Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna River basins residents: Youth Basin Ambassador via DevNetJobs

Oxfam

Asia

Terms of Reference (ToR)

Youth Basin Ambassador 

Background

South Asia is home to more than a billion young people and thousands of rivers, including the Ganges-Brahmaputra- Meghna river systems. Civilisations have grown across this river basin since ancient times. With colonisation process, the river systems have become fragmented into different countries and communities dependent of the rivers resources have lost access and control over the river. 

Despite the countries in the region becoming decolonised, rivers still remain a complex issue when it comes to governance. The communities continue to face challenges to utilise the river resources, while facing various hazards like floods and soil erosion or lack of access to water for irrigation and daily use. On top of that the river ecosystems continued to degrade, with increased pollution as well as reduction of biodiversity. 

Youth have been a vital force of change, advocating for rights of the rivers as well as the riparian people over the last few decades and overall a force for social justice and transformative changes in the South Asian countries.

TROSA 2: River, Rights, and Resilience (T2:3R) is a multi-partner initiative supported by the Government of Sweden, which has been promoting inclusive governance of river systems in South Asia, with youth leaders as one of the primary support groups. 

The programme engages many youth leaders across different civil society organisations, grassroots partners as well as youth organisations, through providing platform to engage in meaningful conversations, strategic influencing, research and on-ground actions. This includes capacity strengthening support for different initiatives taken by the youth leaders themselves. 

As part of this ongoing work, we operate a support system called the Youth Basin Ambassadors’ initiatives, where we promote partnership and collaboration among youth leaders from different parts of shared river basin to join forces to resolve a critical issue through collaborating initiative. We expect these initiatives to be based on the needs and challenges faced by the most marginalised communities who are either dependent on the resources of the GBM river basins or are affected by the hazards that are faced by these communities due to the shortcomings of water governance.

What will a YBA initiative look like

YBA initiatives are expected to lay foundations for meaningful transformation or solution to the challenges faced by grassroots communities associated with the GBM river basins. It could be a range of things, starting from research, indigenous knowledge revival, workshops, peer-learning, dialogues, cultural activities and exchange, on-ground actions and anything innovative that addresses water governance challenges in the wider sense. These initiatives are expected to be done in partnership with the communities they serve and also bring about growth to the youth leading these initiatives and add value to their journey as leaders. 

Eligibility Criteria for Applicants

The Youth Basin Ambassador Initiative for GBM Basins is open to young water leaders aged 29 years or below residing within any of the GBM basins. Eligible participants can apply either as individuals or as part of a group. Proposals are welcome from independent applicants as well as those affiliated with organizations. This initiative encourages innovative ideas and collaborative efforts to address water-related challenges in the region. Women and youth from indigenous or marginalised river dependent communities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Application Process 

Interested applicants are invited to complete the Expression of Interest (EOI) Form. This form includes targeted queries designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the initiatives proposed by the applicants. The information provided will serve as a basis for the shortlisting process.

Evaluation Process

The evaluation process will prioritize initiatives that are inclusive, intersectional, innovative, and effectively address water-related challenges within the respective basins. 

All eligible applications will undergo a thorough review by a dedicated committee comprising experts on water issues in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basins. This committee will evaluate submissions against predefined criteria and determine grant allocation. 

Shortlisted candidates will proceed to the next phase, where they will receive capacity-building support and be invited to submit a full comprehensive proposal detailing their initiative. Final selection will be based on the strength of these proposals, and support will be provided accordingly. 

Evaluation Criteria

I. Relevance:

The proposed initiative must align with the pressing needs of the most marginalized communities dependent on the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna river basins for their livelihoods and survival. Initiatives that are well informed about the power relations, vulnerabilities, rights, justice, and opportunities in the context of their river basins will be prioritized. 

II. Potential Impact:

The initiative should demonstrate the capacity to achieve reasonable and meaningful outcomes in advocating for the equitable use of water resources, addressing social and environmental equity challenges, and fostering inclusive and resilient communities.

III. Innovation, Creativity and Capacity:

It would be appreciated if the proposed initiative incorporate novel and effective strategies to engage youth, particularly women and Indigenous peoples, in transboundary water management while addressing barriers to equity and inclusion. Please note your capacity to deliver is more important than how innovative you are.

IV. Inclusivity and Representation:

The initiative is expected to prioritize the meaningful participation and representation of marginalized groups, including women, youth, and Indigenous peoples, ensuring their voices are integral to decision-making and advocacy efforts.

V. Sustainability and Scalability:

The initiative needs to have a clear plan for sustaining its outcomes beyond the initial implementation phase, including potential for replication, scaling up, or influencing policy and advocacy to ensure long-term impact.

Full proposal co-development

After shortlisting, the selected proponents/teams will be invited to participate in a virtual workshop where basic ideas of inclusive water governance will be discussed and full proposals will be co- developed with opportunities for feedback from experts as well as other shortlisted teams. The teams will be given time to finalise their proposal before they initiate the work. The initiatives are expected to start latest by March 2025.

Reporting Requirements 

The reporting requirements will be determined by the specific details and nature of the activities outlined in the proposed detailed initiative. At a minimum, recipients will be required to submit both a narrative report and a detailed (financial) support status report upon completion of the proposed initiative.

Budget

Both individual and group applications are encouraged:

  • Individual Applicants: The maximum support is worth USD 1,000 per initiative.
  • Group Applicants: Groups, consisting of multiple individuals with or without affiliation to an organization, may apply for a support not more than USD 5,000 in total. 

Shortlisted candidates are expected to share a detailed support breakdown with their overall initiative plan. 

Other support for the YBAs

TROSA Programme Management Unit will assign mentors from the experts working across the partner organisations of the programme to support each of the proponent team, as relevant to the technical alignment with the proposed initiatives. Also, YBAs will get the chance to participate in different activities of TROSA programme where relevant. 

Contact Information

For any questions or concerns regarding the Youth Basin Ambassador initiative, please contact: Fatema Jannat, Technical Coordinator – Youth and Women Engagement Coordinator at fatema.jannat@oxfam.org

APPLY HERE 

For detailed information, please check the complete version of the ToR attached below.

Download Attachment: EoI ToR_final.pdf

1 days remaining

Apply by 16 February, 2025

POSITION TYPE

ORGANIZATION TYPE

EXPERIENCE-LEVEL

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