Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697642208004.pdf (Antigua and Barbuda)
Government of Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Health and the Environment Department of Environment Terms of Reference Environmental and Social Management Systems (ESMS) & Gender Expert Title Terms of Reference for Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) & Gender Expert – to strengthen environmental and social safeguards and gender policy Date of Issue 28th March 2017 Deadline Extended deadline – 16th May 2017 Duration To Apply The contract will be for 6 months (Monday 8th May 2017 – Wednesday 8th November 2017), and will be subject to renewal Please email the Project Manager at antiguaenvironmentdivision@gmail.com copied to dcblack11@gmail.com, subject line “ESS and Gender Expert”, the following: 1.
A cover letter and CV 2.

Contact information for three references Background The Department of Environment (DoE) is developing Environmental Social Safeguards and Gender Policies that will determine the development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation of all environmental projects under the DoE’s portfolio.
More specifically, the DoE was in 2015 accredited to the Adaptation Fund and will be implementing a project within the McKinnon’s watershed – a community that has a large population of vulnerable people.

The population is characterized by a high percentage of women and single parent households.

The project seeks to particularly positively impact upon the lives of these women and their households.
1 An innovative feature of the Adaptation Fund project is the Revolving Fund, where households and small businesses can access small loans for adaptation.

The Revolving Fund will initially be capitalized with US$1.6 million through the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) project in January 2017, and will be up scaled through the Adaptation Fund and Green Climate Fund projects.

The DoE is currently in the application process to become an Accredited Entity to the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
As such, it is imperative that the DoE has robust ESS and Gender policies which may address all possible/plausible scenarios in the implementation of the project.

Further, projects benefit from policies of this nature being incorporated into the project development phase; and systems must also be created for verifying their implementation during the monitoring and evaluation phases.
Objective The objective of this consultancy is to strengthen the DoE’s Environmental, Social and Gender Safeguards to comply with the international Funds and standards, and to institutionalize the processes and procedures into the activities of the Department, its committees, partner agencies and stakeholders.

Figure 1.

Proposed Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) for the Green Climate Fund and Accredited Entities.
Source: http://bit.ly/2nYQ6ma 2 Responsibilities The Expert is responsible for sensitizing and training the DOE staff and contractors, the multi- sector Committees, key agency partners, private and NGO stakeholders.

Key partners of the Department of Environment include the Community Development Division (CDD), the Directorate of Gender Affairs, the National Office of Disaster Services (NODS), among others.
The Expert will ensure that the safeguards are institutionalized in the DOE’s programmes and projects, and facilitate the launch of the Revolving Fund Programme for Adaptation by reviewing SIRF Fund material, familiarizing themselves with the protocols and procedures, and developing communications and awareness material.
The Expert will serve as the designated Complaints Officer to receive, process and follow up on any environmental and social complaints received in related to the Adaptation Fund project and the Revolving Fund Programme.
The DoE presently has draft Environmental and Social Policy and Gender policies, and the Expert will review and revise the existing policies in the context of developing an overall comprehensive Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) for the DOE, and institutionalize the measures within the DOE and key partner agencies.
The expert will use the policies of the Adaptation Fund, the Global Environment Facility and the Green Climate Fund as international good practice and ensure that the DOE’s policies meet these requirements.

Specific activities include: 1.

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Conduct a comprehensive gaps analysis of the DOE’s Environmental and Social Policy and Gender Policy against the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS), the Adaptation Fund’s policies, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) policies – which are consistent with the IFC Performance Standards, as the World Bank is the trustee for these various funds Based on the gaps analysis, and in consultation with the Deputy Director of the DOE and other stakeholders, develop a work plan Develop the DOE’s Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) and revise the ESS and Gender Policies of the DoE i.
Develop procedures, manual and guidelines for the ESMS, including screening projects for environmental and social risks; undertaking project environmental and social risk assessment; formulating risk management plans; public disclosure; among others In the revision process, the Expert will conduct consultations with relevant stakeholders so that the ESMS and supporting documents can be finalized and approved.
Approval will take the form of a presentation to the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) for technical input, and submission to the Project Management Committee (PMC) for final approval As the ESMS and supporting material are approved, upload content to the DoE’s website ii.

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8. ii.

Institutionalize the approved Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) i.
Review the various manuals and polices of the DoE to ensure ESS and Gender are adequately incorporated Conduct regular in-house training with relevant DoE staff and other key agencies to ensure skills transfer and that the protocols and procedures are being adhered Conduct trainings with relevant government departments, stakeholder agencies, and community groups as well as the TAC and the PMC so that the policies are institutionalized iii.
Develop easily understood brochures/informational leaflets, and provide trainings in the community to raise awareness about the loans for adaptation under the SIRF Revolving Fund Programme, how to access the Complaints Mechanism, and other key aspects of the ESMS Share lessons learned within the OECS sub-region, including delivering a webinar on the revised ESMS, and travelling upon requested to conferences and workshops (NB: travel expenses will be covered by the DoE and should not be included in the lump sum) Monitor, process and follow up with any complaints received under the Revolving Fund Programme for Adaptation Other activities as may be requested by the DoE Arrangements The Expert will be based in Antigua for the duration of the contract.
The Expert will be provided office space at the DoE’s offices at #1 Victoria Park Botanical Gardens, St. John’s Antigua.

Reporting The Expert will report monthly to the Deputy Chief Environment Officer of the DoE, Mrs. Ruleta Camacho Thomas, and more frequently if requested.

The expert will present to the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and the Project Management Committee (PMC) as requested.
Deliverables The Expert will present a work plan within one week of contract signature, which will indicate the timeline for the following deliverables.

List of Deliverables 1.

Gap Analysis of DOE’s existing ESS and Gender policies 2.

Approved Work Plan 3.

Draft Environmental and Social Management System for the Anticipated timeline June 12th, 2017 June 17th, 2017 August 3rd, 2017 DoE 4.

Approved Environmental and Social Management System for September 7th, 2017 the DoE 5.
Awareness material, including brochures, checklists, website September 21st, 2017 content, and social media posts 4 6.

Report on training delivered and processes institutionalized, December 8th, 2017 including Powerpoint presentations on the ESMS 7.
Report on the Complaints Mechanism specific to the Revolving December 8th, 2017 Fund Programme for Adaptation Qualifications and Experience • Advanced university degree in Humanities, the Social Sciences, or similar field; • At least 2 years of relevant work experience developing policies and implementing action plans; • Demonstrated commitment to managing conflict, addressing social issues through governance systems, and a familiarity with relevant institutions and stakeholders; • Experience in developing workflows, moderating meetings, developing manuals and procedures, and reporting; • Ability to work with senior government officials, research institutes, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and local communities; • Fluency in written and spoken English and strong analytical and communication skills; • Motivated, team-oriented and flexible work ethic; • Excellent skills in Microsoft Word and Powerpoint is a must; knowledge of other relevant computer programs will be an asset Evaluation Criteria The evaluation criteria and weightings that will be applied to this request for proposal are as follows: Category Description Weighting 1 2 3 4 Qualifications of consultant and availability of named individuals including national experts Adherence to RFP specifications and related requirements: Clear understanding of required deliverables Experience with similar work Demonstrated track record of success, supported by references 30 30 20 20 Total 100 5