Start date: as soon as possible
Duration: Consultancy (expected duration around 40 days between August 2024 and February 2025)
Location: Tunisia
Purpose of Consultancy
The Arab Reform Initiative (ARI), is looking to hire a Tunisia-based consultant to produce an analytical report on Tunisia’s water governance with a particular assessment of how “just” the situation has been so far – exploring how the right to water is understood in Tunisia, how the water “sector” is governed, what inequalities exist, who are the key players in the sector, the role of international donors, past efforts to address Tunisia’s shortages and unequal access. The Consultant will need to also present the findings during a roundtable session in Tunisia.
ARI’s approach is to ground environmental issues in the framework of just transition and environmental justice. A “just transition” framework seeks to ensure that the benefits of a transition to a greener and more sustainable economy are shared widely and inclusively and that those who have been left out by the current economic system – communities suffering from environmental degradation, food insecurity, water shortages or those with little support for adapting or mitigating the impact of climate change – are not sidelined in the coming transition.
This Consultancy is part of the "The Just Transition Green Bridge" project. The project is designed to strengthen civil society input on environmental governance across the Middle East and North Africa, integrating communities most impacted by climate change into the policy-making processes. It aims to promote an equitable and inclusive environmental transition by fostering active participation among Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and grassroots movements.
Scope of Work:
The consultant will:
- Develop a literature review of what has been written around water justice issues in Tunisia (be it from the perspective of right to water, equitable access to water, the commodification of water, geographical discrepancies, exclusion of certain groups from access to water)
- Conduct individual/group interviews and field/observation notes with key stakeholders. Based on this, the consultant will identify (with input from ARI) some key issues or projects that the report will tackle as case studies.
- Produce a research report documenting findings, analyses, and recommendations for addressing water justice in Tunisia, focusing on governance and accountability mechanisms vis-à-vis the Tunisian government, international financial institutions and other stakeholders (including availability of information on projects).
- Facilitate and participate in consultation meetings and roundtable discussions with various stakeholders to gather insights and foster dialogue on water justice in Tunisia.
- Identify key stakeholders who work on water justice in Tunisia who ARI can engage with during the consultancy period and beyond.
The research paper should respond to the following guiding questions:
- How are policies regarding water currently being made in Tunisia? Why has Tunisia’s previous water sector strategies failed to deliver on the promise of the right to water?
- Who benefits from the current policies and practices (what sectors, areas, groups of people)? Who are the winners and who are the losers? Who has been left out and has no reliable access to water?
- Are CSOs, other parts of civil society (unions) and local communities, currently included in the policy making process regarding water governance? Who is being left out of the policy process?
- When CSOs are included in these policy making processes: in what format are they included and what are the impacts (intended and unintended) of this inclusion?
- How would CSOs like to engage in the policy process (i.e. what mechanisms for engagement would they like to see) and what are red lines process-wise?
- What resources (material and immaterial) would CSOs need to be able to play a greater role in shaping public policy regarding water?
- What does a "just transition" mean to them? And what would this look like in policy terms?
- How are international actors (World Bank, the EU, the US, other bilateral donors) currently supporting or approaching the water sector in Tunisia? Is their approach just focused on technical solutions (increasing supply or optimizing demand) or do they include “justice” considerations as well as good governance reforms of the sector? More specifically, how does the EU currently interact with CSOs in terms of policy development? Are there particular EU-funded projects that are worth examining in terms of lessons learned?
- What are actionable and politically feasible things the EU could do to facilitate the meaningful inclusion of local communities and CSOs in contributing to better and fairer use of water?
Deliverables and Time Frame
- Individual/group interviews and field/observation notes for internal discussion by ARI staff.
- Literature review of what has been written around water justice issues in Tunisia (be it from the perspective of right to water, equitable access to water, the commodification of water, geographical discrepancies, exclusion of certain groups from access to water)
- Outline of research article for discussion and validation to be submitted by August 30, 2024.
- A research article of around 5000 words in Arabic or English for publication and public dissemination. The research article should have clear policy recommendations.
- An annex to the research article containing data on key groups and key data in table format.
- The first draft of the research report is expected by October 30, 2024.
- Consultation meetings and roundtable discussion with key stakeholders to present findings and solicit feedback is expected by November 15, 2024
- The final draft of the research report is due by November 30, 2024. ARI to submit edits/comments
- The deadline for the final version of the research report is January 10, 2025
- All raw material and interviews will be submitted to ARI by January 31, 2025
Payment Schedule
Payments will be made in instalments as follows:
- 25% of the total amount upon ARI's acceptance of a preliminary outline by August 30, 2024
- 25% of the total amount upon submission of the first draft of the research report by October 30, 2024
- 25% of the total amount upon ARI's acceptance of the final draft of the research article by November 30, 2024.
- The remaining 25% of the total amount upon ARI's final acceptance of the completed work by January 31, 2025.
This payment schedule provides for partial payments at key milestones in the project, ensuring ongoing compensation for the consultant's work throughout the duration of the research.
Supervision
The researcher will work in close cooperation with the ARI team, and the specific questions and scope of the research to be conducted will be agreed upon at the start of the consultancy.
The researcher will be largely autonomous in the conducting of the research but will receive feedback in the spirit of peer review regarding the scientific elements of the research produced.
Duration
The consultancy will commence on August 18, 2024 and will conclude on February 16, 2025
Location
The consultancy is located in Tunisia.
Qualifications
- Advanced degree in Environmental Studies, Political Science, International Relations, or a related field with a focus on sustainable development or environmental policy.
- Demonstrated experience in conducting qualitative research, including field interviews and stakeholder facilitation.
- Strong understanding of justice issues in the Water context, particularly in the context of environmental justice.
- Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills.
- Proficiency in English and Arabic is mandatory.
Other Conditions
The consultant will adhere to all organizational policies, including policies related to ethical research, and data protection and confidentiality.
Any further publications or presentations resulting from this consultancy must credit the organization and receive prior approval before submission.
These Terms of Reference serve as an annex to the main contract and outline specific expectations and responsibilities associated with the consultancy.
Application Process
We invite applications from individuals or groups with proven expertise in environmental and water issues in Tunisia, especially those with a background in examining civil society dynamics and environmental policy impacts. Applicants should submit:
- A detailed CV.
- A cover letter outlining their interest and qualifications for the project.
- A research detailed proposal which should include a proposed methodology, timeline and a financial proposal
Application Deadline: August 16th 2024
How to Apply: Please send your application materials to recruitment@arab-reform.net and use the following subject line: “Application for Environmental Researcher Position – Water Tunisia”