Climate change, manifesting in the form of intensified cyclones, storm surges, and sea-level rise (SLR), is accelerating saltwater intrusion into the freshwater resources of the coastal belt of Bangladesh. Climate change-induced soil and water salinity is projected to adversely impact freshwater dependent agricultural livelihoods (leading to loss of productivity or livelihoods) as well as the availability and quality of drinking water in the vulnerable coastal communities. Furthermore, given the crucial role that women play in water security and household level resilience, and their socio-economic marginalization, the climate change-induced threat to agricultural livelihoods and drinking water security of the affected coastal communities disproportionately affects women and girls.

Therefore, the key objective of the proposed project is to support the Government of Bangladesh (GoB) in strengthening the adaptive capacities of coastal communities, especially women, to cope with impacts of climate change-induced salinity on their livelihoods and water security. GCF resources will be combined with GoB co-financing to address information, technical, financial and institutional barriers to implementing and managing resilient livelihoods and drinking water solutions for the vulnerable communities in the Southwestern coastal districts of Khulna and Satkhira. An estimated 719,229 people (about 245,516 direct and 473,713 indirect) will benefit from the project proposed interventions.

The proposed project will empower target communities, especially women, as ‘change-agents’ to plan, implement, and manage resilient livelihoods and drinking water solutions. The project will enable those communities to address climate change risks on livelihood and drinking water security to promote synergistic co-benefits. It will enhance the adaptive capacities of these communities in the face of worsening impacts of climate-change induced salinity on their freshwater resources which in turn adversely affect livelihood and drinking water requirements. GCF resources will be invested in promoting a diversification from currently non-adaptive, freshwater-reliant livelihoods of small-scale farmers, fishers, and agro-labourers towards climate-resilient agricultural livelihoods. GoB co-financing is leveraged to support adoption and scale of these alternative, climate-resilient agricultural livelihoods through strengthened value-chains and market linkages for their long-term viability in the face of increasing salinity and extreme weather. The project also utilizes GCF and GoB resources to support investments in and management of climate-resilient drinking water solutions to secure year-round, safe drinking water supplies for the targeted communities. Access to reliable, safe drinking water enables the communities, especially women and girls in targeted households, to invest the resulting time and cost savings and health co-benefits in enhanced livelihoods and income generating and/or educational opportunities. In turn, the enhanced incomes and livelihoods will enable the communities to sustain the investments in the drinking water supply solutions in the long-term. Finally, through investments in institutional capacities, knowledge dissemination and evidence-based learning, the project will enable pathways for replication and scale of project impact to secure livelihoods and drinking water across the vulnerable districts of the southwest coast of Bangladesh. The project yields significant environmental, social (including gender), and economic co-benefits including enhanced integrity of coastal ecosystems and freshwater resources; improved gender norms and women empowerment; and increased income and health benefits, estimated at USD15 million and USD4 million respectively over the project lifetime.

The project contributes towards GoB’s achievement of priorities outlined in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and its climate change strategies. The project objective speaks to the top five key near-term areas of intervention identified by the INDC to address adverse impacts of climate change  including: 1) Food security, livelihood and health protection (incl. water security); 2) Comprehensive disaster management, 3) Coastal Zone Management, including Salinity Intrusion control, 4) Flood Control and Erosion protection, 5) Building Climate Resilient Infrastructure.  Directly aligned to six of the fourteen broad adaptation actions prioritized by INDC, the project is implementing improved EWS, supporting climate resilient infrastructure, Tropical cyclones and storm surge protection, stress-tolerant variety improvement and cultivation, and Capacity Building at Individual and institutional level to plan and implement adaptation programmes and projects.

• Prepare Safeguard Plans and ensure that such plans are approved by relevant authorities before implementation;
• Provide substantive assistance on safeguard issues to sectors in order to promote enhanced investment on building a climate resilient green economy;
• Support the Safeguard Specialist to identify the project-related interests of key stakeholders (poor and discriminated groups in particular) and barriers that are likely to prevent them from participating in and benefiting from the project resources. Suggest possible strategies for addressing their concerns;
• Conduct different surveys as required for collecting and analyzing data required for the evaluation of the bridge building;
• Provide technical expertise on key issues related to environmental and social impact assessment and on sustainability risks in the design, preparation, implementation and supervision of GCF’s operations taking into consideration best industry practices and standards;
• Ensure representative participation of people from Disadvantaged Groups in different committees as foreseen by the project document;
• Ensure the protection of populations at risk and vulnerable groups during project implementation;
• Ensure implementation and closely monitor the implementation of Indigenous People’s Plan and Social and Environmental Safeguard Operational Manual with a focus on general compliance with UNDP’s SES.
• Ensure implementation of project Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) and UNDP’s and GCF’s accountability mechanisms and maintain a register of received and resolved complaints; 
• Organize and facilitate Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) consultation with the Indigenous People, document their feedback and consent and ensure their feedback is considered into project level planning;
• Organize and conduct stakeholder consultation, orientation and awareness trainings about the project as required;
• Assess and analyze land for land options to the extent possible for affected households that are dependent on land-based livelihoods, farming, livestock raising, who do not have the skills and capacity to undertake alternate livelihoods; Recommended to delete;
• Collect Success/Failures Stories. Prepare Case studies human interest stories and assist GCF for wider circulation, sharing;
• Identify all key potential social and environmental impacts and risks of a project and ensure that their magnitude and significance are well understood;
• Design and incorporate into the safeguard plans and project effective and feasible measures to avoid, minimize, and mitigate the adverse environmental and social impacts, and draft relevant project processing documentation. Ensure that the client understands the applicable safeguard policies, guidelines and project-specific requirements, and has the necessary commitment and capacity to manage social and environmental impacts and/or risks adequately and supported by mechanisms that facilitate implementation;
• Supervise projects to ensure implementation of mitigation measures;
• Compile data related to project output and outcome indicators and collect and compile required data in the project MIS;
• Compile relevant sections of monthly, quarterly and annual progress data, and prepare report;
• Conduct consultations with stakeholders in accordance with relevant policies and guidelines.
• Report on and disseminate good practices and generate knowledge.
• Prepare quarterly monitoring and evaluation of project activities against standards of the safeguard guideline;
• Organize training on integrating safeguard principles for GCF project;

Impact of Results
The key results have an impact on the overall success of the project targets.

Institutional Arrangement
This position will directly report to the Safeguard Specialist and overall guidance by National Project Manager.

b)    Cross-Functional & Technical competencies (insert up to 7 competencies) 
Business Management     Monitoring     Ability to provide managers and key stakeholders with regular feedback on the consistency or discrepancy between planned and actual activities and programme performance and results
Business Management    Results-based
Management    Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable results
Business Direction & Strategy    Effective Decision Making    Ability to take decisions in a timely and efficient manner in line with one’s authority, area of expertise and resources
Ethics    UN policy knowledge - ethics 
    Knowledge and understanding of the UN Staff Regulations and Rules and other policies relating to ethics and integrity.

2030 Agenda: People 
    Gender    Climate Change and Risk Management of Disasters with a Gender Perspective

2030 Agenda: Planet 
    Nature, Climate and Energy 
    Climate Change Adaptation: livelihoods

Minimum Education requirements -  Secondary school certificate or equivalent or Bachelor’s  in civil engineering, environmental engineering, environmental management, environmental science or other related fields or equivalent.
 

Minimum years of relevant work experience - At least 5 years (with Secondary School Certificate) and 2 years ( with Bachelor) of relevant professional experience in safeguards work, or related area. 
 

Required skills:    

• Working experience with governments on environment and social safeguard, climate change and sustainable development agenda is preferable 
• Experience in Safeguard Principles, Development Effectiveness and Cooperation, Climate Change Finance, gender equality and its related issues is an asset; 
• Work experience in an international organization is an advantage; 
• Extensive knowledge of UNDP’s policies, procedures and practice is an asset; 
• Ability to work as a part of a team, sharing information and coordinating efforts within the team;

Required Language(s):     Fluency in English and Bangla is required.