Water Partnerships Specialist, Horn of Africa

The Horn of Africa (HoA) stands out as one of the world's most fragile regions, facing intricate development issues such as fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV), alongside food crises and challenging socio-political and economic conditions. The borderlands within the HoA suffer from high poverty rates. Famine pockets, notably in places like Somalia, perpetuate food insecurity across the region. The primary drivers of food crises in the HoA are armed conflict, ethnic violence, economic instabilities, macroeconomic hurdles, as well as climate change-induced irregular or insufficient rainfall and the menace of desert locusts. Additionally, the region's population is rapidly growing and projected to reach 250 million by 2030.

Climate-induced shocks in the HoA are escalating tensions over scarce natural resources, particularly regarding water and land. This contributes to food insecurity and poses heightened risks to public health. Changes in rainfall and temperature will significantly affect the water cycle, water resources, drought frequency, erratic floods, and consequently exacerbate conflicts such as disputes between farmers and pastoralists or host communities and refugees, particularly in water-scarce areas. Alterations in pasture and water availability due to climate changes could intensify disputes over land and water resources, worsening cases of gender-based violence.

These challenges significantly impact the HoA’s borderlands, which have long been associated with economic hardship and chronic poverty, but also offer economic potential and trade opportunities. Situated at the fringes of state authority, these borderlands often grapple with low agricultural productivity, environmental deterioration, food insecurity, conflict, and involuntary displacements. Largely devoid of public policies and investments, they lack basic services and formal institutions. However, these regions also present economic prospects linked to both formal and informal trade, including cross-border price differences, as well as pastoralism, a vital source of local livelihoods.

Groundwater holds a crucial role in fortifying climate resilience in the HoA's borderlands. Unfortunately, this resource remains largely overlooked and underutilized. In a region where surface water is scarce due to high temperatures and evapotranspiration rates, groundwater stands as the most dependable source to ensure consistent water supplies for domestic, agricultural, and livestock usage. It acts as a natural reservoir during droughts, aiding in adapting to unpredictable climate changes and shocks. Despite its substantial potential, groundwater exploitation remains largely untapped in the HoA.

The groundwater reservoirs in the HoA's borderlands, whether national or transboundary, are vital resources for the vulnerable livelihoods in these areas. With significant pastoral and agro- pastoral communities and a burgeoning young population, the region's borderlands are situated atop or in proximity to major groundwater aquifers, some of which traverse national boundaries.

The Horn of Africa Groundwater for Resilience Program (GW4R) addresses these challenges at the regional level. The Program builds on existing institutional efforts across the region to reduce vulnerability and build resilience. Its objective is to “increase the sustainable access and management of groundwater in the Horn of Africa’s borderlands”. Phase I of this program (US$385) was approved by the WB Board of Governors in June 2022, is being implemented in specific regions within Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya, and a regional project by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The implementation period is six years. South Sudan will join the program under Phase II. The overall GW4R program has two main components:

Delivery of inclusive groundwater services to priority areas. This component will support small/medium scale infrastructure development and inclusive community-level access to groundwater in the borderlands of the HoA, with a strong focus on the sustainability of service delivery; and Generating groundwater information and strengthening regional and national groundwater institutions. Activities will focus on generating essential data and information needed for informed decision-making on sustainable groundwater management, and at the same time, will strengthen the capacity of key regional and national entities that play a role in the management of the resource, while building trust and fostering collaboration.

The activities in this project will be conducted as part of the Cooperation in International Waters in Africa’s (CIWA), supporting the GW4R regional program. CIWA’s support focuses (a) robust, tailored approach to monitoring and learning, and (b) strengthening institutional capacity towards enhanced regional cooperation. The activities will contribute to the GW4R Learning Agenda and knowledge products aimed at strengthening the Program’s implementation and the regional knowledge base on transboundary groundwater management and use. Reports provided as part of this project will be integrated as part of the WB’s annual reports to the CIWA Program and will constitute a key input to the regional Program’s Learning Agenda.

The collaboration between UNDP (UNESCO and UNICEF) and the World Bank stands as a cornerstone of the program’s strength and aims at furthering the impact of the GW4R program’s impact on climate resilience and regional cooperation in the HoA’s borderlands. By fortifying this partnership, the program will be able to leverage the wealth of regional expertise and networks inherent in IGAD and participating countries, transcending boundaries and fostering a collaborative environment. This strategic alliance not only enhances the program's effectiveness but also promotes a culture of shared knowledge and experience, creating a dynamic and innovative space for tackling challenges on a regional scale. Proposed activities are aimed at enhancing the capacity of IGAD and participating countries and strengthening sustainability of groundwater management and of data sharing as a cornerstone of regional integration in the HoA.

The GW4R project is implemented by Project Coordination Units (PCU)/Project Implementation Units (PIUs) in each of the participating countries and IGAD. World Bank Task Teams (TTs) manage the project’s implementation in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, and IGAD, under the lead of two regional Task Team Leaders (TTLs) and country TTLs, supported by a broader team of WB Specialists. The activities to be conducted by UNDP  UNICEF and UNESCO are aimed at supporting and complementing the technical expertise and capacity required to achieve the objectives set out by the GW4R program, and at ensuring sustainable groundwater service delivery in the program’s areas through a coordinated approach.

The Key Functions, Accountabilities and related duties/tasks are as follows:

Overall management and supervision of programming coordination structures of the UN Technical Working Group on GW4R: 

• Ensure technical coherence, quality and standard throughout the programme technical working group and its project components;
• Maintain close working relations with national and local partners to ensure optimum programme impact as well as participation and ownership by key stakeholders;
• Lead and direct programme work planning with the partners, in all its aspects, including forecasting of programme requirements timing and priorities, budgeting, work distribution and tasking to ensure satisfactory progress and timely completion of the overall programme and its constituent project components;
• Ensure close coordination, harmonized planning and information exchange with the key stakeholders; 
• Encourage and find opportunities for cross-pillar synergies, identify cross-cutting issues and work to advance enablers;
• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned from the programme for organizational learning;
• Coordinate the collaborative platform comprising the UN, World Bank and other Partners engaged in the GW4R. 

Establish an effective monitoring and evaluation system and ensure quality and timely reporting according to donor reporting schedules for the GW4R:

• Establish an effective monitoring and evaluation system, to track and measure results of activities in line with the TOC. This includes ensuring continuous data collection, including field level data collection systems; 
• Ensure timely and accurate input to the UNDP corporate template for compliance with programme-related UNDP and donor reporting obligations and requirements (includes drafting of annual progress report);
• Ensure periodic collection of case studies, human interest stories, new partnerships and best practices for inclusion in donor reports, the UNDP newsletter and UNDP website;
• Advance communications and visibility of results in close collaboration with the Communications Team; 
• Support/facilitate external evaluation, audits and donor assessments related to the GW4R initiative.

Develop, strengthen and maintain constructive working relations and partnerships with key partners and counterparts, including government officials, other development partners, UN entities and civil society:

• Actively support the Resilience Hub to strengthen partnership/donor relationship management including visibility, strategic engagement and  advise senior management to establish link with results and resource mobilization efforts in line with the overall RPA;
• Strengthen and maintain a substantive network of partnerships with relevant counterparts at different levels, civil society organizations, national NGOs, RECs, the private sector, implementing partners, other UN entities and the donor community;
• Actively support the Resilience Hub to meet resource mobilization targets including through the development of donor proposals and maintaining a responsive partnership liaison system.

Facilitate knowledge and capacity building, knowledge sharing, and advocacy relevant to the water portfolio:

• Identify capacity building needs and opportunities. Ensure appropriate training, project workshops and other relevant activities are organized and implemented in a consultative manner, involving technical experts and stakeholders that may include the government, private sector, NGOs, donors, and/or academia;
• Ensure project reports capture results, lessons learned and good practices for possible wider application; 
• Participate in and ensure sound contributions to knowledge networks and communities of practice on development and portfolio related issues. Support establishment of knowledge platforms for the water offer to facilitate innovative mechanisms for dissemination of knowledge from the project, and develop knowledge resources and products to share with portfolio partners and to support UNDP’s engagement in this area;
• Promote advocacy for UNDP’s work and opportunities for collaboration in addressing development trends in coordination with the key partners, stakeholders, and UNDP communications staff.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization

Institutional Arrangement

The Water Partnerships Specialist will work under the supervision of the Principal Water Adviser for the Regional Bureau for Africa. 

 

2030 Agenda: 

• People Gender:  Gender Mainstreaming.
• Engagement & Effectiveness: Effectiveness: Programming principles & standards and development effectiveness principles 

Business Management: 

• Partnership Management: Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide network of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policies.
• Results-based Management: Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus on improved performance and demonstrable results.

Business Direction & Strategy: 

• System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgment to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.