TERMS OF REFERENCE (TOR) FOR AN IGAD ENVIRONMENT POLICY

DEVELOPMENT

1. Introduction

The IGAD region faces a myriad of sustainable development and environmental challenges. One such
challenge is the sustainable management of the natural resources and the environment, the very
foundation, upon which the socio-economic development of the region depends. Added to this are the
persistent economic crises, which to a large extent have their roots in the severe degradation of the
environmental resources. Recurrent droughts and other natural and man-made disasters have
exacerbated perpetual poverty and accelerated environment degradation thereby closing the vicious
circle. In response, each individual member state of IGAD has been struggling with the above issues
without much success and regional effects. There is therefore an urgent need, for the countries of the
region, to break this cycle by developing and endorsing a regional environmental policy to ensure that
environmental sustainability is considered when undertaking economic developments activities.

At regional level, strategies to improve the sustainable management of natural resources and the
environment have been developed. These include the IGAD Environment and Natural Resources
Strategy, the IGAD Sub-regional Action Programme to implement the UNCCD, the Sub-regional
Environment Action Plan to implement the Environment Component of NEPAD. IGAD has also
produce a regional Environment Outlook report. At national level, member states have national
conservation strategies/national environment protection strategies, different national action
programmes to implement the MEAs and national environment policies.

Despite the availability of such strategies and action programmes, the deterioration of the environment
and natural resources has continued unabated. There is therefore a need for a harmonized regional
environment and natural resources management policy, which would clearly define how member
states would maintain environment sustainability and environment security to ensure a sustained
economic growth in the region.

2. Objective of the Consultancy

The IGAD region is endowed with substantial environmental resources which are resilient but
threatened. With proper protection and management the degraded environmental resources would
regain their past productivity within a short time. This potential should be exploited by IGAD member
states to propel new economic growth in the region. In this regard, IGAD member states have to
intensify their cooperation to reverse the degradation of the environment by strengthening / developing
national and regional environment policies and legislative and other regulatory frameworks. There is
need to review current environment strategies and policies at national and regional levels in order to
enhance the integration of environmental concerns into development frameworks. This would promote
environmentally sustainable economic development in the region consistent with the objectives of the
IGAD mandate, the new IGAD Strategy, Agenda 21, Decisions of the WSSD, MDG, African and
IGAD Environment Outlook reports and NEPAD. The policy development should also take into
account experiences of other regions, organizations active in the region, provisions of regional and
international Conventions and other emerging issues, challenges and opportunities. The harmonized
regional environment policy would support the sustainable management of natural resources and the
environment, sustained economic growth and peace and security in the region. The objective of the
consultancy is therefore to develop a regional harmonized environment policy for the IGAD region,
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which would ensure the implementation of the principles of environment sustainability at national and
regional levels to reverse environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources, ameliorate the
quality of the living environment, conserve biological diversity, with a view to ensuring a healthy and
productive environment, thereby improving the well-being of ecosystems and the people of the region.

3. Expertise Required

IGAD therefore wishes to engage a competent regional expert to develop the regional environment
policy. The regional expert will be supported by national consultants who would undertake the
national assessments in their respective countries. Both the regional expert and the national
consultants should be knowledgeable with the environmental situation of the IGAD region as well as
national, regional and global environmental concerns and emerging issues. At each level the
consultants should be capable of analyzing and synthesizing existing national and regional
environment and natural resources management policies and strategies. The specific activities of the
regional expert would include:

1. Assessment and review of exiting IGAD documents, inter-alia:

a. IGAD environment and natural resources strategy and other regional action
programmes
b. IGAD food Security Strategy
c. The IGAD overall Strategy to implement its mandate
d. IGAD Strategy implementation Plan
e. IGAD project documents on on-going programmes and project; and
f. Other IGAD documents and studies
2. Formulate the TORs for the national consultants and guide them in preparation of national
components
3. Analyse the national reports and synthesize them into a regional report.
4. Review the experiences of other similar organizations and assess if there are good practices
that can be replicated in the IGAD region
5. Review the objectives Agenda 21, WSSD, MDG, NEPAD as they relate to the policy
6. Based on the above assessment and findings, draft the regional environment policy, which
would:
a. serve as an instrument for IGAD member States to provide policy direction and to
launch international initiatives, including the preparation of ministerial meetings in
the region to review environmental priorities and adopt a strategic environmental
policy;
b. strengthen environmental information and observation capacity in order to provide
reliable and relevant information on the state of the environment as a basis for
improved policymaking and public awareness, and use indicators to assess progress
as appropriate;
c. Consider the need for and develop, as appropriate, legally binding instruments,
recommendations, methodologies and guidelines for improving environmental

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 management in member countries.
d. Conduct and support international activities which promote environmental protection
and sustainable development in the region at the sub-regional and transboundary
levels;
e. promote cooperation among all parties concerned in order to make action effective
and cost-efficient, as well as to encourage public participation in environmental
decision-making with the involvement of civil society organizations, including the
private sector;
f. Promote cooperation and share experience among national institutions responsible for
the implementation multilateral environmental conventions (MEAs) by providing
support for effective implementation of these instruments and to improve compliance
with their cross-cutting provisions;
g. Promote implementation of policy instruments and tools for strengthening the
capabilities of countries in implementing the regional environment policy through
technical assistance, advisory missions and capacity-building, including the legally
binding instruments of IGAD, to prevent and reverse environmental degradation;
h. Assist Member States as necessary to integrate environmental considerations into
other policies and to use indicators to assess progress as appropriate;
i. Contribute to the IGAD region’s implementation of the environmental pillar of
sustainable development and support the regional implementation meetings organized
in preparation for the sessions of the Commission on Sustainable Development,
UNECA, UNEP, etc.;
j. Facilitate coordination between environment-related programmes and other related
initiatives at national and regional levels to avoid duplication of work and enhance
synergies;
k. Promote and support Member States’ efforts to achieve the Millennium Development
Goals.
7. Assist IGAD Secretariat in organizing a regional workshop to discuss and review the draft
IGAD environment policy
8. Finalize IGAD environment policy by incorporating comments gathered from the regional
workshop

The specific activities of the national consultant would include:

1. Assess existing sectoral and national documents on sustainable management of natural
resources and the environment
2. Identify gaps and shortcomings of the sectoral and national strategies and policies on
environment protection and sustainable management of natural resources
3. Identify areas that are better addressed at regional level
4. Prepare a national synthesis report based on above findings and format provided by regional
consultant for discussion at the national validation workshop
5. Assist in organizing national and regional workshops
6. Present findings of the national assessments at national and regional workshops
7. Finalize national reports by incorporating workshop comments
8. Assist the regional consultant

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 4. Methodology and Approach:

Development of the IGAD Environment policy will be implemented in the following phases:

a) Preparation and presentation of Inception report:

The first phase would commence with review of literature and documentation in this subject and
production of an inception report. The methodology outlined for this consultancy will include primary
and secondary data collection and well-recognized analytical tools. The consultant is expected to outline
his/her methods and detail instruments of data collection and analysis in the inception report. Indicative
methods and processes will also be addressed in the Inception report of the consultant in a response to
this TOR. Included in this is the work plan and timetable and indicate his/her itinerary, the institution to
visit and time for submission of the draft and final drafts.

IGAD shall identify, recruit and contract the national consultants. Based on the regional expert’s
timetable and itinerary, the national consultants will also develop their work plan and timetable.
IGAD supported by environment management institutions in each of the member states will
facilitate the activities of the regional expert and national consultants.

b) Preparation of national reports and production of the synthesis of regional report;

 IGAD Secretariat will select the lead consultant. He/She will prepare detailed terms of reference
for national consultants who would prepare the national reports.
 National consultants finalise country reports and collect all available information and
documentation on environmental policy for the study.
 The Lead consultant validates the report during the country visit and prepares the synthesis report.

c) Regional validation workshop.

IGAD shall invite participants from member states for a three day moderated workshop. They will be
supported by resource persons selected on the basis of their wide knowledge of environmental policy in
the region and elsewhere. The participants shall be officials and experts drawn from governments, NG0s
and the private sector from all IGAD member states. Each member state will be represented by three
participants, one of whom shall be the resource person who prepared the national report.
The lead consultant will further:
 prepare synthesis of the country report and compiled a background document for the planning
workshop.
 familiarise her/ himself with the region in a round tour of the region and backstop the work of
national consultants
 Synthesise the national reports into an analytical sub regional report for discussions at a regional
workshop.
The regional workshop will:
 Introduce the subject to the experts and institutions in the IGAD region.
 Ensure ownership and constituency of the recommendations with government institutions and
experts and environmental practitioners in the region.
 Create networks among stakeholders and identifies present and future information users.
 Endorse a policy document for consideration by the Council of Ministers Session.
 Produce a Logical Framework for the follow-up of the activities and recommendations.

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 5. Work Plan and Timetable

The study is expected to start in early June and end by the end of September 2011. On the
commencement of his assignment, the regional expert shall present to IGAD an inception report on
how he/she would execute the study based on the review of the available literature, the interpretation
of the Terms of Reference and the support he would be provided by the national consultants. This
will form the basis for his/her future activities upon consultation with IGAD supported by
environment management institutions in the member states. The inception report shall be shared with
the national consultants.

The expert is also required to submit to IGAD a draft intermediary report at the end of his/her visits
to the member states and other sub-regional, regional and international organizations currently active
in the sustainable management of natural resources and the environment of the region. Comments by
IGAD Secretariat will be delivered to him/her latest one week after their submission.

The expert shall submit a draft final report latest two weeks after the end of the study. This draft
report will be distributed to participants of the regional workshop, which is scheduled for late
November 2011 to validate and endorse policy. The expert is required to present the draft policy at
the regional workshop, compile comments from participants, incorporate comments finalize policy
and submit it to IGAD Secretariat, latest 15 days after the date of the regional workshop. The expert
is also expected to compile the regional workshop report.

6. Expected Outputs

The expected outputs are:

 Inception report
 National Assessment reports on member states' environment strategies / policies
 National and regional workshop reports
 A draft IGAD Environment Policy document

7. Remuneration

The regional expert will be paid a lump sum of US$25,000.00 (United States dollars twenty five
thousand only) as consultancy fee for the whole exercise. He/she will be provided with an economy
class round-trip air ticket to visit member states and be paid DSA at IGAD rates for the days he/she
spent visiting IGAD countries other than his/her country of residence to a maximum of 25-30 days.
DSA and a return economy class air ticket will also be provided to him /her for his/he visit to IGAD
HQs and for his/her participation in regional workshops.

The national consultants will be paid a lump sum of US$4000.00 (United States dollars four thousand
only) to cover fees, local transport costs and other expenses at national level. The national consultants
will be provided with economy air ticket and DSA at IGAD rate when attending regional workshops
outside of their country of residence.