Regional Consultant for the development of an Implementation Plan for the establishment of the Indian Ocean Institute for Energy and Ocean Sciences

A Working Group for the Indian Ocean Institute for Energy and Ocean Sciences, and an Implementation Plan

Home based with travels

3 months

1. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION In 2025, ECA supported IOC with an evaluation of its regional blue economy action plan 2020-2025, and a reactualisation to 2026-2030 in order to reflect impacts of the recent oil crisis, stalled shipping connectivity, cutbacks on ODAs, amongst others. Aligned with the AU’s Africa Blue Economy Strategy, the IOC Blue Economy Action Plan 2026-2030 chooses to prioritise the sustainable exploitation of its blue economy resources to find import substitution alternatives, making the islands more resilient to outer shocks. One such area of blue economy development that IOC seeks to pursue is marine renewable energy which constitutes Activity 2.4 of the IOC blue economy action plan. An evaluation in 2025 indicates that progress in this area in the region remains very low. Only Seychelles has advanced in floating solar PV plants by Seysun Lagoon, with the capacity of 5,8 MW Mauritius is in talks for an offshore wind energy plant. One of the main challenges in this area is the lack of individual country’s capacity to pursue innovative technologies in this area, requiring a coordinated and structured regional approach. On 29 May 2026, IOC collaborated with the Japanese Embassy to organise a seminar focusing on the energy resilience of the Western Indian Ocean region in the context of reduced oil supplies resulting from the situation in the Middle East. The seminar brought together representatives from IOC Member States working in the fields of energy, the energy transition and ocean management; representatives from the Japanese company MOL, which specialises in new energy production technologies; a representative from the Ocean Energy Institute at Saga University in Japan; and representatives from the company OCEAN Economy AI Lab. This seminar provided an opportunity to present, firstly, (i) proposals for initiatives to promote sustainable and resilient energy systems for the region, as well as (ii) courses of action for the development of the blue economy through technological and scientific partnerships. The seminar clearly highlighted the energy challenges shared by Member States and the need to reduce dependence on fossil fuels through collective action and the pooling of resources, in addition to national measures. It reiterated the need to work together to overcome common challenges, whether in relation to sustainable ocean management or energy security. Achieving these objectives will necessarily rely on effective collaboration between public and private sector stakeholders, to which it is proposed that Japan’s expertise and experience be added. Such collaborations must promote regular regional energy dialogues, public-private investment initiatives by businesses, the expansion of joint research in the field of marine energy, and the development of clean energy models for island states. Following the seminar, IOC drew up two work plans in this direction: I. Resilience to oil supply shocks in the Indian Ocean Commission region through a transitional phase modelled on the regional centralised liquefied natural gas (LNG) hub and distribution model, as a practical and coordinated regional response already demonstrated by Japan II. The establishment of an Indian Ocean Institute for Energy and Ocean Sciences (IO-IOES) The work plan for the IO-IOES has defined phases, tasks, and milestones leading to the Institute’s full operational launch by 2028. It builds on the IOC–ILO Campus des Métiers de la Mer feasibility study of May 2022 and responds to the political momentum created by the 2026 Member State endorsement of IO-IOES. The roadmap recognises the important enabling role of the Government of Japan as an IOC Observer and cooperation partner. Phase 1of the work plan of the IO-IOES refers to the establishment of the governance framework for this institute. It seeks to define the institutional design and partnership, including the setting up of an IOC Working Group which will oversee the formulation of an implementation plan, (governance design, programme scoping, site/infrastructure planning, resource mobilisation strategy). This will culminate into the formalisation of partnerships in the form of MoUs between IOC, Saga University (IOES), host country (Mauritius) and other stakeholders; establishment of interim governance arrangements (e.g., Regional Management Team) to lead next phase. The IOC has requested the support of ECA in the implementation of the Action Plan. This project therefore aims to kickstart the implementation of the Action Plan by focusing on the key enabling interventions which would set the structural foundation for regional development in marine renewable energy sector. Having solid foundation of common marine renewable energy governance and technical capacity in IOC countries will have a direct impact on regional integration, economic diversification, and sustainable industrialization of these countries, given the modest size of their economies and the symbiotic growth that a strategic regional approach could bring. 2. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF CONSULTANCY To support IOC member States in establishing effective blue economy governance systems and policy processes to enable implementation of national and regional blue economy strategies. 3. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES In close consultation with and under the guidance of the project manager in the Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA), the regional consultant will support the International expert to define the implementation plan in a consultative manner. With a view to perform the above duty, the consultant will carry out the following tasks and activities: • Coordinate the nomination of national focal points. Work with the IOC Secretariat to identify a focal point from each Member State, follow up on nominations, and confirm each person's contribution. Keep an up-to-date contact list and a simple schedule for exchanges. Help the IOC establish and run the project working group by preparing meetings, sharing papers, recording decisions, and following up on agreed actions. The IOC Secretariat will issue official requests and invitations through its usual channels. • Support the International Expert’s desk survey of marine renewable energy status and potential in the region. Agree on a practical template for collecting comparable information from the five Member States. Find and organize available policies, studies, resource assessments, research, training initiatives, projects, and relevant regulatory information. Ask the focal points to check the information and help fill gaps. Prepare concise country notes and a regional summary for the International Consultant, making clear what is documented, what is proposed, and what remains unknown. • Bring the relevant stakeholders into the discussion. With the focal points, identify relevant stakeholders, including ministries, research and training institutions, utilities, businesses and partners. Help arrange interviews and working-group discussions. Record what each country sees as its priorities, strengths, needs and concerns, and draw out opportunities for joint research, training, pilot activities and partnerships. Share these findings with the International Consultant for the regional analysis • Support the International Consultant in drafting the Implementation Plan. Turn the information and consultations into clear regional inputs. Help shape options for the institute’s mandate, governance, program, location and facilities, skills needs, partnerships, financing, phases, responsibilities and milestones. Review the draft for accuracy and practicality from a Member State perspective. Flag matters that still need technical evidence or a decision by the IOC and its members. The International Consultant will bring the technical work together in the consolidated draft. • Coordinate Member State feedback and validation. Work with the IOC Secretariat to send the draft plan to the national focal points and working group, explain the questions on which feedback is needed, and agree a realistic response date. Follow up with each Member State and compile comments in a matrix showing how they were addressed. Help the International Consultant resolve questions and revise the draft. Support the regional consultation or validation workshop, prepare its materials and record agreed changes, remaining differences and next steps. Formal endorsement will follow the IOC’s established procedures. • Keep the process on track. Maintain a short record of requests, responses, consultations and pending actions, and alert the IOC and International Consultant early when a delay or information gap could affect the timetable. Provide brief progress updates. At the end of the assignment, hand over the source materials, consultation notes, comments matrix and a concise note on decisions still needed.

A master’s degree in marine sciences, economics, policy studies or a related field. A first degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of a Master’s degree At least 3 years of experience in blue economy A thorough understanding of the Indian Ocean Island States ─ Demonstrated experience in multi-country coordination, stakeholder consultation and preparation of policy or implementation plans in the Indian Ocean or comparable regional setting ─ Ability to review technical and policy material on blue economy, including the priorities on renewable energy, and to synthesize evidence accurately; familiarity with marine renewable energy is an asset. ─ Demonstrated experience working under tight deadlines and delivering high-quality outputs. ─ Strong oral and written communication skills. ─ Ability to work independently, proactively and with little supervision

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in both English and French, is required (oral and written).

Not available.

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.