Sea cucumber supply chains specialist (Solomon Islands)

Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Subregional Office for the Pacific Islands (SAP) is located in Apia, Samoa and covers 14 Pacific Island countries. The project “Strengthening Small-scale fisheries in the Pacific Islands” is funded by the Government of Canada for a two-year period and includes three Pacific Island countries (Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands).

In Solomon Islands, the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR) is in consultations with customary rights holders from Malaita Outer Islands to facilitate community-based fisheries management arrangements for the Malaita Outer Islands - sea cucumber fishery. The MFMR seeks to determine how Government policy and practice and community resource management regimes can support sustainable exploitation of sea cucumber resources to improve returns on the bêche-de-mer supply chain to the benefit of customary rights holders.

The activity is to work in close cooperation with the MFMR and core research partners to collect and analyse data and information related to sea-cucumber / bêche-de-mer supply chains from Malaita Outer Islands, Malaita Province, Solomon Islands and to provide policy advice to the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, mapped to Outcome 1 of the project: Strengthened national and local management capacity in small-scale fisheries for climate change adaptation through a gender-sensitive approach.

Reporting Lines

The consultant will be under the overall supervision of the FAO Subregional Coordinator (SRC) for the Pacific and will directly report to the project’s Lead Technical Officer and in close cooperation with the Lead Technical / Gender Advisor. He/she will also liaise closely with other technical, operational, and administrative colleagues.

Technical Focus

The incumbent is required to produce a report and implementation plan, on the management and sustainable exploitation of the Malaita Outer Islands sea cucumber fishery by, and for the benefit of, customary rights holders.

The report will:

• Have a focus on communities that are undertaking community-based resource management for sea cucumbers • Consider benefits to communities from practical options to optimise the export returns on their resource • Provide information for the MFMR to improve the related enabling environment • Consider lessons from proven examples of success for commodities in the Pacific agriculture and fisheries sector. • Be approved by the Permanent Secretary of the MFMR • Align with post-COVID economic recovery policy

The assignment is expected to be completed through the incumbent holding consultations with key stakeholders including MFMR, relevant Government agencies, Malaita Outer Islands rights holders, fishers and exporters, national fisheries experts and international researchers.

Tasks and responsibilities

The consultant is required to:

- Conduct a market and trade analysis of the Malaita Outer Islands - sea cucumber/ bêche-de-mer fishery by:

• conducting a desk-top review of all previous studies including an analysis of export data, buying and export prices, related to the Malaita Outer Islands - sea cucumber fishery for beche-de-mer and its export value chain • conducting consultations with key informants to identify production constraints, risks (including those from climate change) and opportunities, including community-based management options for the fishery.

- Based on the market and trade analysis prepare a status report on the Malaita Outer Islands - sea cucumber/ bêche-de-mer fishery. - Produce gender and socially inclusive, climate change responsive, policy advice with a costed implementation plan for the MFMR which outlines an approach to support the management and sustainable exploitation of the Malaita Outer Islands - sea cucumber fishery by, and for the benefit of, customary rights holders by:

• using the status report as a baseline document undertake consultations with national and international key informants • co-developing recommendations (with supporting rationale) for innovative interventions to improve returns for customary rights holders from community managed sea cucumber fisheries and mitigate constraints over short-, medium- and long-term horizons • Including a gender and human rights risk assessment checklist to guide policy implementation.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

• University degree in environmental/ fisheries science or related field. • At least eight years of experience in the fisheries sector of Pacific Islands countries. • Working knowledge (level C) of English and limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other FAO official languages (Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic, or Russian) for COF. For PSA, working knowledge of English is required.

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus • Teamwork • Communication • Building Effective Relationships • Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Selection Criteria

• Technical expertise in coastal fisheries supply chain economics • Proven experience in effective participatory approaches to data and information gathering • Knowledge of gender and human rights approaches is an advantage • Proven expertise in producing quality technical reports/ publications • Experience working in partnership with government line ministries in the Pacific context is preferred. • Capacity to effectively engage with a broad range of stakeholders (national and international) in the commercial small-scale fisheries sector.