About water topics \u2013 background and context:<\/b><\/p>\n
The Mediterranean basin is one of the global water stress hotspots and faces mounting pressure from climate change and growing demand. Surrounded by 21 countries with over 500 million people, this climate change hotspot faces unprecedented water challenges that demand immediate and coordinated actions. Since the pre-industrial period (1850), atmospheric surface temperatures have risen by 1.45\u00b0C on average, while renewable water resources are projected to decrease by 15-35% by century\u2019s end (2080-2099). The unbalanced reality is significant: northern Mediterranean countries possess 67-74% of regional water resources, while southern nations like Egypt struggle with as little as 589 m\u00b3 per capita annually, well below the water scarcity threshold (1000 m\u00b3\/an\/capita).<\/span> Within the current Mediterranean context, the water paradox is increasingly exacerbated (a depleted and degraded natural resource facing exponential water demand), every drop counts. In this increasingly arid landscape, water holds a special place at Plan Bleu and is at the heart of its activities.<\/span><\/p>\n Right after its creation, Plan Bleu was mandated to provide a Mediterranean foresight exercise on water resource evolution. Plan Bleu’s vision on water issues aims to be holistic and aligned with the Barcelona Convention, the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development, and the Sustainable Development Goals. Water functions as a cornerstone linking economic, environmental, social, and governance issues. Thus, through these different thematic pillars, Plan Bleu advances on these central questions in a Mediterranean basin increasingly impacted by extreme climate events marked by strong seasonality (torrential rains, floods, repeated drought periods, etc.). To this end, Plan Bleu provides various studies covering: sectoral aspects, water risk analyses, prospective studies on water resources, digital tools to monitor the quantitative and qualitative state of the resource through its observatory, as well as socio-economic analyses. In 2025, Plan Bleu has focused on non-conventional water resources, particularly desalination, an adaptation solution addressing water shortages but still controversial, notably regarding its socio-economic and environmental impacts. A scoping study on the Mediterranean water cycle has been realized. This umbrella study provides a systemic vision of the Mediterranean water challenges and potential adaptation solutions to advance on. With this desk study work, Plan Bleu settled its ambitions for advancing and promoting\u00a0 sustainable water management for the upcoming years.<\/span><\/p>\n Rationale<\/b><\/p>\n Mediterranean countries have demonstrated their commitment to water sustainability through various regional initiatives such as the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development 2016-2025, and national SDG implementation plans. However there is still a place for improvement notably to reach a regional progress toward\u00a0 SDG6 achievements. Indeed, there are still disparities between the northern and southern shores, also between rural and urban areas. Therefore, Plan Bleu aims at providing an holistic and in-depth analysis of how SDG6 is concretely implemented in the basin. In view of the <\/span>6th Mediterranean Water Forum, to be held in Rome from 29 September to 2 October 2026<\/b>, Plan Bleu is exploring and analyzing this topic.<\/span><\/p>\n Why is this SDG6 analysis needed in the Mediterranean basin ?<\/span><\/p>\n The expert team in charge of this consultation will deliver a technical and comprehensive report on the current state of SDG6 in the Mediterranean basin, examining progress, challenges and opportunities for achieving sustainable water and sanitation by 2030.<\/span><\/p>\n 6 specific objectives<\/b> are expected to be reached within this consultation period:<\/span><\/p>\n The analysis will cover all 21 Mediterranean countries: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, and <\/span>T\u00fcrkiye<\/b> If useful, country clusters (such as sub-regional clusters could be developed).<\/span><\/p>\n Applicants may propose alternative or innovative approaches to their methodology and to the consultation process (e.g. survey\/questionnaire, tables, other tools) to collect expert inputs, should they consider this to add value. A list of initial organizations to engage with would be appreciated which will be refined with Plan Bleu\u2019s contacts.<\/span><\/p>\n The consultant could will undertake the following tasks<\/span><\/p>\n Task 1: Comprehensive data collection and analysis through certified and updated database<\/b><\/p>\n Task 2: Examination of SDG6 interlinkages and top-down relationship with regional and national frameworks<\/b><\/p>\n Task 3: Assessment of progress and trends based on the two previous tasks\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Task 4: Analysis of enabling factors<\/b><\/p>\n Task 5: Case studies and good practices<\/b><\/p>\n Task 6: Mediterranean roadmap for achieving SDG6 targets\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n The timeline with the expected deliverables is detailed below with a start of the working activities plan for early April 2026 with an approximate total workload of <\/span>40 working days spread over 5 months.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n Data compilation:<\/b> All datasets, references, and supporting materials in organized digital format.<\/span><\/p>\n All deliverables mentioned in the table above have to be sent to Plan Bleu in English. The deliverables have to be formally approved by Plan Bleu. No payments will be made without prior approval of the linked deliverables.<\/span><\/p>\n The Consultant will be supervised by Mr. Samson Belli\u00e8res (Water Project Manager and GIS expert) and Ms. Insa Behrens (Project Manager on Water and Climate Change Adaptation).<\/span><\/p>\n The available budget for this consultancy is maximum 17\u00a0500 euros VAT included and proposals should not exceed this amount.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Plan Bleu is seeking an experienced team of experts with at least one from the northern Mediterranean shore and one from the southern shore, with technical and scientific expertise on water related topics and a significant background in data analysis. The expert team is expected to have a good knowledge of the state of Mediterranean water resources, its challenges,related initiatives and institutional frameworks.<\/span><\/p>\n The Call is open to all experts and researchers working on relevant topics in Mediterranean countries that are Contracting Parties to the Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP\/MAP). This includes: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, T\u00fcrkiye. We particularly welcome contributions from water and environmental scientists, policy and data analysts, and practitioners with experience in water utilities. If pre-selected, candidates must demonstrate their legal capacity to sign contracts and issue invoices according to the legislation of their country. Researchers from the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, including women and PhD graduates, are encouraged to participate.<\/span><\/p>\n Selected candidates will demonstrate the following competences and criteria:<\/span><\/p>\n All deliverables must be formally approved by Plan Bleu before proceeding to the next phase. Payment is conditional upon approval of corresponding deliverables. In case of non-compliance, the consultant has 5 working days to submit a revised version at no additional cost.<\/span><\/p>\n The acceptance of the selected offer implies acceptance of the terms and detailed schedules outlined in these Terms of Reference, including the following payment schedule (negotiable) :<\/span><\/p>\n A properly issued invoice will be required for the scheduled payments, containing the following mandatory details:<\/span><\/p>\n For foreign consultants: a sworn statement indicating that they are up to date with their tax and social security contributions in their country (and ideally, where possible depending on the country, a document from the organisations to which they contribute proving that they are up to date).<\/span><\/p>\n For experts\/consultants based in France:<\/b><\/p>\n a document certifying their registration with the Registre du Commerce et des Soci\u00e9t\u00e9s (Commercial and Companies Register), or their professional ID card proving registration with the R\u00e9pertoire des M\u00e9tiers (Trades Register), or their certificate of registration with URSSAF.<\/span><\/p>\n In addition, a certificate of compliance (\u201cattestation de vigilance\u201d) from the Social Security for the Self-Employed (S\u00e9curit\u00e9 sociale des ind\u00e9pendants), if they are not affiliated with the general Social Security scheme.<\/span><\/p>\n For experts based outside France,<\/b> they will be required to provide a sworn statement certifying that they are up to date with their tax and social security obligations in their country of residence.<\/span><\/p>\n Clause 1 – Controlled use of artificial intelligence<\/b><\/p>\n The service provider is authorized to use generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools, provided that their use is strictly limited to support functions: assistance with structuring, brainstorming, document exploration, or editorial optimization. The use of AI may under no circumstances replace the analytical work, source verification, or expert writing expected within the scope of the\u00a0 assignment. Artificial intelligence must under no circumstances replace human expertise or rigorous scientific methods. In particular, it may not be used to produce numerical estimates or to generate modeling results (economic, econometric, mathematical, or other), which must be\u00a0 based on validated, documented approaches implemented by the service provider. Any reference to a study, article, numerical data, or academic source must be rigorously traceable and verifiable through precise references (title, author, publication, date, or link).<\/span><\/p>\n Clause 2 – Responsibility for content and transparency<\/b><\/p>\n The service provider remains fully responsible for the quality, accuracy, reliability, and consistency of the deliverable, including in the case of partial use of artificial intelligence tools. All information, data, or quotations appearing in the final deliverable must have been verified by the Consultant, regardless of the method of production. In the event of a clear breach (fictitious sources, fabricated quotations, inconsistent data), Plan Bleu reserves the right to request a revision at no additional cost, or even to terminate the contract and cancel all or part of the payment in the event of failure to meet deadlines. The Consultant is obligated to explicitly declare any use of AI tools in the preparation of deliverables. The Consultant must transparently indicate the parts of the work that were carried out with the assistance of an AI tool and may be asked to provide the methodology or queries (prompts) used.<\/span><\/p>\n Clause 3 – Quality responsibility<\/b><\/p>\n The Consultant remains solely responsible for the accuracy, originality, verification, and professional quality of deliverables, including those produced or assisted by AI. The use of AI tools cannot, under any circumstances, justify factual errors, plagiarism, bias, or breaches of confidentiality.<\/span><\/p>\n Clause 4 – Non-compliance and consequences<\/b><\/p>\n In the event of non-compliance with this clause, the client may request the Consultant to:<\/span><\/p>\n Interested candidates are invited to submit the following documents :<\/span><\/p>\n The application files must be submitted no later than <\/span>25 March 2026<\/b> to Samson Belli\u00e8res, Water Projects Manager at Plan Bleu, <\/span>sbellieres@planbleu.org<\/span><\/a> and Insa Behrens, Project Manager in Water Management and Climate Change Adaptation, <\/span>ibehrens@planbleu.org<\/span><\/a>, with the subject line: <\/span>Plan Bleu Consultancy – SDG6<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-31359","offre-emploi-liste","type-offre-emploi-liste","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
Tasks description<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Timeline and deliverables<\/b><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nWork assessment<\/b><\/h3>\n
Budget<\/b><\/h3>\n
Selection of the consultant<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Contractual and financial terms<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Use of Artificial Intelligence<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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How to apply<\/b><\/h3>\n
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