Location: Home based with a possibility of a mission travel
Type of contract: Individual or Team Contract
Languages required: English
Starting date: ASAP
Duration of initial contract: 40 working days
The current phase of the “Transboundary Water Management in the SADC region” (SADC TWM) is co-financed by European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). This current phase of the regional transboundary programme includes a major component called “Support to Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) in Lesotho” in cooperation with the Government of Lesotho. The Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) approach is an effort to reduce catchment degradation and ensure sustainable water availability to increasing populations under a changing climate. The Lesotho National Strategic Development Plans 2012-2017 and 2018-2023 (NSDPI and NSDPII) address this, and the Government of Lesotho sees the formulation of a National Integrated Catchment Management approach as a priority.
The overall objective of the project is “to ensure that ICM facilitates socio-economic development and adaptation to climate change in Lesotho” with the specific objective that “ICM is institutionalised and under full implementation in Lesotho based on gender equality and climate change adaptation principles”.
The project seeks to achieve five interlinked outputs:
- An effective and efficient gender sensitive and climate-resilient policy framework for ICM is developed and applied
- Effective and efficient institutions for ICM are established, with equitable representation of women and youth
- Capacity, skills and knowledge of public, private sector and civil society for sustainable ICM is facilitated
- ICM measures and implemented
- Capacities are strengthened for coordination, monitoring, supervision and general programme management
ICM implementation in Lesotho will include mobilisation and engagement of various stakeholders at regional, national and local level that need to be involved in the process. In order to effectively address catchment degradation, which has a huge impact on water resources, coordinated and joint efforts are needed to strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships. The Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) is a SADC implementing agency and will be supporting the implementation of the ICM programme in Lesotho.
GWPSA contribution to ICM will build on the outcomes of previous and relevant ongoing national and sub-national programmes related to ICM. The project contributes to transboundary water management in the region – as Lesotho is at the headwaters of the Orange-Senqu River Basin. The interventions proposed respond to the implementation of the Orange-Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Plan and Strategic Action Plan. At the regional SADC level, ICM related interventions will be coordinated closely with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) secretariat and inform relevant regional decisions by the SADC Ministers. Project activities and results in Lesotho will feed into and contribute to implementation of SADC regional policy instruments such as the SADC Industrialisation Strategy, SADC Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses, SADC Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for the Water Sector, and Gender Action Plan for the Water Sector and priority projects in the SADC Regional Strategic and Action Plan on Integrated Water Resources Management and Development; such as protecting fragile ecosystems, managing water sources, promoting Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus and others.
Using its regional and global network, GWPSA will support the project in Lesotho to curate knowledge and lessons on ICM from the SADC region, Africa and internationally and incorporation of such knowledge into activities implemented in Lesotho. GWPSA interventions will ensure that the ICM project in Lesotho inspires a SADC regional-wide adoption of ICM measures. GWPSA supported activities will also ensure that key stakeholders involved in ICM implementation in Lesotho participate and contribute regional knowledge exchange platforms and capacity building.
GWPSA, as a project implementing partner for SADC & GIZ, is seeking to hire a Consultant to undertake a Regional Policy Harmonisation Assessment for Lesotho.
Objective of the Consultancy
i. Develop understanding on the current policy context for ICM in Lesotho
ii. Develop a replicable analytical framework for assessing
- the level of alignment,
- the extent of practical implementation and compliance, and,
- opportunities of harmonization,
of a country’s laws, regulations, guidelines, policies and institutional framework to the basin level and regional level strategic planning and policy context, and to the international treaties, protocols, agreements and conventions that the country has ratified or acceded to. The framework must also be able to identify the gaps (jurisdictional/capacities/institutional/other) that must be overcome to enable full alignment and implementation.
iii. Apply the framework to the Lesotho context, assessing the level of alignment of existing Lesotho policies to the Orange-Senqu basin and regional policy contexts, and to the international treaties, protocols, agreements and conventions that Lesotho has ratified and acceded to, to foster Integrated Water Resources Management. This includes assessing the level and extent of implementation, where the gaps are, and determining what measures need to be taken to ensure harmonization with the regional framework. Highlight how harmonization of policies, laws, regulations and institutions in the region could impact on the implementation of Integrated Catchment Management in Lesotho and in the region, and the knock on impact on water, energy and food security, ecosystems health and climate resilience.
iv. Develop a policy reform strategy including a roadmap for the harmonization of existing policies, laws, regulations and institutional frameworks in Lesotho relevant to Integrated Catchment Management to the regional policy context, and to international treaties, protocols, agreements and conventions that Lesotho has ratified and acceded to, and highlight the capacity building, institutional and economic requirements for implementing this policy harmonisation.
Requirements
- Education/training: post-graduate university qualification in political science, law, public administration or related discipline related to policy reform with 8 years of professional experience in policy analysis and reform
- 10 years of professional experience in the water, natural resources, rural development, agricultural or related sector, with specific experience in the area of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and/or Integrated Catchment Management (ICM);
- Regional experience: 7 years of experience in Southern Africa, knowledge and understanding of the Lesotho context is an advantage
- Language: very good language skills in English and report writing
Interested applicants should submit the following documentation to koetlisi.koetlisi@gwpsaf.org and Mathabile.ramalia@gwpsaf.org, with copy to Julienne.ndjiki@gwpsaf.org:
- Latest CV indicating education/qualification, professional certification, employment records /experience;
- Breakdown of costs supporting the final all-inclusive price
- Cover Letter including a brief description of the approach to work
To learn more about this position, click here.