Water Governance Specialist

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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 Regional Office for Near East and North Africa (FAO-RNE) leads a key Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity. Established in the second half of 2013, the Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI) intends to support countries in coping with one of their most striking challenges: the pursuit of food and water securities, for a sustainable social and economic development, under an unprecedented severe escalation of water scarcity. The objectives of the WSI are: enhancing policies, investments, governance and best practices to sustainably increase water and land productivity; providing critical thinking and tools for strategic planning of optimal and sustainable allocation of scarce water resources; implementing a regional collaborative strategy for a water-reform agenda.

With the endorsement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by the world countries, the WSI has focused its attention to the SDG 6.4 ('By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity') due to the relevant alignment of this SDG with the WSI goals. The WSI has thus developed a project aiming at 'Implementing the 2030 Agenda for water efficiency/productivity and water sustainability in NENA countries' (WEPS-NENA, GCP/RNE/009/SWE), financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

The intended outputs of the WEPS-NENA (GCP/RNE/009/SWE) are as follows:

Output 1: Establish a robust water accounting system providing the evidence base for the full water budgeting (supply, demand, uses and re-cycling, present and projected) and for monitoring progress in the achievement of the targets while assessing the institutional effectiveness to govern water resources. This combination of technical and governance analysis aims at identifying the realistic, and politically feasible ways for improving water efficiency, productivity and sustainability, while at the same time increasing the capacity for agricultural productivity for improving food security and reducing poverty.

Output 2: Implement a series of interventions to increase water efficiency and productivity in selected farming systems of the countries to advance in achieving the SDG 6.4; interventions will include: introduction/enhancement of good practices and affordable technologies; improvement of decentralized water governance; development of under-exploited value chain rural agro-industry; leveraging on the multiplier effect to increase productivity when accounting for gender dimensions in the adoption of on-farm practices and technologies, in decentralized governance and along the value chain; elaboration of incentive frameworks, adapted to each local conditions, to promote the uptake of good practise and technologies at farm level and to stimulate entrepreneurial initiatives along the value chain (thus generating higher income and higher job opportunity);

Output 3: Ensure that higher efficiency/productivity achievements for the 2030 time horizon are attained within ‘safe operational boundaries of water use’ defining the conditions for ‘water sustainability’ and, therefore, for a sustainable, socially equitable and human-rights based development.

Reporting Lines

The Water Governance Specialist shall report to Dr. Maurice Saade, FAO Representative in Lebanon and to Ms. Domitille Vallee, CTA, FAO RNE. He/she shall be supervised and supported technically by the CTA of the WEPS-NENA and the WEPS-NENA Management Team in FAO RNE.

Technical Focus:

Focus on: (1) Leading, monitoring, following-up and coordinating the water auditing exercise and coaching and strengthening the capacity of the local team at the Ministry of Energy and Water. The expected outputs are as follows:

• Agenda and Report of the coaching session for the local team;
• Synthesis of the existing assessments and knowledge;
• Detailed stakeholder mapping and analysis;
• Adapted questions for discussion with key stakeholders;
• Summaries of possible interviews and focus group discussions;
• Workshops’ agendas and reports;
• Water Auditing Report;
• Methodological note on the process undertaken with inputs into the Water governance guide.

Tasks and responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Chief Technical Advisor of the WEPS-NENA, the national water auditing specialist will work on Output 1 in close collaboration with the WEPS-NENA team, coordinator in the Ministry of Energy, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and the other relevant international partners and consultants. The work is estimated to take 100 days spread over 11 months.

The consultant will carry out the following tasks:

• Participate in water auditing workshop held by FAO and IWMI on water auditing methodology used in the WEPS-NENA;
• Lead the water auditing exercise at a selected study area following the guideline provided in the water auditing workshop. Water auditing activities include, but are not limited to:
  • Reviewing of relevant knowledge and outputs from past and ongoing studies
  • Reviewing of water accounting report produced from WEPS-NENA
  • Facilitation of the problem identification and characterization with key stakeholders;
  • Context assessment and validation of the problem with stakeholders
  • Identification of key institutional challenges;
  • Analysis of the key challenges
  • Development of programmatic priorities for action with key stakeholders
  • Producing a water auditing report

• Coach and strengthen the capacity of the local team, including interns, on water auditing using the developed guideline and providing technical assistance as required;
• Facilitate the multi-stakeholders dialogue and its process including In-Country workshops where preferred to be face to face and address their concerns and questions;
• Participate in water accounting team meetings to exchange information;
• Support development and implementation of roadmaps for development, adaptation, institutionalization, operationalization of a water accounting system.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• Advanced degree in land and water management, natural resources management, natural resources economics, social science, and/or governance;
• Minimum of 5 years of proven knowledge of, skills and experience in the water governance analysis and/or institutional analysis
• Working knowledge of English and Arabic.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Advanced knowledge of, skills and experience in the water governance analysis and/or institutional analysis;
• Sound knowledge of Lebanon’s water resources management and governance;
• Experience in formal and on-the-job capacity building;
• Experience of engaging actively with key stakeholders.

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Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency

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