Non-Staff/ Individual Consultant Contract (Islamabad, Pakistan) contract

Parent Sector : [[Education]]

Duty Station: [[Quetta, Balochistan]]

Classification of duty station: [[filter12]]

Standard Duration of Assignment : [[25 Days over a period of 4 months]]

Job Family: Education

Type of contract : [[Individual Consultant Contract]]

Duration of contract : [[25 Working Days over a period of 4 months]]

Recruitment open to : [[External/ Internal cadidates]]

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : [[17 December 2024]]

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

Note: To ensure a smooth application process, applicants are strongly encouraged to carefully review the “How to Apply” section. This section provides detailed guidance on the required documents for submission. Please be advised that incomplete applications, including any missing documents, may result in disqualification.

UNESCO Office in Pakistan is seeking to hire a national consultant for a feasibility study aimed at establishing an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) center in the Ziarat Juniper Biosphere Reserve (ZJBR) in Balochistan. The consultant’s primary role will be to conduct a comprehensive study of ZJBR, assessing the practicality and potential success of implementing a specialized curriculum focused on environmental conservation and sustainability. The study will identify the most relevant, innovative, and context-appropriate teaching and learning strategies for the safeguarding and conservation of ZJBR.

Based on the study’s findings, the consultant will propose guidelines for a specialized training curriculum for teachers that addresses key themes such as environmental conservation, sustainable resource use, climate change mitigation, biodiversity protection, and community engagement in environmental stewardship. This curriculum will be tailored to the unique environmental and cultural context of ZJBR, aiming to foster a deep sense of environmental responsibility among learners and the local community.

BACKGROUND

The Ziarat Juniper Biosphere Reserve (ZJBR) is a unique ecological area recognized for its ancient juniper forests, rich biodiversity, and cultural significance. Given the increasing environmental challenges, including climate change, deforestation, and biodiversity loss, there is a need for an educational curriculum tailored to the specific context of ZJBR. This curriculum should not only educate but also instil a deep sense of environmental stewardship and sustainability within the local and broader communities in the province.

Pakistan is a member of the Greening Education Partnership, and “greening education” is one of UNESCO Office in Pakistan’s priority program areas. UNESCO’s approach to greening education is a whole-of-sector approach, seeking to integrate more sustainable practices across the education system. In early 2023, UNESCO commissioned a Damage and Needs Assessment for the Ziarat Juniper Biosphere Reserve. This assessment aimed to evaluate the damage resulting from unprecedented rainfall and flooding in 2022. As part of the recommendations, the study emphasized the need for increased advocacy, awareness, and educational efforts aimed at promoting conservation of the forest’s natural resources, with the goal of sensitizing communities on a broader scale. Based on these recommendations, UNESCO initiated a pilot project at the ZJBR site focusing on climate change and sustainability education.

SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT

Under the overall authority of the UNESCO Representative in Pakistan, the supervision of the Head of the Education, the Consultant will perform the following duties

1. Contextual Analysis: Environmental, Socio-Cultural, and Economic Context of ZJBR to Support ESD Intervention

a. Conduct a literature review, focused group discussions, site visits, and meetings with key informants to analyse the Biosphere Reserve’s environmental, socio-cultural, and economic context, identifying opportunities and challenges.
i. Environmental Context: Identify ZJBR’s specific ecological characteristics, including the juniper forests, biodiversity, climate, and environmental challenges (e.g., deforestation, climate change, fire hazard and any other external factors).
ii. Socio-Cultural Context: Assess local cultural practices, traditions, and existing knowledge related to sustainable resource use, climate change mitigation, biodiversity protection, and environmental stewardship.
iii. Economic Context: Analyse the region’s economic activities, particularly those related to natural resource use, and how they might influence or be influenced by Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

2. Needs Assessment of Education Institutions, Teachers, Students, Community, and Stakeholders

a. Conduct visits to District Education and Forest Departments, schools, communities in Ziarat, and the forest itself to assess their needs, knowledge, skills, and potential involvement in the project.

i. Educational Needs: Identify gaps in current educational content related to sustainability and environmental conservation.
– Assess the availability of educational materials, such as textbooks, digital resources, and other tools required for ESD.
– Evaluate the feasibility of incorporating experiential and play-based learning, and other innovative pedagogies suited to the ZJBR context.
– Assess the physical infrastructure of two schools and one learning center suggested by UNESCO to determine if they can support the ESD-related curriculum (e.g. availability of rooms, classroom space, outdoor learning environments, safety and security, fire hazard and electricity).

ii. Pedagogical Needs: Assess the capacity of local educators in ESD and environmental education and identify the need for teacher training or professional development.
– Evaluate students’ knowledge and dispositions regarding ESD and the environmental challenges facing ZJBR. 
– Assess current school practices in climate education and training for cultivating sustainable practices.

Note: At least 6 teachers and 60 students (grades 6-10) should be interacted to explore the knowledge and skills related to ESD. 

iii. Community Needs: Evaluate the community’s educational aspirations related to sustainable practices, preservation of the biosphere, climate resilience, and disaster preparedness. (at least two focused group discussion should be conducted with local communities).

iv. Stakeholder Needs: Engage with key stakeholders, including local government, educational institutions, NGOs, and environmental experts, to identify their expectations and requirements for ESD.

3. Devise a Proposed Future Plan of Action for Enhancing ESD in ZJBR

a. Based on the assessment, propose strategies for professional development of teachers, infrastructure development for the establishment of an ESD center, and participation of students and the community in environmental education at ZJBR.
i. Propose broad guidelines for designing a specialized curriculum on ESD that addresses the unique environmental and socio-cultural challenges of ZJBR.
ii. Suggest innovative teaching methodologies that integrate local and indigenous knowledge.
iii. Identify a school/center for the establishment of the ESD center.
iv. Recommend necessary equipment and resources for setting up the ESD center.
v. Propose community-based initiatives to raise awareness about environmental challenges in ZJBR.
vi. Suggest strategies to engage students in the conservation and safeguarding of the Biosphere Reserve.
vii. Identify potential risks that could hinder the successful implementation of ESD and propose strategies to mitigate these risks and ensure the program’s continuity.

DELIVERABLES AND SUBMISSION TIMELINE 

The National Consultant shall submit the following deliverables to their supervisor(s) before each payment on the tasks undertaken and accomplished in line with the above-mentioned scope of assignment.

1. Inception report: The inception report will comprise the implementation methodology, work plan, and proposed tools/ interview guide. (By end of week 2 after signing date of the contract)

2. Draft report: The draft report will contain findings of the contextual analysis and needs assessment conducted by the consultant to analyse the Biosphere Reserve’s environmental, socio-cultural, and economic context, including its opportunities and challenges. The need assessment will primarily focus the needs, knowledge, skills of the beneficiaries, their potential involvement in the project and identify a potential site for the ESD center. (By end of week 9 after signing date of the contract)

3. Final report with recommendations: The final report will include the proposed strategies for teacher professional development, infrastructure development for the establishment of an ESD center, and suggested interventions for students and community participation in ESD and environmental education at ZJBR. (By end of week 12 after signing date of the contract)

Education:
• A master’s degree in social science including environmental education, educational research or a related field is mandatory.

Professional Experience:

It is desirable that the consultant has:

• Five years of experience in conducting research/assessment study to identify the ecological and education needs using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. 
• Experience in curriculum review with a focus on integrating sustainability and local/indigenous knowledge into educational content. (A minimum of three project completed).
• Experience in stakeholder engagement including local communities and integrating indigenous knowledge into educational content.

Skills and Competencies:
• Excellent communication, analytical, report-writing skills and database packages.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Teams, Outlook, PowerPoint).
• Good knowledge and understanding of government functioning
• Ability to take initiative, establish priorities and capacity to work efficiently under pressure
• Comfortable with working in a multicultural workplace, ability to work in a team to achieve shared objectives
• The individual consultant should have a strong understanding of Balochistan’ s unique ecological characteristics, particularly those of the Ziarat Juniper Biosphere Reserve (ZJBR), as well as the local cultural practices, traditions, and socio-economic factors influencing sustainable resource use, environmental conservation, and community engagement.

Language skills:
• Fluency in English and Urdu is required, with proficiency in any other local languages spoken in the province being an added advantage.

Interested candidates are kindly requested to click on “Apply Now”, then download and complete the Employment History Form (Word file). Employment History Form / My Documents’. Before uploading the document, at the end of the word document, the candidate must insert the extra pages with the following required information in English:

1. Cover Letter: A brief statement outlining the candidate’s motivation, qualifications, expertise, suitability for the consultancy.
2. Curriculum Vitae (CV): A comprehensive CV that highlights relevant experience, skills, and any prior work pertinent to the consultancy including three references.
3. Technical Proposal: A detailed proposal describing the approach to the consultancy, including the proposed methodology, and timeline.
4. Financial Proposal: A detailed breakdown of costs, specifying daily consultancy fees and any estimated travel or mission-related expenses. The financial proposal must clearly outline all components of the total cost.

Please submit your application through SuccessFactors. Only if you are unable to attach requirements in system, please inform us at procurement.isb@unesco.org