CECR is recruiting a consultant

CAWACON- TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consultancy on Scoping Study on Mapping and Capacity Needs Assessment of Relevant National and Local CSOs, international NGOs working on Issues of Water Pollution, Water Conservation in Vietnam

Scope of the Consultancy
The Project “Collective Actions for Water Conservation” (short name: CAWACON), supported by USAID Local Work in Vietnam is to support network of Vietnamese NGOs, business, research institutions, associations, and individuals who are interested in conserving and protecting surface water in the Vietnam Water Conservation Network (VWCN). Within this framework, the members will work together to not only raise awareness of the public on causes of water pollution, its impacts on health, and economics, but also move to a sense of shared responsibility to protect rivers, streams, lakes, and coastal water areas. The network will provide a platform for members and the public to dialogue and exchange information and share practices on water conservation. In addition, the network will identify gaps and challenges in water pollution control and mobilize the participation of all stakeholders in collective actions and innovative solutions at community, provincial and national levels to conserve clean water. In particular, the VWCN will reach to business sector and other donors to mobilize funding and supports needed to sustain its It is envisioned that after the project ends, VWCN will continue to be a strong partnership platform for people, civil society, private sector, and the Vietnamese government to bring concerted efforts to conserve water and advocate for the protection of rivers, streams, fish, and the ecosystem. These efforts will serve to protect water resources from pollution and ensure access to safe water for all people.

Water management, including water pollution control and conservation, is extremely complex issue. Its governance requires a good set of laws, infrastructure, technology and high level of management capacity. It requires participation of all social components because every single entity of society and life depends on good quality of water and its ecosystem.

The main focus of this project for the next three years is on awareness raising on water pollution and health, on behavior change through small grants and initiatives, based on scientific data and information.

Currently, there are a number of NGOs and CSO networks working on different aspects of water in Vietnam.  The Center for Environment Community Research (CECR), which coordinates Clean Water Coalition has been focusing on advocating a new law on water pollution control. Vietnam River Network, a network coordinated by the Center for Water Resources Conservation and Development (WARECOD) and Center for Sustainable Development of Water Resources and Adaptation to Climate Change (CEWAREC), are both local NGOs, have been advocating for sustainable water resource exploitation and water quality monitoring at the community level. Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, INEST, Hanoi University for Science and Technology, has done much work on applied research on water science and technology and best practices for communities. Vietnam Water Supply and Sewerage Association (VWSA), which has 300 members, has worked with CECR on a community business partnership to protect up-streams for water supply production. There is an increasing interest in the health sector on environmental related health issues. Vietnam Public Health Association (VPHA) has been working on environmental health issues through intervention models and policy advocacy. It has expressed great concern over water borne transmitted diseases. Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University has established the Faculty of Environmental Health, which focuses on water pollution and health issues. Vietnam Fisheries Society (VINAFIS) concentrates on water pollution as a major barrier to sustainable fishery. While all these organizations work on different aspects of water, there is very little coordination among them. Their activities were small, discrete, and not systematic, as a result, the lack of efficiency and a single voice were detrimental to making the necessary changes. If these organizations are connected and strengthened

The geographical areas will be in Hanoi, Danang and Ninh Binh.

The initiative focuses on the in-depth capacity needs assessment of relevant national and local NGOs, CSOs working on water pollution and health issues, water management, policy advocacy on water conservation. The scoping study will cover how the national policies are being translated through their works and how water pollution management and health impacts are priorities, if at all, in their advocacy or outreach. This will be done in whole country, through a detailed scoping study (building on the initial work done during the Inception phase of the project) to identify existing organizations, map their water and health focus, strengths in advocacy as well as awareness and gaps. During the scoping study, a needs analysis that will lead to the development of knowledge products. The mapping will identify strengths of the CSOs and gaps in leadership capacity, management and advocacy capacity for capacity building development and water management initiatives.

The findings and recommendations from the scoping study will inform the development of the training module. The training module which will be developed following that will be used to strengthen the capacity of the national and local NGO/CBO to strengthen their capacity to advocate for water conservation, for collective actions to water conservation and advocacy for community support policy and public private partnership in water conservation.

Objectives of the Scoping Study
Task 1:

• Map national and local CSOs working on issues of water pollution and health, water conservation at national and local levels in Vietnam.
• Identify 20 national/local CSOs working on issues of water pollution, water conservation, water quality, data and communication, water partnership at national and local levels in Vietnam for in-depth capacity needs assessment.
• Conduct in-depth needs assessment on the selected 20 national/local CSOs.
• Analyze and report the findings of the capacity needs assessment of the CSOs. This includes mapping the CSOs’ needs in terms of knowledge and skills for advocacy; the CSOs intersectional focus, strengths, awareness and gaps in implementing the policy advocacy for water conservation, water pollution and health, water partnership, private and public partnership.
• Provide strategic recommendations to increase the capacity of the CSOs based on the findings of the needs assessment to equip these CSOs to better collective actions to advocate for water pollution and health, data collection, water conservation initiative and small grants.

Guiding Questions to be Considered
CSOs mapping

• Which CSOs in Vietnam are working on issues of water conservation, water pollution and health climate change, disaster risk reduction, gender equality and human rights at national and local levels? Consultant to identify these CSOs in consultation with CECR office. Subsequently, to shortlist at least 20 CSOs, in consultation with the aforementioned organisations, for in-depth capacity needs assessment based on selection criteria developed by the consultant and agreed by the aforementioned organisations.

Needs Assessment

• Do the current national water policies and programmes have inclusion of health aspects and cost issues?
• Do the CSOs prioritise health and water pollution, awareness raising in their advocacy and outreach work? What are the good practices (e.g., in coordination, networking and learning platform, advocacy activities in revised law on environment protection), strengths, challenges, and gap?
• What are the existing advocacy and outreach work the CSOs have been involved in on water conservation, water and health, data collection, communication, education? Has it been effective? What are the barriers?
• How the selected 20 CSOs integrate the international and regional commitments on water conservation in their work and if at all, in their advocacy or outreach?
• • What is the capacity need of the selected 20 CSOs in order to strengthen the CSOs collective work on water conservation, mobilising community and private sector, awareness raising and policy advocacy for water conservation.

Task 2:
Mapping donors currently work on related water conservation as relevant to this project, identify at least 10 donors who could be potential partners of VNWC.

Task 3:
Mapping at least 10 businesses whose business is based on water use and who would be potential partners of VNWC
Recommendations for overall outreaching donors and businesses as well as specific activities related to Cross cutting Objective: Reaching out to businesses and monitoring local resources for water conservation.
Timeline

Task Team: The team will be consisting of Consultant Team Leader and CECR Environmental Specialist supported by project team.

Annex 1: Minimum Requirements for Potential Consultant Team Leader are:

• Knowledgeable in the area of water conservation, water pollution and health, institution gender, climate change, disaster risk reduction and/or the nexus.
• Have good track record or experience in consultancy work or published work in mapping study and need assessment
• Knowledgeable in the country context and situation
• Knowledgeable of the national law on environment protection and water conservation
• Have good standing with the national and local CSOs
• Demonstrate ability to complete assignments as per deadline given
• Produces quality work and outputs as stipulated in the TOR
• Strong writing skills in English

Annex 2: Outline for the Scoping Study (maximum 50 page

Acknowledgements
Acronyms
Abbreviations
Executive summary

Chapter 1: Introduction
Objective of the scoping study
Current country context
Overview of country policies and programmes on water conservation and water pollution and health

Chapter 2:
Methodology –
Methodology on mapping of CSOs –
Methodology on in-depth capacity needs assessment and selection of 20 CSOs
Limitations

Chapter 3:
Mapping of CSOs –
Mapping of national and local CSOs working water conservation, water pollution and health, collective actions
List of the CSOs with detailed information

Chapter 4: Findings from in-depth capacity needs assessment
– Analysis and findings of the capacity needs assessment of the CSOs.
– Good practices, strengths, challenges, and gap

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations
– Recommendations to strengthen the capacity of the CSOs based on the needs assessment to equip these CSOs to better advocate for collective actions for water conservation, policy advocacy.

References
Appendices