Local Knowledge and Climate Change Adaptation Practices in Anbar Governorate

1. Background

 Iraq is among the countries most affected and vulnerable to climate change globally. In addition, the country is the fifth most vulnerable to reduced water and food availability, extreme temperatures, and associated health problems¹. Data forecasts predict that by 2050, there will be a 10% decrease in precipitation and an increase in temperature of 1°C. This is expected to cause a 20% reduction in freshwater availability, meaning that almost one-third of Iraq's irrigated land will have no water². Iraq will remain amongst the hottest countries, with some of the highest temperature increases in the region in the coming decades. In addition, the country's vulnerabilities to climate change, severe environmental degradation and mismanagement of natural resources are putting its ecosystem in danger of collapsing. This will threaten water and food security, biodiversity, and the country's long-term stability³.   

In response to the impact of climate change, Oxfam in Iraq is implementing a project titled: “Anbar Climate - Participation, Research, Adaptation & Planning”, in Anbar governorate (Fallujah, Heet and Ramadi) which aims to support local government and community representatives to support the resilience of their communities against the impact of climate change through their active engagement in dialogue and active citizen participation in Anbar governorate. As part of this project, the Oxfam team aims to document and share local knowledge and practices on climate change adaptation based on community knowledge, perception, and practices.

1. Purpose of this Assignment:

The purpose of this assignment is to document and capture local and traditional knowledge, wisdom, and practices around climate change over generations. This should be implemented by involving various stakeholders, particularly community members, in the process. This inclusive approach ensures that the issues affecting the community related to climate change are identified and understood from their perspective to ensure that the actions and recommendations generated are relevant and tailored to the local context and identified needs. The assignment will be focusing on but not exclusive to the sectors of agriculture, water, energy, mobility and green spaces, and aims to:

• Document intergenerational experience, observation, knowledge, practices, and concerns about climate change, its impacts, and how local populations have adapted in the past and in the present.
• To capture a wide range of views and experiences from different groups (age, gender, socio-economic status, geographic locality, etc).
• Capture traditional wisdom in the form of stories, songs, and proverbs around nature and ecology, as well as resources and climate change.
• Contribute to preserving local wisdom and solutions around climate change, resources, and nature.

1. Deliverables

 The consultant is expected to produce narrative research documenting the collected data, including stories, testimonies, case studies, etc., per the objectives mentioned above. The document would be used to produce a video documenting the collected data (more explanation is provided below).

 The detailed expected deliverables are:

• Inception report includes the assignment objective, outputs, methodology, and a detailed work plan.
• Data collection tools, taking into consideration it should be cover tools for the overall objective and tools that are tailored to each sector.
• Detailed stakeholder mapping of the targeted audience and community groups.
• Database of the collected data documenting original information using different written registry methods, including field notes, stories, case studies, transcripts, etc.
• Research report on the mentioned topics and achieving the objectives mentioned above.
• Create a 7–10-minute video that compellingly presents the collected data/stories and showcases intergenerational perspectives and changes. The video should effectively capture the public audience's attention and inform them about the coverage of relevant sectors.
• Short video for social media use, 2-3 minutes, extracted from the abovementioned video.
• Validation workshop to present and discuss the findings of the research to be presented to the Oxfam team and its partners.

1. Logistics, Budget, and Constraints

The Consultant will be fully responsible for implementing and coordinating the assignment and should cover all the costs related to the deliverables mentioned above. In addition, the consultant will be responsible for coordinating and identifying the process participants.

1. Time Frame

The assignment will last 30 working days, starting when the contract is signed. The timeline will be refined based on the consultant's work plan and shouldn’t exceed the mid of September, 2024.

1. Scoring criteria for selection of the service provider/consultant

Offers that score less than 45/70% in the technical offers will not be considered for financial evaluation.

The following key technical requirements will be taken into consideration when assessing consultants' technical competencies:

• University degree in relevant fields, including economics, development studies, journalism, or other relevant fields.
• The consultant should have proven previous experience in conducting similar assignments.
• Excellent knowledge of the context of climate change in Iraq and the challenges facing the country's communities in the five sectors of target.
• Conducted similar assignments in Iraq and/or in the MENA region.
• The presence of the consultant in the field to implement the study, data collection, and validation workshop.
• Excellent communication and writing skills in English and Arabic.
• The consultant team should include team members who can cover the required deliverables, from the data collection to report and video production.

Interested individuals or consultancy firms with relevant experience and skills based on the ToR can submit their Expression of Interest (EOI), including the following:

• Cover letter of no more than 1 page introducing the consultant/company and intention to deliver the assignment. The cover letter should also indicate the consultants’ availability for the proposed period.
• The technical proposal should provide details on the proposed methodology responding to the ToR and the deliverables; capacity in line with the competencies required for the assignment, including references to experience with similar assignments and providing relevant work samples; CVs of the consulting team directly involved in the assignment, including their specific roles; and three professional referees. A technical proposal should not be longer than 7 pages, excluding annexes, and should include examples/samples of previous similar work.
• Detailed work plan.
• The financial proposal includes a one-page budget of the offer, covering all major anticipated costs.
• Statement on the willingness to follow Oxfam’s Code of Conduct and guidance regarding safe programming.

TOR LINK: https://oxfam.box.com/s/yxwaura6mmlqox2p2u5hjvu2l4g6l5ej 

Please submit as soon as possible the EOI and other documents to  irqconsultancy@oxfam.org.uk with the title Local Knowledge and Climate Change Adaptation Practices in Anbar Governorate in the subject line no later than August 10^th , 2024; EOIs will be evaluated on a rolling basis until the consultant is selected.

All technical questions or clarifications should be sent to [10:37] Asaad Rashad irqconsultancy@oxfam.org.uk  use this email for both submission of the proposal and technical clarification no later than August 7^th, 2024. Interested applicants can collect the Terms of Reference (TOR) at Oxfam in Iraq Country Office starting August 1^st, 2024  (during working hours). Alternatively, the Oxfam Logistics team can send the ToR via email upon request.

This invitation to tender has been issued for the sole purpose of obtaining offers for the provision of the services requested against the TOR. Oxfam reserves the right not to enter into or award a contract as a result of this invitation to tender. Oxfam also reserves the right to terminate any contract issued as a result of this invitation to tender as set out in the contract terms and conditions.

1. Deadline for submission of offers:

The deadline for submitting the offers is 10 August 2024  (17:00 hr. Iraq Time.).