Project Assistant on Marine Scientific Research

Result of Service GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

- Proposals must be expressed in English and should be valid for a minimum period of 60 days. The currency for fees quoted must be United States American dollars (USD).

- Potential contractors must complete Annex A (Bidder Information Form) and attach it to the proposal.

- It shall remain the responsibility of bidders to ensure that proposals reach the Authority on or before the deadline.

-. Submission of a proposal shall be deemed to constitute an acknowledgement by the bidder of the General Conditions of Contracts for the services of Consultants and Individual Contractors (Annex C).

- The Authority implements a zero-tolerance policy on fraud and other proscribed practices, including corruption, unethical practices and obstruction. ISA is committed to preventing, identifying and addressing all such acts and practices against the Authority, as well as third parties involved in its activities.

- The Authority requests that every bidder prevent and avoid conflicts of interest, by disclosing clearly to the Authority any involvement or possible conflict of interest in the preparation of their proposal.

- Potential contractors are to send their request for clarifications or questions regarding this call for proposal, via email to [email protected].

- Proposals should be concise but thoroughly and sufficiently demonstrate the competence and expertise of the applicant to meet the requirements contained in the Terms of Reference (Annex B).

- The Curriculum Vitae of the applicant should be attached to the proposal.

Work Location Home Based

Expected duration DURATION The services will commence upon signature of a Contract for services and last for six months. Extension of the contract will be subject to the availability of funds.

Duties and Responsibilities- The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is an autonomous international organization established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 (UNCLOS) and the Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (the 1994 Agreement). ISA is the organization through which States Parties to UNCLOS organize and control all mineral-resources-related activities in the Area for the benefit of mankind as a whole.

- The ISA is required to take the measures necessary to ensure effective protection for the marine environment from harmful effects, as set out in the Convention. In addition, ISA is required to promote and encourage the conduct of marine scientific research in the Area and coordinate and disseminate the results of such research and analysis, when available.

- The ISA is seeking an individual contractor with requisite experience in management of scientific projects with national or international organization or related fields to carry out the activities identified in line with the Terms of Reference (Annex B) and invites proposals to be submitted via email to [email protected] no later than 24 June 2022.

- Within the context of the ISA’s Strategic Plan and High-level Action Plan for 2019-2023, adopted by the Assembly of ISA in 2018 and 2019 respectively, as well as the ISA’s Action Plan in support of UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development , adopted by the Assembly in December 2020, the ISA secretariat has engaged several strategic, technical, and financial partnerships to facilitate the development and implementation of the Sustainable Seabed Knowledge Initiative (SSKI).

- This initiative aims to enable ISA to strengthen cooperation with all interested stakeholders to obtain, assess and disseminate quantitative and qualitative data and information in an open and transparent manner, to ensure effective protection of the marine environment in the Area. SSKI focuses on advancing the knowledge of deep-sea ecosystems, including biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, as a means to create the enabling conditions for the effectively fulfilling ISA’s environmental mandate, and in accordance with agreed international goals and objectives.

- In the period of 2022-2024, specific project activities will be developed to increase the workforce for taxonomic identification and description of deep-sea species, create DNA and image reference libraries, and species identification tools. By doing so, SSKI will facilitate the use and sharing of biodiversity information and the development of non-destructive, cost-effective, and easily replicable methodologies for studying marine biodiversity, such as environmental DNA and video surveys.

- Accordingly, the ISA Secretariat is seeking the assistance of an individual contractor to assist with the implementation of SSKI, including management of project activities, delivery of outputs, monitoring and evaluation of project progress, internal coordination, and reporting. The individual contractor will primarily focus on reviewing scientific outputs and ensuring scientific coherence among project partners, for effective and timely implementation of the project activities.

OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF WORK - Working under the overall supervision of the Director of OEMMR and direct supervision by the Environmental analyst, this individual contractor will provide management and coordination support to the implementation of SSKI and related activities, including liaising with relevant secretariat officers and external partners for successful delivery of outputs, monitoring, and reporting progress of activities, and ensuring outputs are produced in a timely manner and meet a high standard. The consultant is expected to: - Provide scientific and technical inputs to the development of an implementation and monitoring plan for project activities, including the identification of expected outputs with target timeline, success criteria, and indicators to measure progress and success. - Provide scientific and technical inputs to the preparation of concept notes, background documents and reports, as well as organizational inputs to workshops, webinars, and other events for engagement of stakeholders and dissemination of outputs. - Provide scientific and technical inputs to the drafting of progress reports, meeting minutes and dissemination products, such as webpage content, policy briefs, and other relevant publications, as required. - Support coordination efforts within the secretariat team and with external partners efficiently. - Assist in organizing and monitoring schedules and seeing that deadlines are met. - Assist in record keeping, monitoring budget and help ensuring resources are used efficiently. - Provide scientific and technical assistance in other activities undertaken by OEMMR related to ISA action plan for MSR in support of UN Decade, as required.

SPECIFIC DELIVERABLES The individual contractor will produce the following outputs: - Draft implementation and monitoring plan for SSKI project activities for the period of 2022-2024. - Draft report from inception workshop to be held on Q3 2022. - Draft SSKI webpage content and other dissemination materials (e.g., project factsheet)

SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS -. The proposed Contract will include a payment schedule on monthly basis. The payment details will be discussed with the selected applicant. SELECTION / EVALUATION -. All proposals will be reviewed by a committee and selection will be based on: - The knowledge, skills and experience of the applicant - The financial proposal - Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

MODALITIES OF WORK -. The work shall be performed at the Consultant's home base with scheduled virtual meetings with ISA Secretariat staff as required.

-. Where travel is deemed necessary, a round trip airline ticket (economy) as per prevailing ISA policies on official travel and DSA at the prevailing ICSC rates established on the travel days would be provided to the Consultant.

- In an effort to facilitate timely and accurate outcomes by the Consultant, the OEMMR Director and the Environmental Analyst will make reasonable and practical efforts to respond promptly to the Consultant's queries and to provide the necessary reference material as identified by the consultant, where feasible. MONITORING - The Consultant will report to and receive guidance from the Director of OEMMR and direct supervision by the Environmental Analyst who, after close consultation and cooperation with the relevant officers within the Secretariat, will review and approve the deliverables/outputs.

Qualifications/special skills QUALIFICATIONS AND SKILLS - The consultant should possess the following qualifications/skills: - An advanced degree in marine biology, marine ecology, oceanography, marine environmental sciences or related field. A PhD degree is preferred, however, applicants with a master degree and relevant work experience will be considered. - Good knowledge of deep-sea environment, ecosystems and biodiversity is required. Knowledge on deep-sea taxonomy and biodiversity assessment is highly desirable. - A minimum of two years working experience in the area of project or programme management of marine scientific research with national or international organization is required. Previous experiences working with intergovernmental bodies or national governments is preferred. - Good understanding of the work of ISA is required. - Excellent written and oral communication skills is required. Experiences in writing technical reports and relevant dissemination materials for intergovernmental bodies is highly desirable. - Ability to deliver outputs against tight timelines is highly desirable.

Additional Information ANNEX A – BIDDER INFORMATION FORM

Date: (day, month, year) Page ___ of ___ 1. Full name:

2. Legal address: 3. E-Mail address: 4. Nationality: 5. Provide a general description of your related experience, including how it meets/exceeds the requirements listed in Annex B:

6. Are there any indicting circumstances that the ISA should be made aware about?

Please provide details :

7.Bidder’s signature:

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.