International Consultant


Consultant Type: Individual Consultant
Work location: Home based with travel to training venue in Vientiane, Lao PDR
Division: Environmental Management (ED) Division
Duration/Contract type: 53 days (August 2017 to August 2018)/Special Service Agreement

2. Background

The Mekong River Commission (MRC) is an intergovernmental organization that works for sustainable development of water resources in the lower Mekong Basin. It was established by 1995 agreement between four riparian countries of Cambodia, Lao PDR, Thailand and Vietnam. Within a legal framework, the MRC provides a platform for water diplomacy and regional cooperation where the member states share the benefits of common water resources, despite different national interests, and address transboundary pressures in the basin. It also serves as a knowledge and technical expertise in climate change, environment, fisheries, flood management, hydropower, and navigation to support basin-wide development.

More than 60 million people live in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB), with projections of population increase putting this number closer to 100 million 10 years from now. The fisheries in the LMB are equally important as a source of livelihood, income and employment for most people living in the region. For example, in Cambodia and the Mekong Delta of Viet Nam alone almost seven million people derive their livelihoods from capture and culture fisheries; in Cambodia, some 30 percent of the population are estimated to be employed/self-employed in the sector. However, professional (full time) fishing is the exception rather than the rule. The bulk of economic and socio-economic benefits are realized by small and medium scale producers practicing a diversified farming system in which water use is the essential element and determinant of economic reproduction.

All of MRC’s MCs have formulated strategies for fisheries management and development as part of their national development policy frameworks. To some extent these national strategies, policies and plans include regional fisheries management issues that would require alignment with a holistic basin-wide fisheries management and development strategy. The MRC MCs have acknowledged this situation by including the development of a comprehensive basin-wide framework for fisheries management and development as a priority in the MRC Fisheries Programme’s implementation plan 2011-2015.

In compliance with Article 25 of the 1995 Agreement, and to further the protection and sustainable management of Mekong fisheries, a Technical Advisory Body for Fisheries Management (TAB) was established with the help of the MRC in 2000. The TAB is considered a uniquely suitable platform to consult, develop, and implement the regional fisheries management and development strategy and plan. concerned government agencies and user groups”. The Basin-wide Fisheries Management and Development Strategies (BFMS) 2018-2022 was developed in close collaboration and consultation with and through the TAB.

The BFMS 2018-2022 is a regional strategy with focus on capture fisheries. It has its base, however, in the national strategies of the MCs. Priority areas for the BFMS 2018-2022 defined by the TAB were used, i.e. (i) impact and mitigation of hydropower and irrigation dams, (ii) transboundary movement of aquatic organisms, (iii) transboundary fisheries management including co-management at multiple levels, (iv) common technical interests among Member Countries such as stock enhancement and aquaculture of indigenous species, and (v) cross-cutting issues such as gender, climate change and capacity building. The BFMS 2018-2022 is thus a policy and a strategy as well as a cooperation framework; regarding its policy the BFMS 2018-2022 focus is on sustainable use and conservation of fish resources, stakeholder participation, gender equity in fisheries management and development, and property rights in fisheries.

The BFMS 2018-2022 is endorsed by MRC Council in August, 2017. To regionally promote the strategy for the regional fisheries management, an implementation of the BFMS 2018-2022 is planned by formulating Project based Action Plan and integrating through MC’ national indicative plan for fund raising. Throughout implementation of the BFMS 2018-2022 the TAB will provide oversight and guidance regarding how agreed basin-wide strategic priorities are addressed and integrated into national planning and implementation.

 -  Rationale for the consultancy

Building on the experience gained during formulation and the consultative process which resulted in the BFMS, an international consultant (IC) will be recruited to provide technical support to developa Project based Action Plan (PBAP). The PBAP will facilitate implementing the strategic priorities and priority actionof the BFMS 2018-2022 . H/she will draft and redraft the PBAP and facilitate the consultation process involving the TAB and the MRC MCs. The final PBAP, adopted by MRC and MCs, will  strengthen capture fisheries and aquaculture managementanddevelopment following the BFMS which clusters key strategic priorities and related priority actions under (i) monitoring of key indicators,  (ii) management related priorities, and (iii) priorities related to water development. Besides, the IC, who has board and in-depth experiences in fisheries, can help to advise developing guidelines related to responsible fisheries and transboundary fisheries management in the Lower Mekong Basin.

3. Objective of the Consultancy: 

The objective of the consultancy is to assist the TAB and the MRC Environmental Management Division (ED) team in formulating the PBAP enabling MRC and MCs to implement the BFMS 2018-2022.

4. Responsibilities and tasks: 
  • Review the BFMS 2018-2022, National Indicative Plans (NIPs), MRC indicator framework and other relevant documents for consideration in the PBAP .
  • Draft/redraft the PBAP following a logframe/project cycle management approach and methodology to ensure achieving the objectives of the BFMS 2018-2022.
  • Assist TAB and the ED to formulate Objectively Verifiable Indicators (OVI) of for monitoring and evaluation of the PBAP to be incorporated into the MRC M&E system of Strategic Plan 2016-2020.
  • Provide advice and guidance to ED Team, MCs and TAB to conduct monitoring and evaluation of the PBAP.
  • Align the PBAP with strategies and policies of the four Member Countries and the TAB.
  • Provide advice and technical inputs to national and TAB consultations.
  • Be responsible for organizing her/his own working time efficiently and effectively as requested by ED Team, TAB and NMCs.

 

The Terms of Reference and other information can be obtained at MRC website http://www.mrcmekong.org/working-with-mrc/employment/. Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply.  Only short-listed candidates will be notified.

Application procedures:

The application should include (i) a cover letter outlining clearly how the candidate meets the requirements of the position, (ii) a detailed CV, (iii) MRC Personal History Form and (IV) expected rate. The position title/Division must be indicated in the cover letter.

The application should be sent to:

Mekong River Commission 
Office of the Secretariat in Vientiane (OSV)
P.O. Box 6101, 184 Fa Ngoum Road
Vientiane 01000, Lao PDR
Email: mrcs@mrcmekong.org

Closing date for applications: 24 July 2017

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