1 Context and objectives
The Mediterranean Sea Programme: Enhancing Environmental Security (MedProgramme) is a $43 million USD assortment of eight “Child Projects” funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), comprising more than 100 coordinated actions at the regional and national levels over the 2020-2025 period. It aims to kick start the implementation of priority actions to reduce the major transboundary environmental stresses affecting the Mediterranean Sea and its coastal areas, while strengthening climate resilience and water security and improving the health and livelihoods of coastal populations. This consultancy concerns the MedProgramme SCCF (Special Climate Change Fund) Project “Enhancing regional climate change adaptation in the Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Areas”, executed by Plan Bleu/RAC, PAP/RAC and GWP-Med. This project aims to support people and institutions in their climate change adaptation processes and to facilitate access to climate financing, while catalysing the capacity of coastal managers and decision-makers to foster regional impacts among SCCF’s partner countries. The six beneficiary countries of the SCCF Project are Albania, Algeria, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco and Tunisia.
2 SCCF Project – Output 1.4 Task Description
- This consultancy is part of SCCF Project Output 1.4: “Sub-regional consultations for International Finance Institutions, banking, insurance, private sectors in low-lying coastal areas on the financing possibilities of the adaptation priorities identified and institutional support needed for the enhanced use of coastal climate risk assessments in investment decisions.” Output 1.4 will support the SCCF Project Component 1’s overall goal: to conclude at least 2 partnerships to progress adaptation investments in the coastal zone in the pilot areas and beyond. This consultancy will focus on the SCCF Project’s two pilot areas: the coastal hotspots of the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, Morocco and Kotor Bay, Montenegro, building on project partners’ ongoing activities in these areas in the framework of the MedProgramme CP 2.1 and SCCF projects, and with a view to developing regional recommendations and lessons learned for the other project countries. These include:
- gender-sensitive climate risk assessments of both pilot areas (2022);
- participatory workshops on coastal adaptation solutions for both pilot areas, followed by a baseline study on cost-benefit analysis feasibility of selected adaptation solutions. Phase 2 of this work (application of cost-benefit analyses to the solutions) is currently underway, led by project partner PAP/RAC;
- integrating Nature-based solutions in coastal adaptation efforts and training coastal stakeholders on this topic.
- PAP/RAC’s ongoing work on the role of coastal setback and risks associated with investing in low-lying coastal areas.
- GWP-Med’s ongoing work on Guidelines on preparing a financial plan for climate change adaptation in coastal areas.
3 Overview of Deliverables
The consultant will be responsible for preparing the following deliverables, in close collaboration with the SCCF Project Manager at Plan Bleu, building on the results of prior and ongoing activities of Child Project 2.1 and the SCCF Project. The consultant will be fully briefed on the SCCF project’s status, ongoing activities and publications by the latter upon recruitment, and will receive a list of resources to support her/him throughout the consultancy.
This consultancy will focus on the following two pilot areas of the SCCF Project:
- Pilot area 1: the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, Morocco. The workshop in Morocco is foreseen in March 2024, subject to confirmation by the Moroccan partners.
- Pilot area 2 : Kotor Bay, Montenegro, The workshop in Montenegro is foreseen in April or May 2024, subject to confirmation by the Montenegrin partners. The framing questions below will be further expanded and elaborated on by the consultant and project team during the consultancy inception meeting.
| Deliverable | Deliverable breakdown | Remarks |
| DELIVERABLE 1
●Rapid capacity assessment ●Stocktaking of needs and good practices ●Review of existing training module and tools |
1.1 Two rapid capacity
assessments of the finance and the private sectors in Morocco and Montenegro |
●Core questions:
○ To what extent do these sectors consider climate change-related risks, impacts and vulnerabilities in their investment decisions and risk assessments? ○ Do these sectors incorporate climate risk assessments into their activities? |
| 1.2 Stocktaking of good
practices and capacity-building needs |
●Take stock of existing good practices and capacity-building needs of the finance and the private sectors in the Pilot Areas. | |
| 1.3 Review existing training modules and tools in the participating countries | ●Review existing training modules and tools in the SCCF Project countries (Albania, Algeria, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, Tunisia), as well as the other MedProgramme Child Project 2.1 countries: Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt and Lebanon. | |
| DELIVERABLE 2
●Design training modules for both pilot areas |
2.1 Design one training module per Pilot Area targeting the finance and private (service and production) sectors | ●Languages:
○Pilot area 1: Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, Morocco (training module in French) ○Pilot area 2: Kotor Bay, Montenegro (training module in English)
|
| DELIVERABLE 3
●Identify workshop participants |
3.1 Liaise with
MedProgramme project partners and their networks in target countries 3.2 Participant identification among IFIs, the banking, insurance and private (service and production) sectors |
●Prepare an event concept note and list of participants: workshop in Tangier, Morocco
●Prepare an event concept note and list of participants: workshop in Podgorica, Montenegro. ●Identify participants for both workshops, including in the other SCCF project countries – participants from these countries will also be invited to participate in person or virtually. |
| DELIVERABLE 4
●Support the organisation and facilitation of workshops in Morocco and Montenegro, targeting the finance and private (services and production) sectors in the Mediterranean region. |
4.1 Workshop agendas
4.2 Identification of speakers 4.3 Presentation coordination, compilation and review 4.4 Workshop facilitation and moderation 4.5 Report of the workshop in Tanger-Tétouan-Al Hoceima, including gender disaggregated statistics on participation 4.6 Report of the workshop in Kotor Bay, including gender disaggregated statistics on participation |
●Core questions and themes (to be expanded on with the consultant):
○How can climate risk considerations be integrated into investment planning? ○How to conduct cost-benefits analyses to adapt planned investments to climate change impacts in coastal areas? ○Review of the adaptation interventions identified in both Pilot Areas under activity 1.2 (participatory workshops to identify coastal adaptation solutions in the pilot areas) in light of financing priorities of private sector/or investment priorities. |
- All deliverables will be produced in English or French, depending on the target pilot area. The consultant will use the MedProgramme visual identity or the layout of the reports, which will be provided by Plan Bleu.
- All deliverables are expected to be delivered to Plan Blan in a timely fashion, after having been fully proofread, edited and designed by the consultant to a publishable standard. When relevant, they will comprise a complete and proofread bibliography, and apply a single referencing system throughout all reports. This is a precondition for the consultancy deliverables and payments to be validated by the Project Manager.
- All of the workshop reports will contain the workshop agenda and list of participants, prepared by the consultant.
4 Profile Requirements
- University degree in economics, finance, business or the environmental sciences – Master’s degree or above;
- Fluency in English;
- Fluency in French;
- Previous experience in facilitating participatory workshops preferred.
- Previous experience working in Morocco and/or Montenegro preferred.
- Excellent knowledge of adaptation finance, preferably with a focus on the Mediterranean region;
5 Contractual and Financial Terms
This consultancy will run from the date of the contract signature by both parties to 30 June 2024 Travel and accommodation costs related to this mission will be covered separately by Plan Bleu, and do not need to be included in the consultant’s financial proposal. Funding for these activities is secured through both GEF funding and co-financing from Plan Bleu and other Executing Partners of the MedProgramme SCCF Project.
6 How to apply
This consultation can be carried out by an individual consultant or by a team of consultants. The selection of the proposal will be carried out based on the submission of a technical offer, a financial offer, as well as a cover letter and a CV.
The evaluation will be based on the best bidder principle, with 75% of the score based on technical criteria and 25% on financial criteria. The final selection of the candidate may require an interview that will take place online.
The tax legislation in force on the date of acceptance of the offer will be applied. Acceptance of the offer by the candidate will imply the acceptance of the conditions and schedules detailed in these terms of reference by the candidate. A duly issued invoice will be required for payments made following the reception and validation of the consultancy deliverables by Plan Bleu. The payment terms for the invoice will be by bank transfer, 15 days after the invoice reception date. All invoices and payments will be in USD ($).
Applications must be submitted no later than 15 January 2024 through the Plan Bleu website: www.planbleu.org and by e-mail to: [email protected]. For more information about this consultancy, please contact Michael Karner ([email protected]).
