Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA)
International Consultant for the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action Phase 2 (ATSEA 2) Regional Governance Mechanism, and national consultations.
Lead: Lida Pet-Soede
ATSEA-2 is the 2nd phase of the GEF-financed, UNDP-supported ATSEA program, and is designed to enhance regional collaboration and coordination in the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region covering Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea (PNG), and Timor-Leste. In support of the strengthening of ATS regional governance, a regional assessment was conducted by Lida Pet-Soede, which provided recommendations on the design of the regional governance mechanism (RGM) and stakeholder partnership forum (SPF) for the ATS region. Regional consultations on the proposed arrangements recommended the conduct of further in-country consultations and consensus-building for the most viable regional mechanism model, for presentation to the 3rd Regional Steering Committee Meeting on 6-7 December 2021. Under the guidance of the Regional Project Manager and in close cooperation with the Policy and Result-based Management Specialist, the consultant was responsible for presenting the results of and recommendations from the regional governance assessment in country level consultations in Australia, Indonesia, PNG and Timor-Leste. The work included:
Preparation of a workshop design and agenda/program for a national consultation workshop on the Regional Governance Mechanism and Stakeholder Partnership Forum, to be organized in collaboration in three of the four ATS countries.
Preparation of appropriate workshop materials, including presentations and discussion guides/ exercises that will facilitate active feedback, inputs and recommendations from the participants for the review, refinement, consensus-building and adoption of the proposed models and arrangements. Customize workshop materials for each country as may be needed to facilitate understanding of the proposed models and exchange of ideas.
Deliver the presentations, address questions on the proposed regional governance and SPF models, facilitate effective discussions, and draw out concrete recommendations from the workshop that will help advance the development, establishment and operation of the Regional Governance Mechanism and Stakeholder Partnership Forum considering each country's context and review and approval processes.
Provide technical advice/guidance on approaches/strategies to facilitate collaborations and partnerships among the countries and stakeholders in addressing priority transboundary environmental issues in the ATS region as needed and appropriate.
Provide a summary of recommendations from the consultation workshop in each country for the reference of others in carrying on the national and regional consultation and review processes.