SAP SAG member - Legal and Economic Expert-Mongolia

International Waters Cluster

The project’s objective is to spearhead integrated natural resource management of Baikal Basin (BB) and Khovsgol Lake ensuring ecosystem resilience, reduced water quality threats in the context of sustainable economic development. The project has three primary components: elaborating a strategic policy and planning framework; strengthening institutional capacity for IWRM; and demonstrating water quality and biodiversity mainstreaming practice, including groundwater monitoring and protection. 

This project builds upon a solid, decades-old baseline of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Mongolia on the transboundary waters of the Selenga River and by extension the Baikal Basin itself. To date, international support for environmental conservation and management in the Baikal Basin has not been transboundary in orientation; little support has been provided the two countries in strengthening their transboundary cooperation to manage sustainably the globally significant environmental benefits represented by the incomparable Lake Baikal and its transboundary Basin, at the top of which lies Mongolia’s aquatic jewel, Lake Hovsgol. In addition to this solid baseline of transboundary cooperation are two rapidly growing economic baselines in mining and tourism, with mining being the biggest and fastest growing economic activity in the Baikal Basin and tourism a smaller but also rapidly growing sector in both the Russian and Mongolian portions of the Baikal Basin. Both of these sectors hold much promise in becoming better stewards of the Baikal Basin’s aquatic ecosystems. In the absence of a GEF investment, these barriers are likely to continue hampering an effective transboundary response to the critical threats that are already impacting the ecosystem health and resilience of the Baikal Basin.

Successful implementation of a regional project like “Integrated Natural Resource Management in the Baikal Basin Transboundary Ecosystem”, to a large degree depends on effective implementation and ownership of project-inspired work at the national and local levels.

Lake Baikal and its transboundary basin including Lake Khovsgol represent an unparalleled global benefit in terms of international waters and biodiversity values. While past and current efforts to protect and sustainably utilize the environment and its natural resources are impressive, they are insufficient to the task of addressing the threats to the health of the Baikal Basin’s interconnected aquatic ecosystems. These threats include: climate change, pollution and sedimentation, nutrient loading, and habitat destruction. To address these threats successfully conservation work must move beyond the protected area limits and into the 87% of the Basin that is not protected where natural resource exploitation continues without regard to ecosystem health and biodiversity conservation objectives. Significant barriers hamper both countries’ ability to move ahead both within their national jurisdictions and jointly on a robust transboundary level. These barriers include: policy and regulatory gaps, institutional weaknesses, poor utilization of BAT/BEP relevant to key issues facing the Basin, and low levels of awareness of transboundary BB issues.

The development of a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) as well as a Strategic Action Programme (SAP) is recommended by the GEF as a best practice for international waters projects.

The extensive review and updating of the preliminary TDA of 2008 was concluded in 2013. Updated TDA additionally includes specific studies like climate change assessment, groundwater pollution risks and ground / surface water intermixing, Selenga Delta study and etc.  A hot spot assessment was made for Russia and Mongolia and pollution levels were detected. Two sub-basin management plans for Russia (Tugnuy-Sukhara and Khilok) and two sub-basin management plans for Mongolia (Ider and Eg) were completed and then they were endorsed by the governments.  

The main purpose of the TDA is to ensure that interventions for sustainable development of shared water bodies are based on facts and informed decision making. The TDA is a non-negotiated technical document that provides the factual basis for the formulation of a Strategic Action Programme (SAP). The TDA is an element of an adaptive management strategy that enables the identification of transboundary issues and their causes. It is intended as an ongoing process, which needs to be updated with periodic reports as new information about the status of the transboundary basin emerges.

The SAP is a negotiated policy document that should be endorsed at the highest level of all relevant sectors. It establishes clear priorities for action (for example, policy, legal, institutional reforms, or investments) to resolve the priority problems identified in the TDA. A key element of the SAP is a well-defined baseline. This enables a clear distinction between actions with purely national benefits and those addressing transboundary concerns with global benefits. Another key element involves the development of institutional mechanisms at the regional and national levels for implementing the SAP and monitoring and evaluation procedures to measure effectiveness of the outcomes of the process.

The SAP should establish clear priorities for action relating to reforms in policy, legal, institution or investments. Furthermore, the SAP should enable the achievement of agreed regional objectives through specific national actions. The priority transboundary issues that have been identified in the TDA are used for the formulation of ecosystem quality objectives (EcoQOs), indicators for monitoring and evaluation, as well as targets to define strategic program actions for mitigating the environmental problems. Specific, quantifiable and time-constrained targets are then set for achieving the EcoQOs. Subsequently, specific interventions are developed to realize the EcoQOs within the time frame designated.

Each EQO has a long-term objective (20 years), and a set of short-term (5 years) and mid-term (10 years) management targets and actions which, taken together, form the Programme of Priority Actions. Each EQO has linkages with the TDA and identified problems (degradation of aquatic and terrestrial habitats; hydrological regime changes; decline of water quality; unsustainable fisheries and wildlife exploitation; biological invasions;  impacts of global climate change), followed by an overview of actions, key agencies for implementation of the actions, priority levels, timing, stakeholders and uncertainties.

The process of preparing the BB SAP started in 2014 through national and regional consultations of stakeholders from the riparian countries, analysis and integration of the outcomes of relevant scientific studies published after the TDA.

To coordinate and implement the BB SAP development process, a Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) will be established, comprising expert teams from Mongolia and Russia. To ensure continuity, the SAG included several of the experts who also participated in the updating of the TDA. The SAG will consist of representatives from intergovernmental organizations working on behalf of the countries in the region, as well as a number of regional experts in natural scientists and biodiversity, social and political, legal and economic.

The SAG will be supervised by the Project Manager and an international consultant with expertise on the GEF TDA-SAP process.

A two-day regional workshop will be organized in March 2014 (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) during which the long-term vision and Environmental Quality Objectives (EQOs) describe will be defined.  Next two-day regional workshop will be organized in April 2014 (Ulan-Ude, Russia) during which the actions and result-based indicators will be discussed and developed.  

During the period May 2014 – July 2014 the members of the SAG will collect and analyze additional data and information relevant to a range of topics, including approaches and conditions for effective BB SAP implementation, cooperative actions to implement the BB SAP, cooperative mechanisms and institutional arrangements, sustainability and funding, relevant national action plans and policy documents and BB SAP implementation steps. The BB SAP will be presented on the Third Baikal Project Steering Committee Meeting in July 2014.

SAP SAG members are responsible:

• developing and proposing a draft long-term vision for the Baikal Basin;
• defining and proposing draft Ecosystem Quality Objectives, Societal Benefit Objectives and Strategic Directions for inclusion into the BB SAP;
• identifying and proposing draft Interventions and Activities as these relate to outputs and/or recommendations that emanate from the TDAs,
• prioritization of proposed  Activities;
• developing result-based indicators;
• proposing BB SAP cooperative mechanisms and institutional arrangements;
• defining BB SAP sustainability and funding;
• reflecting BB SAP in relevant national action plans and policy documents;
• preparing BB SAP implementation steps;

As such, the Project Coordinating Unit (PCU) is seeking the expertise of a SAP SAG Expert(s) to pull together the sub-sections of the BB SAP into a coherent document that identifies the legal, policy and institutional reforms and investments that are required to address many of the transboundary issues identified under the Baikal Project as well as to promote an ecosystems approach to management.

The SAP SAG expert will receive a table of contents for the BB SAP developed by international consultant using the GEF TDA-SAP requirements and short instruction on the BB SAP preparation process and agenda of future meetings.

The SAP SAG legal and economic expert shall:

• Propose long-term vision for the Baikal Basin.
• Define Ecosystem Quality Objective, Societal Benefit Objectives and Strategic Directions/Strategies.
• Propose interventions and activities for inclusion in the BB SAP.
• Priority interventions and activities in the BB SAP.
• Develop result-based indicators for each objective.
• Propose BB SAP cooperative mechanisms and institutional arrangements.
• Define BB SAP sustainability and funding.
• Reflect BB SAP in relevant national action plans and policy documents.
• Prepare BB SAP implementation steps.
• Provide draft text for sub-sections for the BB SAP requested by the PCU.
• Review the first draft BB SAP.
• Response on comments on the first draft BB SAP received from the Steering Committee Members.
• Review the final draft BB SAP.

3. Monitoring and Progress Controls

The consultants are expected to deliver the following results:

• Draft long-term vision for the Baikal Basin and draft EcoQOs for discussion during first meeting - no later than by 17 March 2014.
• Relevant input to the BB SAP according to this scope of assignment.
• Comments on the first draft BB SAP.
• Progress report of the work done.
• Response on comments on the first draft BB SAP received from the Steering Committee Members.
• Comments on the final draft BB SAP.
• Final report of the work done.

The Consultant shall participate in three meetings:

• 24-25 March 2014, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia;
• 28-29 April 2014, Ulan-Ude, the Republic of Buryatia, Russia;
• 23-25 July 2014, Gremyachinsk, the Republic of Buryatia, Russia.

Travel costs will be covered in agreement with UNOPS Travel Policy. Cost of travel (Airplane tickets, DSA and TE) for the consultant to participate in the SC meeting will be covered by UNOPS – The Baikal Project.

Payment will be made in 3 installments based on the acceptance of the required deliverables by the Project Manager as specified below:

• 30% payment as a first installment upon the submission of draft long-term vision for the Baikal Basin and draft EcoQOs; - no later than by 30 March 2014.
• 35% remaining payment upon submission of a) relevant input to the BB SAP according to this scope of assignment; b) comments on the first draft BB SAP; c) progress report of the work done; – no later than by 30 May 2014.
• 35% remaining payment upon submission of a) response on comments on the first draft BB SAP received from the Steering Committee Members; b) comments on the final draft BB SAP; c) final report of the work done; – no later than by 31 September 2014.

In the case that the conditions of the TOR are not met, the contract may be terminated and the consultancy fee reduced.

The consultant shall work under the direct guidance of the Project Manager, and report to the Project Manager.

The expert will be supported by the PMU, as required.

a. Education 

• Master’s Degree in environmental and/or water resources management or related field. A Bachelor's degree with additional 2 years of experience can be considered as being equivalent.
• Ph.D. Degree is considered an asset

b. Work Experience

• The Consultant should hold  minimum 5 years of relevant experience

c. Key Competencies

• Excellent demonstrated skills of communication and negotiation at international level;

• Experience in report writing, preferably in the field of International Waters
• Fluency in English and Mongolian is required;
• Knowledge of Russian is an asset;
• Experience in the field of TDA/SAP processes under the GEF IW focal area is an asset;
• Computer literacy (MS Word, MS Excel, MS Power Point etc.).

• UN experience is an advantage;

• Please note that the closing date is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
• Applications received after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.
• Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.
• For staff positions UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post
• The incumbent is responsible to abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.  

It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.