ThaiNGO

Position Title: Facilitator for the Regional Technical Working Group on Environmental Impact Assessment

Organization: Pact

Location: Bangkok, Thailand

Type of Appointment: Consultant Contract

Period of Performance: September 1, 2015 – June 18, 2017

(approximately 33 days over a 23-month period)

Background and Rationale

The Mekong Partnership for the Environment (MPE) aims to advance informed multi-stakeholder dialogues in Lower Mekong countries on the anticipated social and environmental costs and benefits of regional development projects. Large development projects with significant regional social, economic, and environmental impacts demand a creative approach that involves meaningful engagement across diverse stakeholders, including governments, banks and the private sector, civil society organizations (CSOs), and communities.

National-level reform efforts related to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) currently underway across the Mekong region point to opportunities to strengthen EIA policies and practices. Following regional workshops with government and civil society representatives in December 2014 and May 2015, MPE is now supporting the formation of a Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG) on EIA to advance regional collaboration and specifically to develop regional guidelines on public participation in EIA.

MPE requires the support of an expert facilitator to convene and guide the 25 members of the RTWG on EIA, in collaboration with supporting partners and technical advisors, in implementing its Terms of Reference and action plan over the period of September 2015 – June 2017.

Objective

The objective of the consultancy is to provide expert facilitation and moderation services to the Regional Technical Working Group (RTWG) on EIA, in collaboration with Pact/MPE and the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network (AECEN) coordinated by the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies.

The consultant will conduct the following specific tasks:

Collaborate with the organizers to design, plan, and lead the implementation of formal meetings of the RTWG on EIA (approximately six formal meetings, lasting two days each, with approximately three days of planning/preparation for each and a half day for debrief);

Provide appropriate written inputs in terms of drafting meeting agenda, session outlines, options papers, and other tasks as appropriate;

Integrate appropriate activities and exercises to facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration;

Facilitate meetings to increase the opportunity/potential for the RTWG achieves its objectives and outcomes as defined in the Terms of Reference and action plan (to be determined);

Review meeting minutes and summary reports for accuracy; 

Advise organizers and supporting partners on strategic approaches to stakeholder engagement and supporting the effective implementation of the RTWG action plan; and

Additional tasks as discussed and agreed to with MPE.

Planning and implementation of specific formal meetings will depend on the specific working modality and schedule of the RTWG, to be further detailed at the first formal RTWG meeting (September 28-29 in Bangkok), and in close consultation with Pact.

The consultant will report all findings and recommendations to MPE’s Deputy Chief of Party, based in Bangkok, Thailand.

Deliverables (and approximate dates)

The first formal RTWG meeting is scheduled for September 28-29, 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Subsequent RTWG meetings are likely to occur in November 2015, March 2016, August 2016, October 2016, and March 2017, at rotating locations around the Mekong region, and subject to confirmation by the RTWG.

Pact will support the consultant’s travel to attend formal RTWG meetings, and will provide the consultant with all relevant project-related information and assist with liaison and communicating with participants and other relevant parties.

Competencies and experience

The role of the facilitator is to catalyse constructive dialogue and discussion, sharing of knowledge and experiences, and ensure the achievement of the expected outcomes of the RTWG on EIA, as defined by its Terms of Reference and action plan.

The facilitator must have experience in:

group facilitation;

stimulating collaboration between diverse stakeholders;

creativeness in planning and adaptive management; and

cultural sensitivity and effective use of communication skills to navigate through wide-ranging and sometimes challenging discussions.

Specifically, the facilitator should have at least five years of experience in facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogue processes, especially in a cross-cultural context involving participants who are non-native English speakers. A good understanding of social and environment issues in the Mekong Region is a plus.  English fluency is required.

How to Apply
Interested candidates are invited to submit a cover letter and CV to Pact Thailand Human Resources Unit via thailandrecruitment@pactworld.org by August 21th, 2015

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted