Call for applications: Latin America & the Caribbean consultancy roster

Work in: Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Panamá, Perú and Suriname   

Unit: Programmes Unit (The Tenure Facility Secretariat)

Location: Consultant’s residence in Latin America (preferably in one of the TF countries) and, depending on the assignment, frequent visits and meetings with TF partners and other stakeholders.

Duration of assignment: Short-term and long-term assignments, part-time or full-time (depending on the kind of assignment)

Expected submission of applications: 2023-01-22

Are you passionate about helping uphold rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IP and LC) as well as helping protect the unique forests of Latin America and the Caribbean?

Do you have the expertise and experience to help support strategies that promote IP and LC collective land tenure and forest rights, while advancing gender equality, social inclusion, climate change mitigation, conflict resolution and contributing to halting deforestation in Latin America and the Caribbean? Are you from an indigenous or local community, or do you have experience of close collaboration from working directly with IP and LC’s organizations in this region?

If your answers are yes, then we invite you to apply to become part of Tenure Facility’s Latin America and the Caribbean consultancy roster.

About The Tenure Facility

Established in 2017, the International Land and Forest Tenure Facility (The Tenure Facility, www.thetenurefacility.org)is an international financial mechanism devoted to helping secure the collective land and forest rights of IP and LCs across the developing world, in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.

The Tenure Facility works by offering grants and technical assistance directly to IP and LC in their efforts to secure collective tenure, which, at the same time, promote strategies aimed to mitigate climate change, reduce conflict and strengthen gender equality. To accomplish its mission, the Tenure Facility focuses on implementing land and forest tenure, by harnessing the power of IP’s and LC’s initiatives – supporting their strategies, skills, and drive. The Tenure Facility supports innovative approaches or partnerships that engage IP and LC organizations, NGOs, community associations, public institutions and government agencies, as implementing agents to effectively deliver on our mission and vision.

Our programmes consist of two principal components or types of input:
1. Project support: provision of financial and technical support to existing, local initiatives and movements working to advance implementation of progressive land laws and policies to secure the land and tenure rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities and those whom they represent.
2. Knowledge sharing, learning and development of strategic alliances: facilitating exchange and learning processes among Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women’s organizations, producer organizations, other civil society organizations, governments, public institutions, funding agencies, private companies, investors and other key stakeholders. The focus of these processes is on practical approaches for implementing land and forest tenure reform, well-grounded in a comprehensive rights-based approach.

The Tenure Facility is in a phase of organizational expansion and consolidation. It currently supports fifteen projects globally and aims to support a total of 30 projects by the end of 2023.

The Tenure Facility in Latin America and the Caribbean

Our organization recognizes the urgency and the global importance of supporting IP and LC gain collective tenure rights in Latin America and the Caribbean. Despite the numerous threats and challenges they face, IP and LCs in this region are one of the main protectors of global forest contributing to immense quantities of global carbon storage and global biodiversity conservation. Currently, the Tenure Facility supports seven projects in Latin America and the Caribbean and is to expand its support to more initiatives in this region in the coming years. By 2023, there will be TF supported projects in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Panamá, Perú and Suriname.

Consultancy roster for Latin America and the Caribbean

With the aim of strengthening regional presence and expanding support to IP and LC tenure rights and protection of the forests in the Latin American and Caribbean region, the Tenure Facility is now developing a consultancy roster. This list of pre-selected consultants is to comprise different kinds of expertise and geographical focus, provided by persons that are based in the countries of the region where the Tenure Facility is working (see list above). The assignments for roster consultants can be country assessments, project evaluations, thematic or methodological advice, evaluations of a specific issue in a country or a project, research, technical support to our partners, support for development of strategic alliances with different stakeholders, etc.

The Terms of Reference below describe possible assignments in general terms and the qualifications needed to apply for the roster. Subsequently, there will be specific Terms of Reference for each assignment within the scope of the consultancy roster and specific call-off agreements that would be signed with consultants on the roster.

Possible tasks and assignments for consultants to support the Tenure Facility and partners 

Assignments under the framework contract can include the following key tasks:

• Draft country assessments: analysis of the country’s political, legal, and social context, identification of possibilities for working with IPs and LCs, identification of major risks and opportunities for the Tenure Facility’s, etc.
• Conduct evaluations of projects (different kinds of methods might be required).
• Provide support to the Tenure Facility’s project partners with technical assistance and competence development related to project implementation, results management and reporting practices.
• Contribute to assessments of concept notes and project proposals submitted to the Tenue Facility.
• Develop on-site verifications of information, and assessments of the feasibility, eligibility, risks, social acceptability, and environmental relevance of potential projects and partners.
• Support prospective partners’ proposal writing and consultation processes.
• Continuously share relevant information and updates (including updates from partners) from the Tenure Facility with stakeholders and provide continuous updates advice to our programme team.
• Identify stakeholders and initiate and develop dialogue and collaborations with potential strategic allies to create synergies with the Tenure Facility’s projects.
• Support logistic organization and plan agendas for Tenure Facility staff and board visits to the region/country and participation in those visits.
• Support the Tenure Facility and partners in developing “post-project” exit strategies.

Required competencies for assignments

The Tenure Facility aims to create a roster of experts with the following competencies:   

1. Academic qualifications:

• The consultant should have a university degree and/or equivalent practical experience and knowledge in relevant fields such as, but not limited to, land and forest rights and administration (with focus on collective land and forest rights), anthropology, natural resource management, ecology, food security, finance, public policy, international development studies, law, human rights, organizational, project management or equivalent.

2. Technical and cultural competencies:

The consultant shall have:

• Significant expertise and experience in collective land and forest tenure rights, human rights, collective rights and natural resource management, specifically in the Latin America and Caribbean countries listed above.
• A minimum of six years of professional experience working in at least one of the above-mentioned countries in projects related to IP’s and LC’s collective land and forest tenure rights, IP’s and LC’s legal empowerment, IP and LC capacity building and training, natural resources and/or rural development, work together with IP and LC on gender equality and social inclusion or other relevant projects.
• A minimum of four years of relevant experience working with the design, implementation, oversight or evaluation of development projects and programmes.
• Experience in working with indigenous or local communities and with IP and LC based organizations.
• Knowledge of local/national policies and laws on collective forest and land rights in support of IP and LC’ tenure security in the countries listed above.
• Knowledge and skills regarding the Tenure Facility’s cross-cutting issues: gender equality, conflict management, human rights, environment, and climate.
• Mastering of Spanish, Portuguese or English, both written and spoken language. Knowledge of indigenous language(s) spoken in Latin America and the Caribbean is an asset. A good level of English will be required for some assignments.

Desired skills and experience:

• Prior experience of working directly with IP and LCs or IP and LC based organizations in the Latin America and the Caribbean is expected.
• Experience in developing and implementing FPIC (Free prior and informed consent) protocols/guidelines for Indigenous Peoples
• Knowledge of land administration policies and practices, community mapping, community monitoring, GIS, and land conflict management and resolution.
• Experience of working with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Office system.
• Demonstrated experience in project planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and learning.
• Demonstrated skills of working with cultural sensitivity.
• Being part of an indigenous community or local community is an asset.
• Expertise in one or more of the Tenure Facility’s cross-cutting issues: gender equality, conflict management, human rights, environment, and climate.
• Very good analytical and problem-solving skills, including ability to identify and address problems and risks in a constructive manner.
• Experience of working collaboratively with or in dialogue with other donors, private sector or government actors on issues relevant to the Tenure Facility mission (land rights, administration and governance and cross-cutting issues)
• Excellent communication skills. Consultant is expected to contribute to active and close communication between the Tenure Facility and partners.

Other information

The Tenure Facility is based in Sweden and governed by Swedish laws. The same will apply to any contract with consultants. Placement on this roster will allow the Tenure Facility to sign a “call-off” short term or long term timebound contracts with any consultant on the roster according to need and without further procurement process. The consultants will work in close coordination with the Tenure Facility office in Stockholm. The consultants might occasionally coordinate travel together with Tenure Facility staff.

Consultants are not considered staff of the Tenure Facility. A consultancy assignment does not carry any guarantee of work or expectation of future employment, extension, or conversion to another type of contract. Consultants are expected to use their own computer, cell phone, etc. Likewise, it is important to note that selected roster consultants are not guaranteed to be contracted for assignments and will only be called to apply when specific necessities in the region arise.

Proposal

Interested candidates are requested to submit their CV and motivation letter by January 22th, 2023,  to procurement@thetenurefacility.org. Applications can be submitted in English, Spanish or Portuguese.

For the application to be deemed valid, the motivation letter submitted should be no longer than one pageand should include:

• Country of residence
• Language skills
• Expected daily of the consultant.
• Work and/or academic background and experiences related to IP and LC land and forest tenure rights and other relevant topics relating to the scope of work of the Tenure Facility.
• Experience of tasks described in the section above.
• Qualifications and skills (see required and desired above).
• Geographical experience: specify in which countries of Latin America and the Caribbean your applied experience and expertise has been developed.
• An answer to the question: “Why do you wish to contribute to the work of the Tenure Facility and its partners?”

Please send your application email subjected as: [Name Surname] – [Country of Residence] – LatAm Roster Application.

If you have any questions regarding the process, please contact Isabela Pérez, at iperez@thetenurefacility.org.

Questions will be answered between the 9th and the 20^th of January.