Position: Expert Consultant Landscape Analysis of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities Affected by Mining

Project: Integrated Natural Resources Management (INRM)

Period of Performance: July 2024 - January 2025

Place of Performance: Remote

Level of Effort: Up to 40 days

Project Description: The Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) activity provides on-demand support services and technical assistance for USAID Missions, Bureaus, and Independent Offices and is managed by the USAID Land and Resource Governance (LRG) Division within the Center for Natural Environment (CNE) in the Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security (REFS).  INRM supports integrated analysis and programming across development sectors. By using a multi-sectoral lens, INRM seeks to strengthen the impacts of USAID’s core environmental programming by recognizing synergies, adopting best practices, and building broader constituencies for integrated programming. INRM is designed to help USAID operating units achieve higher impact environment programming and to support the uptake of principles and approaches outlined in the Agency’s Environmental and Natural Resource Management Framework.  

Role’s Purpose: The USAID Land and Resource Governance Division’s (LRG) core function is to provide integrated field support services to USAID Missions on issues of land and resource governance. Missions are increasingly seeking LRG’s support on critical minerals programming. It is anticipated that technical assistance to Mission’s will include support to Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in their engagements and negotiations with mining companies. LRG views support to IPLCs who have been—or will be—affected by mining as a key to driving more equitable outcomes and minimizing social, environmental, and conflict risks at mine sites.

USAID support could take various forms such as assistance to IPLCs’ organizations, civil society organizations, or networks who are helping IPLCs to know and exercise their rights, provision of legal or other services to bolster IPLCs’ negotiating power, or supporting community-driven monitoring or impact assessments, etc. Several public and private donors are already doing such work, but a significant need remains to strengthen these and related efforts. USAID can play an important role in providing such support. LRG seeks additional information through a “landscape analysis” of the types of and effectiveness of existing interventions, who funds them, anticipated needs for additional support, and recommendations for future USAID programming. Deepening USAID’s understanding of the experiences, perspectives, and current needs of IPLCs is a principal goal of the landscape analysis.

Objectives and Duties:  The Expert Consultant will conduct a landscape analysis of existing efforts to strengthen Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ abilities to achieve positive outcomes from large-scale mining of critical minerals for the green energy transition, with recommendations for where USAID Missions could add value to, or replicate these efforts. The Expert Consultant will use their familiarity, knowledge, and experience understanding and addressing the impact of mining on Indigenous Peoples and local communities, as well as public and private donors, to inform the landscape analysis. Methods will include reviewing relevant literature and conducting interviews to inform the technical foundation for the landscape analysis.

Specific tasks include:

• Work with USAID and INRM team members to elaborate and refine the areas of investigation, key public and private donors, government representatives, and principal IPLC groups and organizations for consultation
• Plan and conduct literature reviews as well as key informant interviews on resulting research questions with groups, organizations, and individuals as identified above
• Draft an initial version of the landscape analysis based on the research and interviews
• Complete a revised draft of the landscape analysis for submission to USAID, including recommendations to USAID
• Conduct any necessary follow-up research and interviews to finalize the landscape analysis 

Deliverables and duration of the assignment: The assignment is expected to take 40 non-consecutive days, commencing in October 2024 and completed by December 2025.

• Research plan with list of research questions, key literature and projected key informant interviews
• Literature review outline
• Draft landscape analysis
• Final landscape analysis, including recommendations to USAID

Required Qualifications:

• At least 10 years of direct work experience with IPLCs, government, civil society, and the private sector  on mining, natural resource management (NRM), and community development.
• Experience in USAID-presence countries working with USAID and/or other donors, international organizations, research institutes, and national government ministries/agencies
• Experience conducting research and writing related to IPLCs, mining, and NRM.
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field required; Master’s or other advanced degree in a relevant field preferred
• Strong written and oral communications skills
• Professional competency in English, and preferably an additional language 

Reporting: The Expert Consultant will report to the INRM Chief of Party

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