Independent Social Audit of OFLP, RIP and Other relevant initiatives

Source: World Bank — Oromia National Regional State Forested Landscape Program

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT SELECTION)

Name of Country: Ethiopia

Client: Oromia Environment Forest and Climate Change Authority (OEFCCA)               

Name of Project: Oromia National Regional State Forested Landscape Program (OFLP)

Grant No: TA 4442 and TF A4467

Assignment Title: Conducting Social Audit of Oromia Forested Landscape Program for 2018/2019

Reference No.: OFLP/ORCU/IC/01/2019

The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia has received financing from International Development Association (IDA) toward the cost of Oromia National Regional State Forested Landscape Program (OFLP) and intends to apply part of the proceeds for consulting services to conduct Social Audit of Oromia Forested Landscape Program for 2018/2019.

Therefore, the Oromia Environment, Forest and Climate Change Authority (OEFCCA) now invites eligible Individual Consultants to indicate their interest in providing the Service. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.

General Objective    

The general objective of the audit is to assess and evaluate the performance, process, procedure and applications of safeguard instruments during OFLP implementation against OFLP instruments and also provide recommendation.

Specific Objectives

The specific objectives are to:

• Review the social safeguards implementation of OFLP activities/interventions, the two legacy REDD+ Projects (Bale Mountains Eco-Region REDD+ Project and REDD+ Joint Forest Management in the five districts of Ilu Abba Bora Zone), and REDD+ investment Program (RIP) and others against OFLP safeguard instruments (prepared based on relevant social  guidelines, regulations and  policy document  of the GoE, and World Bank Policy);
• Assess any significant social issues observed/occurred to the local communities, cultural and archeological resources, and livelihoods due to OFLP interventions, two legacy REDD+ project and others, including RIP;
• Identify the gaps in implementing the safeguard instruments for OFLP and the environmental and social review of  two legacy REDD+ project as well as RIP; and  evaluate the effectiveness of social management and performance systems of OFLP safeguard instruments;

• Identify and recommend required technical assistance, capacity building training and awareness needed by OFLP staff and relevant stakeholder/implementing partners;

Scope of the Work

The scope of social auditing will encompass the analysis of the actual social compliance with legal and policy frameworks in the course of project/programs implementation, assessment of the effectiveness of social impact mitigation and enhancement measures, and assessment of the gaps and the challenge occurred under(a) OFLP grant financing, (b) the two legacy REDD+ projects, and (c) programs/projects (including RIP) implemented outside the implementation woredas of OFLP’s enabling investment areas/woredas. Regarding OFLP, it has two program components namely; (a) Enabling Investment(Afforestation and Reforestation (A/R)) implemented by Oromia Environment and Forest Climate Change Authority (OEFCCA) and Participatory Forest Management(PFM) implemented both by OEFCCA and Oromia Forest and Wild life Enterprise (OFWE) in deforestation hot spot area/woredas, and (b) Enabling Environment implemented throughout Oromia National Regional State and also the two legacy REDD+ Projects (Bale Mountains Eco-region REDD+ Project, and REDD+ Joint Forest Management in the five districts of Ilu Abba Bora Zone)will be assessed in line with the implementation of the Environmental and Social Review prepared before a year ago. RIP and other initiatives (which are not financed by the OFLP) will be assessed in accordance with the OFLP safeguards instruments. through stakeholder consultation (OEFCCA/ORCU, OFWE, FARM AFRICA, Ethio-wetlands and Natural Resources Association (EWNRA)) Development agents, local leaders and local community and field visit to A/R and PFM sites, and desk review to examine the prepared site specific safeguards instruments in hot spot area and to examine the records and documentation. Accordingly, the following tasks will be carried out.

1. Review of documents: A review of implementation documents of  OFLP safeguards instruments (ESMF, PF, RPF, SESA, ESMP(prepared for site specific intervention) etc) that helps to implement OFLP  (Enabling environment and Enabling investment(A/R and PFM)), the environmental and social review of the two legacy REDD+ project activities and RIP and other initiatives;;
2.  Safeguard instruments: check the availability of safeguard instruments and awareness
3. Asses the understanding, awareness and application of local communities about OFLP and other relevant programs;
4. Grievances redress mechanism functionality: assess the establishment and functionality of GRM including community awareness, resolution status, reporting, documentation and review logbooks
5. Labor and working condition: assess labor and working condition in nursery sites, A/R site and PFM;
6. Gender:  analyze the gender dimension of the OFLP implementation done so far;
7. Assess adequacy of environmental and social mitigation measures, technical support and monitoring budget;
8. Land and Voluntary land donation: assess the site plan preparation, land acquisition and Voluntary land donation process and documentation;
9. Vulnerable groups: assess the inclusiveness of vulnerable groups in the cooperatives and associations;
10. Compliance status assessment: Assess whether there are safeguards compliance with the OFLP safeguards requirements or not; ;
11. Identification of gaps: Identify  gaps in implementing site specific safeguard instruments (ESMPs) for OFLP subprojects and other REDD+ initiatives (including the two legacy REDD+ project and RIP) to achieve the objectives of the safeguard requirements;
12. Identification of impacts: Identify any social impacts(positive and negative) due to implementation OFLP  in the hot spot and non-hot spot areas, the two legacy REDD+ project; and RIP and others;
13. Security situation assessment: Assess the implication of the security situation on the environmental and social implementation and monitoring; Propose appropriate mitigation measures for the adverse social impacts and enhancement measures for beneficial impacts if any not addressed;
14. Consultations and Stakeholder engagement:

1. Consult local communities and other relevant stakeholder's in OFLP hot spot areas (Woredas) the two legacy REDD+ project, and RIP intervention    area regarding their engagement and awareness, including safeguard management, to ensure broader community and stakeholders. Also, consult underserved groups and vulnerable peoples in inclusive manner support of the programs/projects implementations in their respective areas and to propose mitigation options;
2. Assess consultation and stakeholder's engagement process including inclusiveness and gender balance;                        
3. Assess the nature of stakeholder engagement (communities, groups, or individuals, and civil society) and relevance of the method used for consultation and participation, in particular with local communities;

1. Documentation and Information dissemination: Assess safeguards instruments documentation and information dissemination process of the program and other initiatives;
2. Capacity and commitment assessment of implementing institutions: Assess the capacity (human resource, inputs include finance and logistics) and commitment of OFLP and other initiatives (including the two legacy REDD+ projects and RIP) implementing partners and other proponents to ensure safeguards compliance with the OFLP safeguards instruments requirements; and recommend capacity building training and awareness needed if there are gaps;

1. Action plan: Prepare a compliance action plan and/or monitoring plan for the OFLP, the two legacy REDD+ projects and other initiatives, including RIP;
2. Propose appropriate recommendations based on the outputs of the assignment.

Time Frame

The consulting service intended duration is for three months (from beginning of September 2019 to end of November 2019).

Consultant Qualification & Experiences Required

• The consultant should have MSc/MA degree in Social science(sociology, Developmental study social work, and related field with related experience in social audit, social assessment and social impact assessment;
• Minimum of 10years of related work experience in field of reconnaissance survey, experience in auditing of social management system, experience in ESIA;
• The consultant are capable of addressing all the government and world bank safeguards policies triggered by the program;

• The consultant should have the ability to analyze a range of social issues in relation to Natural resource management;
• Experience in working with minority groups (underserved groups) and vulnerable peoples of Ethiopia;
• Experience in data analysis, both quantitative and qualitative;
• Excellent analytical and report writing skills.

Supervision and Responsibility

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Oromia REDD+ Coordination Unit and will also receive technical support from the EFCCC, OEFCCA and the World Bank task team members. The consultant organizes the report and conduct field visit to the intervention area together with the consultant hired by ORCU for social audit. In addition, the consultant will work closely with the environmental consultant whose contract will run along with this consultancy. The findings of the two assessments will be combined into a single document to provide a clear picture of how Environmental and Social Safeguards Management is exercised by the Oromia Forested Landscape Program, the two legacy REDD+ Projects and other initiatives, including RIP.

ORCU will facilitate field visits, meetings for the consultants, provide relevant information/documents on the Program as well as will engage through each consultative process.

The attention of interested consultants is drawn to paragraph 1.9 of the World Bank’s Guidelines: Selection and Employment of Consultants [under IBRD Loans and IDA Credits & Grants] by World Bank Borrowers, January 2011 and revised July 2014 (“Consultant Guidelines”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.  In addition, please refer to the following specific information on conflict of interest related to this assignment (paras 1.9 (a-d) of the Consultant Guidelines.

Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours, 9:00am to 12:00am and 2:00pm to 5:00pm.

Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by mail, or by e-mail) by 31st July, 2019 on or before 4:00PM.

Oromia Environment, Forest and Climate Change Authority

Oromia National Regional State Forested Landscape Program (OFLP) Coordination Unit

Attention: Tesfaye Gonfa

Sarbet, in front of Commercial Bank of Ethiopia Pushkin Branch, Bethlehem Building 3rd floor

P.O. Box 10633,

Tel. +251113852040

E-mail address: tesfaye.gonfa@yahoo.com cc: biirtaa@gmail.com

Finfinne/Addis Ababa, Ethiopia