Cambodia: Policy Alignment for Green Growth- Monitoring & Evaluation

Introduction

Based in Seoul, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is an intergovernmental organization founded to support and promote a model of economic growth known as "green growth", which targets key aspects of economic performance such a poverty reduction, job creation, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. GGGI works with countries around the world, building their capacity and working collaboratively on green growth policies that can impact the lives of millions. The organization partners with countries, multilateral institutions, government bodies, and private sector to help build economies that grow strongly and are more efficient and sustainable in the use of natural resources, less carbon intensive, and more resilient to climate change.

More information about GGGI work and programs is available at: www.gggi.org.

Program Objectives

The Royal Government of Cambodia is engaging GGGI for technical assistance in green growth policy priority setting and investment planning. GGGI has initiated delivery of ‘Policy Alignment for Green Growth (PAGG)’ program aimed at integrating sector-specific green growth priorities into the next phase of the Rectangular Strategy and the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) 2019-2023 through planning and budgeting/investment perspectives.This will be supported by the delivery of 4 key outputs over 2017-2018.

1. Assessment of the green growth potential of Cambodia developed.
2. Recommended policy priorities for the successor documents to the ‘Rectangular Strategy 2014-18’ and ‘National Strategic Development Plan 2014-18’ which support Cambodia’s domestic green growth agenda whilst also meeting its international commitments developed.
3. Monitoring arrangements to track recommended policy priorities developed.
4. Investment plan on how these recommended policy priorities could be financed, developed.

The program is implemented by GGGI in partnership with the National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD) through its General Secretariat for Sustainable Development (GSSD), the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and Ministry of Planning (MoP). The Program Working Group is officially established with representatives from the NCSD, MEF, MoP and GGGI, and Supreme National Economic Council (SNEC).

With the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, Cambodia is now faced with its localization – a complex and resource-intensive challenge in measuring, coordinating and reporting against the inter-connected global goals. Particular importance will be placed on establishing appropriate baselines, targets and indicators for the SDGs in the Cambodian context.

The process will culminate in a set of Cambodian Sustainable Development Goals (C-SDGs), targets and fit-for-purpose indicators, that will be considered for NSDP integration. The NCSD is responsible for, to varying extents, many targets and indicators that are cross-cutting; thereby, requiring strong collaboration from and consensus among line-Ministries.

To this end, the program will provide targeted M&E assistance in relation to Goals 9 (Infrastructure and Industrialization) and 12 (Sustainable Consumption and Production) aimed at:

• Strengthening a set of proposed C-SDG indicator framework from a green growth perspective that is sensitive to national circumstances;
• Improving inter- and intra-ministerial capacity required for a. smooth integration in NSDP and Public Investment Program, including relevant line-Ministries sector plans and program budgets; and b. effective monitoring and reporting.

The program is in the delivery phase of Output 1 (national-level diagnosis on priority areas for green growth) and Output 2 (deep dive into the industrial sector). The current Terms of Reference refer to the implementation of Output 3.

Objectives of the Assignment

The objective of the assignment is to provide overall technical M&E expertise for policies relevant to greening of the industrial sector, specifically, on the localization of SDG Goal 9 and Goal 12 (to 2030), including the development of shorter- and medium-term indicators on the same topics for the NSDP/sector plans. The indicative scope of issues to be addressed, but not limited to, include:

• Develop a Monitoring Plan including refining and assessing the validity of the indicators and information that contribute to that plan.  The Monitoring Plan should:
  • Refine the indicator framework at the national level – for the preparation of the NSDP and sector planning documents – proposed by key line-Ministries and inter-ministerial agencies – in order to track progress on the implementation of the recommended green growth interventions of the program, with a focus on industry.[1]  
  • Develop for C-SDG 9 and 12, as well as the shorter-&-medium term indicator framework described above, the technical definition, methodology, baseline, targets, sources of data, responsibilities (among different line-Ministries) for data collection and reporting, and consolidation (for indicators at the outcome-level) through targeted multi-stakeholder consultations with relevant government and development partners.[2]
  • Ensure contextual relevance to Cambodia and align to international best practices to the extent possible.
• Design a Capacity Development Plan (aligned with the Monitoring Plan) to strengthen institutional capacity of NCSD and relevant line-Ministries to refine, coordinate and report against cross-cutting issues (green growth) indicators.
  • Design activities for knowledge building and/or sharing on monitoring and evaluation
  • Inform the future development of national M&E policy and guidelines.

Timeframe and Deliverables 

The expected deliverables and corresponding timelines for this assignment are elaborated below. The timelines are indicative and will be finalized in consultation with the GGGI-Cambodia team and government stakeholders. ­­

Available information on the C-SDGs will be provided upon successful recruitment. The Consultant is expected to be resourceful in collecting, triangulating and analyzing specific M&E information in relation to line-Ministries to provide high quality technical inputs to achieve the objectives and responsibilities listed above.

The assignment will be supervised by GGGI-Cambodia (Senior Program Officer). The Consultant will be based in the office of the GGGI in Phnom Penh, within the Ministry of Environment. Upon GGGI request, the Consultant may be required to travel on official business to locations as required to achieve the objectives of the assignment. Such travel shall be at the expense of GGGI in accordance with GGGI’s travel policy and guidelines.

Reporting Requirements/Responsibilities:

The Consultant shall work in close cooperation with the GGGI-Cambodia Country Team and relevant officials undertaking Planning and/or M&E work in relevant ministries and departments.

Travel costs incurred for required stakeholder consultations will be reimbursed by GGGI, in accordance with GGGI travel rules and guidance.  The Consultant shall cover his/her own accommodation expenses.

All reports must be in English, in accordance with GGGI’s formatting requirements, and submitted in hard copy and digital formats along with complete sets of raw data, research materials, and interview notes.

Relevant technical expertise in:

• M&E of green growth/industrial policy and/or organization performance of in the international development sector, particularly with governments and multilateral organizations in developing and emerging economies; specific experience in sustainable industrialization will be a strong asset;
• Policy development and institutional strengthening related to green growth and environmental sustainability in developing and emerging economies, including some or all of the following areas:

-          Sustainable Industry (highly desirable)

-          Sustainable Energy;

-          Sustainable Consumption and Production;

• Frameworks and approaches used by governments and development organizations to plan, monitor and report on results at the strategic level (e.g. MDGs/SDGs) and program/project level (e.g. logical frameworks).

Required skills and competencies:

• Master’s degree in the development field, environmental studies, social science or other areas relevant to this assignment.
• At least 5 years of experience in the relevant technical areas (as highlighted above).
• Comprehensive understanding of the application of green growth/green economy concepts in various sectors in developing countries and an understanding of policy and regulatory aspects.
• Experience in M&E of policy or program performance pertaining to green growth and environmental sustainability, preferably in Cambodia and/or the Southeast Asia region.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including government officials and representatives of multilateral and bilateral organizations.
• Excellent communication, analytical and writing skills in English.