Terms of Reference –
Regional Coordinator, S.E. Asia
1. Background
President Clinton launched the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) in August 2006 to make a difference in the fight against climate change in practical, measurable and significant ways. A global solution to climate change will not be achieved without an aggressive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. The CCI initiated a Forestry Program in April 2008 (CCI-Forestry) to help achieve this goal. Forests are an integral part of the global carbon cycle. The IPCC-AR4 estimates that about 18% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions during the 1990s resulted from land use change, primarily deforestation. To date, neither the UNFCCC nor the Kyoto Protocol has addressed this issue in an appropriate manner.
In accordance with Decision 2/COP.13, the CCI-Forestry program in South-East Asia is demonstrating how REDD-plus projects can contribute to helping forest-dependent communities move out of poverty, to conserving tropical forests and degraded peat lands, and to ensuring real reductions in GHG emissions associated with land use, land cover changes and deforestation. The program is aligned with respective governments at national and sub-national levels and will contribute to the development of national REDD-plus policies, strategies and regulations in Indonesia and Cambodia by addressing the key technical and financial barriers of entry which currently limit the supply of good quality validated REDD-plus demonstration projects. The program is building capacities at national and sub-national levels of government, non-governmental organisations, private sector and communities to implement REDD-plus projects by improving national REDD-plus screening processes, learning-by- doing using a generic five-stage (due diligence, feasibility, carbon development, validation and marketing)/ten- step carbon development process, establishing linkages between project-based, sub-national and national forest carbon accounting systems, developing benefit-sharing mechanisms, and communicating lessons learned.
During the period October 2008-May 2010 CCI-Forestry, S.E. Asia facilitated the development of a portfolio of seven REDD-plus projects in Indonesia (5) and Cambodia (2). The projects in Indonesia and Cambodia will bring a total of 500.000 hectares of tropical forests under forest carbon financing, and will benefit more than 175 poor rural forest dependent communities including some indigenous peoples, with a total population of 225.000. Two projects (Oddar Meanchey Community Forestry REDD project in Cambodia and the Rimba Raya Conservation REDD project in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia) are currently undergoing third-party validation using both the VCS and CCB Standards. These projects will result in avoided GHG emissions amounting to an estimated total of 82.1 million tCO2e over the next 30 years.
The strong interest of the Governments of Indonesia (GOI), and the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) and the commitment of CCI-Forestry to support a broad portfolio of sustainable forest management and investment activities in each country represent a unique opportunity to demonstrate inter alia that REDD-plus can contribute to alleviating poverty and improved forest governance, as well as mitigating global climate change.
More information on the Clinton Foundation and CCI can be found on the foundation’s web-site (
www.clintonfoundation.org).
2. Clinton Climate Initiative-Forestry in S.E. Asia
2.1. Indonesia
CCI-Forestry supports the Ministry of Forestry and, where appropriate, the National Council for Climate Change and other relevant GOI agencies to reduce deforestation and degradation, to increase afforestation/ reforestation/ agroforestry activities and to protect forested land to benefit poor forest-dependent communities by linking them to global forestry carbon markets, by providing technical assistance for project and sub-national carbon measurement, reporting and verification, and by catalyzing investment into the forestry sector.
The immediate objectives of the CCI-Forestry program Addressing the Challenges of Scaling-up REDD-plus Activities in Indonesia are:
- To promote early action replicable REDD-plus demonstration projects in Indonesia to reduce deforestation and forest/peatland degradation, conserve natural forests and make REDD-plus work for the rural poor;
- To aim to secure the prior informed consent of forest-dependent communities in all prioritized REDD-plus project sites by strengthening processes of consultation and engagement of indigenous peoples and local communities during the design, validation and implementation phases;
- To contribute to national and sub-national REDD-plus policy development through the Ministry of Forestry, Forest Production Development REDD Working Group, and the Central Kalimantan Provincial Government;
- To communicate lessons learned and build constituency for REDD-plus across the country and internationally by developing a web-based portal for exchange of project experiences.
2.2 Cambodia
CCI-Forestry supports the Forestry Administration and, where appropriate, the Ministries of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction and Environment and other relevant RGC agencies through a small portfolio of community forestry REDD-plus projects by providing technical assistance for project and sub-national carbon measurement, reporting and verification, and by catalyzing investment into the forestry sector.The immediate objectives of the CCI-Forestry REDD+ project in Cambodia are:
- To facilitate the design, validation and implementation of two low(-er) cost community forestry REDD+/AFOLU projects in Siem Reap and Bantey Meanchey Provinces building on the experiences gained at the Oddar Meanchey REDD ‘bundled’ community forestry REDD project;
- To build Forestry Administration, local government and NGO capacities in the design, validation and implementation of REDD+/AFOLU projects by strengthening processes of consultation and engagement of local communities, forest law enforcement, the identification of alternative livelihood strategies, and the development of a sub-national MRV system;
- To contribute to national REDD readiness and the development of a REDD Roadmap and national REDD Strategy as a key member of a government-led REDD working group;
- To mobilize private sector funding in support of sustainable forest, fisheries and land use activities through a portfolio of sustainable tourism initiatives.
3. Regional Coordinator CCI-Forestry, S.E. Asia
The Regional Coordinator, Clinton Climate Initiative-Forestry in S.E. Asia will assist the governments and National Coordinators in each country to design, develop, validate, verify, and register a portfolio of REDD-plus projects in Indonesia and Cambodia, to develop sub-national MRV systems and build capacities amongst all actors. The Regional Coordinator will report to the Chairman, CCI. He/she will implement agreed CCI-Forestry activities in accordance with approved annual work plans, and attendant budgets developed in each country.
The Regional Coordinator will be responsible for fund-raising and reporting (narrative and financial) to donor organizations currently limited to the Rockefeller Foundation and Norad. He/she will develop multiple sources of funding including Official Development Assistance, preferential loan financing and/or Kyoto compliance-related off-sets, Private Corporations either as off-setters of GHG emissions or as part of Corporate Social Responsibility efforts, and philanthropy, as well as for-profit investors in forestry, agro-forestry and related activities including the voluntary market for carbon credits.
The Regional Coordinator will also facilitate access to satellite data for selected project sites. These efforts will be complemented by the joint Government of Australia/CCI- Forestry Carbon Measurement Collaborative which aims to develop a prototype for a globally available emissions accounting system for forestry and agricultural land uses.
The Regional Coordinator, CCI-Forestry, S.E. Asia will have the following specific duties:
- Day-to-day management to facilitate implementation of a portfolio of CCI-Forestry REDD-plus projects in Indonesia and Cambodia, including program and budget monitoring, reporting, and follow-up at each prioritized REDD-plus project site;
- Provide technical advice and support to the Ministry of Forestry, Indonesia and Forest Administration, Cambodia through relevant government-led working groups on climate change and/or REDD-plus;
- Assist in the preparation and presentation of CCI-Forestry progress and annual reports, and reports required by the William J. Clinton Foundation and/or donors;
- Preparation of funding proposals;
- Ensure program activities are managed in accordance with administrative and financial procedures and practices of the William J. Clinton Foundation, aligned to GOI and RGC rules and regulations;
- Facilitate annual audits of all grants provided to partner organizations at each prioritized REDD-plus project site;
- Prepare analytical reports on government policies and programs in relation to forestry and climate change, and other relevant fields;
- Oversee the preparation of technical case studies for publication;
- Provide technical advice and direction to manage all personnel and external consultancies (local and international) to support implementation of CCI-Forestry activities in each country. This task may include drafting of Terms of Reference;
- Develop and maintain strategic links with national and local governments to facilitate effective implementation of CCI-Forestry activities in targeted provinces and districts;
- Establish and maintain effective networks with existing and potential investors in forestry in S.E. Asia;
- Establish and maintain effective networks with other organizations, notably the World Bank, UN-REDD, ICRAF, CIFOR, AusAID and other donors, NGOs and civil society on forestry and climate change issues in S.E. Asia;
- Support technical review missions and other official visits from the USA;
- Any other duties as required by the Chairman, CCI.
4. Qualifications
Skills required:
- Understanding of how to partner with local and national political leaders
- Ability to navigate complex government processes with multiple influencers; negotiating and achieving consensus
- Proficiency working on highly complex problems without extensive structural or operational support from HQ
- Ability to work within budgetary constraints typical in a small foundation
- Ability to work independently
- An up-to-date knowledge of forestry and climate change issues, policies and regulations established by the Government of Indonesia
- A sound understanding of fiscal and decentralization policies, strategies, and programs in Indonesia and Cambodia
- Knowledge of Indonesian and Cambodian culture preferred
Education/Experience:
- 15 years experience in public or private sector management, with increasing levels of responsibility and leadership
- Substantial developing country experience (at least 10 years in-country experience, preferably in S.E. Asia)
- Leadership experience, preferably with full operational and financial responsibility and accountability for a program, geographic region, business, or development initiative
- Experience working with government, and demonstrated ability to favorably influence decision making processes in a diplomatic and collaborative manner
- A relevant professional qualification (minimum M..Sc. level) in forestry/natural resources
Previous experience with development or environmental management programs and good knowledge about procedures for bilateral development assistance.
In addition, the position of Regional Coordinator requires excellent personal skills including the ability to work both independently and with contracted teams. This will require good administrative and management skills, and being a skillful presenter and negotiator.
The candidate will also need to demonstrate:
- Sound knowledge of all standard software (Word, Excel, etc)
- Good proficiency in both written and spoken English
- Good analytical ability, collaborative skills at all levels and flexibility to adapt to changes in context and working environment
- Willingness to travel, sometimes under demanding circumstances
- Knowledge of either Bahasa Indonesia and/or Khmer an advantage
How to Apply
Please apply through the Clinton Foundation web site Career section including a cover letter at
www.clintonfoundation.org by
30 April 2010.
