Expertise: Environmental Impact Assessment and Water and Sanitation Specialist
Expertise Group: Biological Sciences & Ecology
Consultant Source: International
TOR Keywords: Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental Impact Statement, Water Supply and Sanitation, Environmental Science, Environmental Management
Objective and Purpose of the Assignment
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is implementing knowledge and support technical assistance (TA) to help
Pacific developing member countries (DMC) implement safeguards. ADB’s Pacific Department (PARD) is
recruiting one environmental specialist and one social safeguards specialist to provide targeted sector
and/or project-specific consulting services across the Pacific region on an intermittent basis.
PARD is implementing further TA through Sustainable Capacity Development for Safeguards in the Pacific,
approved on 18-Nov-20 and additional financing approved on 08-Sep-22. The TA will provide further
strengthening of safeguards capacity in the 14 Pacific DMCs.
The TA will deliver three outputs:
(i) Output 1: Region-wide safeguards capacity development strategy and plan prepared, and short-term
capacity development activities implemented;
(ii) Output 2: Targeted safeguards support delivered and
(iii) Output 3: Selected capacity development interventions, identified in TA phase 1 regional strategy,
are delivered in at least eight selected Pacific DMCs.
These outputs will result in the following outcome: A coordinated and sustainable approach to
strengthening environmental and social risk and impact management is under implementation in Pacific
DMCs. The TA is aligned with the following impact: environmental and social risks and impact management
implementation in Pacific DMCs is improved.
Pacific DMC challenges and constraints require continued collaboration between development partners
through mechanisms such as the Pacific Learning Partnership for Environmental and Social Sustainability
(PLP-ESS), which was established by ADB, World Bank, University of the South Pacific, and the
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in April 2019 to foster training,
knowledge exchange, and coordinated capacity development activities. PARD also is an active member of
the Pacific Regional Infrastructure Facility (PRIF) Safeguards Working Group to help PDMC implement more
efficiently their respective environment and social requirements.
The PRIF Safeguards Working Group has also made significant progress in developing a framework for
development partners to use that seeks to promote common terminology and approaches to safeguards, in a
publication titled The Shared Approach (June 2021).
The SPREP plays an important role by helping the Pacific DMCs strengthen and implement their country
safeguard systems; however, SPREP has focused on the implementation of environmental impact assessment
legislation and does not yet cover social impact aspects (as they relate to EIA) or post-approval
environmental management requirements. In the Pacific region, there is no equivalent to SPREP for social
safeguards.
The PLP-ESS is looking to help develop social safeguard training and provide resources to SPREP to
deliver social safeguards-focused training, in addition to SPREP’s comprehensive program of
environmental safeguards training. Also, the PLP-ESS has helped the University of the South Pacific
develop a post-graduate diploma program. The Postgraduate Diploma in Islands and Oceans Stewardship will
be one way to effectively support the needs of the region in further developing capacity for
environmental and social safeguards and further embed and expand environmental and social management
learning opportunities already offered by the university to both existing and future practitioners.
Scope of Work
Under output 2 of the TA, a pool of social and environmental safeguards specialists have been engaged
under the TA to provide targeted support for projects (design and implementation) and/or sector-specific
responses to issues and challenges as they arise. Given the number of urban development projects, with a
focus on delivering water supply and sanitation (watsan) subprojects, in PARD’s portfolio, a specialist
is required with expertise in both EIA and the watsan sector.
Where possible, implementing agencies will be requested to nominate a safeguards counterpart/s to work
with the consultants in order to foster transfer of knowledge and experience in practical settings.
Detailed Tasks and/or Expected Output
The consultant recruited under the TA will provide water and sanitation and safeguards support to PARD
projects during the design and implementation stages, and on an intermittent basis, as and when needed.
Tasks may include, but not be limited to, the following:
(i) Preparation and/or review of safeguard documents, ensuring compliance with ADB safeguard policies
and national laws;
(ii) Preparing and delivering watsan and safeguards-related training;
(iii) Supporting, as required, urban development/watsan project teams in terms of technical advice and
guidance on an as-required basis
(iv) Assisting in reviews of CEMP and providing recommendations on how to strengthen the documents;
(v) Attending meetings, participating in missions and consultations (virtual or field-based if travel
restrictions are not in place);
(vi) Assisting in monitoring the safeguards performance of urban development/watsan projects and
preparing, monitoring and/or completion reports; and
(vii) Mentoring government counterparts, project management unit staff, national consultants, and
project team members in watsan and safeguards matters.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
The consultant to be recruited for this assignment will have an advanced degree (at least a Master’s
Degree) in environmental sciences (or planning) with demonstrable experience of at least 15 years in
preparation and implementation of environmental safeguards assessments and plans; including
environmental impact assessments, environmental management plans (EMP) and monitoring and reporting.
Experience in the watsan sector and the Pacific is essential and consultants who can show experience in
several Pacific countries will have an advantage.
Minimum General Experience: 20 Years
Minimum Specific Experience (relevant to assignment): 15 Years
