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National expert to provide consultancy and advice to NAPA on implementation of DCMs on funds generation at Protected Areas

tirana with travel in the 12 regional administrations of protected areas

  • Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
  • Location: tirana with travel in the 12 regional administrations of protected areas
  • Grade: Consultancy - National Consultant - Locally recruited Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Security and Safety
    • Culture and Sport
  • Closing Date: Closed

Background

The Government of Albania (GoA) is engaged in a significant improvement of the management effectiveness of the country’s system of PAs, covering about 18% of the territory; it is substantially contributing to planning, administration and use of PAs in Albania consolidating the legal context for the declaration, conservation, administration, management and use of the PAs  and their natural and biological resources as well as facilitating conditions for the development of environmental tourism, public information, education and the generation of direct and indirect economic benefits by the local population as well as the public and private sector.

 

As for the current funding baseline for the PA system, and the capacities to administer and improve PA revenue streams, they are still well below the levels required to ensure that the PAs system can properly serve its function as an important tool to protect biodiversity. So, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and its agencies will need to have the ability to: (i) secure sufficient, stable and long-term financial resources for protected areas; (ii) allocate these resources in a timely manner and appropriate form to cover the full costs of protected areas; and (iii) ensure that the protected areas are managed effectively and efficiently with respect to conservation and other complementary objectives.

 

In that regard, the project seeks to assist the GoA in reducing existing funding gaps for the system of PAs, improving the management and cost-efficiencies of individual PAs and building the financial management capacities of PAs nationwide by increasing the capacity of the central and local staff, and focusing relevant activities at two levels of support: (i) building the financial management capacities of the agency responsible for administering the system of protected areas (NAPA/RAPAs); and (ii) demonstrating the efficacy of different financing strategies in a sub-set of individual PAs. Some mechanisms are developed and tested for increasing income from conventional financial sources for PAs and innovative means of revenue generation in 3 PAs, namely Mountain Dajti NP, Divjake – Karavasta NP and Llogara-Karaburun–Sazan Ecosystem, essentially involving three main instruments: sustainability of the PAs system, co-management models and business planning.

 

Rationale

 

This assignment engages expertise to provide a guideline and implementing procedures for two main regulatory instruments:

  • DECISION NO. 1156, DATED 24.12.2020 ON DEFINING THE REVENUES GENERATED BY FEES PAID IN PROTECTED AREAS, THE EXTENT AND CRITERIA OF THEIR USE
  • DECISION 19, dated 20.1.2021 ON THE EXTENT OF THE SPECIAL FUND FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTED AREAS, ON THE SOURCES OF ITS CREATION AND THE RULES OF ITS USE

These DCMs approved by the government at the end of 2020 and in January 2021, address the financial operation and income generated in protected areas. The first DCM deals with capacities to administer and improve PA revenue streams, whereas the other DCM provides for NAPA to source funding from the state budget, donors, delivery of ‘services’ and ‘other legal sources. These two instruments strengthen NAPA mandate to fulfill several PA management financial obligations and enable it to secure sufficient, stable and long-term financial resources for protected areas, while allocating these resources in a timely manner and appropriate form to cover the most possible costs of protected areas.

 

This progress followed development of the Strategic plan and financial plan for the PA system, with advice and counselling provided for the criteria on tariffs and revenue sources for PAs, creation of the special PA fund and contributing to improvement of the capacity of the NAPA to mobilize funding – at the protected area system level – from different sources.

 

The fees established by the DCM 1156 basically reflect the ecosystem services approach and pinpoint some the of the services that PA provide, which are grouped into four broad categories:  provisioning services (i.e., the products obtained from ecosystems, e.g., Food, fresh water, genetic resources); regulating services (i.e., the benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystem processes, e.g. climate regulation, pollination, disease and pest regulation, regulation of water, air and soil quality); supporting services, (i.e. services that are necessary for the production of all other ecosystem functions e.g. soil formation, nutrient cycling, water cycling; and cultural services (i.e. the non-material benefits people obtain from ecosystems, e.g. through spiritual or religious enrichment, cultural heritage, recreation and tourism, aesthetic experience); also NAP is elaborating respective financial mechanisms to those Ecosystem services already identified and earmarked for revenue generation

Duties and Responsibilities

The assignment aims to prepare a guideline for implementing the DCM no. 1156 in close coordination with NAPA finance department and with the consultancy engaged in implementing scope of Special Fund of Protected Areas (SFPA).  

 

In this sort of process, when financial expertise is required regarding PA sustainable management, and review of various financing mechanisms, a range of elements and issues, is to be considered:

 

  • Building a diverse, stable, and secure funding portfolio: minimizing funding risks and fluctuations.
  • Improving financial administration and effectiveness: ensuring that funding is allocated and spent in a way that supports PA finance needs and conservation goals.
  • Taking a comprehensive view of costs and benefits: covering the full range of PA costs, ensuring that those who bear PA costs are recognized and adequately compensated, and that those who benefit from PAs make a fair contribution to their maintenance.
  • Creating an enabling financial and economic framework: overcoming market, price and policy distortions that undermine PAs or act as obstacles to PA financing.
  • Mainstreaming and building capacity to use financial tools and mechanisms: factoring financial analysis and mechanisms into PA planning processes.

 

  1. Specific tasks

 

Under the supervision of the project manager and guidance of the General Director of NAPA, the consultant will accomplish (but not limited) the following tasks:

 

  1. Operational set up of guidelines and practices related to new regulation on the financial management in PAs
  2. Understanding of the regulatory acts and spilt-up the main competences as per authorities in charge, being those in different geographic regions (i.e., different PA profiles), as well as among different institutions involved and related to implementation of this DCM
  3. Delineate the procedure and executing orders of the assigned competences.
  4. Prepare the accounting system and code of accounts to adopt, entry into the financial system, manage, analyze and track the envisaged, earmarked or generated incomes from fees being collected
  5. Identification and incorporation /adoption in the NAPA accounting system of the main sources of generated incomes
  6. Describe fee collection mechanism for those fees already listed in the DCM no. 1156 including logistical arrangement for collecting user fees (either being charged directly to the visitor or, alternatively, to through other operators such as tour operator companies which can purchase tickets in advance so that visitors on organized tours have the fee included in the total cost of their tour package)
  7. Integrated on-the-job advice and counseling to NAPA finance department on main accounting, high state commissions reporting, and all other finance matters pertinent to management of conservation of the protected areas, demonstrating implementation with RAPAs/NAPA of billing, client accounting and financial accounting, VAT System, subdirectory for the code of accounts, client relationship management

      8. Present the report and findings in a workshop

 

  1. Duration and Deliverables

The duration of the assignment will be 120 days within 12 months

Deliverables will be the following:

 

Deliverables/ Outputs

Estimated Duration to Complete

% of payment

Project inception Technical and financial plan

2 months

20 %

Progress report including consultation with NAPA

5 months

30 %

Progress report including consultation with NAPA, RAPAs

8 months

20 %

Progress report including consultation with NAPA, RAPAs  

11 months

20%

Final Report & national workshop   

12 months – end of the contract

10%

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

  • Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

 

Core Competencies:

  • Communication - Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.
  • Planning & Organizing – Develops clear goals in line with agreed strategies, identifies priorities, foresees risks and makes allowances accordingly.
  • Organizational Awareness - Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
  • Teamwork - Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
  • Accountability – Takes ownership of all responsibilities and delivers outputs in accordance with agreed time, cost and quality standards.

Functional Competencies

  • Excellent inter-personal and teamwork skills, networking attitude
  • Capacity to deliver as per deadlines
  • Strong expertise in communication issues
  • Ability to pick up new terminology and concepts easily

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

MSc or higher degree in economy, finance, accounting or similar. 

 

Relevant experience:

  • At least 5 years’ experience on business development, financial evaluation, accounting, auditing, etc.
  • Familiarity with environment, protected areas governance and management, ecosystem services,
  • Knowledgeable with NGOs, private sector and environment institutions synergies and mutual relationships.
  • Previous experience working with UNDP or similar consultancy with other international organizations in Albania is preferable
  • Good analytical skills and effective communication and training skills and competence in handling external relations at all levels
  • Ability to work in a team and to motivate other team members and counterparts
  • Good working knowledge to communicate and write reports in English.

 

EVALUATION OF APPLICANTS

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on Combined Scoring method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

Combined weighted scoring:  Technical (70%); Financial (30%).

Educational background                                                                        10 points

Professional experience and experience in similar assignments    50 points

Knowledge and experience in Protected Areas                                 10 points

 

Application Procedure 

Interested applicants are advised to carefully study all sections of this ToRs and ensure that they meet the general requirements as well as specific qualifications described. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials. 

The application should contain: 

  • Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application. 
  • Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability & Detailed Financial Proposal - please fill in the attached form. Download Here (kindly use Firefox browser)
  • Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees, please upload the P11 instead of your CV. Download Here (kindly use Firefox browser)
  • Financial Proposal in ALL*- Specify a Total Lump Sum in Albanian Lek for the tasks specified in this announcement. The attached template may be used - Download Here (kindly use Firefox browser) Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall consider various expenses incurred by the consultant during the contract period (e.g. fee and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services). 
  • Copy of Diplomas and copy of Passport. 

*Kindly note that Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal are two separate documents and should be both part of your application. 

How to Submit the Application

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below: 

  • Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs); In the P11 Form make sure to include Email Addresses of the Persons who are willing to provide References on your past experience in working with them.
  • Merge your UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs), Financial Proposal Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded; 
  • Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement); 
  • Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;” 
  • Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above); 
  • You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system. 

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process. 

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.  

 

This vacancy is now closed.
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