacts on the rural poor. On the other hand, economic evaluation of natural resources studies conducted in fragile ecosystems of economic importance that included Rugezi wetland and Gishwati forest brought into sharp focus the economic costs to the national economy in addition to adverse livelihood impacts to proximate populations. The degradation of Rugezi wetland cost Rwanda at least $65,000 per day as a running cost of generators that were leased to supply electricity to the national grid. This decision was a result of decline in the amount supplied by Ntaruka station that lost its capacity once the degradation of Rugezi ensued.
The strong links between poverty and environment served as impetus for the Government of Rwanda to mainstream environmental sustainability into the country’s Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (EDPRS). The GoR, UNDP and UNEP have concretised collaboration through Poverty and Environment Initiative (PEI), Rwanda which aims to enhance the contribution of sound environmental management to poverty reduction, sustainable economic growth and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
The Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) as the project implementing agency worked with development partners; UNEP and UNDP to consolidate on the gains of PEI, Phase I. This collaborative effort resulted in the formulation of the Rwanda PEI Phase II. The project seeks to integrate environment into national and district planning, policy and budget processes towards successful implementation of the EDPRS. Phase II has five main outputs:
• Improved capacity within key ministries and institutions to understand and analyse links between poverty and environment and to integrate environment into policymaking, planning and budgets;
• Improved capacity at district level to understand and analyse links between poverty and environment and to integrate environment into development planning;
• Increased awareness and more effective participation of stakeholders in environmental policy and planning processes at both district and national level;
• Improved national funding levels for investing in environmental sustainability;
• Improved capacity for monitoring poverty and environment linkages at both national and district level.
The implementation of PEI Phase II involves the coordination by REMA, with support from members of the Steering Committee as well as the Task Team representing 5 key Ministries and, in particular, MINECOFIN, which is the Ministry in charge of overall national planning and budgeting processes. As part of the implementation of PEI Phase II in particular and the overall support to the implementation of the EDPRS, PEI/REMA engaged MINECOFIN on enhanced support to planning and budgeting for integration of environment as a cross cutting issue. Subsequent discussions led to mutual agreement that there needs to be sustained engagement of PEI/REMA with MINECOFIN towards support of key aspects of planning and budgeting for environment in ways that contribute towards sustainable national development and poverty reduction.
The recent engagement of key sectors particularly those that have significant contribution to the national economy including Agriculture, Infrastructure (Energy) and Trade and Industry have been engaged by MINECOFIN with the support from PEI. The focused support and engagement has led to inclusion of environmental priorities in the Budget Call Circular (BCC) and therefore the Strategic Issues Paper (SIP) which captures sector priorities for implementation of the EDPRS. As PEI, Rwanda Phase II nears the currently projected end period of December, 2011, there will be need to redouble efforts to consolidate and focus the deliverables on the future of environment mainstreaming in Rwanda.
It is widely acknowledged that environment mainstreaming requires a long-term engagement during which appropriate partnerships and cooperation, often requiring time to develop and become effective, are established and managed for successful pro-poor sustainability results. Therefore environmental mainstreaming requires a comprehensive approach, incorporating capacity building at all relevant levels. A number of areas have been identified as critical to the success of environment mainstreaming in Rwanda. As this phase of the project winds down, critical issues of environmental mainstreaming in Rwanda will need to be tackled. Amongst the questions is that related to effective technical support for the remaining period. The present ToRs will focus on the key areas that will require technical support from April to December, 2011.
Duties and Responsibilities
Deliverables (Outputs):
• Training and on-the-job support to MINECOFIN, sectors (including interns) and relevant stakeholders particularly the private sector and NGOs on mainstreaming environment into planning, budgeting and implementation processes provided;
• Monthly progress reports on environment mainstreaming activities at the national and local levels to include an update on donor liaison produced;
• Concept notes on the role of PES, Green economy and Low Carbon options and climate change and their potential for capitalization of FONERWA;
• Report on the monitoring and evaluation indicators for successful environment mainstreaming in the implementation of EDPRS and recommendations on the position of pro-poor environmental sustainability in the next generation of the poverty reduction strategy;
• Final report on lessons and document best practices that will guide sustained sector engagement for planning, budgeting and monitoring for environment at both the national and local levels.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Under the overall supervision of the Director General of REMA and closely liaising with the relevant Director Generals of MINECOFIN as well as UNDP Rwanda and UNEP, the Technical Advisor shall undertake the following tasks:
Technical support to MINECOFIN: Design specific project that will facilitate MINECOFIN in providing effective support to mainstreaming environment in other sectors with a particular emphasis on consolidating and building on the gains based on lessons learnt from the pilot sectors of Agriculture, Energy and Private sector and Industry. The TA will provide the necessary training for staff that will be recruited to provide long term environment mainstreaming support to MINECOFIN.
Designing the specific project for support to MINECOFIN is an elaborate process that will involve conducting needs assessment of various sectors and multiple stakeholders to identify activities that will be carried out for effective engagement of sectors in the mainstreaming process. It is envisaged that the process will require at least two months to generate activities, the key partners in the process and the results framework as well as the budget for the output.
Following the initiation of the project, there will be an extensive training for the coordinator of the specific project to understand and internalize sustainability principles and be able to engage, support and disseminate environmentally pro-poor sustainability within MINECOFIN planning, budgeting and implementation processes. This is projected to last for the time of engagement (9 months) in order to effectively support ongoing review of sector strategies, budget call circular processes, development of strategic issues paper, development of guidelines
Ensure that EDPRS implementation at the District levels demonstrates pro-poor environmental sustainability by identifying clear priority areas for Districts and associated output indicators that will be used to monitor and evaluate progress on environmental mainstreaming deliverables. The experiences and lessons learnt from the two pilot Districts viz.: Karongi and Gicumbi will guide recommendations on the selection and focus of the District level work to be highlighted in the inception report for the assignment.
Evaluate the contribution and level of success of interns towards mainstreaming environment in key Ministries/sectors and propose recommendations for reliable and long term capacity building strategy for environment mainstreaming in Rwanda.
As EDPRS closes in to the projected closing date, Joint Sector Reviews must generate extremely relevant information that will demonstrate the level of environment mainstreaming in the course of EDPRS implementation and how this has contributed to pro-poor environmental sustainability in Rwanda. Furthermore this work will be necessary as part of the overall EDPRS evaluation in order to determine how pro-poor environmental sustainability will be positioned in the next generation of poverty reduction strategy in Rwanda. The TA assignment will provide key coordination support to the planning, execution and reporting on the JSRs for the remaining EDPRS period.
With the envisaged operationalization of FONERWA, current areas that are under discussion at the national level that will stimulate interest and generate potential capitalization funds for FONERWA include payment for Ecosystem Services (PES), Green Economy and Low Carbon growth options and Climate Change. Based on the critical role PEI, Rwanda has played in these efforts and the reserve technical knowledge base, the TA will produce concept notes on the current national efforts and potential in promoting these areas and provide the coordination required to focus on the capitalization of FONERWA. This is projected to lay a firm foundation for the sustainable financing for long term environment mainstreaming for poverty reduction.
Keep in-country donors fully briefed on PEI Rewant progress sand work to raise additional resources for Poverty-Environment Mainstreaming from development partners, private sector and CSOs.
Project Management:
• Implement activities as per work plan;
• Assist in the preparation of meetings of stakeholders as well as JSR sessions and field trips;
• Report on lessons and document best practices that will guide sustained sector engagement for planning, budgeting and monitoring for environment at both the national and local levels;
• Produce monthly progress reports on environment mainstreaming activities at the national and local levels.
Timeframes:
This consultancy shall be carried out over a period of nine months (205 working days):
Output
No. Working Days
Inception Report
10
Training and on-the-job support to MINECOFIN, sectors (including interns) and relevant stakeholders particularly the private sector and NGOs on mainstreaming environment into planning, budgeting and implementation processes provided;
60
Monthly progress reports on environment mainstreaming activities at the national and local levels to include an update on donor liaison produced;
30
Concept notes on the role of PES, Green economy and Low Carbon options and climate change and their potential for capitalization of FONERWA;
30
Report on the monitoring and evaluation indicators for successful environment mainstreaming in the implementation of EDPRS and recommendations on the position of pro-poor environmental sustainability in the next generation of the poverty reduction strategy;
30
Final report on lessons and document best practices that will guide sustained sector engagement for planning, budgeting and monitoring for environment at both the national and local levels;
30
Donor Briefings and Meeting with Stakeholders on Joint Sector Reviews and SWAPs
15
205
Competencies
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to multi-task and establish and maintain effective work relationships with people of broad cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as take initiative to work independently where necessary.
• Excellent communication skills with ability to express ideas clearly, concisely and effectively, both orally and in writing;
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
• Minimum Master’s degree in a relevant field including, Development/Agricultural Economics or Natural Resources Management.
Experience:
• Minimum five years work experience in related fields such as budgeting for the environment sector including public environmental expenditure reviews, environmental fiscal reform, integrating environment as a cross cutting issues in poverty reduction strategy, Green Accounting and Payment for ecosystem services.
• A good understanding of the poverty-environment context in Rwanda and international experience and best practice in the mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues into national development processes including budgets.
• Working experience in the development of environmental indicators and data analysis.
Computer literacy in full Microsoft Office and other office based technology equipment.
Experience of working with UN systems and other development partnerships, including workintg in Sub-Saharan Africa and specifically in Rwanda desirable.
Language:
• Fluent spoken and written English and/or French.
• Knowledge of Kinyarwanda desirable.
All applications should include a maximum one–page motivation and a detailed CV should be sent to martha.gitonga@undp.org
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
Closing Date: Tuesday, 10 May 2011