International Consultant – Participatory approaches in the context of prevention of degradation and forest restoration

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

• FAO is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, background and culture.
• Qualified female applicants, qualified nationals of non-and under-represented Members and person with disabilities are encouraged to apply;
• Everyone who works for FAO is required to adhere to the highest standards of integrity and professional conduct, and to uphold FAO's values
• FAO, as a Specialized Agency of the United Nations, has a zero-tolerance policy for conduct that is incompatible with its status, objectives and mandate, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination　　
• All selected candidates will undergo rigorous reference and background checks
• All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality

Organizational Setting

This assignment will support the FAO Sub-regional Office for Central Asia (SEC) and the project on ‘Forest Restoration Improvement for Environmental Development and Sustainability in Central Asia (FRIENDS) – GCP/SEC/021/TUR’ which was developed under the FAO-Türkiye Partnership Programme to assist Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan in enhancing gender-responsive capacity and knowledge for prevention of degradation, and sustainable forest and other wooded lands restoration through training and capacity building, also with pilot sites of ecological restorations in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

The objectives of this project are to develop national capacities to successfully conduct large-scale forest and other wooded lands restoration, by enhancing know-how to prevent degradation. To achieve these objectives, and considering the available financial resources, the project will have a pilot character to test and demonstrate the best and state-of-the-art methodologies. The project strategy will be based on four components: 1) Addressing drivers of degradation and identification of pilot areas; 2) Capacity development; 3) Piloting of restoration activities; and 4) Knowledge management and sharing. These four components will be based on cross-cutting principles relevant to climate change and gender equality.

The objective of the assignment is to support, under the Output 2 of the project (Gender-responsive capacity and knowledge for sustainable forest and other wooded lands restoration are enhanced), training of national experts from the six project countries on participatory approaches in the context of prevention of forest degradation and of restoration of degraded lands.

Reporting Lines

The incumbent will work under the overall supervision of the FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Türkiye and operational guidance from SEC FPU, direct supervision of the project manager and technical supervision of Lead Technical Officer of the project, in collaboration with the National Specialists and International Consultants, particularly the national specialist on participatory approaches.

Technical Focus

Ensure the smooth and efficient implementation of the assigned tasks, develop training programme on participatory approaches in the context of prevention of forest degradation and of restoration of degraded lands for the national experts of six countries.

Tasks and responsibilities

- In collaboration with the national consultant design a training programme on participatory approaches for defining strategies for the prevention of degradation and restoration of degraded forests and other woodlands
- Contribute to the organization of the training including a field trip to rural areas to practice the newly learned skills
- Conduct the training (5 days in hybrid format)
- Develop a coaching programme to be implemented by the Turkish consultant on participatory approaches
- Prepare a short training report including recommendations for similar future activities

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• A post graduate degree in forestry, social sciences, environmental sciences or related fields.
• At least 10 years of proven professional experience and demonstrated expertise in participatory approaches
• Working knowledge (level C) of English and limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other FAO languages for COF. For PSA, working knowledge of English would suffice.

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

• Good multicultural and interpersonal skills with an ability to build consensus with various stakeholders (government, NGOs, local community-based organizations, the private sector etc.)
• Extent and relevance of experience in the forestry sector
• Experience from international projects and working with international organizations
• Experience in participatory approaches in the context of prevention of degradation and forest restoration

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