BACKGROUND:

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a unique global platform established to respond to climate change by investing in low-emission and climate-resilient development. GCF was established to limit or reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in developing countries, and to help vulnerable societies adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Given the urgency and seriousness of this challenge, the Fund is mandated to make an ambitious contribution to the united global response to climate change.

Belize, like many other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), is particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change. The country’s low-lying coastline and sectoral vulnerabilities to climate risk coupled with limited access to national financial, technological, and technical resources to build the country’s resilience, led to a ranking of #9 on the Climate Change Vulnerability Index for the Latin American and Caribbean Region.

Taking a proactive approach to building climate resilience, the Government of Belize has prioritized the capacity building of national institutions which can access climate finance and implement bankable projects and programmes. International funding agencies such as the Green Climate Fund (GCF) offer support to developing countries who are working to achieve climate adaptation and mitigation in accordance with their Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement. GCF’s Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme supports country-driven initiatives by developing countries to strengthen their institutional capacities, governance mechanisms, and planning and programming frameworks towards a transformational long-term climate action agenda.

The development of Belize is dependent on mitigating changes that are beyond our control and adapting to those that are projected to affect our population in the short and long-term. To achieve the latter, Belize must address barriers that may limit implementation of interventions and their impacts. Some of these barriers include the non-existence of climate smart development plans for human settlements and infrastructure. With almost half of the population in urban areas (45%), and rural to urban migration increasing over the last decade, lack of urban planning has become evident, with its associated challenges.

Standardized demographic features of human settlements need to be established to ensure that categorization and services are based on population size and demands. There is also limited recognition of the role of human settlements and urban land management in reducing energy consumption and GHG emissions, considering that urban areas generate approximately 80 percent of global energy and emit 50 to 60 per cent of the world’s GHG emissions.1 This Readiness will address key areas to improve human settlements and infrastructure to make them climate resilient, while building the capacity of regulatory agencies in the public and private sectors. It will also equip municipalities with resources to improve urban planning and monitoring. Barriers to an enabling environment will be addressed by improving the relevant frameworks to support resilient human settlement urban planning and improving coordination and collaboration between regulating and service providing agencies and institutions. Increasing knowledge sharing will improve public buy-in and awareness on the importance of climate impacts, mitigation and adaptation and their relationship to protecting investments in human settlements and infrastructures.

GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THIS CONSULTANCY:

The purpose of this consultancy is to develop and institutionalize a Project Management Policies and Standards Manual for the Ministry of Economic Development to satisfy GCF and other external funding donor requirements and best practices.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THIS CONSULTANCY:

The specific objectives of the consultancy are:

3.1. To build capacity within MED at the operational and administrative level for their future engagement with the GCF, especially in project development and management.
3.2. To increase the understanding of the GCF within the Ministry and ensure the information can be effectively relayed to national organizations and the country.
3.3. design a well-crafted Project Management Policies and Standards Manual/guide in place with clear strategies and missions.
3.4. To provide MED with the manuals, associated handbooks and guidelines for the Project management Policies and Standards.
3.5. To develop a set of performance indicators to monitor the Project Management Policies and Standards activities and targets in the short and medium-term.

QUALIFICATION OF CONSULTANT:

Consultant Lead/Team Leader:

Academic Qualification – Have a master’s degree in project management, operations management, business administration, marketing or any other related field.

Team Qualifications:

General Experience: With a minimum of at least ten (10) years of experience working in project management and drafting of workplace manuals, protocols, etc.

Specific Experience – Professional background of the Team Lead must demonstrate sufficient proof of Project Management Policies and Standards Manual/Guide development experience for departments or organizations managing international funds. Must demonstrate familiarity with international funding agencies, developing gap assessments or needs assessments, project management standards, protocols, SOPs and similar documents.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, ABILITIES:

The selected consultant will need to have or show:

a. Strong organizational skills.
b. Strong track record of developing institutional assessments, policy documents, SOPs and related work.
c. Able to communicate effectively both verbally and in written English.
d. Policy development knowledge and conflict management skills.
e. Ability to conduct trainings/meeting facilitation.
f. Flexibility and adaptability.