Consultancy to support the government of Mauritius review the assessment of costs of recent oil spill on its economy, update its National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Action Plan i

Result of Service Ultimate Result of Services

DELIVERABLES

1. A consultancy workplan is delivered one week after the appointment.

2. A draft outlook of the reviewed model for analyzing the impact of oil spill is prepared covering the damages and losses incurred by the most exposed sectors and businesses is prepared and submitted to ECA three weeks after the appointment.

3. A draft report including data collected and analyzed in all affected sites or areas building from the previously mentioned outlook and other relevant analyses is prepared and presented to ECA six weeks after the appointment

4. A draft form of the revised National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan including oil spill management is prepared two months after the appointment.

5. The final report of approximately between 70 - 100 pages (indicated in point 3 under deliverables) and a revised National Disaster Risks Reduction and Management Plan including all the additional comments made by the government of Mauritius and ECA is presented to ECA three months after the appointment.

All the deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports should be submitted in English. Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the first installment, the deliverables and related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by ECA. The period of review is one week after receipt.

Work Location ECA

Expected duration The consultant will work 60 working days. The contract will span over a period of three months, starting from Mid-May till Mid-August 2022.

Duties and Responsibilities BACKGROUND

The Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management Division (TCND) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is providing technical and substantive supports (intervention) to the Government of Mauritius to improve its local institutional capacity to (a) implement its National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Action Plan, and (b) recover its blue/ocean economy (mainly fisheries and tourism) from the recent marine oil spill that historically has been the worst, and categorized as national emergency. Briefly, the oil spilled was about 841 tons. It has affected about 30 km of coastline including mangroves areas, coral reefs, mudflats, fisheries, other ecosystems’ services, 48, 000 inhabitants and over 12 villages; resulting in considerable social and economic costs. It has also caused other effects on the blue economy that are not yet costed. This intervention is an integral part of the overall work of TCND also referred to as ECA’s Sub-Programme 5, approved by the UNGA in September 2020 for the next two years. The intervention will contribute to ECA’s support to Mauritius, an African SID, and Member State, that is highly vulnerable to natural disasters (mainly meteorological (mainly storms), hydrological (mainly floods), climatological), and technological (mainly oil spill and other human-induced ocean acidifications).

The main objective of the intervention is to strengthen ECA’s accountability to national, regional and global development partners, including the government of Mauritius, AU, RECs, United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UNGA to improve its delivery on some of its core areas of actions, think tank, policy advocacy, capacity building through technical cooperation and consensus building on the important matters concerning sustainable development in Africa.

The specific objectives of the intervention are to:

• Review the work done by the government of Mauritius to establish the costs of oils spill to the economy.
• Produce an improved model for assessing the damages, losses and impact of oil spill to the economy to support future work of ECA on similar spills.
• Produce recommendations on how to update the national disaster risk management plan in relation to oil spills and natural environment rehabilitation. This will include, inter alia, integrate the oil spill aspects or contingency plans in the national disaster risk reduction and management framework, and arrangement, covering restoration and rehabilitation of coral reef, and mangrove forest, and other key productive areas. It will also include production of a sample of such an update National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan that will be subjected for further review by ECA and government of Mauritius. The plan will indicate how to use stimulus plans, green/blue bonds, debt swap and national biodiversity funds in the strategic emergency response in relation to oil spill. It will propose effective ways to build synergies between the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan and a climate-resilient blue economy policy or strategy.

In support of this work, TCND is seeking the services of a suitable international expert, to complete the review report of the effects and impact of oil spill in Mauritius, and with that review and other information, update the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan in relation to the oil spill. The report will use national data and other relevant input. The report and the updated plan will inform ECA’s recommendations to the government of Mauritius to build disasters-resilient infrastructure, societies and economies. The envisaged assessment (review) shall be rigorous, i.e. making factual claims that are backed up by authoritative sources both in the substance and methodology. Its language, tone, style and messaging shall be accessible to the wider community of policy practitioners.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the Supervision of the Director of TCND the Consultant will assume the following responsibilities:

The evaluation of exact impact of the recent oi spill on the productive sectors and economy in Mauritius aims to cover the following.

1. Assessment/review of the costs of oil spill covering damages, losses, and impact to the economy. 2. Mapping of the factors that increase vulnerability to oil spills. 3. Mapping of the major causes that gave rise to oil spill including regulatory (compliance), technological, geophysical, and other causes. 4. Assessment of the damages and losses of oil spills incurred by the most exposed businesses and sectors using geospatial data, local government’s data, daily satellite images, UN data and data from other relevant sources. The main anticipated businesses are in the areas of tourism, seaports, transshipment, fuel processing (e.g. ethanol production plants at Port Louis), fisheries, aquaculture, food/fish processing, cruising, and other important productive areas. 5. Survey of emerging trends in oil spill management plans, focusing on major, and strategic emergency management frameworks. 6. Survey of emerging trends in national disaster risk management development, focusing on how oil spills’ (major and strategic) emergency response frameworks or components thereof are integrated among the “all hazards” approaches to national emergency frameworks. 7. Critical review of the Hyogo Framework for Action, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risks Reduction, and SDGs, and identification of elements from those frameworks that can help to improve the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plan in relation to oil spill. Among the key focus areas are national resilience building using ecosystem –based approach to adaptation and, in addition to disaster risk reduction. 8. Propose efficient approaches to updating the Mauritius National Disaster Risks Reduction and Management Plan in relation to oil spill. 9. Propose for validation, an updated National Disaster Risks Reduction and Management Plan, integrating oil spill, ensuring among other important thigs, the following. - Consideration of oil spill risks and projections for Mauritius during the response to emergencies and in emergency planning. - Oil spill is integrated in national disaster reduction and management system, is addressed following the internationally recognized systems approaches, i.e. through the five stages of emergency management: hazard identification, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. - Integration of oil spill in the “all hazards” approaches to emergency management, reflecting best international practice, and customized to fit Mauritius context. - Clear and unambiguous assignment of responsibility to lead the coordination of oil spill, and sufficient allocation of resources and support to permit effective emergency and response. - Management of potential impacts of oil spill in Mauritius on diverse sectors, in order to build resilience to oil spill across Mauritius’s society and economy that heavily are dependent on healthy oceans/seas. - Indication of sources of information on oil spill projections, predicted impacts, mitigation and other response options, and national contingency plans or policy on oil spill. - Integration of national disaster risk management and approaches covering oil spill within the wider regional (e.g. WIO), and international policy on oil spill, and/or disaster risk management. - Existence of national, regional and local coordinating structures for oil spill.

Qualifications/special skills Competency: Strong analytical skills, including in disaster risks analyses and management, marine ecology, marine policy, environmental engineering, environmental sciences, environmental economics, macroeconomic modelling, statistical modelling and forecasting in relation to oil spills and/or chemical pollutions. Strong ability to quickly assess various data with a high level of precision and quality. Mastery of new technology and related applications in communication to the wider public. Familiarity with the principles of confidentiality and ethical code of conducts during the exercise. Ability to work under pressure. Ability to complete the required tasks timely. Familiarity with UN work ethics. Ability to work in multicultural and multidisciplinary settings. High sense of professionalism, diplomacy, tact, and civility. Skills: Excellent communication skills and capabilities are required. Academic Qualifications: An advanced university degree (Masters’ degree, or preferably PhD) with a specialization in marine ecology, marine policy, ecosystem rehabilitation, environmental economics, economics of natural disasters, or other relevant fields is required. Experience: Nine (9) years or more of relevant national/international experience in the evaluation of the risks of natural disaster in relation to oil spill, chemicals, or other relevant fields are required. A track record of publication in peer reviewed journals, contribution to intergovernmental reports relating to natural disasters, and sound intellectual leadership in areas relevant to the evaluation is required. Contribution to international debates relating to sustainable development, disaster risks management, and development planning is required. Experience of working in Africa and knowledge of Mauritius and other SIDS is desirable. Language: English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy fluency in English and French is required.

Additional Information Travel –APPLICABLE, Travel is applicable subject to lifting/relaxing of the limitations/conditions imposed by the COVID-19 by UN and in regards to COVID-19 spread prevention announcement by the Government of the Mauritius requiring incoming travelers to Mauritius one affected State for a 7 days' self-quarantine in designated hotel, in case, of no change.

No Fee THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.