SELECTION NOTICE

Recruitement of an international consultant -Expert to develop a regional study on CIMIC lessons learned and best practices in the implementation of UNDP Stabilization programm in Lake Chad Basin

Reference : DRH/CHAD/IC/016/2021

Deadline : 31 August 2021

Proposal should be submitted at the following email address" [email protected] "   no later than August 31, 2021, 5:00 pm GTM Time, with the reference of the procurement notice

Any request for clarification must be sent in writing to the e-mail address [email protected]

Women candidates are encouraged to apply

Context et justification: 

Over the last decade, the four countries around Lake Chad Basin, including Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria, have experienced unprecedented levels of crises, exacerbated by repeated incidences of violence from Boko Haram and its different factions. These crises have deepened instability, slowed economic growth and engendered deep humanitarian concerns in the Region. Additionally, the spread of radicalization, especially amongst youth remains an imminent threat to peace, stability, and development. Absolutist ideologies that reject co-existence, tolerance and progress represent an existential threat to these countries. The crisis has created an urgent humanitarian need for about 10.7 million people in the Region. Almost a quarter of these people have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict or food shortages largely brought on by Boko Haram insurgency.

In response to the crisis, the African Union and the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) in 2015 signed an agreement for the operationalization of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), to bring an end to the Boko Haram insurgency in the Region. Despite the significant progress made by the MNJTF, it is agreed by all stakeholders that overall success of the collective effort will be contingent upon coherent acceleration and completion of the second phase of the mandate, namely to “facilitate the implementation of overall stabilization programs by the LCBC Member States and Benin in the affected areas, including the full restoration of state authority and the return of the Internally Displaced Populations (IDPs) and refugees”. To achieve this, the LCBC was tasked by its Member States to facilitate the mechanisms and processes required to consolidate the gains of the MNJTF.

In light of the above and with the support of the Africa Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the LCBC developed a five years strategy - “Regional Strategy for the Stabilization, Recovery & Resilience of the Boko Haram-affected Areas of the Lake Chad Basin (RSS)”. The RSS provides a comprehensive, integrated, and multi-level framework for overall stabilization, recovery and resilience comprising nine inter-related pillars which include support to the MNJTF, provision of humanitarian assistance and key interventions to secure early recovery and longer-term resilience. The RSS recognizes the nexus between security, humanitarian and development issues and calls for a “New Way of Working” to be at the heart of the response to the Lake Chad Basin Region crisis. Achieving the “New Way of Working” will require strong coordination between Governments at central and local levels, regional and continental institutions and between UN agencies and entities, including international community partners, civil society actors and the private sector.

In the same vein, the RSS Strategy has underlined the fact that effective civil-military planning and cooperation are essential to ensuring an integrated, targeted and sequenced move from humanitarian assistance to sustainable development, in order to win hearts and minds and  build trust between communities, local and national authorities and security providers in the long term. The RSS has 9 pillars and 40 strategic objectives.

To strengthen civil-military and humanitarian cooperation in support of the LCBC Stabilisation programme, the UNDP Regional Programme for Africa has deployed CIMIC Advisers in Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon and at regional level in Ndjamena. Their role is to strengthen relationship between MNJTF, National Security Forces and civilian communities, establish trusted channel of communication with communities, and support cooperation between humanitarian and development actors with security forces.

Over the past months, the CIMIC Advisers developed a wide range of activities from facilitating dialogues with communities, supporting capacity building activities, engaging with national security forces and the Multinational Joint Task Force and the humanitarian community, as well as on facilitating cross-border cooperation and the implementation of quick impact projects.  They have also developed synergies between them in order to exchange information and develop a regional perspective.

 Objective of the consultancy :

The objective of the consultancy is to develop a study capturing lesson learned and best practices related to CIMIC Advisers in their duties to support the Regional Stabilization Strategy, as well as some challenges related to CIMIC Advisers mandate. The Consultancy will also develop generic guidelines for CIMIC Advisers to guide them in their work and engagement with various stakeholders.

Scope of the work :

Under the supervision of the LCBC Regional CIMIC Advisor, and the overall guidance of the Head of the RSS Secretariat, the specific roles and responsibilities are:

1. Collect best practices, lessons learned and stories on community engagement, engagement with humanitarian community, capacity building, cooperation with security forces and MNJTF in each of the four countries including at regional level.
2. Highlight cross-border CIMIC engagements in the riparian communities of the LCB. 
3. Document existing specific tools/mechanisms/operational frameworks for coordination and interaction. 
4. Identify challenges CIMIC Advisers in the implementation of their work and solution developed  to address them.
5. Review and share international experiences applicable to the LCBC context for CIMIC Advisers.