Consultant to Support Development of 6th National Report of Turkmenistan to the Convention... Tender

Procurement Summary

Country : Turkmenistan

Summary : Consultant to Support Development of 6th National Report of Turkmenistan to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

Deadline : 06 Aug 2018

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 25298363

Document Ref. No. :

Competition : ICB

Financier : United Nations Secretariat

Purchaser Ownership : -

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
UN Building 21 Archabil avenue Ashgabat, 744036 Tel: (+993 12) 48 83 25 Fax: (+993 12) 48 83 11
Turkmenistan
Email :registry.tm@undp.org
URL :http://www.tm.undp.org/

Tender Details

Tenders are invited for Consultant to Support Development of 6th National Report of Turkmenistan to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

Background

Biodiversity is currently being lost at unprecedented rates due to human activities around the globe. To address this problem, the CBD COP adopted a Strategic Plan in 2002 (Decision VI/26). In its mission statement, CBD Parties committed themselves to more effective and coherent implementation of the three CBD objectives with the purpose of achieving a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global, regional and national level by the year 2010, as a contribution to poverty alleviation and to the benefit of all life on earth. These agreements became known as the 2010 Biodiversity Commitments, for which a set of targets and indicators were later established.

The targets associated with the 2010 Biodiversity Commitments inspired action at many levels, however, they were not achieved at a sufficient enough scale to successfully address the pressures on biodiversity. While the commitments did result in some understanding of the linkages between biodiversity, ecosystem services and human well-being, biodiversity issues were insufficiently integrated and generally not reflected into broader policies, strategies, programmes, actions and incentive structures. As a result, the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss were not significantly reduced at the global level. The diversity of genes, species and ecosystems continued to decline, as the pressures on biodiversity remained constant or increased in intensity, mainly as a result of human actions. This loss has profound impacts on human wellbeing and compromises the ability to adapt to future stressors and shocks.

COP 10 decisions recognize that achieving positive outcomes for biodiversity requires actions at multiple entry points. The new Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 (CBD COP decision XI/2) reflects this perspective by including 20 headline targets for 2015 or 2020, which are referred to as the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (ABT), and are organized under five strategic goals. The goals and targets comprise aspirations for achievement at the global level and a flexible framework for the establishment of national or regional targets. The decision invites Parties to set their own targets within this flexible framework, taking into account national needs and priorities, while also considering how national actions contribute to the achievement of the global targets. NBSAPs are the key conduit for implementing the Strategic Plan and achieving the ABTs at a national level and are a central policy-making tool for national biodiversity management. The Convention requires countries to prepare a national biodiversity strategy, or equivalent instrument, and to ensure that it, and the principles of conservation and sustainable use, are integrated into the planning and activities of those sectors whose activities can have an impact (positive and negative) on biodiversity. Consequently, post-2010, countries were called to revise their NBSAPs, or equivalent documents, with the purpose of setting national targets to attain the Strategic Plan and prescribe national strategies and actions to achieve them. It is these targets whose implementation and attainment will be assessed during the 6NR process.

Parties are required by Article 26 of the Convention to submit national reports to the COP on measures taken to implement it, and the effectiveness of those actions in meeting the Convention-s objectives. The 6NR will focus on monitoring the effectiveness of national strategies and actions in achieving National and ABT and related biodiversity outcomes. This will require an assessment of progress on achieving national targets, using the global and/or national indicators of biodiversity status and trends. However, reporting places a significant burden on countries and results are generally superficial. A lack of spatial data analysis, root cause analysis, and monitoring changes in the status and trends of biodiversity at regular intervals are resulting a pervasive lack of evidence-based reporting and decision making. Additionally, biodiversity and climate change are closely interconnected. Global climate change is a root causes of biodiversity loss, while healthy ecosystems help to mitigate climate change and enhance adaptation capacities. The same data and monitoring gaps are limiting the ability of Parties to asses, plan for, and take action to mitigate the current and future impacts of climate change on biodiversity; to fully understand the role of ecosystems in addressing global climate change; to take related actions to protect them; and to including climate change adaptation as a strategy in NBSAPs and National Reports.

Because the global biodiversity strategic plan is ending in 2020, and because there is need to have quality reporting from Parties on progress in implementing the plan, COP 13 requested that the GEF “provide adequate funding for the preparation of the sixth national report in a timely and expeditious manner”. In particular, this project proposes to address the need to engage broad groups of stakeholders (including engaging with women) as key decision-makers and key stakeholders at the national level in the process of developing data driven assessment process of progress towards ABT achievement. The project also ensures that national biodiversity planning process will continue to contribute to the national policy agenda and be considered in decision-making processes both at the global level and in participating countries. In addition, the project will reduce the barriers of Parties to integrate issues pertaining to the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (the ‘Nagoya Protocol-). Finally, this project will also build the capacity of Parties to align reporting on implementation of the CBD 2015-2020 Gender Plan of Action (decision XII/7). The project will also promote the consideration of risk informed development principles during national reporting and encourage Parties to consider how the promotion of healthy ecosystems contributes to sustainable development by minimizing disasters related risks.

Turkmenistan is actively involved in the implementation of GEF national projects in the field of biodiversity conservation. The main objective of this project is to assist the government of Turkmenistan in fulfilling its commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and their integration into national development plans and framework sector plans through improved participation in the "biodiversity planning" and the development of government strategies. It is expected that this project goal will be achieved through the implementation of the developed global principles and standards enshrined in the CBD Strategic Plan for the period 2011-2020, including the principles for the conservation of biodiversity adopted in Aichi.

The National Coordinator for the CBD will coordinate the preparation of the 6th National Report in accordance with Turkmenistan's commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The main executive partner of the project is the State Committee for Environmental Protection and Land Resources of Turkmenistan. The project is currently in the process of establishing a Steering Committee and an interdepartmental working group for the preparation of the 6th National Report on the CBD. The preliminary participants of the interdepartmental working group for the preparation of the 6th national report on the CBD are:

· The State Committee for Environmental Protection and Land Resources of Turkmenistan;

· Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources;

· Ministry of Finance and Economy;

· Ministry of Education;

· Ministry of Oil and gas;

· Ministry of Transport;

· Ministry of Energy;

· Institute for Strategic Planning and Sustainable Development;

· State Committee on Fisheries of Turkmenistan;

· National Committee for Hydrometeorology under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan;

· Turkmen State University named after Makhtumkuli;

· Turkmen Agricultural University named after S.A.Niyazov.

Broader stakeholders include academic and research institutions (Institute of Botany, Desert Institute, Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan) and other organizations.

The ultimate goal of the project is the preparation of the 6th National Report on the CBD, which will be the basis for a policy on practical, long-term and strategic protection and sustainable use of biodiversity in Turkmenistan, and the creation of national capacity for carrying out actions on biodiversity and compliance with national CBD commitments.

Parties are requested to report on both achievement of each identified national target (Section III), and on achievement of each Aichi Biodiversity Target (Section IV). The sixth national report should be submitted by 31 December 2018. Additional guidance and background material on more specific issues for the preparation of the sixth national report will be available on the national reports page of the Convention on Biological Diversity website (https://www.cbd.int/reports/).




Duties and Responsibilities

The task of the International Consultant will be to provide technical assistance to the Government of Turkmenistan in fulfilling its obligations in the preparation and submission of national reports under the Convention on Biological Diversity. The international consultant will be supported by a team of national consultants engaged by UNDP under separate contractual arrangements. This expert task will require close work with the members of the working group for the preparation of the 6th National Report on the

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