Formulation of National Drought Contingency Plan, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Water Safety Planning

The consultancy shall develop:

• A national drought contingency plan

• A national water safety plan

• Standard operating procedures for drought response

• A community level water safety plan framework and implementation guide

• Training workshop/s for the arrangements and procedures

• Recommendations for future activities including technology investments.

The development of these products shall take into cognisance and align with

• National Strategic Plan

• **Vision 2020

• National Water and Sanitation Policy

• RMI National Disaster Risk Management Arrangements

• Rapid Water Governance assessment summary (part of 2016 Feasibility Study)

• Majuro Water Safety Plan 2009

• RMI National Drought Plan 2018 – draft

• ACWA Project Documentation

• UNDP Water Governance Guidelines

• WHO Water Safety Plan guidelines, and any other available resources and literature.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The consultancy will be for a total of 61 Working days over a 6-month period with the indicative duration and timeline of the deliverables (assuming a 1 st March start date) is:

Deliverable and output Duration in days Due Date (2022)

Work plan and methodology 5 5 March

National Drought Contingency Plan 20 15 May

National Water Safety Plan 7 15 April

SOP for Drought Response 15 1 July

Community Water Safety Plan Framework 5 15 June

Training Workshop/s – National Response 3(2+1) 15 July

• Community Level 3(2+1) 22 July

Report/Recommendations for the Future 3 15 August

Approval of all consultancy products will encompass endorsement by the Working Group while the approving authority will be the UNDP.

The key principles to be applied when developing to above outputs should include:

• Proactive drought preparedness and response thus limiting reactive/recovery interventions

• Practical and implementable solutions suitable for the RMI context

• Standard operating procedures to focus on warning/preparation phase but allowing for emergency response and recovery when necessary.

• Critical information needs and flows to be integrated into management systems

• Plans and procedures to be concise and convenient to implement

• Focus on major executive actions and systems

• Enhancement women and youth’s leadership

Institutional Arrangements

Under the supervision of the Project Manager, the consultant will work closely with the Chief Technical Advisor, the Water Governance Coordination Specialist and the key members of the Working Group. The Chief Technical Advisor will be the point of contact for day-to-day interaction and progress reporting.

The national Working Group will provide technical guidance for the project whilst the ACWA Project Manager will execute managerial control.

The UNDP will provide communication links and meeting venues/arrangements as necessary to facilitate the consultants engagements with the RMI stakeholders. The consultant shall provide all necessary office facilities to carry out the assignment as defined.

Duration of the Work

• The assignment duration is for 61 working days over a period of 6 months during which the outputs and deliverables as defined herein need to be completed.

• The start date is planned to be 14 February 2022 but will be confirmed upon signing of the contract and the consultant’s availability.

• The expected completion date is 15 August 2022 – a 6-month period.

• The consultant is required to submit implementation plan with tentative dates as part of their Technical Proposal.

Duty Station

Ideally it would be specified that the performance of this work be done through a mixture of Majuro-based and home office attendance, as there is no need for full-time presence in the Majuro UNDP 8 office but rather regular engagement with the ACWA team, steering committee and stakeholder group over the contract period.

Due to the difficulty in obtaining permission to travel to RMI in the foreseeable future this contract may also be executed remotely with regular electronic engagement with the Majuro-based management and stakeholders. Reporting will also be by means of regular meetings with the ACWA PMU members supplemented by a short monthly written report to the UNDP indicating progress and barriers to implementation.

COMPETENCIES

• Technical skills in water governance, institutional development, water management, drought preparedness planning, water safety planning, collaborative management;

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills;

• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities skills;

• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;

• Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work;

• Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;

• Comprehensive knowledge of institutional structuring and development of procedural arrangements;

• Proficiency in the use of office IT applications and internet in conducting research and communication;

• Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills;

• Excellent presentation, facilitation and training skills.

• Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards;

• Positive, constructive attitude to work;

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

REQUIRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

Educational Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in Development, Social Science or Management or any other relevant field.

Experience

• At least 7 years relevant work experience in institutional, governance, organisational, management, disaster preparedness arrangements.

• Preferably international practice in applying the UNDP Water Governance Frameworks and the World Health Organization Water Safety Plans.

• Practical experience of the development and implementation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in a collaborative context.

• Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) experience is necessary.

• Local knowledge of the Republic of Marshall Islands institutional arrangements is desirable.

Language requirements

• Fluency in spoken and written English language is required;

• Knowledge of Marshallese would be an asset