Individual National Consultancy: Review of Climate Action Related Plans in the Three Provinces of Sóc Trăng, Cà Mau, and Bạc Liêu, Viet Nam

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Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

To review the social issues and children’s issues in the implementation of provincial programs and plans related to green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, and sustainable development of Sóc Trăng, Cà Mau, and Bạc Liêu provinces.

Scope of Work:

Viet Nam has, over the past 30 years, achieved remarkable socioeconomic progress. Reforms have stimulated an economic transformation that has propelled the country into lower-middle-income status. The UN Common Country Analysis confirmed strong progress across several Sustainable Development Goals. Over the last decades, Government of Viet Nam has demonstrated its commitments to child rights. Specifically, priorities for children are expressed through the 13th Party Congress’s Political Document, within the 2021-2030 Socio-economic Development Strategy, 2021-2025 Socio-economic Development Plan, three national targeted programs on sustainable poverty reduction, new rural construction and economic development for ethnic minority and mountainous areas, National Plan of Action on Children for the period 2021-2030. Furthermore, as Viet Nam is one of the countries that are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, i.e., ranked sixth by the Global Climate Risk Index in 2020, the Government of Viet Nam has made strong commitments to climate action. These commitments have been translated into the development, implementation and monitoring of strategies plans of action on sustainable development, environmental protection, climate action and green growth.

Besides social and economic positive progresses, multidimensional child poverty remains significant (10.7 per cent), with disparities between rural and urban areas (13. versus 6 per cent) and among ethnic minorities (33.1 versus 6.3 per cent for the majority of Kinh and Hoa).  Children living in the poorest households are significantly more affected by the consequences of extreme weather events. Recent research indicated that 50 per cent of studied children living in the poorest households in Viet Nam had experienced at least one extreme weather event that affected the household economy compared to 17 per cent of the least poor households.

The above gaps along with those that have emerged in recent years due to environmental degradation, natural disasters, and extreme weather events related to climate change—such as droughts, floods, and storms—will significantly impact the comprehensive development of children in Viet Nam. Therefore, Viet Nam must accelerate its efforts to address both unfinished and emerging agendas related to children’s welfare to ensure that no child is left behind. This requires timely and green investments in human capital, such as education and skills development, to equip the younger generation to adapt to the evolving job market and the changing economic, social, and environmental contexts.

The project “Child-Friendly Policies and Plans for the Period 2023-2026” between Ministry of Planning and Investment and UNICEF is expected to enhance the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Planning and Investment in policy formulation and implementation based on evidence. This aims to better fulfill children’s rights, particularly in planning, resource mobilization, implementation, and monitoring of socio-economic development plans, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and national targeted programmes (NTPs).  The Department of Science, Education, Natural Resources, and Environment (DSENRE) of the Ministry of Planning and Investment is the national focal point for implementing sustainable development and green growth. It is also responsible for formulating and monitoring socio-economic development plans (SEDPs) and medium-term public investment plans in the fields of education and training, science and technology, and natural resources and environment. Under this project, DSENRE/MPI in conjunction with UNICEF designed activities with a focus on promoting children’s rights in the implementation of sustainable development goals, green growth, environmental protection, and climate change response.

Therefore, within the project framework, DESENRE/MPI and UNICEF plan to recruit national consultants to support the DSENRE to review provincial plans of action on sustainable development, climate change response, environmental protection and green growth (2021-2030) for three provinces: Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau with a focus on social and children’s issues. This assignment aims to propose strategic, practical and specific recommendations for the three provinces to better implement these plans in the future, especially in the new planning cycle (2026-2030).

Specific objectives include:

– Assess the extent to which social, women’s and children’s issues are addressed in the programs and action plans on green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, and sustainable development in the provinces of Sóc Trăng, Cà Mau, and Bạc Liêu.

– Provide specific and practical recommendations to better address social, women’s and children’s issues in the programs and action plans on green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, and sustainable development for the years 2024-2025 and for the period 2026-2030 in the three provinces of Sóc Trăng, Cà Mau, and Bạc Liêu.

– Provide technical support through consultation workshops and share research results with the three provinces to better address social, women’s and children’s issues in the programs and action plans on green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, and sustainable development for the years 2024-2025 and the five-year plan for the period 2026-2030.

The method/approach:  This assignment will adopt an approach of document review, qualitative methods including stakeholder consultation, interviews and case study to reviewing and assessing the implementation of social, women’s and children’s issues in the programs and action plans on green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, and sustainable development in the three provinces of Sóc Trăng, Cà Mau, and Bạc Liêu. Information and data will be collected through reports and all relevant publications from local authorities and relevant parties, key informant and in-depth interviews with individuals, ministries, departments, agencies, and localities about the implementation of the programs and action plans on green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, and sustainable development in three provinces.  In each province, the consultants are expected to develop 1-2 case studies illustrating how climate change and extreme weather events affect families with children and women, and how public policies and plans could better support and strengthen their resilience.

Key questions to be addressed during data collection, compilation, analysis, and assessment include:

– How have programs, plans on green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, sustainable development, and related policies been developed in the past years (2021-2024)?

– What is the progress of implementing programs and plans on green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, and sustainable development to date?

– How does the implementation of programs and plans on green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, and sustainable development impact children and vulnerable groups regarding social issues?

– To what extent are children’s and women’s well-being and social issues reflected in the objectives and main contents of programs and plans on green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, and sustainable development? What are gaps?

– To what extent do children and women benefit from the implementation of programs and plans on green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, and sustainable development? What are gaps and reasons?

– To what extent have children been involved in the process of implementing programs and plans on green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, and sustainable development? What are gaps and reasons?

– What needs to be done to better address social, women’s and children’s issues into programs, plans on green growth, climate change response, environmental protection, and sustainable development to promote the achievement of SDG goals in the upcoming years?

Detailed Work Assignments and Deliverables as attached  TOR National Consultants for Climate Action Plans Review-Soc Trang-Bac Lieu-Ca Mau.pdf

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To view our competency framework, please visit here.   

Assessment criteria:

For evaluation and selection method, the Cumulative Analysis Method (weight combined score method) shall be used for this recruitment:

a) Technical Qualification weight 75%:

b. Financial Proposal weight 25%:

All prices/rates quoted must be exclusive of all taxes as UNICEF is a tax-exempt organization.

Financial proposal should be all-inclusive lump-sum cost including consultancy fee, cost for the research team to travel for field data collection and other related expenses. The lump-sum should be divided across the set deliverables of the assignment.

The project will not support cost for international travel, and other related expenses.

Please clearly indicate currency of financial proposal (mandatory in VND for local vendors).

Points shall be allotted to the lowest Financial Proposal that is opened/evaluated. Other Financial Proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

The Contract shall be awarded to candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores, subject to the satisfactory result of the verification interview if needed.

Submission of applications:

a. Letter of interest;

b. CVs of an individual candidate or a team of experts, detailing team management. (It is expected that a clear mechanism for management of this assignment will be reflected in the applying documents and that UNICEF will consider signing the contract with a lead consultant only).

c. Submission of a technical proposal outlining the timeline for the assignment deliverables (within maximum 5 pages);

d. At least 2 samples of written work required;

e. Three references;

f. Financial proposal: Financial proposal should be all-inclusive lump-sum cost including consultancy fee, cost for the research team to travel for field data collection and other related expenses. The lump-sum should be divided across the set deliverables of the assignment.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.   

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.