1. The Rainforest Foundation UK

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Hubert Randell Shields
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1 CALL FOR TENDERS Deadline for proposals: 30 th September 2017 CONSULTANCY End of project evaluation of the Community-based mapping, legal capacity building and documentation of customary tenure and governance in the Congo Basin project Duration of the contract: 3 months (November 2017 to January 2018) Reporting to: Head of Programmes Close working relationship with: Head of Programmes, Programmes Finance and Administration Coordinator, relevant Project Coordinators at RFUK, Executive Directors and Project Officers of implementing partners in Cameroon and the DRC 1. The Rainforest Foundation UK The mission of the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) is to support indigenous peoples and traditional populations of the world's rainforest to: Secure and control the natural resources necessary for their long-term wellbeing and to manage these resources in ways which do not harm their environment, violate their culture or compromise their future. Develop means to protect their individual and collective rights and to obtain, shape and control basic services from the state. RFUK considers that an essential first step to protect and manage the tropical forests and to reduce poverty in tropical forest countries is to realise the rights of the traditional and indigenous communities who live in those forests. With secure rights to land and livelihoods, forest peoples can effectively manage forest resources and direct and manage their own development. Founded in 1989, RFUK has over the past 27 years built a solid body of work based on this rights-based approach to development and protection of the rainforest. Although our work is focused on the Congo Basin, where RFUK has worked since 1996, we also work in the Peruvian Amazon. RFUK tackles the underlying causes of deforestation, linked to the problems of disenfranchisement of indigenous forest peoples globally and locally. From the field to the international policy arena, RFUK reinforces the active participation of forest peoples in the decisions that affect them. We work with over 15 partner organisations in tropical forest countries and our programme work is split into the following thematic areas: Threats to forests from the extractive industries, infrastructure development and agro-industrial expansion; Conservation effectiveness and monitoring of initiatives to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD); Community-based forest management, land-use planning and tenure reform; 1

2 Community mapping and forest monitoring; Indigenous peoples rights. 2. The Mapping and Forest Governance Project The UK Department for International Development (DfID) granted funds to The Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) under the Forest Governance, Markets and Climate programme (FGMC) to implement a five year Community-based mapping, legal capacity building and documentation of customary tenure and governance in the Congo Basin project or short title Mapping and Forest Governance project (MFG). The project ran from 1 st July st March 2017, however RFUK has been granted a one year, no-cost extension to continue land use planning work in Nguti Council, until 31 st March The MFG project aims to contribute to poverty reduction, sustainable management and improved governance of tropical rainforests in the Congo Basin through the documentation of forest communities land tenure and governance systems, and through the promotion and implementation of forest communities rights to land and forest resources. The project has been RFUK s largest to date, spanning over 3 Congo Basin countries - Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and, to a lesser extent, the Central African Republic (CAR) - and has been implemented in partnership with 10 locally based civil society organisations: In Cameroon: AJESH (Ajemalibu Self Help) APED (Appui pour la Protection de l Environnement et le Développement) APIFED (Appui à l autopromotion et l insertion des femmes, des jeunes et des désœuvrés) CED (Centre pour l Environnement et le Développement) FODER (Forêts et Développement Rural) In DRC : RRN (Réseau Ressources Naturelles) GASHE (Groupe d action pour sauver l homme et son environnement) CADEM (Centre d accompagnement de la population pour le développement de Maï Ndombe) Alphonse Wala Etina (Independent project management) In CAR: 2 MEFP (Maison de l'enfant et de la Femme Pygmées) - given the context of the political crisis during 2013, it was agreed between DfID, MEFP and RFUK to suspend project activities in the CAR and to revise the logical framework and budget to reallocate funds and activities to Cameroon from October Community rights and participatory mapping in the Congo Basin The Congo Basin is home to an estimated 50 million forest dependent people. Anthropological research suggests that much of the region is subject to longstanding customary tenure and resource systems which are often well defined locally but have little legal expression. National laws which give the state ownership of the land have led to vast areas of forest being allocated as industrial logging concessions, mining and oil permits, protected areas or as large scale agro-plantations, often with little consultation or consent of local forest communities. Participatory mapping has emerged as a powerful tool for identifying, securing and managing community lands as part of a wider trend to promote community engagement in natural resource management in

3 recent years. In close collaboration with civil society organisations and government agencies, RFUK has been developing and undertaking participatory mapping in the Congo Basin for 15 years for supporting indigenous and traditional communities in their efforts to fulfil their rights to land and livelihood. RFUK has developed advanced methodologies based on new geo-spatial technologies and decentralised mapping support teams. Through this, even the most inaccessible areas and villages can be accessed, and important data such as the social and economic conditions in the village and GPS data of the land can be collected, enabling communities to record data about their lands and development needs at a significantly greater scale and accuracy community mappers have been trained over a period of 4 years, from mid 2012 to 2017 (5216 in DRC and 1610 in Cameroon) and 829 communities have been mapped (652 in DRC, 177 in Cameroon), representing an area of 4,611,936 ha of forest (3,849,007 in DRC, 762,929 in Cameroon). Mapping data have been used to build community capacities to claim their rights to land and resources and to influence specific local and national processes related to land and forest resources management such as the development of Community Forests in the DRC, the REDD process in the DRC, and land use planning in DRC and Cameroon. MappingforRights In 2011, RFUK launched the MappingForRights platform which brings together expertise in the fields of participatory mapping, geo-spatial technologies and policy development concerned with community and indigenous land rights and improved forest governance in the Congo Basin. Geographical information generated by local and international organisations is collated in MappingForRights in order to facilitate access to a range of information showing customary occupation and use of land and resources by forest communities, as well as by other forest users, such as logging companies. The data collected by partner organisations in the Congo Basin inform community tenure and use of forest resources by local communities, as well as showing a series of socio-economic indicators such as access to health and education. The visualisation and accessibility of this data can help to engage policy-makers, the private sector and the international community in a vital step towards developing forest policy that help secure local communities rights. Legal Capacity Building The legal capacity building component of the Mapping and Forest Governance Project aims to promote the rights of forest communities to lands and resources. The recognition of these rights is often confronted with the contrary interests of the actors present in the territory. Conservation, logging, and demand for large areas for agriculture (planting of export crops, livestock farming, etc.) are all competing users of the space inhabited by the communities. However, they are rarely consulted on the allocation of land and resources from which they are excluded de facto, both by the way in which laws are enforced on the ground and by the absence of adequate rights protection measures in existing legislation. The approach developed by the project has consisted of the training and placement of community lawyers who have brought strategic and legal support to communities and community paralegals. Project expected outputs The project has been designed to facilitate the recognition of their rights through four outputs: 3

4 OUTPUT 1 OUTPUT 2 OUTPUT 3 OUTPUT 4 The continuous development of MappingForRights, a geo-referenced database of customary tenure in the Congo Basin. Participatory mapping of the occupation and customary use of land and resources in Cameroon. Participatory mapping of the occupation and customary use of land and resources in the DRC. Legal capacity building of communities and civil society organisations to support the promotion of rights to land and community resources. 3. Objective of the Evaluation A Consultant (or a team of consultants) will be contracted by RFUK to: Evaluate the project from its design to its implementation in accordance with the criteria below to focus particularly on the impact of interventions and outcomes in Cameroon and the DRC. Make relevant recommendations for the RFUK and partner organisations in Cameroon and the DRC. The evaluation will refer to the original and revised overall logical frameworks for the project, as well as the national-level logical frameworks developed by partners, and will relate to the following themes: A. Conception of the project/ Relevance: Relevance and appropriateness, context of the project in relation to local and national issues; details of the project s significance with respect to specific needs and its relevance the priorities of the communities involved. B. Efficiency and project management: Execution, organization, experience of the personnel, technical expertise, administration, financial management; training, monitoring and reporting. Examine how far funding, personnel, regulatory, administrative, time, other resources and procedures contributed to or hindered the achievement of project results. C. Effectiveness: Assessment of how far the intended outputs and results were achieved in relation to targets set in the original and revised logical frameworks. D. Impact and project outcomes: Evaluation of impacts at community and local partner level as well as relating to other actors involved in the project either directly or indirectly. Review of the broader economic, social, legal and political consequences of the project and how it contributed to the overall objectives. E. Participation and Empowerment: Extent, effectiveness, and how the project has empowered communities to take part in the decision making and policy processes. F. Equity: Discussion of social differentiation (e.g. gender, ethnicity, socio-economic group, indigenous communities, etc) and the extent to which the project had positive impact on the more disadvantaged within forest communities as well as on national civil society. 4

5 G. Sustainability: Potential for the continuation of the impact achieved and of the delivery mechanisms, following the withdrawal of external support H. Replicability: How replicable is the process that introduced the changes/had impact. Refer especially to innovative aspects which are replicable. I. Lessons Learned: Key lessons learned throughout the period of the project, which can be utilised to guide future strategies, projects or agencies working in development (divided into project, sector and broader developmental lessons). J. Information, Dissemination and Networking: Detail the mechanisms used for dissemination to outside project stakeholders. K. Recommendations: Recommendations for improvements based on observations during the evaluation process (e.g. for sustainability, future project design and management) 4. Methodology The evaluation will be led by an independent consultancy team, with regional forestry and natural resources sector expertise and strong French language skills. The evaluation is expected to require: Desk-based research and evaluation, drawing on key project documentation (individual project logframes, project plans, quarterly and annual progress reports, methodological and training documentation, publications, statements, press coverage, summaries of key outputs etc). Discussions with project partners (lead delivery organisations) and key stakeholders. These may be face-to-face or remote and likely to include self-evaluation and semi-structured interviews. An in-country visit to Cameroon and/or DRC to for semi-structured interviews and observation. 5. Output The final evaluation should be presented in the form of a written report, in English. The evaluation report should include the following main sections: Executive summary An introduction briefly giving the background to the project A reminder of the author s qualifications and experience A comment on the evaluation s limitations An explanation of the evaluation s methodology An evaluation of project implementation in relation to the above issues An evaluation of the project outcomes beyond those identified in the project document and log frame 5

6 Recommendations for the RFUK and Partners based on observations made during the evaluation process The report should also include a discussion of the consultant s own opinion with regard to the project s progress. 6. Timeline The evaluation will be completed and submitted to the donor by 31 st January 2018: Activities Indicative Deadlines Submission of proposals by 30 th September 2017 Interviews / selection 9 th 13 th October 2017 Preparations: 23rd October 10 th November Contracting - Project literature /document review - Development of evaluation tools and plans Practical evaluation: 13 th November 8 th December Interviews / meetings with DRC & Cameroon partners - Field visit Cameroon/DRC (up to 14 days) Submission and presentation of first draft By 2 nd January 2017 evaluation report Submission of final evaluation report By 26 th January 7. Finances RFUK will provide the consultant(s) with an operational budget. The Consultant(s) will be paid fees based on a daily rate. RFUK will cover transport, accommodation and per diems (according to the RFUK policy) for travel to and from field sites, and for the duration of the mission in the countries. RFUK will provide support to obtain visas for travel. Logistics and budgets for local and community visits will be prepared and managed by national partners in coordination with RFUK. Due to the current political and security situation, and difficulty obtaining visas for travel, field visits to DRC are unlikely to be possible. Consultant(s) should provide an indicative budget for the works as part of the proposal. The budget will be agreed upon with the consultant(s) prior to contracting. The consultancy should not exceed 25,000 (fees and expenses). 8. Skills and Experience Strong background in a relevant field of Law, Environmental Management, Political Science, Forestry or Natural Resource Management, at PhD or Masters level; Proven experience in reviewing and evaluating similar projects involving DfID or other major donors; 6

7 Knowledge of participatory monitoring and evaluation processes and experience in evaluating technical assistance projects with major donors; Experience in working with national/provincial/local institutions in a developing country, especially in the Congo Basin, and in the DRC and Cameroon more specifically; Experience in land rights and/or natural resources rights in the Congo Basin, especially in Cameroon and the DRC; A track record of working to tight deadlines to produce quality outcomes; Excellent analytical and report writing skills; Ability to communicate complex information in understandable and relevant terms adapted for different stakeholders; An excellent command of French and English is essential. Please note the successful candidate(s) will be expected to undertake overseas field visits in Cameroon, and possibly the DRC. 9. Consultancy proposals should include: Team structure CV (s) and proven records of delivered trainings /capacity building tools development/research publications An indicative work plan according to expected outputs and provided timeframe An indicative methodology Indicative outline budget Proposal deadline: 30 th September 2017 Consultants available to travel: November-December

JOB DESCRIPTION. DRC Community Forests Project Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION. DRC Community Forests Project Officer JOB DESCRIPTION DRC Community Forests Project Officer Effective from: 1 st November 2018 Reporting to: DRC Community Forests Project Coordinator Close working relationship with: DRC team, Policy team,