Post of Duty: Washington DC - USA.
The IDB Group is a community of diverse, versatile, and passionate people who come together on a journey to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our people find purpose and do what they love in an inclusive, collaborative, agile, and rewarding environment.
About this position
The Climate Change Division (CSD/CCS) is seeking a blue economy expert with a background in analyzing national and satellite accounts. This consultancy aims at analyzing the Blue Economy contribution to the GDP of Jamaica and Bahamas.
To better understand the economic contribution of the Blue Economy, we will compute national and satellite accounts. We will adopt methods utilized by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) as the basis to pilot an assessment of the contribution of the marine spatial areas of Bahamas and Jamaica. These countries were selected based on their relevance in the context of the development of the Blue Economy and IDB portfolio (current and prospective). Critical emphasis has to be given to emerging Blue Economy industries such as renewable energies, biotechnology, blue carbon, and nature-based coastal protection. This is in addition to the contributions of marine/coastal tourism and fisheries.
The Caribbean faces development challenges due to its small size and vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters. The Blue Economy represents an opportunity to overcome these challenges by capitalizing on the region's vast Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) and unique ecosystems. Still an emerging concept, the Blue Economy entails focusing new investment and innovation on the sustainable use of natural resources in ocean economies. It has been seen as an avenue for economic recovery, diversification, and resilience enhancement in the region (Saavedra and Alleng, 2020). Over time, more and more knowledge is generated regarding the importance of oceans as a core element of economic development, sustainable development, and climate action (Patil et al., 2016, UNDP, 2018, Konar & Ding, 2020). Reporting on the Blue Economy globally remains underdeveloped, as do efforts to measure its contribution to GDP. The growth of ocean and marine-based economic activities uses data from various sources and relies on different output metrics (OECD, 2021). Although formal methods for measuring the economic contribution of Blue Economy industries have not been standardized (Failler, 2020, OECD, 2021), various methods have been used (NOAA, 2020; OECD, 2021), including for Jamaica (CDB, 2019). However, these assessments have not comprehensively analyzed the contributions of the various industries, which has been a function of limitations in the methodology, limited data, and lack of capacity to undertake the assessments. This lack of a comprehensive assessment for Caribbean countries, especially those with extensive marine spatial zones, hinders their capacity to leverage the potential of the Blue Economy. There is a need to improve the estimation of the Blue Economy to the national GDP of countries within the Caribbean.
You will work for the Climate Change Division (CCS), which is part of the Climate Change and Sustainability Sector (CSD). This team is responsible for advising IDB management and developing policies, strategies, operational guidelines, and programs on issues relevant to the sector, as well as related areas. In addition, CSD carries out relevant sector research, analytical work, sector practices and case studies on climate change, sustainability, and the Blue Economy. As a division of CSD, CCS provides support: (i) in the mainstreaming of climate change in the actions and operations of the IDB group and (ii) in the mainstreaming of climate change in the regional countries of the IDB group through support to the ministries of environment, planning, and economy and finance of the region. Both axes share the objective of strengthening climate policy at the subnational, national, and regional levels.
What youโll do
Activities:
Prepare work plan of consultancy. Consult with experts in selected organizations (OECD, NOAA, CDB and others) and local stakeholders (Central Banks, related line ministries) to refine the methodology and tailor it to the country's context. Develop a screening of Blue Economy industries and activities for selected countries based on OECD (2021) categorization and IDB produced/supported literature. Examples of the some of the expected categories of Blue Economy industries that will be examined during the exercise is provided in Table 1. A comprehensive categorization of industries will be developed and validated with the support of local experts. Extract data sets from various sources and consult with national experts to update and complement the required data sets. Measure the contribution of the Blue Economy to GDP in the selected countries using the predefined methodology (activity 2). Validate and communicate results through capacity building workshops with selected stakeholders including governments in Bahamas and Jamaica, private sector organizations, academia, and local non-governmental organizations. Propose measures to improve the measurement and accounting of the Blue Economy in the selected countries and the region. Travel will be required (budget for travel will not be included in the contract but handled through contract amendments).The use of primary and secondary data sources should be considered, including official statistics, surveys, research studies, remote sensing data, and expert knowledge. Data collection and estimation methodologies should be transparent, replicable, and subject to quality assurance and validation procedures.
TABLE 1. EXAMPLES OF INDUSTRIES AND ACTIVITIES TARGETED.
Industry
Activity
Living resources
- Natural assets protection, conservation, and management
- Animal and marine feed and fertilizer byproducts
- Pharmaceutical preparations
Transport, storage, and communication
- Sea and coastal water transport
- Cargo handling for water transport
- Warehousing
- Cold storage
Manufacturing
- Fish and seafood processing
Construction
- Conservation and development facilities maintenance and repair construction
- Amusement and recreational structures
Minerals
- Construction sand and gravel
- Industrial sand
Research and education
- Apprenticeship training schools
- Educational support services
Energy
- Electric power generation from marine sources
Arts, entertainment, and recreation
- Tours
- Snorkeling, underwater viewing, and related activities
Fishing
- Capture fisheries
- Aquaculture, including sea ranching
Sources: prepared based on CDB, 2019, and NOAA, 2022.
Deliverables and Payments Timeline
Deliverable #
Percentage
Planned Date to Submit
Product 1. Workplan.
10%
July 2023
Product 2. Pre-defined methodology (activity 2).
25%
August 2023
Product 3. Activities 3-4.
35%
October 2023
Product 4. Activities 5-6.
30%
November 2023
What you'll need
Education: masterโs degree or equivalent in Environmental Economics, Economics, Marine Policy, or an equivalent discipline. Experience: At least 10 years of relevant professional experience conducting research/analysis on Blue Economy Satellite Accounts. Demonstrated knowledge of and experience in the Blue Economy or Ocean Economy is required. Work in Jamaica and/or Bahamas would be an asset. Languages: Proficiency in English.Key skills
Learn continuously. Collaborate and share knowledge. Focus on clients. Communicate and influence. Innovate and try new things.Requirements
Citizenship: You are a citizen of one of our 48-member countries. Consanguinity: You have no family members (up to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second degree of affinity, including spouse) working at the IDB, IDB Invest, or IDB Lab.Type of contract and duration
Type of contract: Products and External Services Consultant (PEC), Lump Sum. Length of contract: 5.5 months. Work Location: Remote. Travels: Mission expenses will be processed through contract amendment(s).What we offer
The IDB group provides benefits that respond to the different needs and moments of an employeeโs life. These benefits include:
A competitive compensation package. A flexible way of working. You will be evaluated by deliverable.
Our culture
At the IDB Group we work so everyone brings their best and authentic selves to work, willing to try new approaches without fear, and where they are accountable and rewarded for their actions.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) are at the center of our organization. We celebrate all dimensions of diversity and encourage women, LGBTQ+ people, persons with disabilities, Afro-descendants, and Indigenous people to apply.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job interview process. If you are a qualified candidate with a disability, please e-mail us at diversity@iadb.org to request reasonable accommodation to complete this application.
Our Human Resources Team reviews carefully every application.
About the IDB Group
The IDB Group, composed of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), IDB Invest, and the IDB Lab offers flexible financing solutions to its member countries to finance economic and social development through lending and grants to public and private entities in Latin America and the Caribbean.