Recruitment of Project Safeguards Officer

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT SELECTION)

Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)-Djibouti

Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project

Grant No: IDA- IDA-E1670

Project ID No: (P176181)

Assignment Title: Project Environmental and Social Risk Management Specialist

Reference No.: DJ-IGAD-407349-CS-INDV

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) has received financing in the amount of US$ 10 Million equivalents from the World Bank/IDA toward the cost of the Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project, and it intends to apply part of the proceeds to payments for consulting services.

Background

IGAD has undertaken various digital initiatives such as leveraging digital platforms for cross-border livestock marketing and the cross-border digitization of health records as part of its regional COVID-19 response program. However, IGAD requires significant capacity building to enhance its role in regional digital integration across its member states. Existing structures between IGAD and the EAC already provide a bridge for knowledge sharing and capacity building across the two sub-regions, reinforced by their overlapping member states.

The primary project beneficiaries of the Eastern Africa Regional digital integration project will be decision-makers, civil servants, and ICT-related professionals of regional and national institutions involved in the planning, development, and management of digitalization and development of the ICT sector in the IGAD region through strengthened capacity, increased availability of relevant information, improved policies and strengthened regional collaboration. The project will also benefit scientists and experts of universities, professional institutions, and companies in the region that work on services, applications, and devices at national, and regional levels and indirectly also the inhabitants of the IGAD region that will benefit from more improved access to ICT services and uses and creation of new sources of jobs and incomes and hence driving competitiveness, economic growth and social development.

To achieve and deliver the mandate of the project IGAD seeks to recruit a Project Environmental and Social Risk Management Specialist

IGAD now invites eligible individual consultants to indicate their interest in providing these services. Interested individual consultants must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform the services of Project Environmental and Social Risk Management Specialist (i.e., updated CVs with description of similar assignments, experience in similar conditions, and availability of appropriate skills. Interested Individuals should send their applications in PDF format enclosed with a cover letter, CVs, academic documents, with three reference persons including the last employer.

The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to paragraph 3.14 of the World Bank’s Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers "Procurement in Investment Project Financing, Goods, Works, Non-Consulting, and Consulting Services,” Fourth Edition, November 2020; the World Bank’s “Guidelines on Preventing and Combatting Fraud and Corruption” revised July 1, 2016.

• Objectives of the Position

The main objective is to manage the Environmental and Social (E&S) risks and impacts of the project as a result of its implementation. To this end, environmental and social risk management (ESRM) instruments (including the Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP), Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP), and E-Waste Management Plan (EWMP) for EARDIP were prepared, consulted on and disclosed, and will be implemented and monitored accordingly. The instruments were prepared as per the WB Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and IGAD’s environmental and social policies and legal frameworks. The consultant will also support the project in compliance with the Bank and IGAD Social and Environmental measures and implementation of all actions of ESRM documents, including implementation of all Environmental and Social requirements for the project, as outlined in the Environmental and Social Commitment Plan (ESCP). She/he will support updating and implementing the ESF documents and work closely with the Communication officer to provide reporting and specialized safeguards technical input to the PIU as well.

The Project Environmental and Social Risk Management Specialist will work within the Project PIU set-up, report to the Project Coordinator

• Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will be expected to carry out the following tasks;

• Provide overall environmental and social risk management oversight during the implementation of the project, supporting and advising the PIU on addressing a variety of environmental and social issues at all the stages of the implementation of the Project and in environment and social risk management related training/awareness raising and coordination activities, in line with the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework (ESF);

• Ensure that technical assistance (TA) activities comprising consultancies, feasibility studies, institutional capacity building and implementation support under the Project are carried out pursuant to terms of references (ToRs) acceptable to the World Bank and duly incorporate and take into consideration the objectives & principles of the WB Environmental and Social Standards (ESS) of the ESF in order to ensure that activities and outputs are consistent with the World Bank ESF and satisfactory to the Bank;

• Ensure the incorporation of the relevant aspects of the ESCP, including inter alia, the relevant E&S instruments, that might later be determined to be relevant to the project, and IGAD workers code of conduct, into the ESHS specifications of the procurement documents and contracts with contractors and supervising firms. Thereafter ensure that the contractors and supervising firms comply and cause subcontractors to comply with the ESHS specifications of their respective contracts;

• Implement environment and social risk management related activities as outlined in the ESCP, SEP, EWMP and other project documents;

• Undertake environmental, social, health and safety (ESHS) audits to ensure compliance with the environmental and social risk management documents (ESCP, SEP and EWMP); and providing inputs and/or preparing reports as required for the implementation of the project;

• Update, engage and consult with all stakeholders, paying special attention to the accessibility and inclusion needs and interests of women, persons with disabilities, and other members of vulnerable/marginalized groups affected by the project, and as necessary, obtain their consent to any works that may affect them;

Organize environmental and social risk management orientation, awareness and trainings, including with regard to grievance redress management and addressing Gender-Based Violence, for the project staff associated with project activities;

• Provide necessary technical assistance to facilitate the implementation, management and monitoring of environment and social risk management including conducting baseline studies;

• Ensure environment and social due diligence is carried out for each activity and sub-activity as soon as conceptual technical design and scope have been defined, as outlined in the ESRM instruments;

• Ensure environmental and social risks are adequately identified, avoided, mitigated and managed throughout project implementation in line with the ESCP, E-WMP, SEP, GBV Action Plan, and the World Bank ESF.

• In consultation with the PIU Coordinator and those concerned, resolve environmental and social issues in case of non-compliance, and where needed, prepare time-bound corrective action plan with specific follow-up actions that are agreeable to the World Bank;

• Follow what stated in the SEP to accommodate the needs and circumstances of different stakeholders paying special attention to the special inclusion and access needs and interests of women, persons with disabilities and other members of vulnerable groups. Conduct consultation with each stakeholder category and present an analysis with positive/negative influence of the project outcomes and design appropriate mitigation measures for the negative impact

• In collaboration with the project team, organize and conduct a capacity building program on environmental and social risks management and raise awareness on SEP, ESCP and E-Waste Management, and GBV Action Plan, for the relevant project stakeholders including public and private entities from the telecommunication sector;

• Notify the PIU Coordinator about any incident or accident related to the project activities which has, or is likely to have, a significant adverse effect on the environment, project affected communities, the public, or workers.

• Prepare and submit regular monitoring reports on the environmental, health and safety (ESHS) performance of the Project, including the ESCP, status of preparation and implementation of ESRM documents required under the ESCP to the PIU Coordinator

• Participate in relevant ESRM technical meetings/missions and prepare and share meeting notes/reports with the PIU Coordinator and others;

• Any other duties assigned by the management periodically, as required.

• Required Qualifications and Experience:

Master’s degree in Environmental Sciences, Social Sciences or other related fields, with at least 5 years of relevant work experience in safeguards measures.

Technical Competencies

• Knowledge of the World Bank Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) is expected;

• Prior experience of working with regional/ national/ level environmental and social assessment or strategic plans involving multiple stakeholders;

• Participation in ESF tools such as preparation and management of Environmental and Social Commitment Plans, Environmental