Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and water auditing international consultant

Terms of Reference

Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and water auditing international consultant

(subject to funding)

Equitable Water Resource Management

SNV (www.snv.org) is a not-for-profit international development organization. Founded in the Netherlands 50 years ago, we have built a long-term, local presence in 38 of the poorest countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Our global team of local and international advisors work with local partners to equip communities, businesses and organizations with the tools, knowledge and connections they need to increase their incomes and gain access to basic services – empowering them to break the cycle of poverty and guide their own development.

SNV has been working in Viet Nam since 1995. Using market-based approaches, SNV is committed to reducing poverty by catalysing environmentally sustainable solutions for the poor in agriculture, energy, water & sanitation.

For many years in water sector, the emphasis has been on Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), but integration is not an end in itself. SNV sees integration as a means and emphasises the need for equitable water resource management (EWRM) between people, generations, and nature. Nowadays, EWRM becomes one of key water sector strategies. To move forward more EWRM, SNV aims to strengthens multi-level water governance, improves the availability and use of global and local data, calls for greater accountability for water use, extraction, and pollution, and introduces improved financing and investment models for water resource management and the maintenance of grey and green investment.

Within and across the sector, we integrate three core themes including Gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), Climate adaptation and mitigation, Strong institutions and effective governance. The transformation of water systems requires increased transparency and accountability when it comes to governance. We are working hard to ensure that process and outcomes become more inclusive and equitable; and we remain firm believers that water is at the heart of climate action. We also aim to intensify our collaboration across sectors where relevant, in order to increase our impact.

Rationale of the assignment

Vietnam is located in the Mekong region, shares borders and water resources with other countries such as Lao PDR, Cambodia, and China. There is crucial need to establish river basin collaboration schemes to manage the transboundary water resource and promote its beneficial development for the socio-economic wellbeing and safeguarding of the basin environment. The vision and objectives of any collaboration will be pursued through the implementation of an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Plan and Strategic Action Programme (SAP). To develop a practical and feasible SAP, a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) is an essential step that will provide the factual basis for the negotiation and formulation of the SAP to be structured around the key priority (root causes) areas of concern identified in the TDA.

TDA/SAP is a collaborative process and the SAP is a negotiated policy document that should be endorsed at the highest level. It establishes clear priorities for action to resolve the priority transboundary problems identified in the TDA. Two key elements of the SAP are: (1) a well-defined baseline provided by the TDA; (2) monitoring and evaluation procedures to measure effectiveness of the outcomes of the process for the implementation of the managerial actions agreed by the countries and included in the SAP.

A TDA is a scientific and technical assessment, through which the water-related environmental issues and problems of a region are identified and quantified, their causes analysed and their impacts, both environmental and economic, assessed^[1]. The analysis involves identifying causes and impacts at national, regional, and global levels and the socio-economic, political and institutional context within which they occur. The identification of causes would specify problematic sources, locations, and sector activities. The TDA is intended to serve as a baseline against which future progress is measured. Furthermore, the TDA provides a solid base to develop appropriate Environmental Status Indicators (ESI). A Causal Chain Analysis is part of the TDA development that identifies causes either related to the inadequacy of infrastructure or policies or enforcement.

The TDA output is the core document that synthesizes the findings of basin-wide thematic reports, undertaken at three levels (sub-basin level; community level within each sub-basin; and the extended basin), as follows:

• Thematic Report on Institutional and Legal setting
• Thematic Report on Socioeconomics
• Thematic Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystems
• Thematic Report on Hydrology and Hydrogeology
• Thematic Report on Pollution and Water Quality
• Thematic Report on Environmental flow
• Thematic Report on the Water-Land-Energy-Environment Nexus

These thematic reports will be conducted by the consultant, with support from SNV team, to provide meaningful inputs to TDA process and reports.

This ToR seeks a consultant with applied experience of TDA processes to facilitate the development of this TDA, lead the development of the TDA reports, and provide advice on water accounting at targeted river basins with closed cooperation with relevant stakeholders.

Objective of the assignment

The purpose of the TDA assessment is to seek consensus among countries in the basin on key transboundary concerns, including climate change and variability - reached through joint fact-finding – to strengthen transboundary cooperation and open the way to coordinated remedial actions.

The TDA process will be led by a Joint Technical Committee.  It is expected that the consultant will support the JTC by providing high-quality technical analyses and facilitating a process that will enable the Parties to agree on and prioritise the transboundary issues and strengthen the existing cooperation amongst the relevant State Parties.

Scope of Work

The consultant will facilitate the development of a targeted TDA[2]. The process will be highly consultative with strong engagement of related parties and cooperation with expert groups on different thematic/technical themes as needed to support the process.

The comprehensive assessment will focus on the targeted basins and the consultant will carry out the following tasks, but not limited to, in consultation with SNV and targeted parities:

• Identify the transboundary issues, making use of the project studies and reports.
• Gather and interpret information on environmental impacts and socio-economic consequences of each problem/impact.
• Analyse the immediate, underlying, new/emerging, and root causes of each challenge; and in particular identify specific practices, sources, locations, and human activities of relevant  sectors that are causing, or threatening to cause  environmental degradation.
• Facilitate TDA workshops and meetings with different stakeholders at national, basin and community levels.
• Validate findings and areas of analysis prior to finalisation of the reports, to ensure ownership and close coordination with relevant state Party representatives and within the framework of transboundary water cooperation including promotion of joint actions to address basin environmental sustainability and management challenges.

Deliverables and timeline

The consultant will deliver the following:

• Inception report, including an initial assessment of the transboundary problems/issues, table of contents for the TDA reports, and timeline for the TDA process;
• Draft TDA revised report which will include an updated causal chain analysis and critical knowledge gaps;
• National and regional level validation reports on the TDA;
• Final TDA revised report incorporating comments from the validation meetings of related and targeted parties.

The current consultancy is expected to start around Q2 2024.

Qualifications

Education and Experience

• At least a Master's degree in a field of hydrology, political, biology, agronomy, environmental, social sciences and/or in a field related to water resources management, disaster risks and climate change adaptation.
• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in the field of water resource management, and ideally transboundary water resources.
• To have led, or significantly contributed to at least two TDA processes. Submission of final reports is required in the application.
• Experience in water accounting analyses.
• Competence in adaptive management, as applied to International Waters transboundary fresh water systems;
• Experience working in South East Asia and Mekong region is an asset;
• Fluent in English. Knowledge of other Mekong region languages is an asset.

Duration of the contract

The total estimated days for this assignment is 40 days. The consultant is required to propose consultant rate, which will be negotiated with SNV.

Place of Performance

This assignment combines home-based and on-site work, particularly for meetings and workshops, with travel to the Mekong region as necessary. All travel will require prior authorization by SNV and covered based on SNV cost norm.

Reporting line

The consultant will report directly to the Water Sector Leader at SNV in Viet Nam, and closely collaborate with the technical team at SNV.

Submission and evaluation criteria

To apply for this consultancy, please submit your CV and a resume (1 page max). The resume should include a brief of your background and experience on TDA processes, attached or link of those examples, and the daily rate (in euros) expected by the consultant via the instructions in this link https://smrtr.io/hvjVz

The selection of the consultant will be based only on his/her CV and resume, excluding the rate.

[2] TDA methodology 2cc6db95-cc24-46e6-8f18-8c894c156a27 (iwlearn.net)