Consultant on National Forestry Strategy Development

Home Based - May require travel

Organization: FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Location: Home Based - May require travel
Grade: Consultancy - International Consultant - Internationally recruited Contractors Agreement
Occupational Groups:
- Agriculture and Forestry
Closing Date: Closed

IMPORTANT NOTICE\: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on your personal device date

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FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender and nationality

People with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply

All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

The incumbent may be re-assigned to different activities and/or duty stations

depending on the evolving needs of the Organization

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Organizational Setting\:

The restructuring the forestry institution in Azerbaijan is now on political agenda. One of the key step of the restructuring the forestry institution is to review and update the draft National Forestry Program (NFP) (including policy objectives, forestry program content, and the action plan for 2015-2020) which was prepared with the support of FAO in 2013 and submitted to approval of the Azerbaijan Government. The approval of the NFP was delayed for several reasons and some component of the NFP have implemented and achieved or outdated. Accordingly, it was decided to revise the NFP and submit it to the approval of the Azerbaijan Government.

The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan with the support of the UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section and FAO Partnership and Liaison Office in Azerbaijan organized a National Forest Policy Dialogue on 11-12 of July 2018 in Baku city, Azerbaijan to review the draft National Forest Program (NFP) and provide proposals for updating NFP, specifically\: (i) national forest policy objectives, (ii) the NFP content, and (iii) NFP Action Plan for 2015-2020. The workshop also discussed possible options for restructuring national forestry institutions.

It was concluded that “Major challenges and development needs national for Azerbaijan forests and forestry” and the “Forest policy statement” items of the National Forestry Program (NFP) are still valid, there is no need for substantial revision but to update background information and link the program with latest development at national and international policy process, such as Agenda 2030, UN Strategic Plan on Forests (UNSPF), Strategic Roadmap on National Economy 2030. Action Plan (2015 – 2020) of the NFP should be revised substantially to simplify it, further priorities activities, align it with national strategic documents, and possible include estimated budget and budget sources for each action item.

Regarding the restructuring the forestry institutions in Azerbaijan, workshop participants were informed about on-going reform process at both Headquarters and field levels. One of the key recommendation of the workshop is to convert the forestry department to “Forestry Agency with a Public Legal Entity and with a revolving fund with or without additional funding from general budget”. The workshop concluded that it is necessary to see the results of the first forest inventory results and decide if there is a need for an additional reform in the forestry department and if Forestry Agency proposal is valid in terms of financial sustainability.

In order to revise the NFP and discuss institutional restructuring needs, two workshops (consultation and verification workshops) will be organised with the broad participation of national stakeholders and with the support of FAO Technical Officer and international consultant.

Reports to\:

Ms. Melek Cakmak, Head of Office

Technical Focus

TCP/AZE/3704, Technical Support for Revision of National Forestry Plan and modernization of forest management system

Tasks and responsibilities\:

Under the overall guidance of the FAO representative in Azerbaijan, technical supervision of LTO, the consultant will\:

Review and revised the National Forestry Program, based on inputs from national workshops and from the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan, specifically\:

Update forest policy statement” part of the National Forestry Program (NFP) within the scope of latest developments at national and international policy process, such as Agenda 2030, UN Strategic Plan on Forests (UNSPF), Strategic Roadmap on National Economy 2030.
Revise and simplify substantially the Action Plan (2015 – 2020) of the NFP, align it with national strategic documents, and include estimated budget and budget sources for each action item as much as possible.
Participate in workshops, facilitate workshop discussions, and integrated agreed inputs from workshop to the relevant parts of the NFP.

2) Provide technical inputs and strategic perspectives to the institutional restructuring process and integrate agreed measures into the relevant parts of the NFP.

3) Provide a short final report focusing on main findings and recommendations, in addition to the revised NPF documents.

Expected outputs\:

Revised National Forestry Program including revised strategic objectives and Action Plan – 01 June 2019
Final report of consultant including institutional reform recommendations – 01 August 2019

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

University degree in environmental sciences, forestry, agriculture, climate change and natural resources management or related fields, preferably with a focus on forest management and planning;
At least 7-10 years’ experience in management and planning, strategy development and financial management, preferably in the forestry sector; Advanced university degree would be considered as an advantage;
Working knowledge of English; knowledge of Russian, Turkish and Azeri would be an asset;

FAO Core Competencies

Results Focus
Teamwork
Communication
Building Effective Relationships
Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills\:

Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks
Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills and applies them in the work
Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors
Strong research and analytical skills, including experience quantitative/qualitative data analysis, especially on forest management, strategy development and institutional development;
Computer skills and knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
Ability to perform in a multi-cultural team
Ability to take initiative and accomplish tasks with minimum supervision;