CLIMATE CHANGE AND A GREENER FUTURE

Climate Change and a Greener Future

Terms of Reference – Research

Organisation

Plan International is an independent child rights and humanitarian organization committed to ensuring children live a life free of poverty, violence, and injustice. We actively unite children, communities and other people who share our mission to make positive lasting changes in children’s and young people’s lives. We support children in gaining the skills, knowledge, and confidence they need to claim their rights to a fulfilling life, today and in the future. We place a specific focus on girls and women, who are most often left behind. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years and are now active in more than 70 countries. Plan International Jordan was established in 2016 and has programmes throughout the country on education, youth empowerment, and protection (CP, GBV, SRHR) in (Amman, Karak, Jarash, and Azraq camp). Plan’s Global Gender Equality and Inclusion policy states that the core objectives of Plan International’s work are to achieve gender equality, promoting gender justice, realizing girls’ rights and fostering an inclusive society. This commitment is reflected in our Global Strategy “100 million reasons”, our Values and Behaviours Framework, and our Theory of Change.

We aim to:

• Confront and challenge discrimination and human rights violations based on gender. This includes gender-based violence and other forms of exclusion.
• Challenge stereotypes and unequal power relations between women, men, boys, and girls to promote gender equality, girls’ rights, and inclusion.
• Foster an organisational culture that embraces and exemplifies our commitment to gender equality, girls’ rights and inclusion, while supporting staff to adopt good practices, positive attitudes and the principles of gender equality and inclusion.

Plan International believes all children and young people should enjoy full and equal access to their rights, and this should not be hindered by the threat of climate change. Climate change is the greatest global, intergenerational, gender and social injustice of our time. It impacts the rights of the most marginalised the most severely and magnifies gender inequalities, especially for girls. Upholding girls’ and women’s rights and strengthening their meaningful participation in climate decisions and action must therefore be a priority. Climate change and environmental degradation pose significant challenges to economic growth and employment today, and risks will be greater in the medium-to long-term.

Overview

Jordan is an upper-middle-income country, with a population of 11 million. It is considered as resource-poor, food-deficit country with limited agricultural land and insufficient energy and water resources. One of the most water scarce countries in the world, Jordan is facing severe climate change risks: climate change has exacerbated water scarcity in the country, impacting both rural and urban household safety and health, livelihoods, and sustainable development. Amidst unprecedented economic and environmental challenges facing our world, green growth is not a choice but the only way forward for Jordan and the rest of the countries around the globe.

Jordan’s social, economic, and environmental resources are further stretched as it hosts 674.150 Syrians and 86.740 refugees of other nationalities, making it the second-largest refugee host per capita worldwide. Most live in urban areas, concentrated in the northern provincial areas of Jordan, adding pressure to the country’s economy, infrastructure, health, and education systems. Covid-19 has exacerbated existing socio-economic challenges, leading to a historically high youth unemployment rate – 50 percent. This is particularly worrying in a country where at least 74 percent of the population in Jordan are below 30 years of age – with 33.7 percent between the ages of 15-30. In contrast, the labour market participation among high-skilled youth is low and gender disparities are persistent.

Women and girls experience the greatest impacts of climate change, which amplifies existing gender inequalities and poses unique threats to their livelihoods, health, and safety. Climate change is a “threat multiplier”, meaning it escalates social, political, and economic tensions in fragile and conflict-affected areas. As climate change drives conflict across the world, women and girls face increased vulnerabilities to all forms of gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, human trafficking, child marriage, and other forms of violence. Looking at climate change through the lens of intersectionality, the way in which various forms of inequality often operate together and exacerbate each other, it is clear that climate change risks are acute for indigenous women and girls, older women, women and girls with disabilities, migrant women, and those living in rural, remote and conflict areas. Investing in women’s and youth economic empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth. Women make enormous contributions to economies, whether in businesses, on farms, as entrepreneurs or employees, or by doing unpaid care work at home.

Green jobs are decent jobs for women and youth in economic sectors and activities which help reduce negative environmental impacts by: reducing energy and greenhouse gas emissions by using renewable energy; minimising energy, waste and pollution to protect and restore ecosystems; and supporting activities that assist resilience and adaptation to climate change. If properly managed, climate change action can lead to better and decent jobs for women and youth. Adaptation to climate change offer opportunities to create new jobs for women and youth, while securing existing ones and ensuring sustainability. A transition to a greener economy will imply the creation of new jobs in environmentally friendly production processes and outputs, whereas other jobs will be at risk, in particular in those sectors with fewer options for a transition towards a more sustainable ways of production.

The Jordan National Climate Change Policy (2013-2030) (JNCCP), the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) and the Third National Communication Report recognises the importance and the value of integrating a gender perspective in climate change action and as a result it was the first country in the region to integrate a gender equality perspective in its National Climate Change Policy. The policy was originally developed until 2020 but later on extended to 2030. Transformative change relies on translating the gender equality commitments to practical actions that address root causes of inequalities, discrimination, imbalanced distribution of resources, unequal power relations, and marginalization. Promoting gender equality, social justice, inclusion and equal human rights entails a strategic paradigm shift in recognizing the differential circumstances among and between groups of women, men, girls and boys that calls for approaching priorities, designing action, planning implementation and monitoring progress in a more responsive and targeted manner.

Over the past decade, the Government of Jordan has demonstrated its commitment to transition towards a green economy. This is apparent in the increasing number of government initiatives and funds dedicated to renewable energy, water conservation, green homes, ecotourism, waste recycling and clean transportation. The Jordanian Government is content to see that institutions for environmental research and education offer new environmental degrees, courses and school curricula. All this demonstrates its potential towards green growth implementation and raises confidence in the future of green growth for Jordan. As Jordan joins the global community in this collective shift, the Government of Jordan has developed the National Green Growth Plan for Jordan (NGGP) to form a roadmap with key building blocks that places the country on a sustainable, green growth path.

Objective

This study aims to gain a better understanding of climate change and its link to future employment and entrepreneurship opportunities to support a more inclusive and accessible green labour market for vulnerable Jordanian and refugees in Jordan; while also identifying the challenges and barriers that currently exist within Jordan, for youth and in particular young women. In addition, the study has the following objectives:

1. A market survey that identifies opportunities for the young people and women participating in DAPP and Najahna to access green/decent jobs and social and sustainable entrepreneurship within the following sectors i) DAPP related sectors: ICT, Agri-business and the creative industry and ii) Najahna program related sectors: Garment, Food, Chemicals, Plastic)
2. Analyse the legal regulations, institutional capacity and support opportunities pertaining to green and decent employment
3. Assess current knowledge, behaviours, and practices of youth targeted by the two programmes, particularly young women, and identify tools needed to develop behavioural change initiatives and interventions aimed at supporting their transition to green and sustainable employment and entrepreneurship.

Geographical Scope

The assessment will cover the North, Centre and South regions of Jordan.

Methodology

The study should use mixed method approach and benefit from the quantitative and qualitative approaches. Below are the four main principles that the study should be built on:

• Inclusiveness—the methodology should include a wide range of viewpoints, specifically gender and age-sensitivity when applicable.
• Mixed-method approaches—both qualitative and quantitative methods (including feminist methods of research) need to be present in the methodology.
• Rigor of evidence—gathered information needs to be reliable and transparent.
• Ethics—the methodology needs to consider research ethics, and the vulnerability of the target population in order to ensure that the evaluation is fully objective.

The study should include the following tools:

• Desk study review: Review of previous strategies, similar studies, legal context, mappings, existing policies and regulations.
• Key informant interviews: Interviews will be conducted to gather in depth information on key questions. Interviewees should be business owners, government officials, policy makers, etc.
• Focus group discussions: To gather in depth information regarding the key purposes mentioned above.
• A survey should be issued to members of the community in order to collect the abovementioned behaviours and practices. A 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error are required.

The sample size should be adequate and representative of the target groups. The consultant is responsible for data collection, analysis, and report writing.

Deliverables

• Definition of Green Jobs/Decent Jobs based on research and studies.
• Skillset mapping (related to green skills).
• Contextual analysis and policy analysis.
• Community perceptions regarding the green economy and green jobs.
• Service providers mapping (potential partners to tackle such issues).
• Current state analysis to explore the stakeholders, their power and influence in the project and to identify or detail the problem.
• Define and identify the role of SEs to address the climate change crises.

Expected Deliverables with Timeframe and Payment:

• The total amount of the contract shell makes into three payments according to the submission of the deliverables. The proposed budget should include all eligible costs, including VAT, required to undertake the assignment with the following schedule of payments:

Deliverables

• Presentation of the work plan, methodologies, and tools.

Dates (Tentative) : 20th January 2023

Payment: 25 % of the total amount of the contract after the signed contract

• Submission of Draft Report

**Dates (Tentative) :**28th February 2023

Payment: 25 % of the total amount of the contract after submitting the draft report

• Revision for feedback and comments.
• Presentation of results, analysis and recommendations
• Submission of Final Report

**Dates (Tentative) :**15th of March 2023

Payment: 50% of the total amount of the contract after review and approval of the final report to be submitted in narrative form both in hard and soft copy

Duration of Contract (Task);

The contract is expected to start in January 2023 and end on March 2023.

Payment Schedule:

• Payments will be transferred upon approval of the submitted and completed outputs and submission of all reports or tasks of agreed quality as per the contract to be signed by both parties and after Plan International (Programs) agrees to the outputs and deliverables.
• When requesting a financial payment, supporting financial evidence such as an invoice or financial claim must be submitted in addition to a copy of the relevant achievements and deliverables required for each financial payment according to the contract that will be signed between the two parties.
• No payment shall be made except as agreed upon in the contract to be concluded between the two parties.
• Any payment that needs 10 working days to be processed.

Expected outputs:

The consultant is expected to deliver the following outputs:

• Presentation of results, analysis, and recommendations
• A final report incorporating feedback from all spheres, in English, and preferably Arabic, of no more than 50 pages (excluding references and annexes) utilizing the format below:

1. Title Page.
2. Contents page.
3. List of acronyms used.
4. Executive summary – maximum 3 pages, in English and Arabic.
5. Introduction and background.
6. Methodology and Sampling.
7. Findings, analysis, and conclusions.
8. Recommendations.
9. References.
10. Annexes:
    1. 1. All data collection tools (full versions to be attached).
       2. List of persons/CBOs/partners/organizations interviewed.
       3. Terms of reference.
       4. Consent form(s).
       5. Evaluation work plan schedule.
       6. List of key documents reviewed

Qualification and Experience:

The consultant is expected to have:

• A post-graduate or equivalent qualification degree in Development Study, economics, project management, and business, business administration, public administration, international relations, Humanities, or a related field. A Master’s degree is preferred.
• At least 8-10 years of professional experience related to knowledge management, project management, and business administration with work experience.
• Excellent computer literacy skills and a strong inclination to use technology to collaborate in a community, collect feedback, analyse data, and automate data management steps. The user of tools to manage metrics, reports, research, and business analytics.
• Expertise in public policy on entrepreneurship and youth empowerment economics.
• Expertise in partnership management within the context of improving livelihoods for residents and refugees.
• Familiarity with a working environment that encompasses a wide range of organizations and stakeholders.
• Team player and team builder with the ability to problem-solve, show initiative, and influence others.
• Excellent written and communications skills, and strong negotiation skills are a must.
• Flexibility and a positive, ‘can-do’ approach.
• Excellent command of English.

Ownership:

• All documents, project designs, drawings, technical data, and other information produced by the consultant(s) shall remain the property of Plan International Jordan and shall be treated as confidential by the consultant(s) at all times, not be made available to any third party whatsoever, in any form, without the prior written approval of an authorized employee of Plan International Jordan.
• The utilization of all proposals, plans, reports, and other information provided by Plan International Jordan to the consultant(s) remains the property of Plan International Jordan and the use thereof is solely at the discretion of Plan International Jordan. All documents and other papers, whether in soft or hard copy and whether containing data or other information, provided by Plan International Jordan shall be returned to Plan International Jordan upon completion of the assignment.

Ethical and child protection considerations:

• The assignment will require the consultant to interface with children and therefore the consultant is required to provide a statement on the respect and protection of child rights, human rights and dignity of participants compliant with Plan’s Child Protection Policy.
• The consultant shall read and sign Plan’s child protection policy (CPP) as fully understood and in contract in all respects and shall follow this in all and every respect during the term of the consultancy.
• The consultant must follow Ethical Principles in research and obtain written/verbal consent from the subjects. Permission from elders should be sought if children under 18 years are involved as subjects. Signed informed consent of each child and his/her parents need to be taken after explaining the purpose of the study.

Proposal Requirements:

The consultant will submit both a technical and a financial proposal (of not more than 10 pages) that include the following:

Technical:

1. Demonstration of the consultants’ understanding of the terms of reference. This will be included as an interpretation of the consultant’s understanding of the requirements of this assignment rather than a summary or re-statement of the Terms of Reference;
2. A detailed methodology on how the assessment will be conducted, including a valid sampling method(s) for data collection, possible respondents and linking these with the tools to be administered to each respondent or category of respondents;
3. Include and elaborate on the tools to be used. Clearly show which respondents or category of respondents will be interviewed and/or which information will be collected using the tool;
4. A clear and detailed work plan (Gantt chart and/or other relevant illustration) with dates and geographical areas specified.

Financial:

1. An itemized and detailed budget, indicating the unit costs for consultancy fees as well as, separately, administrative and support costs such as travel, accommodation, and office support such as stationery. Please note that Plan will not provide transport, meals, and accommodation to the consultant or research assistants during the study. These costs will be met on a reimbursement basis and the consultant is expected to indicate the associated costs in the financial proposal.
2. All costs must be expressed in JOD.
3. Proposed terms and schedule of payment: Plan will make payments as follows;

• Start-up and Planning: 25%
• Acceptable Draft: 25%
• Accepted completion of the assignment: 50%

References and contact information:

1. Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of representatives of two organizations that will act as professional referees; these must be persons of managerial responsibility at the level where such reviews as these can be authorized.
2. Full names, post office box, telephone numbers, e-mail address, physical address and contact person of the consultancy.
3. Copy of registration or another certificate, VAT, and PIN.

How to apply

• Interested consultants should submit their expression of interest including the aforementioned requirements through email to: [email protected] with the application subject line heading “Climate change and Greener Future ToR ”. Failing to fill in the title in the subject bar will disqualify the applicant automatically. The deadline for receiving the application is no later than 31 December 2022.
• The application submitted contains an expression of interest state profile of the consultant, explaining why they are the most suitable for the work, relevant experience, and updated CV’s.
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. The interview process for shortlisted candidates will take place ASAP.

Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply. Plan International operates an equal opportunities policy and actively encourages diversity, welcoming applications from all areas of the international community.

Please note that only applications and CVs written in English will be accepted.

A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with Plan International’s Child Safeguarding Policy.