Consultant for Assessment on Vietnam Financial Institutions' Understanding and Development of Red Flag Indicators and Typologies of Illegal Forestry and Timber Trade

TERMS OF REFERENCE

1.      Background

TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to nature conservation. TRAFFIC monitors international, regional and national wildlife trade, researching domestic and global supply and demand chains to identify interventions and increase management efficiency. TRAFFIC works closely with governments, providing critical information on the impacts of trade, motivating efforts to increase the environmental sustainability of trade in wild species, and helping to improve enforcement of international wildlife trade controls.

"Leveraging legality along China's timber supply to reduce deforestation" project is funded by NORAD, targeting key stakeholder groups to increase legality and sustainability along the timber supply chain from the Congo Basin to China and Vietnam. The project will leverage Vietnam's significant market role in the timber supply chain from source countries in the Congo Basin to reduce unsustainable forestry operations and illegal timber trade.

According to INTERPOL (2019), illegal logging is responsible for 15-30% of global timber production, and the illegal timber trade is worth USD 51-152 billion per year. To fight against forestry crimes and corruption, a significant dimension is to 'follow the money'. The United for Wildlife Financial Taskforce, comprising over 35 global banks, financial organizations, and technical experts, including TRAFFIC, recognizes wildlife trafficking's links to money laundering, corruption, and financial crime.

Anti-money laundering systems are a powerful tool against corruption. There is a need to build the capacity to use financial instruments, ensure public-private sector cooperation, ensure an influential role for NGOs, and develop red flags and typologies.

Within the project scope, TRAFFIC is looking for a consultant to deliver a report ”An assessment on Vietnam financial institutions' understanding and development of red flag indicators and typologies of illegal forestry and timber trade to follow the money for intelligence/risk units of financial institutions.

2.      Objectives of the consultancy

“An assessment on Vietnam financial institutions’ understanding and development of red flag indicators and typologies of illegal forestry and timber trade to follow the money for intelligence/risk units of financial institutions to increase transparency and knowledge along the timber value chain.

3.      Consultancy tasks and responsibilities

3.1. Conduct an assessment to understand the financial institutions and their links to national financial intelligence units

3.2. Develop typologies and red flag indicators on illegal forestry and timber trade to follow the money for intelligence/risk units of financial institutions operating in Vietnam. Typologies will include information on payment methods, network structures and connected entities, corruption vulnerabilities, concealment methods, and convergence with other crime types.

4. Expected deliverables and Consultancy duration

1. 01 report on "An assessment on Vietnam financial institutions' understanding and their links to national financial intelligence units";
2. 01 report on "Development of typologies and red flag indicators on illegal forestry and timber trade."

Output deliverables are expected to be delivered in both English and Vietnamese. This consultancy service is expected to be conducted from 01/11/2022 – 31/12/2022.

The consultant shall propose the proposal with a detailed working plan, budget estimation, and capability statement in English, which should be submitted to Ms. Nguyen Thuy Linh via [email protected] [1], [email protected] [2] by COB 17:00 dated Monday 17 October 2022.

4.      Requirements for the consultant

The consultant should possess the following qualifications to implement the assignment successfully:

• At least 15 years of professional working experience in the fields of finance and banking;
• Proven experience in anti-money laundering and anti-corruption related activities is an asset;
• Proven experience of working with Financial risk units in State Bank or public banks is an asset;
• Good skills in data collection and analysis;
• Good computer and writing skills (both Vietnamese and English).

5.      Responsibilities of TRAFFIC 

• Providing relevant studies and literature if applicable;
• Providing feedback/comments on the outputs delivered by the consultant;
• Signing the contract and settling payments following TRAFFIC and donor regulations.