Minister Jose Abelardo Mai along with Chief Executive Officer Servulo Baeza attended the Joint Annual Meeting of the Initiative 20×20, Bonn Challenge, and the Agriculture, Forest, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) 2040 hosted by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye from February 8 to 9, 2023.

Country leaders, private investors, and technical partners from across Latin America and the Caribbean have convened to connect on converging agendas and pursue the objective of presenting areas of collaboration between Initiative 20×20 ─ Bonn Challenge ─ AFOLU 2040 under the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration; streamline intersectoral cooperation between environment and agriculture for restoration; and mobilize finance to support restoration efforts.

The Initiative 20×20 is a country-led effort seeking to change the dynamics of land degradation in Latin America and the Caribbean by protecting and restoring 350 million hectares of forests, farms, pasture, and other landscapes by 2030. The initiative was launched at the 20^th Climate Change Conference of Parties held in Lima, Peru, in 2014 and is the Caribbean and Latin American regions’ response to the Bonn Challenge, the United Nations Forum on Forests and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Furthermore, the initiative serves as a platform where multiple partners can contribute to the UN Decade on Ecosystems Restoration, which is a rallying call for the protection and revival of ecosystems worldwide for the benefit of people and nature. It aims to halt the degradation of ecosystems and restore them to achieve global goals.

In response to the Bonn Challenge, Initiative 20×20, and UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, Belize crafted its National Landscape Restoration Strategy in which 382,592 hectares have been identified for restoration opportunities. Of this, a total of 130,000 hectares have been prioritized for restoration actions by 2030. The goal is to implement reforestation practices for 44,000 hectares in forest areas inside and outside protected areas, and 6,000 hectares of degraded and deforested riparian forests. In addition, restoration efforts will improve the management of 80,000 hectares of the agro-productive landscape through improved agricultural and agroforestry practices.

Present at the event was also Acting Chief Agriculture Officer Dr. Victoriano Pascual and Director of Extension Mr. Clifford Martinez.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT SELECTION)
Belize
Climate Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture Project (CRESAP)
Loan No.: 9347-BE
Project ID No.: P172592
Assignment Title: Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist
Reference No. (as per Procurement Plan): CS 13
The Government of Belize has received financing from the World Bank toward the cost of the
Climate Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture Project and intends to apply part of the proceeds for
consulting services.
The consulting services (“the Services”) is for a suitable qualified fulltime PROJECT STAFFMONITORING AND EVALUATION SPECIALIST as part of the Project Implementation Unit
of the CRESAP within the Belize Social Investment Fund. The Monitoring and Evaluation
Specialist will be part of the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) and will be in charge of the overall
planning, monitoring and evaluation responsibility of the project during its execution, and will
provide guidance and support to the PIU during the implementation phase so that the Project
Development Objectives (PDO) and impacts are achieved in accordance with the Project
Operation Manual (POM) and the Climate Smart Matching Grant Operation Manual (MGOM).
The GOB has appointed the Belize Social Investment Fund (BSIF) as the implementing agency
for the project and the BSIF is seeking to recruit an individual to fill the position of Monitoring
and Evaluation Specialist.
The consultancy is expected to be for an initial period of Twenty-four (24) months commencing
March 2023. The Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist will be supervised by the Project
Coordinator (PC) of the CRESAP.
The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment can be obtained by submitting a
request in writing via e-mail to procurement.cresap@sifbelize.org or at the following link
https://sifbelize.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Monitoring_and_Evaluation_Specialist_TOR-FinalPDF.pdf on the website of BSIF at www.sifbelize.org.
The Belize Social Investment Fund now invites eligible individuals (“Consultants”) to indicate
their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information
demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the
Services (such as cover letter, Curriculum Vitae etc.).
Minimum Mandatory Requirements *(Required)
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in development studies, statistics, social science, agriculture, rural
development, project management, or any other field related to the assignment.
General Experience
Five years of proven working experience in planning, monitoring and evaluation from
internationally funded projects (i.e., World Bank, CDB, EU, UNDP, FAO, IFAD, etc.) with
reference to the agriculture sector. (Max 20 points)
*If these minimum requirements are not met, the candidates will not be considered for the
process*
Additional Requirements (Desirable)
Specific Experience
• At least five years’ experience in designing and implementation of M&E systems. (Max
15 points)
• At least five years’ experience in the application of M&E methodologies and approaches
(including quantitative, qualitative and participatory) (Max 15 points)
• At least five years’ experience in the preparation and use of the logical framework/theory
of change and other strategic planning approaches (Max 15 points)
• At least 3 years’ experience in training M&E systems and implementation (Max 10 points)
• At least 3 years’ experience in facilitating learning-oriented analysis sessions of M&E data
with multiple stakeholders. (Max 10 points)
• At least 3 years’ experience in working with age and gender disaggregated indicators.
(Max 10 points)
• At least 3 years’ experience in informative analysis and report writing. (Max 5 points)
Minimum total points required to be considered for the assignment is 75 points.
The attention of interested Consultants is drawn to Section III, paragraphs, 3.14, 3.16, and 3.17 of
the World Bank’s “Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers” July 2016 (“Procurement
Regulations”), setting forth the World Bank’s policy on conflict of interest.
A Consultant will be selected in accordance with the Selection of Individual Consultant method
set out in the Procurement Regulations.
Further information can be obtained at the address below during office hours, i.e., 0800 to 1600
hours Belize Time.
Expressions of interest must be delivered in a written form to the address below (in person, or by
mail, or by e-mail) by February 27, 2023 at 16:00 hours Belize Time
Belize Social Investment Fund
Attn: Ian Ramirez, Procurement Officer
P.O. Box 459, 1902 Constitution Drive (3rd Floor), Belmopan, Belize
Telephone +501-822-0239
Email: procurement.cresap@sifbelize.or

Individual Consultant Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist REOI PDF

Fusarium Tropical Race 4 Training

Six professionals from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise and the Belize Agricultural Health Authority, participated in training from December 05 to 09, 2022 on Fusarium Tropical Race 4 (TR4 fungus affecting bananas, also called banana wilt), at the Manuel Mejia Foundation in Pereira, Colombia.

The training was sponsored by the Fusarium Prevention Project between the Taiwan ICDF and OIRSA. The training focused on the biosecurity plan before, during and after an outbreak of TR4, the need for a robust contingency plan to manage the disease and the use of satellite imagery to assist in field surveillance.

A panel of experts consisting of research institutions, public and private sector stakeholders and the NPPO provided the training. The contingent returned to Belize with a better understanding of how serious this threat is to the region including Belize, and how to implement prevention strategies to keep Belize free from this devastating disease of banana and plantains. All biosecurity measures were taken by the participants while in Colombia.