Background

Mandate

In recognition of the mutually reinforcing linkages between development, human rights and peace and security, the QCPR in 2012:

“Recognizing also that development, peace and security and human rights are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, and reaffirming that development is a central goal in itself and that it constitutes a key element of the overarching framework of the United Nations operational activities for development.

Reaffirming the importance of freedom, peace and security, respect for all human rights, including the right to development and the right to an adequate standard of living, including the right to food, the rule of law, gender equality, women’s empowerment and the overall commitment to just and democratic societies for development”;

“58. Encourages the United Nations system to promote sustainable development outcomes through strengthening normative and operational linkages within the United Nations system and, in this regard, to direct particular efforts to supporting programme countries, at their request, in building national capacity for inclusive, equitable, participatory, transparent and accountable national development processes, in order to target and empower the poor and people in vulnerable situations”;

 “150. Encourages resident coordinators and United Nations country teams to draw more upon the normative support work and policy expertise […] more efficient and effective capacity-building, development and implementation of regional agreements and arrangements addressing the regional and sub-regional dimensions of national development goals and the exchange of information, best practices and lessons learned”.[1]

Furthermore, the UNDG Strategic Priorities 2013-2016 include national capacity development and development effectiveness, by “strengthen[ing] support for national capacity development, including through “upstream” policy and programme advice, […] sharing of good practices and lessons learned, and strengthening the normative approach and operational linkages, including human rights and gender equality.”[2]

These two explicit mandate areas are further complemented and entrenched by other UN/DG decisions and strategies emphasizing focus on and value of the common norms and standards in UN operational activities for development. Important examples in this respect are the 2008 Policy Committee decision on human rights and development (PC 2008/18), the 2010 UNDAF guidance, including its supplement on the five programming principles and the 2013 SG’s renewed commitment towards the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, coined the Rights Up Front action plan, which clarifies that the UN’s human rights protection mandate and function extends to RCs and UNCTs, inter alia through their responsibility to act on information about human rights concerns, including by reflecting these in the CCA/UNDAF process. 

Normative Frameworks as relevant to UN Development

The UN Evaluation Group defines normative work as “[t]he support to the development of norms and standards in conventions, declarations, regulatory frameworks, agreements, guidelines, codes of practice and other standard setting instruments, at global, regional and national level. Normative work also includes the support to the implementation of these instruments at the policy level, i.e. their integration into legislation, policies and development plans, and to their implementation at the programme level.”[3] This definition specifies three categories of normative work: “a) the development of norms and standards; b) the support to governments and others to integrate the norms and standards into legislation, policies and development plans; and c) the support to governments and others to implement legislation, policies and development plans based on the international norms, standards and conventions.”[4]

All UN agencies have a common responsibility to promote the norms, standards and principles of the UN system within their work. Apart from the general obligations under the UN framework, the UNDAF Guidelines were guided by the five programming principles, three of them are normative: human rights-based approach (HRBA), gender equality and environmental sustainability (the remaining two being capacity development and results-based management).[5] These principles are to be applied in all UNDAF country contexts and are also reflected in the different conceptual inputs underpinning the current intergovernmental negotiations to adopt a post-2015 development agenda, which recognizes human rights, equality and development sustainability as three fundamental principles.[6]

It is recognized that the normative framework of UN System activities relate to all parts of the programming cycle, policy dialogue and other responsibilities attached to the Resident Coordinator and UNCT leadership and advocacy. Human rights, gender equality and environmental sustainability often do serve as the normative and guiding framework for a broad variety of issues that UNCTs have to deal with, such as health and access to water and sanitation, social protection, good governance and participation, human security, migration and trade. A stronger integration of normative frameworks into these areas can be used to take development cooperation to a greater level of effectiveness.

Current hurdles of a stronger normative agenda and need fro practical tools and examples

The 2011 CBI Study on “UNCTs Engaging in National Policy Dialogue: Lessons from the Field” concluded “that UNCTs are better able to provide timely and well-coordinated input to the policy process” when “they have an agreed normative framework“.[7] Further hurdles for operationalizing a normative agenda could be conflicting incentives and expectations, weak of limited support structures including in terms of knowledge management and underdeveloped capacity and skills at both leadership and technical levels. In addition, current results framework may not be able to capture results from UNCT normative work. Though the Delivering as One approach has helped in particular human rights mainstreaming (HRM), the factual integration of normative frameworks into the everyday work of UNCTs has often been impeded by a lack of practical recommendations. This lack of practical tools and good practice examples has undermined the potential of a stronger inter-linkage between the UN’s normative and operational work.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives

Produce case studies on strengthening the normative-operational linkages, highlighting:

• Practical examples of how norms and standards have been successfully used at the UNCT level, and how they enhance sustainable results and more equitable, inclusive, participatory and transparent development processes;
• How UN specialized agencies with strong normative experience could serve as role models for more operation-oriented agencies;
• Where appropriate, the value added by ‘Delivering as One’; and
• Where there has been institutional capacity shifts and updated institutional arrangements to respond to the normative-operational linkages and post-2015 agenda.

Tasks and Deliverables

Methodology

Of particular relevance for the consultant will be the following:

• Desk review, mapping and research around on-going work in this area;
• In particular, review of the existing UNDG guidance and materials on programming, normative programming principles and other key cross-cutting issues for UNCT consideration and ongoing work of the UNDG Working Mechanisms in this area;
• Desk review of UNDAFs with a view on normative-operational linkages, targeted interviews with relevant colleagues in the field;
• Identify successful practical examples of linkages between normative and operational activities.

Collection and write-up of case studies in close consultation with the field and the agency headquarters, highlighting:

• Practical examples of how norms and standards have been successfully used at the UNCT level, and how they    
  
• Enhance sustainable results and more equitable, inclusive, participatory and transparent development           processes;
• With a specific attention on UN specialized agencies with strong normative experience and how these could 
  
• Serve as role models for more operation-oriented agencies; and
• Where appropriate, the value added by ‘Delivering as One’.

Preparing lessons learned and practical recommendations from the case studies for the UN system.

In addition to the analysis of country programming documents, the case studies can be identified:

• Through a call for experiences on HuriTALK and on CPN. As part of this effort, DOCO will encourage all UNCTs to participate. UNCTs which would like to contribute will be asked to fill in a case study template that guides them in explaining their experience and helps DOCO in classifying and selecting the case studies;
• Actively liaise UPN members to identify and document good practices that they know of from the field level within their agencies.

To ensure the quality of the case studies a Steering Committee of UNDG members contributing financially to the undertaking (UNAIDS, UNDP, OHCHR, UNWOMEN, ILO and UNFPA) with support from DOCO will monitor whether the following criteria are met:

• Focus on results and development impact of the normative-operational linkage through reporting, testimonies, etc.;
• Potential for useful recommendations and lessons learned;
• Transferability of the conclusions to other UN agencies and other countries.

Only case studies which fulfill these quality criteria will be published in the final outcome.

Main Deliverables

The consultant is expected to produce the following deliverables:

Introduction with summary of the review of existing guidance and UNDAFs (4 pages);

Outline of conceptual framework explaining the methodology (3 pages);

8 practical case studies (24 pages):

• To the extent possible, the case studies should indicate the step-by-step approach that was followed in each of        the case studies; and
  
• Draw out the lessons learned across the case studies (this may also indicate what could have been done               better);
• Lessons learned and recommendations for mainstreaming of normative issues in programme operations that can be derived from the case studies (3 pages);
• A presentation/debrief to UNDG members at end of consultancy.

• The consultant is expected to commence work on 16 June 2014 and complete the assignment (part-time) within 6 months days, by 1 December 2014;
• The inception note is expected to be submitted by 15 July 2014;
• The first draft will be submitted on 1 October 2014, the second on 15 November 2014;
• The consultant will conduct a final 3-day mission to New York to discuss and present the study.

Competencies

• Ability to both conceptual and practical thinking;
• Strong analytical and drafting skills;
  
• Ability to consolidate and synthesize substantive comments from multiple sources in a balanced and concise manner;
• Excellent interpersonal skills and
  
• Ability to empathize with the various organizational mandates and cultures of the UN system.

Required Skills and Experience

• Over 8 years of relevant work experience, including with the UN system or other multi-lateral organizations, among them at least 4 years of field experience;
• Excellent knowledge of human rights, UN development operations, including development programming and application of normative frameworks especially at the country level, and the UN reform process.

Language Requirement

• Fluency in English and a good working knowledge of French;
  
• Working knowledge of Spanish would be an asset.

Interested candidates must include the following documents in their application:

• A brief technical proposal (maximum 2 pages) responding to the terms of reference;
• Curriculum Vitae including 3 references.

Individual consultants will be evaluated on the cumulative analysis method – combination of the weighted technical and financial score - to obtain the total score. The candidate scoring the highest combined weighted score will be recommended for the award of contract. The designated weights for the technical and financial criteria are 70% and 30% respectively. The maximum score is 100 points.

Step 1: Technical evaluation of the candidates CVs and Proposals. The minimum score required to pass the technical assessment is 70%. Aspects of the technical evaluation will include but is not limited to the following:

• Responsiveness to the terms of reference;
• Relevant work experience
• Experience and knowledge on the UN Development System;
• Availability to complete the assignment within the prescribed timeline.

Offers will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Technical assessment: maximum 100 points (weight 70%)

Step 2: Financial evaluation of the candidates who passed the technical evaluation in step 1. The lowest financial offer will receive the assigned maximum financial points (100). All other financial offers will receive points in inverse proportion.

The contract will be awarded to the candidate with the highest total score subject to the financial cost being within the hiring unit’s budget allocation.