In 2023, SECO and UNDP GCP started the Phase III of the “Effective Collaborative Action for Sustainable Commodity Production and Trade” project. The goal of Phase III is to advance multi-stakeholder collaboration for systemic change. Through it, UNDP will foster the adoption of sustainable production through facilitating effective multi-stakeholder collaborative initiatives in globally important agricultural commodity systems in five countries  to catalyze a shared vision and multi-stakeholder collaborative action for transforming those systems. Achievement of this objective will be facilitated by UNDP through effective multi-stakeholder collaborative action, addressing the challenges presented by siloed stakeholders, mistrust and diverging agendas. This new phase will build on the work and successes of the prior two phases and it will continue work in Indonesia (Palm Oil) and Peru (Coffee), while also starting new interventions in Ghana (cocoa), Brazil (soy and beef), and Malaysia (palm oil). 

Ghana is a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and has made significant progress in responding to the provisions of the Paris Agreement. One of such is progress made under Article 5 of the Paris Agreement on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation, Forest Degradation and sustainable management of forests, conservation and enhancement of Forest Carbon stocks (REDD+) with a 25-year REDD+ Strategy in place.

Ghana, through the Forestry Commission, has identified five main strategic jurisdictional programmes under Ghana’s REDD+ Strategy in response to climate change. Out of the five programmes, the Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Programme (GCFRP) has been developed as the premier emission reductions programme from the REDD+ Strategy (GRS) by the Government of Ghana through the Forestry Commission and Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) with funding support from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) of the World Bank. The programme seeks to significantly reduce carbon emissions resulting from cocoa expansion into forests while improving farmers’ livelihoods through the promotion of appropriate climate-smart cocoa production approaches, including intensification and yield enhancement. A landmark achievement was the first results-based payment for emission reductions and removals from GCFRP for the period June-December, 2019 paid out through the FCPF of the World Bank, as per the Emission Reductions Purchase Agreement (ERPA). 

On the ground, implementation of GCFRP is routed through Hotspot Intervention Areas (HIA) situated within the GCFRP operational area which consists of Asunafo – Asutifi, Kakum, Ahafo Ano South Atwima Mponua Atwima Nwabiagya, Sefwi Wiawso – Bibiani, Juaboso – Bia and Atewa.  In order to ensure manageable intervention landscape sizes, the HIAs are selected to cover about 200,000 ha each and altogether account for approximately 30%-40% or 2 million – 2.5 million ha (maximum) of the total GCFRP area. The HIAs are selected on the basis of the intensity of the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, existing projects and interventions, adequate capacity and implementation structures, population, etc.

The HIA is designed to foster collaboration among a formal consortium of key stakeholders, including private sector cocoa companies, NGOs and government agencies, through an established HIA Implementation Committee with representatives from both the HIA Management Board and the Consortium on this committee. The landscape is divided into a series of sub-landscape HIAs (Sub-HIAs) which together cover the area of the whole HIA. Each sub-HIA provides localized leadership and governance within defined boundaries which reflect divisional or sub-chief jurisdictions and/or appropriate environmental/geographic boundaries. Key aspects of creating or supporting Sub-HIAs are determining the boundaries, the zoning of conservation areas and development areas, as well as the creation of sub-HIA and HIA by-laws and then a Management Plan. At the landscape level, all the Sub-HIAs have representatives on an umbrella body—the HIA Landscape Management Board. This Board has a formal relationship with the Consortium and is advised by the highest level of Patrons from the Traditional Council.

In Ghana, the Effective Collaborative Action for Sustainable Commodity Production and Trade  project will form part of the GCFRP HIA structure by forming a multi-stakeholder platform for dialogue, learning and coordination at the sub-national level, that fosters and promotes dialogue and collaboration among all HIA Governance Boards and other structures. Themes and issues of the dialogues will be related to all HIA functions: collaboration with stakeholders in landscapes, operationalization of HIA structures and learning and exchange mechanism, amongst others. The platform for dialogue will not focus on typical national-level issues such as government policy or national institutions, except, perhaps, on how they relate to HIAs. The proposed sub-national multi-stakeholder platform has broad support by all stakeholders in the landscapes to exchange critical landscape information, best practices, and lessons to reduce deforestation and forest degradation at scale. The proposed sub-national multi-stakeholder platform is designed to improve cross-organizational efficiency and streamline the HIA’s governance and landscape management structures, and interventions while enhancing and promoting stakeholder relationships.

The UNDP FACS Team, together with the national project team, will support the country level interventions through ad hoc exploratory sessions, customized training, coaching and ‘case clinics’, with the aim of having the UNDP Effective Collaborative Action methodology at the heart of project implementation, while also offering advisory services to help align the multi-stakeholder dialogues with co-creation of technical interventions that genuinely influence sustainability in agricultural commodity systems. 

About the Partners

UNDP and Forestry Commission are committed to maintaining a sustainable commodity supply chain through the establishment of a collaborative multi-stakeholder platform in Ghana, leveraging on the HIA governance structure developed under the GCFRP.

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries globally, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP

Forestry Commission (FC) is a government organization under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources of the Republic of Ghana and established by the Forestry Commission Act, 1999 (ACT 571) whose mission is to sustainably develop and manage Ghana’s forestry and wildlife resources. FC is responsible for the regulation of utilization of forest and wildlife resources, the conservation and management of those resources and the coordination of policies related to them. The Commission embodies the various public bodies and agencies that were individually implementing the functions of protection, management, the regulation of forest and wildlife resources. These agencies currently form the divisions of the Commission: Forest Services Division; Wildlife Division; Timber Industry Development Division; FC also operates the Training Centre; and the Resources Management Support Centre. 

FC has made significant progress in responding to the provisions under Article 5 of the Paris Agreement on REDD+. A landmark achievement was the first results-based payment for emission reductions and removals from GCFRP for the period June-December, 2019 paid out through the Carbon Fund of the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) of the World Bank, as per the Emissions Reductions Purchase Agreement. The distribution of the proceeds is guided through a well consultated benefit sharing plan for GCFRP, developed as part of the requirements of the Carbon Fund.
 

The National Project Manager shall work under the supervision of the Forestry Commission to coordinate engagement with other key stakeholders on the day-to-day planning and implementation of all activities approved in the project’s annual work plans. The key specific tasks are outlined below. However, they are not to be seen as limited to only those listed below.

Manage and supervise the project team to ensure effective implementation and achievement.

• Facilitate the day-to-day project implementation and ensure achievement of targets as outlined in the project work plan; 
• Facilitate and supervise the national project team and ensure quality control of the work delivered by the national project team in line with the agreed objectives of the platform;
• Perform oversight roles for project compliance against the relevant government and UNDP regulations for project management;
• Ensure ongoing knowledge-sharing and facilitate capacity building and learning exchange programmes of the project to enhance capacity building opportunities for the project secretariat;
• Ensure effective monitoring of project performance and the preparation of high-quality and results-oriented reports; 
• Undertake any other assignment(s) as determined by the Director, Climate Change.

Ensure effective planning, budgeting, and execution of the project through the following tasks.

• Prepare project annual work plans and budgets based on the budget allocation and guidance from the Project Steering Committee, the Oversight Group, and the UNDP FACS global project management team;
• Organize the meetings of the Oversight Group and liaise with the members of the Oversight Group;
• Develop monthly work plan with the FC’s CCD to guide the activities for each respective month;
• Organize, report, and follow up on the annual country learning review and coordinate the development of the annual country update document.
• Conduct regular monitoring using the Signals of Change methodology as a way to regularly assess progress in line with the annual work plan;
• Facilitate budget utilization and prepare and submit financial reports to UNDP and SECO.

 Oversee and coordinate the implementation of the multi-stakeholder process focusing on the achievement of set outputs. 

• Provide technical expertise on the day-to-day multi-stakeholder coordination process and ensure the achievement of targets as outlined in the project work plan;
• Deliver conferences and workshops in collaboration with independent facilitator(s) and multiple stakeholders; and utilize the Effective Collaborative Action methodology during the planning and execution of the workshops and conferences;
• Develop and strengthen relationships with key actors in the cocoa and forestry sectors and foster their participation in the national/local multi-stakeholder spaces/processes;
• Manage the multi-stakeholder dialogue process to develop, implement and monitor collective action plans and commitments.

Create and nurture strategic partnerships and support the implementation of resource mobilization.

• Establish and maintain good working relationships with the relevant public and development partners such as the SECO representation in country, donors, other government agencies, relevant private sector actors etc. who are the principal counterparts for the project;
• Identify opportunities for mobilizing resources for the project and the multi-stakeholder process and prepare substantive briefs on possible areas of cooperation; 
• In coordination with UNDP’s Communication unit, the Climate Change Directorate of the Forestry Commission’s and other relevant counterpart communications departments, ensure the visibility of the project and the collaboration between UNDP and SECO.

 Facilitate knowledge building and management for and from the project implementation.

• Identify best practices and lessons learnt from the project and other initiatives;
• Contribute to knowledge networks, communities of practice (such as the FACS Community,) and participate in knowledge sharing with other national project teams that are part of Phase III;
• Work with the UNDP FACS advisers to build the national project teams’ capacity on collaborative action and methodologies and tools;
• Facilitate generating of knowledge products such as best practices and lessons learnt for knowledge sharing, which will inform operationalization of the platform beyond the project’s life span.

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 project will be implemented by UNDP’s Green Commodities Program (GCP), supported by the UNDP Country Office in Ghana with the Forestry Commission and Ghana Cocoa Board serving as partners and responsible parties by virtue of their designation as co-proponents of the GCFRP. The HIA system multi-stakeholder plan will operate under the leadership of the Forestry Commission’s Climate Change Directorate (CCD), which will build internal capacity to absorb platform management functions before the end of the project, as defined in the agreement described above. Detailed project implementation arrangements are still under discussion, including a potential secondment of Forestry Commission personnel which could materialize during the project’s lifetime. UNDP in collaboration with FC will establish a project management unit at project upstart in accordance with the agreement with SECO and Forestry Commission. The Project Manager shall work under the direct supervision of the Director, CCD or any member of the CCD as assigned by the Director. S/he shall also work closely with other key stakeholders as communicated. The Project Manager will facilitate the activities of the PMU which is expected to be based at the Forestry Commission.

An Oversight Group will be established to help guide the implementation of the intervention. The Oversight Group will include personnel from the Climate Change Directorate of the Forestry Commission, COCOBOD, the SECO field office in Ghana and the UNDP Country Office. Potentially it can also include other stakeholders, such as civil society and the private sector. The oversight group will convene meetings at least annually and on an as-needed basis to address specific issues that may arise. The Oversight Group will approve the TORs of the platform manager and approve the final candidate before contracting. The Oversight Group will provide guidance to and sign off on the annual work plan and proposed budget before the global Project Steering Committee approval.

• Under this assignment the National Project Manager is required to report directly to the Director Climate Change within the entire duration of tenure.
• The National Project Manager will also perform occasional reporting duties to the UNDP CO and FACS teams as needed.

Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact 

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems 

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands 

Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity