81322844-Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in three landscapes in South Sudan

The assignment contributes to strengthening the technical and organizational capacities of subnational administrations and non-state actors in the respective intervention areas regarding sustainable landscape approaches as well as Specific Objective 3 of the EU Action which aims at enhancing the protection and sustainable management of the natural resource base of the economy and agricultural livelihoods. The contractor will work on the development and facilitation of three multi-stakeholder-platforms (MSP) in Western Bharel Ghazal (WBG), Western Equatoria State (WES), and Eastern Equatoria State (EES), aiming for an institutionalized mechanism for sustainable natural resource management within three selected landscapes. The MSPs are collaborative frameworks to bring together diverse actors from different sectors, including government institutions, the private sector, civil society, and local communities, to address shared challenges in sustainable natural resource management. The platforms facilitate the development and implementation of sustainable practices through inclusive and participatory processes. By involving multiple stakeholders, MSPs help to foster social cohesion and to prevent and resolve conflicts related to resource use. They establish negotiation formats and consensus-building processes that reduce risks and improve governance. The project has identified three landscapes for implementation and the contractor shall be responsible for strengthening the capacity of the MSPs in terms of collaboration and decision making, ensuring that the management strategies are effective and beneficial to all involved stakeholders. Implementing training programs on organizational development and technical skills will form a major part of the assignment. Support in the regular "day-to-day" activities are another crucial element requiring close assistance. These activities empower local communities including women, youth, elders and other stakeholders to actively participate in resource management. The contractor will encourage participatory planning processes, where stakeholders jointly develop and implement sustainable resource management plans. This approach ensures that all perspectives are considered, and local knowledge is integrated into decision-making. At the landscape level, the contractor will implement an assessment similarly to a High Conservation Value assessment (including biodiversity hotspot) analysis and a NTFP analysis. Through site-specific measures within the different landscapes the contractor will strengthen local initiatives promoting sustainable (NTFP) forest utilization and related economic benefits for local communities residing within the landscapes, buffer-zone management, conservation, and restoration, with the objective of sustainable natural resource management. Landscape-level change projects seek to involve local actors and generate a longer-term impact, including marginalized groups such as IDPS, returnees and ethnic minorities. The contractor will implement the geo-referenced mapping of the landscapes and their management as well as robust monitoring and evaluation systems to track the progress and impact of the sustainable resource management initiatives. The consultant's implementation approach should be based on critical analyse of respective interests and perspectives of the relevant actors to ensure a high buy-in documenting also learning experiences to better integrate them into the project's approach.