Apply for Individual Consultant (Bangladesh – Pre-feasibility Study of carbon project), Geneva, Switzerland Job Vacancy | Position

Hardship Level (not relevant for home-based): H (no hardship)

Family Type (not relevant for home-based): Family

Staff Member / Affiliate Type: CONS Local

Target Start Date: 2025-01-15

Deadline for Applications: January 4, 2025

Terms of Reference

Individual Consultancy Contract with UNHCR, Division of External Relations, Innovative Finance

Duty station: Home-based

Duration: To begin as quickly as attainable for a period of 5 months

Working association: Part-time

Title of venture: REP Fund – Bangladesh – Pre-feasibility Study of carbon venture

Purpose of venture: This consultancy goals at (i) assessing the feasibility of transitioning the prevailing SAFE+2 LPG provide programme in Bangladesh Cox’s Bazar to a carbon-financed mannequin and (ii) recommending venture construction and preparations with stakeholders.

GENERAL BACKGROUND OF PROJECT OR ASSIGNMENT, OPERATIONAL CONTEXT: Climate change and environmental crises akin to deforestation are essential issues in refugee conditions. UNHCR estimates that 20-25 million bushes are minimize down yearly in and round refugee settlements. The pressing want for cooking gasoline drives 90% of this deforestation. The want for cooking gasoline usually ends in environmental degradation, akin to soil erosion, landslides, and desertification, which threaten protected dwelling situations and livelihoods for forcibly displaced and their hosts alike. Also, because the wooden assortment perimeter widens with deforestation, it results in safety dangers, particularly for ladies and women who should journey additional to gather wooden, placing them at elevated threat of sexual- and gender-based mostly violence. It additionally adversely impacts the schooling of adolescents, leading to diminished studying hours because of time spent accumulating wooden. Environmental degradation additionally heightens the danger of battle between refugees and hosts. Finally, the indoor air air pollution attributable to cooking with firewood may be improved by introducing cleaner cooking options, decreasing related well being hazards.

UNHCR will proceed strengthening current clear cooking and environmental programming to mitigate these detrimental impacts and enhance safety outcomes. Against this backdrop, UNHCR has launched the Refugee Environmental Protection (REP) Fund to spend money on impactful reforestation and clear cooking applications in local weather-weak refugee conditions all over the world.

The Fund goals to plant tens of thousands and thousands extra bushes and allow a whole lot of 1000’s of refugees and their hosts to entry clear cooking options over the following decade. Doing so will hyperlink refugees and host communities to the worldwide carbon markets, empowering them to grow to be part of the worldwide motion to fight local weather change.

As part of this effort, the Fund additionally seeks to construct on creating current actions applied by Country Operations, akin to reforestation or clear cooking applications, and registering these actions with carbon requirements to safe further funding sources.

UNHCR Bangladesh is coordinating the SAFE+2 program applied by FAO, IOM, UNHCR and WFP that features the distribution of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and cooking kits to refugees in Cox’s Bazar camps in Bangladesh, which advantages near 1 million individuals. The present program will run till 2025 and requires annual funding of approx. USD 32 million. Fundraising for such applications has grow to be extra advanced through the years as humanitarian funding shrinks, posing the danger of halting this system regardless of its varied advantages.

A multi-yr study was carried out between 2019 and 2022 by Stanford University as part of the SAFE+ program and located important multisectoral advantages: refugees had extra time for studying and livelihood actions, ate higher, and have been much less pressured. Indoor air high quality improved, and 1000’s of hectares of forests have been regenerated. Through this subject study, a big quantity of knowledge was gathered, which may be useful for the certification of the venture.

Considering the difficulties to take care of funding ranges in a protracted disaster such because the Rohingya response, SAFE+ 2 companions have been highlighting the necessity to establish various financing mechanisms to make sure the supply of LPG amongst different key humanitarian providers. In explicit, IOM is launching an Innovation Norway funded venture to discover sustainable financing mechanisms for inexperienced shelter and settlements interventions that may be complementary on its scope to the current ToR.

Statement of Purpose and Objectives: The REP Fund goals to assist deal with these advanced points by creating an progressive and sustainable financing mechanism to spend money on strengthening and scaling up UNHCR reforestation and clear-cooking applications in local weather-weak refugee-internet hosting communities worldwide. This funding mechanism ought to contribute to sustainable funding and facilitate long run monetary planning.

The carbon influence of these applications could be registered and verified (e.g., by way of Gold Standard) to generate the primary-ever giant-scale refugee-generated carbon credit. The sale of these credit would assist replenish the Fund, permitting it to re-spend money on new reforestation and clear cooking applications, making the Fund extra financially and operationally sustainable. The Fund’s environmental applications would additionally generate inexperienced jobs for refugees and host communities in locations the place they are often employed. In the case of Bangladesh, the carbon income will subsidize the prevailing actions and permit to scale them up.

This proposal seeks to establish a guide to conduct a pre-feasibility study to find out the suitable contractual preparations for transitioning the prevailing LPG distribution program in Bangladesh to a carbon-financed mannequin and assess the viability of such a conversion.

The Scope of Work of the consultancy doesn’t embody the registration and certification of the venture.

PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF ASSIGNMENT: 1. REQUIREMENTS

1.1 Project title or core requirement

The guide could be accountable for analyzing the next subjects and offering a suggestion on the construction and preparations wanted for the brand new implementation modality: A. Review the present mannequin

1. Review the prevailing framework and actions of the SAFE+2 programme

o Focus on the LPG, strain cooker, and cookstoves distribution mannequin

o Identify different actions that may very well be included later within the venture design, akin to reforestation, plantations (e.g., bamboo or mangroves), solarization, and so on., or that may very well be additional developed by different SAFE+2 companions (e.g. by IOM by comparable funded tasks).

2. Map all entities within the present mannequin framework and supply an summary of their roles/obligations and contractual obligations.

o List to be refined along with UNHCR however would come with: UNHCR and associate businesses concerned within the SAFE+2; present and potential donors to SAFE+2 program; LPG suppliers, cookstoves and strain cookers producers, distributors, implementing companions; Government of Bangladesh; refugee and host group representatives.

3. Assess implications of terminating/renegotiating current contractual preparations (e.g., LPG or range provide contracts with third events) to transition to the brand new venture construction and suggest most well-liked method and timeline

B. Regulatory framework evaluation:

• Mapping relevant native, nationwide, and worldwide laws associated to power and cooking entry, together with registering and monetizing carbon credit.
• Assessment of authorities local weather technique and motion plan for implementing its NDC and current agreements with different nations to foster local weather investments in Bangladesh by compliance and voluntary carbon markets
• Assessment of provide regulatory framework in Bangladesh for LPG and different related clear fuels
• Review the Government of Bangladesh’s refugee insurance policies and current agreements defining UNHCR’s work within the nation and the venture space.

C. Develop new implementation construction and contractual preparations wanted beneath a carbon-financed mannequin

• Identify the stakeholders required within the new mannequin and outline their roles and obligations: o Flag the entities whose roles ought to evolve or stop beneath the brand new construction and supply a rationale

o Develop diagram constructions for the brand new mannequin: excessive-degree, operational, and monetary

o Specify the monetary flows between the completely different venture entities over the venture cycle, masking the completely different funding sources out there, and flag the place any monetary buffer or assure mechanisms are wanted in opposition to recognized dangers.

• Consult with, along with UNHCR, current and future venture stakeholders to

o Assess their assist for transitioning to the brand new mannequin and accumulate views on the venture construction design,

o Assess the Government of Bangladesh’s assist for the venture and willingness to broaden to host communities

o Confirm their capability to tackle the envisaged position (e.g. carbon builders contracting direct suppliers of LPG and different potential clear cooking fuels, monitoring, distribution, and range upkeep)

o Assess their curiosity in financing beneath the brand new mannequin at any time when relevant. This is especially related for UNHCR donor nations which have developed crediting mechanisms or different carbon finance agreements with Bangladesh, e.g., beneath Art 6 of the Paris Agreement. The kind of financing requested will should be outlined.

o Assess their curiosity and capabilities to learn from the carbon mannequin particularly for different UN Organizations and NGOs concerned in LPG provision and trying to leverage carbon finance for power and environmental conservation interventions in displacement settings.

o Project stakeholders to seek the advice of embody:

• Government of Bangladesh
• current donors to UNHCR Bangladesh and Regional Bureau
• current donors to SAFE+2
• SAFE+2 companions (FAO, IOM, WFP)
• Refugees and host communities
• The Energy and Environment Network
• Corporate traders
• Carbon builders
• Current and potential venture implementers
• UNHCR groups: IF, LAS, Bangladesh CO (together with Energy and Environment and Field and Site Management unit), HQ Energy and Environment staff, Procurement staff, regional Climate Action Team
• Coordinate with the IOM venture on “sustainable financing for green shelter and settlement interventions” to leverage synergies between the 2 interventions.
• For the LPG provide and distribution, based mostly on market and regulatory assessments: o Summarize typical cost and supply phrases and contractual preparations with LPG suppliers

o Recommend most well-liked order, supply/offtake, and distribution modalities of the gasoline to the venture space

o Suggest any adjustments to the present enterprise mannequin to (i) enhance venture effectivity – e.g., assessment circumstances of current gasoline scarcity, buy worth above market worth, or different reported points – or (ii) accommodate the long run venture design parameters, e.g., if demand is elevated. Suggest attainable cures, together with operational adjustments, further storage capability, infrastructure investments, and so on.

o If required, discover the feasibility of introducing assure or hedging mechanisms to mitigate related dangers beneath the envisaged construction, e.g., in case of partial deferred cost by the purchaser, unavailability to safe a hard and fast/sponsored worth contract from the suppliers, and so on.

o Develop threat matrix and mitigation actions together with coverage threat, funding threat and different related dangers.

• Consult key UNHCR stakeholders within the Bangladesh operation, headquarters, and the regional bureau on the really helpful preparations’ technical, authorized, and monetary feasibility.

D. Carbon asset growth and certification

• Document venture additionality and eligibility for carbon finance (i.e., validation that the donor-funded venture is just not economically viable with out carbon credit score income, is just not required by regulation, and won’t lead to double counting of carbon credit generated).
• Confirm the venture’s monetary, authorized, and technical feasibility and whether or not some design parameters have to be adjusted (range kind, distribution mannequin, monitoring)
• Recommend the carbon certification methodology for use and beneath which laws (compliance market or Art 6 voluntary market)
• Provide an summary of the authorized preparations for venture implementation and carbon credit score possession and certification (e.g., registration and approvals required from the federal government, carbon certifiers, and so on.).
• Assess the necessity for political insurance coverage protection relying on the Government of Bangladesh’s assist for the venture and the inclusion of host communities within the venture.
• Map current or potential venture implementation companions and carbon venture builders. ehgc6LH ztgCM
• Provide a monetary estimate of venture economics over the life of recognized cookstove and gasoline choices, together with an in depth estimate of anticipated carbon credit generated, prices generated (together with one-time stoves prices, substitute prices, gasoline prices, upkeep prices but additionally further funding to accommodate venture demand and guarantee long run sustainability), and related anticipated carbon credit score income generated.
• Provide an estimation of venture outcomes and advantages, together with environmental, social, safety, and financial advantages for refugees and host group beneficiaries. Note: current knowledge was collected beneath earlier analysis spanning 2019-2022 on SAFE+2 multisectoral advantages performed by Standford University and can be out there.
• Any different suggestions for implementation
• Provide an summary of comparable and related tasks inside neighboring areas and geographies.
• Timeline for registering the venture with carbon requirements

Key questions to handle on the subjects talked about above embody: 1. Which entities should be concerned alongside the availability chain of LPG and cookstoves and their distribution and upkeep? Should a 3rd get together ship the LPG -or different clear cooking gasoline if relevant- and cookstoves at UNHCR distribution factors or carry out the distribution throughout the camps? Who must be accountable for the upkeep of the gadgets?

a. Identify personal firms, social enterprises or NGOs, and state businesses that could be appropriate implementing companions for these actions.

2. On monetary flows: a. Who would personal the carbon certificates, monetize the carbon credit, and who could be the ultimate recipient of the carbon income, relying on the LPG contracting entity (UNHCR, carbon developer, and so on.)?

b. Estimate liquidity buffer/working capital wanted to take care of timing difference between financials outflows (venture working bills) and inflows (carbon income)

3. Are profit-sharing agreements wanted, for instance, with the Government of Bangladesh, host communities, or cookstoves customers?

4. Describe native, lengthy-time period finest-apply examples for clear cookstove tasks.

Additional authorized questions: For every kind of possession recognized beneath the purpose “location, ” make clear: a. Who owns the carbon sequestered within the mild of the topic of Nationally Determined Contributions?

b. Who owns the carbon sequestered carbon in mild of the Gold Standard certification or different chosen scheme?

c. Who owns the carbon sequestered within the mild of common nationwide property rights?

d. Specify which get together within the envisaged venture framework can have the authorized obligation to justify the values of carbon sequestered.

1.2 Deliverables and Timeline

The venture is anticipated to take [4-5] months and can comprise the next phases of work: I. Planning and inception Phase

The first step of the consultancy could be to assessment the Document Package made out there by UNCHR about sections A and B above and request any lacking data. [3 weeks]

Based on this assessment, the guide and UNHCR will agree on the evaluation work plan, particularly the stakeholder session technique. UNHCR will coordinate and schedule preliminary conferences in [week 4].

The anticipated scope of work could be:

• Compilation and preliminary assessment of paperwork
• Mapping of stakeholders
• Designing and agreeing on consultations wanted
• Scheduling preliminary appointments with different key stakeholders and agreeing that UNHCR ought to facilitate and be part of.

II. Consultation Phase

This second step is anticipated to take [6 weeks]. The anticipated scope of work could be:

• Appointments with essential stakeholders
• Review of further documentation made out there.
• Weekly Steering Committees with UNCHR to current the newest findings or debrief the newest conferences, refine the preliminary venture framework, and resolve any blocking factors or points.
• On a necessity foundation, current progress and lift blocking factors to the SAFE+2 month-to-month coordination assembly.
• Preparation and submission of the Draft Project Feasibility Assessment Report

III. Data Management and Report Compilation

The guide could be accountable for synthesizing the information collected and making ready the Final Project Feasibility Assessment Report, together with incorporating suggestions from key stakeholders and clearly stating any excellent gaps to be bridged earlier than the venture may be applied. The Final Project Feasibility Assessment Report ought to present a timeline and suggestion for implementing the brand new mannequin construction.

This part ought to take as much as [6 weeks]. The anticipated scope of work could be:

• Data Analysis and Synthesis
• Preparation and submission of a draft Report for last assessment by UNCHR
• Validation workshop
• Incorporation of feedback
• Preparation and Submission of the Final Report
• Report workshop with wider UNCHR viewers and key stakeholders
• Training of technical employees (inner and exterior) on methodology

IV. Cross-cutting duties

In addition to the above, the guide is anticipated to: i. Develop an in depth work plan and timeline for all three phases of the venture, which can be submitted to and agreed upon with UNHCR. This must be finalized throughout the first two weeks of the contract, although it could be adjusted and amended over the venture as wanted with settlement with UNHCR.

ii. Update UNHCR on Project actions and findings on a biweekly foundation.

iii. Update the UNHCR Project Steering Committee to assessment the venture’s findings and supply steerage on the deliberate actions for the following Phase, as relevant. The guide shall put together pre-learn and presentation supplies to the feasibility research venture. In coordination with UNHCR and if wanted, present as much as two [2] briefings to SAFE+2 coordination committee to tell them on progress and last outcomes of the study. Final briefing could also be accomplished as part of the report workshop.

iv. All written communication with UNHCR shall be in English.

CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS, SELECTION CRITERIA

Required/necessary:

• University diploma required – Environmental Science most well-liked

The personnel are anticipated to satisfy the next necessities: A. Proven monitor document of feasibility evaluation and expertise with assessing venture growth referring to carbon credit score-financed reforestation and clear cooking tasks, together with understanding relevant authorized and regulatory issues, ideally in creating nations and in useful resource-poor, useful resource-constrained, or humanitarian settings.

B. Experience in displacement, battle, and fragile settings, together with expertise in environmental administration, conservation, and restoration, is extremely fascinating.

C. Can collate and analyse major and secondary knowledge related to the feasibility evaluation, draw conclusions, and make suggestions accordingly.

D. Expertise within the geographies into account, together with language abilities essential to conduct major and secondary analysis.

E. Capacity to evaluate partnerships with organizations within the nation and area of the research.

F. Expertise in venture administration.

G. Travel can be required to nation, if agreed with UNHCR

The chosen guide can subcontract people to help them with the project. The high quality of work would be the sole duty of the guide contracted by UNHCR. The guide ought to present UNHCR with the CVs of personnel assigned to work with them. UNHCR will settle for/reject any proposed subcontractor.

The preferrred candidate should have expertise designing carbon-finance clear cooking tasks in Bangladesh, together with LPG as the first gasoline supply.

Desirable: Experience with different gasoline varieties, akin to biomass or photo voltaic, can be regarded upon favorably however is just not a requirement.

Travel: Travel can be required for the chosen nation feasibility study staff. The chosen guide should have related language capabilities and organize translation providers as wanted. The guide(s) will make all journey preparations, which UNHCR can facilitate if required. Team members who’re offering again-up assist could not have to journey.

Content of the Technical Offer: An outline of your skilled background with proof of your and your personnel’s capability to carry out the providers required, together with:

• CVs of personnel/subcontractors to be concerned within the feasibility study
• Description of the personnel/subcontractor experience in these providers, together with geographic protection, technical talents, and language talents
• Number of, expertise in, and relevance and high quality of, comparable tasks accomplished and ongoing. Descriptions of as much as 5 examples of related earlier tasks, summarized in 1 web page every or much less.
• Proven monitor document of analysis, coverage, and feasibility growth referring to carbon credit score-financed reforestation and clear cooking
• Understanding the central coverage and financing approaches in the direction of carbon credit score-financed reforestation and clear cooking tasks.

Minimum years of work expertise (NOTE: candidates with much less years of expertise can’t be quick-listed or really helpful): 10 years

Language: English

Standard Job Description: Required Languages: ,

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Desired Languages: ,

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Additional Qualifications: Skills

Education

Certifications

Work Experience

Other data: This place would not require a practical clearance

Home-Based: No