International Consultant to design the funding and support mechanism for sustained activities of RCOC and RMIFC in the operationalisation of the maritime architecture in the WIO at UNECA – United Nations Economic Commission for Africa: (Deadline 2 July 2023)

Result of ServiceA reviewed and validated report identifying most appropriate funding and support mechanism for the sustained activities of the two regional centers, RCOC and RMIFC, in the operationalisation of the maritime architecture in the Western Indian Ocean

Work LocationHome based with travel

Expected duration3 Months

Duties and Responsibilities1. BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
In 2013, a cohort of regional organisations composed of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), the East African Community (EAC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) initiated the Regional Programme for the Promotion of Maritime Security (MASE) which was fully funded by the European Union to the tune of 37.5 million EUR for the period 2013-2022. The signatory countries served are Comoros, Djibouti, France (Reunion), Mayotte, Reunion, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles. The main objective of MASE is to promote maritime security and safety in the Western Indian Ocean. MASE comprises five result areas, of which result areas 4 and 5, is led by IOC and refers to the establishment of two regional centres: Regional Coordination Operations Centre (RCOC) in Seychelles, and the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC) in Madagascar. These form the crux of the Architecture of Maritime Security (AMS-I).

Regional Coordination Operations Center (RCOC), Seychelles: The RCOC has the task of coordinating and managing regional actions at sea in the Eastern and Southern Africa Indian Ocean region. The RCOC is manned by International Liaison Officers from signatory countries and is instrumental in coordinating the regional response in the Western Indian Ocean such as oil spills, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, illegal migration, human trafficking at sea and drug trafficking. Since 2019, when it became fully operational, the RCOC has coordinated around ten operations of regional interest, involving the resources of the States and operational partners such as EUNAVFOR and the UK.

Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre (RMIFC), Madagascar: The RMIFC has the task of anticipating maritime safety and security threats in the Eastern and Southern Africa Indian Ocean region. Since its installation in 2017, it has “collected, processed, analysed and shared information about various types of maritime activities. These activities include “violence at sea, IUU, human trafficking at sea, smuggling and contraband at sea, weapons proliferation and security initiative, cyber criminality and general maritime incidents.” The Center is equipped with an information sharing and exchange platform, satellite platforms and the Maritime Awareness System (MAS). In 2019, at its first assessment, the RMIFC already made a marked impact in maritime safety and security in the region and registered 870 events.

However, EU support to the two centres is reaching an end, and RCOC and RMIFC need to raise funds to diversify its sponsors in order to escalate their regional operations to full capacity and thus support the signatory countries in sustained maritime safety and security.

In 2022, the Sub-Regional Office of Eastern Africa of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (SRO-EA), in collaboration with the IOC, supported the RCOC and the RMIFC to conduct a study on the costs of maritime insecurity in the Western Indian Ocean, with the aim of sensitising national and regional stakeholders on the importance and urgency of stabilising the regional maritime security architecture in the Western Indian Ocean. The outcome of the study encouraged parties to endeavour a second step in this direction. In 2023, the RCOC requested SRO-EA to assist in conducting a study on the most appropriate funding and support mechanism for the sustained activities of the two regional centers in the operationalisation of the maritime architecture in the Western Indian Ocean.

2. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF CONSULTANCY

The objective of this assignment is as follows:
• Identify the most appropriate funding and support mechanism for the sustained activities of the two regional centers, RCOC and RMIFC, in the operationalisation of the maritime architecture in the Western Indian Ocean

The scope of the consultancy expands over the East African region.

3. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
In close consultation with and under the guidance of the project manager at the Sub-Regional Office for Eastern Africa (SRO-EA), the selected consultant will have the main duty and responsibility of the elaboration of the most appropriate funding and support mechanism for the sustained activities of the two regional centers, RCOC and RMIFC, in the operationalisation of the maritime architecture in the Western Indian Ocean.

With the view to perform above duty, the consultant will carry out the following tasks and activities:

Designing the most appropriate funding and support mechanism for the sustained activities of the two regional centers, RCOC and RMIFC, in the operationalisation of the maritime architecture in the Western Indian Ocean
• Produce an inception report, define the methodology and a stakeholder mapping;
o As part of the methodology, provide a review of financial mechanisms used for similar Intergovernmental bodies and regional economic communities and conduct a SWOT analysis of each type of mechanism identified. In particular, discuss the effectiveness and sustainability of each mechanism.
o Liaise with the RCOC and RMIFC, national stakeholders (public and private), relevant development partners, maritime industries, and institutions to undertake initial consultations. Discuss their current funding mechanism, and discuss the mechanisms evaluated under the Inception Report, applied by other agencies, along with their related SWOT analysis.
• Complete data collection, review, and produce a draft proposal
• Facilitate an online peer review of initial proposal with UNECA, RCOC and RMIFC
• Facilitate an online validation workshop wherein the consultant should present proposal for review and feedback purpose to national and regional stakeholders and partners
• Submit a revised proposal for the funding and support mechanism based on the above workshop’s conclusions and contributions, for a last round of comments
• Finalize the report proposing the most appropriate mechanism to support the two centers

Qualifications/special skills

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) regional integration and finance, economics, or a related field.
A minimum of 7 years of work experience in designing financing mechanisms for inter-governmental organisations, structuring public-private partnerships, or related sectors.
It is desirable for the consultant to have:
• Record of research assignments on financing mechanisms, regional integration matters etc.
• Good understanding of maritime security structures and knowledge of the key players/ operators;
• Demonstrated experience working under tight deadlines and delivering high-quality outputs.
• Strong oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, proactively and with little supervision.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this post, fluency in English and French is required (oral and written).

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.

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