International Communication Expert to conduct a three-day training session for national and local journalists to improve understanding, coverage, and reporting on adaptation in Sao Tome and

Contract

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Background

While STP is an absolute sink of greenhouse gases contributing to sequestration of CO2, it is also one of the most vulnerable countries to the effects of Climate Change due to its geography and characteristics including the fragility of its ecosystems and low level of social-economic development. Both islands are already bearing the consequences of climate change. The country is impacted by natural hazards, such as coastal and river flash floods, storms, and droughts. Climate projections indicate that these events are set to intensify. Effective climate change adaptation planning will assist Sao Tome and Principe in dealing with these impacts. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at its COP 16 held in Cancun in 2011 approved a process to enable member states to formulate and implement National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) as a means of identifying medium- and long-term adaptation needs and developing and implementing strategies and programmes to address those needs. It also stated that the NAPs are to: 1. Reduce vulnerability to the impacts of climate change, by building adaptive capacity and resilience; 2. Facilitate the integration of climate change adaptation, in a coherent manner, into relevant new and existing policies, programmes and activities, in particular development planning processes and strategies, within all relevant sectors and at different levels, as appropriate. The UNFCCC’s Least Developed Expert Group (LEG) on adaptation released Guidelines for National Adaptation Plans (December 2012). Furthermore, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has issued guidance on adaptation planning approaches. The Government of Sao Tome and Principe, through General Division of Environment (GDE) of its Ministry of Public Works, Infrastructure, Natural Resources, and Environment (MPWINRE), has successfully obtained a grant of USD 2.96 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for a 42 month project to build capacity to advance the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process in Sao Tome and Principe. The NAP will support a transition from the project-based traditional modus operandi to an integrated approach to adaptation across all vulnerable economic sectors to deal with climate change in a more coherent and efficient way. The main objective of this project is to reduce vulnerability to climate change impacts in STP by supporting the Country’s capacity to implement an integrated approach to adaptation planning at all levels and across sectors. The project proposal has been developed and submitted in August 2018 and approved by the Green Climate Fund in June 2020. A legal agreement has been signed between UNEP and the General Division of Environment (GDE) in May 2021. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is the Delivery Partner for the project, with the role of supporting and overseeing the project implementation led by the General Division of Environment (GDE). The UN Development Programme (UNDP) Country Office in Sao Tome will work closely with the GDE and UNEP and provide financial management of the project. The National Committee on Climate Change (NCCC) created in 2012, by the decree 13/2012, as the coordinating body for climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives in STP was denominated to play the role of steering committee of the NAP project (PSC). The NCCC holds as main comptences coordination, management, training and sensitization of all matters related to Climate Change. Nevertheless, it has never become fully operational. It was negatively affected by the unstable political conditions that prevailed from 2011 to 2012 which led to the reshuffling of several ministries and resulted in a high turnover of the NCCC’s members. Consequently, this has hampered its operationalization and governmental and non-governmental representation in its composition is still too limited. The operationalization of NCCC needs to be leveraged and its capacity strengthened so that the NCCC assumes its mandate of inclusive and participatory mechanism for all stakeholders’ engagement on climate change adaptation issues. Furthermore, the limited coordination between donor funded projects hinders the efficient use of funds being invest in Climate Change resilience. Under the businessas- usual scenario, the institutional and technical capacity of the NCCC to effectively coordinate and monitor adaptation initiatives in STP remains inadequate. To fulfill its role as PSC of the NAP project and his mandate as climate change coordination mechanism, the NCCC needs to be institutionally and technically capacitated and strengthened.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant's main objective will be to build capacities of national communication professionals on the importance and complexity of adaption to climate change and how to communicate, inform and sensitize around the issue and the NAP process, during a three-day training workshop. The consultant will contribute for the development of Component 1: Actors mobilized, institutional framework stablished, and national capacity strengthened to successfully develop and implement the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) in Sao Tome and Principe (STP); Sub-outcome 1.1: NAP leadership, management and institutional arrangements established, and national adaptation process launched in STP. He/She will be responsible for the derivable of Activity 1.2.7: International expert to conduct a three-day training session for national and local journalists to improve understanding, coverage, and reporting on adaptation in STP. During the workshop the consultant will build capacity on the main needs related to Climate Change Adaptation Communication within the framework of the implementation of the NAP process. The needs shall be assessed prior to the training with the support of the Project Management Unit and included in the initial report.

Following is a list of potential issues that could be covered by the training: 1) Climate Change & Adaptation: • What is Climate Change? • How does Climate Change impacts the environment, ecosystems and biodiversity, public health, conflicts, society, economy and development. • Understanding the difference between hazard, vulnerability, and risk. • Distinguish between mitigation and adaptation. • Adaptation: knowing adaptation principles, measures, and benefits • Climate Change in STP: assessing vulnerability, risks and impacts; • Understanding first order and second order impacts of Climate Change. • Equality versus inequality in climate change: what is social inequality and who are the most vulnerable groups (youth, disabled and elderly as well as poorest and single-headed households, women) and why. • How climate change impacts the most vulnerable social groups. • Distinguish between mitigation and adaptation. 2) Communication on Climate Change & Adaptation? • Information sources: Where to find reliable data and information. Distinguish from trustable sources and doubtful sources. • Common myths and disinformation: Sorting Facts from Fiction. • Writing stories about Climate Change & Adaptation scientifically accurate and simultaneously sensitizing. • Interviews in the context of Climate Change? How to address the same questions/issues to different interviewees? The main tasks to be carried out during the consultancy are listed below: Task 1: Assess the communication gaps and journalists interests and prepare workshop content, tools and exercises. The agenda of the training will be developed by the consultant based on consultations with journalists and media on their needs and interests as well as on a short review of the quantity and quality of communication/news around climate change and adaptation in the country and the past trainings already provided such as the Training on Climate Change for Journalist during the project “Cumprindo a Promessa Climática em STP”. The goal is to identify remaining capacity gaps to be filled by this training. In advance to the workshop all content, tools and exercises to be developed and presented during the three-day retreat, shall be shared with the project management unit. It is expected for the workshop to have theoretical content but specially applied with real-case examples of good and bad examples in climate change communication, exercises, and teamwork. The training needs to be interactive and adapted to the audience. Task 2: Three-days Workshop The consultant will capacitate journalists from the main communication channels in STP (TV and Radio) and interns doing their degree/master thesis on topics related to the environment. The consultants must present a proposal of methodology to evaluate the impact of the workshop to the participants. A certificate will be prepared to be delivered in the end of the training to successful participants. Task 3: Workshop report of the three-day NCCC retreat The consultant needs to present a report of the three-day retreat with special focus on lessons learned, progresses made and remaining gaps identified during the workshop. A questionnaire should be distributed before and after the training to assess participants learning, the training impact and collect their feedback. Certificates will be delivered to participants based on their attendance and learning.

Competencies

III. Competencies: • Previous experience in developing training on environment in general, climate change and adaptation in particular is requeried. • Good communication skills, experience of working in this field in developing countries and Portuguese-speaking countries is an advantage. Experience in the usage of computers and Microsoft Office software packages (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc). III. Competencies: • Previous similar experience in provision of technical support to complex projects and multi-lateral (e.g. GEF, GCF, AF) financed projects or UN implemented projects will be an added asset; • Work experience in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Africa including in Sao Tome and Principe would be an advantage; • Excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills and accuracy and professionalism in document production and editing; • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including community members and authorities at different levels; familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; • Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel;

Required Skills and Experience

I. Academic Qualifications: • Advanced higher degree (Master’s or equivalent) in environmental journalism, science communication, climate change adaptation, environment or sustainable development planning or any related field of studies; a first-level university degree or equivalent in combination with relevant training and/or 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree. II. Years of experience: • A minimum of 5 years international work experience in either institutional strengthening, stakeholder engagement and capacity building or development/climate/natural resources management programmes. • Minimum of 5 years of experience in Portuguese speaking countries is required including at least one previous similar assignment in these countries. • Demonstrated experience of working with climate change adaptation and broad knowledge of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, especially in the guidelines of the Adaptation Convention, NDC, Paris Agreement, is an asset.