National Stakeholder Engagement and Safeguards Specialist

Agency: UNDP | Reference: UNDP-PHL-00961 | Type: Call for individual consultants

Description of the Assignment: The GEF Council has recently approved the Project Identification Form (PIF) for the project titled Integrated Management of Small Island Landscapes and Seascapes in the Philippines (ISLAS) (PIMS#9837) implemented through the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).  UNDP is now commencing a detailed project preparation phase expected to last 18 months.  The PIF was approved by the GEF Secretariat on May 4, 2026.

At the end of the preparation phase, UNDP will finalize a full submission package for approval/endorsement by the GEF CEO, followed by a UNDP Project Document (Pro-Doc).The objective of the GEF PPG is to develop the project concept into a full project.

As described in the Project Identification Form (PIF), the Project aims to expand the biodiversity conservation estate and implement integrated, area-based management in three high-value small islands: Camiguin, Marinduque, and Panaon.

These sites were selected for their ecological importance, vulnerability, and institutional readiness to serve as scalable models.The project applies integrated approaches, pairing Natural Capital Accounting (NCA), Nature-based Solutions (NbS), and innovative finance mechanisms such as payment for ecosystem services (PES) and local budget integration.

Inclusive governance models will engage Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), women and youth, in both stewardship and benefit-sharing.This project will address the following problems:•Untested enabling frameworks for OECMs and Integrated Environmental Management (IEM);•Weak enforcement of environmental laws;•Financing shortfalls and low private sector engagement; and•Inadequate integration of biodiversity into local decision-making.The project employs a combined approach using Protected Areas (PAs), Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), and ridge-to-reef integrated management strategies to enhance biodiversity outcomes and strengthen climate resilience.

These interventions will sustain critical ecosystem services such as food security, disaster risk reduction, and nature-based livelihoods that underpin local adaptation capacity and economic resilience.These interventions will directly contribute to Core Indicator targets for improved management of terrestrial and marine PAs (CI 1 and 2), restoration of degraded ecosystems (CI 3), application of improved land- and seascape practices (CI 4 and 5), and broader community benefits (CI 11).

In parallel, the project will pilot innovative biodiversity financing mechanisms such as ecotourism reinvestment, reef insurance, and local budget alignment.

These financing mechanisms will strengthen financial sustainability and enable durable conservation impacts beyond GEF’s lifespan.

Partnerships with private sector actors, including banks, insurers, and ESG investors, will be explored during the PPG and scale-up phases to co-develop and deploy these mechanisms.To operationalize this strategy, the project will be delivered through three interlinked components focused on enabling governance, site-based implementation, and knowledge systems for scaling and sustainability.

These components are anchored in increased financing, community-driven solutions, and science-based decision making to ensure impact and replicability.The following information is to be consulted as background for the GEF PPG phase:•PIF cleared for WP inclusion or GEF Council approved PIF (PFD and child project concept note for projects that are part of a program);•SES pre-screening (of PIF);•Comments from GEF Secretariat, Council, STAP;•Annotated UNDP-GEF Project Document Template and associated guidance included therein;•UNDP policies and procedures;•UNDP-GEF guidance notes on GEF project development (which will be provided by the RTA); and•GEF polices on: Project Cancellation; Fee Policy for GEF Partner Agencies; Project and Program Cycle; and Minimum Fiduciary Standards for GEF Partner Agency (in particular sections dealing with the required separation of oversight and execution support services).

All GEF policies are available here.The final outputs of the GEF PPG are:1.UNDP-GEF Project Document (ProDoc);2.Mandatory annexes to the ProDoc;3.GEF CEO Endorsement Request and all mandatory annexes; and4.Validation Workshop report (This is mandatory for moderate, substantial and high-risk projects).QualificationsMaster’s degree or higher in a relevant field, sustainable development, community development, sustainable financing, ENR management, among others.Minimum 7 years of demonstrable experience in the technical area of community development, and social and environmental safeguards risk assessment and mitigationPrior experience in the safeguards assessments and processes of international organizations and donors, such as World Bank, UNDP, etc.Demonstrated experience working on policy and programmatic issues with national and local governments and civi

CONTACT:
• Email: procurement.ph@undp.org