Research Assistant on Environmental Management and Planning

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 BACKGROUND 1. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is an international organization established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1994 Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Authority is the organization through which States Parties to the Convention shall, in accordance with the regime for the seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (the Area) established in Part XI and the Agreement, organize and control activities in the Area, particularly with a view to administering the resources of the Area. 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 line with above, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is seeking an individual consultant with requisite experience in environmental management to carry out the related tasks identified in the attached Terms of Reference (Annex B) and invites proposals to be submitted via email to [email protected] no later than 24 June 2022.

2. In line with the strategic directions as identified in the ISA’s Strategic Plan High-level Action Plan, efforts are to be invested on a number of areas including inter alia: - Develop, implement and keep under review regional environmental assessments (REA) and management plans; - Enhance the collection, compilation, analysis and synthesis of research results and analysis, when available, in particular from contractors; and - Ensure the dissemination of research results and analysis, when available, in a timely manner. - Promote and encourage the conduct of marine scientific research with respect to activities in the Area, with particular emphasis on research related to the environmental effects of activities in the Area.

3. To implement these priorities, a number of actions are being undertaken, including the compilation and synthesis of environmental data and information at the regional level, convening of expert workshops, and preparation of technical studies and other publications to disseminate information and research outputs.

4. Accordingly, the ISA Secretariat is seeking the services of a consultant to undertake research activities related to environmental management and monitoring, in support of the development of relevant activities to be implement by the ISA secretariat, and to support the dissemination of outputs from ongoing activities.

OBJECTIVE 5. Working under the overall supervision of the Director of the Office of Environmental and Monitoring Resources (OEMMR) and direct supervision by the Programme Manager (Marine Environment), this consultancy will provide scientific and technical inputs to OEMMR in its activities related to environmental management in the Area, in order to ensure that such activities are undertaken and that the outputs from workshops and technical studies are produced in a timely manner and meet a high standard.

SCOPE OF WORK 6. Under the supervision from the Programme Manager (Marine Environment) and overall guidance from the director of OEMMR, the consultant shall undertake the following tasks: a) Provide technical assistance in the implementation of the strategic research priority related to environmental risk assessment and environmental monitoring under the ISA Action Plan in support of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development . Specific tasks include: - Review of relevant scientific literature, technical guidelines and best practices in deep-sea mineral resource exploitation and in other offshore industries, including those developed by competent international organizations and national governments - Prepare an information paper to summarize the best practices in environmental risk assessment and monitoring related to the key categories of environmental risks associated with deep-sea activities, and to outline next steps for developing further methods - Participate in relevant discussions with other partners and prepare meeting minutes and other meeting documents - Review and provide inputs to reports and other materials prepared by other organizations. b) Drawing on the outputs from expert workshops, commissioned studies and other work, assist in the drafting or review of technical and workshop reports, policy briefs and other publications related to regional environmental environmental plans (REMPs) in the Area. Specific tasks include: - Proof-read and edit workshop reports, technical studies and policy briefs for publication, as outputs from workshops and webinars held in the past; and - Review and edit technical papers and reports commissioned by the ISA on environmental baseline, regional environmental characteristics and cumulative impacts. c) Provide administrative and technical assistance in organizing workshops, webinars and other events related to regional environmental management planning and marine scientific research in the Area. d) Provide assistance in other activities undertaken by OEMMR related to environmental management and regional environmental planning.

SCHEDULE OF PAYMENTS 7. The proposed Contract will include a payment schedule on monthly basis. The payment details will be discussed with the selected applicant.

SELECTION / EVALUATION 8. 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 9. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

MODALITIES OF WORK 10. The work shall be performed at the Consultant's home base with scheduled virtual meetings with ISA Secretariat staff as required.

11 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.

12. In an effort to facilitate timely and accurate outcomes by the Consultant, the OEMMR Director and Programme Manager (Marine Environment) 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 13. The Consultant will report to and receive guidance from the Programme Manager (Marine Environment) 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 a field related to environmental management and/or planning. - A PhD degree is preferred, however, applicants with a Master degree and relevant work experience will be considered. - Good level of familiarization with the work of ISA is required. - Excellent written and oral communication skills (English) is required. - Experience in writing technical reports and policy briefs for intergovernmental and other organizations is highly desirable. - Ability to deliver outputs against tight timelines is highly desirable - Knowledge of deep-sea environment, ecology and ecosystems is highly desirable. - Knowledge of environmental risk assessment frameworks and impact assessment in marine industries is preferred. - A minimum of two-year working experience in a relate field. Previous experiences working with intergovernmental organizations or national governments preferred.

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.