Background

Organizational Context

Background on the Myanmar Legislature and the Ongoing Reform Process

The Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (the Constitution) came into force in 2008. Chapter 4 of the Constitution establishes the Union Parliament of Myanmar or Pyidaungsu Hluttaw comprising two Hluttaws (Assemblies) that are generally equal in status:
  • the Pyithu Hluttaw (People’s Assembly) formed with representatives elected on the basis of township as well as population and representatives being the Defense Services Personnel nominated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services. Section 109 provides that the Pyithu Hluttaw will have a maximum of 440 representatives with not more than 330 elected representatives and 110 nominated, as prescribed above;
  • the Amyotha Hluttaw (Nationalities Assembly) formed with representatives elected in equal numbers from Regions and States and representatives being the Defense Services Personnel nominated by the Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services. Section 141 provides that the Amyotha Hluttaw will have a maximum of 224 representatives with 168 representatives elected in an equal number of 12 representatives from each Region or State inclusive of relevant Union territories and 1 representative from each Self-Administered Division or Self-Administered Zone and 56 nominated, as prescribed above.

The term of the Union Parliament of Myanmar is 5 years from the day of the first session of the Pyithu Hluttaw (People’s Assembly). The current term expires in late 2015.

Myanmar is going through a phase of rapid and unprecedented change. Since the introduction of a new Constitution in 2008, the transition from military to civilian rule has accelerated. There has been an ongoing sequence of rapid and far-reaching reforms that have unleashed tremendous changes in the political and economic landscape. In the past few years, the President and Union Parliament have pushed forward a remarkable transformation process that was difficult to imagine not so long ago. The first stage of the reform process comprised political reforms that are still ongoing and have led to significant changes in the country, and to a rapid scaling up of development assistance. In May 2012, the President launched the second stage of reforms aimed at improving the social and economic wellbeing of the people. The economic reforms are centred on poverty reduction and inclusive growth and are guided by the President’s aim to reduce poverty from 26% to 16% by 2015. In December 2012, the President announced the need for attention to the third wave of reforms that are required to improve the performance of the public administration and its civil service, and clarify the division of powers between the Union and the State and Regional Governments.

Background on UNDP Myanmar Programme

In April 2013, a three year Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP) was signed between the Government of Myanmar and UNDP. This CPAP presented a change in the way that UNDP works in Myanmar. Previously UNDP was working under a restricted mandate and the new CPAP shifted UNDP from a programme focused on human development at the community level to a new programme with three pillars covering (i) Local Governance; (ii) Climate Change, Environment, Energy and Disaster Risk Reduction and (iii) Democratic Governance. The Pillar 3 covering Democratic Governance in turn contains four areas of complementary work (a) Development Effectiveness; (b) Parliamentary Strengthening; (c) Rule of Law and Access to Justice and (d) Public Administration.

The Parliament Strengthening work started, immediately following the CPAP signing in April 2013. Together with the International Parliamentary Union (IPU), UNDP has engaged with the Union Assembly of Myanmar to identify areas where the capacity of the Union Parliament can be built in order for it to effectively discharge its constitutional mandate. Based on a series of assessment missions and discussions with senior political leaders in both the Pyithu Hluttaw and the Amyotha Hluttaw, UNDP and the IPU have developed a parliamentary strengthening component which includes a long-term, multi-faceted approach to capacity building. It covers capacity building for the Parliamentarians, the Parliamentary Administration as well as for the Regional/ State Parliaments.

Programme Activities in 2014

The Programme is currently supporting the Union Parliament in developing a strategic plan that will set out the vision, values and objectives of the Union Parliament from 2014 to 2019. It will set out the process by which the various capacities of the different houses can be built as well as the process of managing change. The strategic plan will also serve as a tool to facilitate the Union Parliament to manage and prioritize development activities and ensure that they are effectively coordinated. It is expected that the strategic plan will include a number of key areas of work that UNDP together with IPU is already working on and which have been identified as priority needs by the Union Parliament.

The Programme has been requested to provide support to the training of existing staff and the large number of new staff who will be recruited throughout 2014 and 2015. A plan for developing a Learning Centre within the Union Parliament has been approved and implementation has commenced. The initial focus of the Learning Centre will be the training of the parliamentary secretariat staff, but it will progressively increase its focus on providing capacity building programs to MP's. In the longer term, the Learning Centre is expected to expand to include a focus on outreach including capacity building for staff and MPs of the Regional Parliaments, government officers, media and NGOs/INGOs and civil society groups. Management training started in 2013 and is continuing in 2014. The training has included both mid-level managers as well as executive managers. The management training has strong linkages with the work around strategic planning and change management.

There is also a strong demand by Committee Chairs, committee members and committee staff for capacity building initiatives to improve committee effectiveness. In response the program is delivered and is developing new capacity building programs with a number of committees including the Pubic Account Committees and the Bills Committees, which are both, established under the Constitution. It is also planned to broaden this support in 2014/15 to the large number of Ad Hoc (portfolio/subject) committees.

An Information, communication and technology plan (ICT) has been developed and implementation has started. There will be some support for ICT infrastructure and strengthening of information management as well as capacity building and training on computer skills, ICT support and information management.

Position Rationale and Description

The Union Parliament is developing and evolving rapidly as an institution. In order to support this development, provide the necessary strategic technical support and advice and improve coordination of ongoing activities supporting the Union Parliament UNDP is recruiting one Strategic and Technical Advisor.

Under the direct supervision of the UNDP Team Leader for Democratic Governance, the Strategic and Technical Advisor (STA) will be based in Naw Pyi Taw, within the Union Parliament. The STA will serve as the technical team leader of the Parliamentary Support Project’s advisors and consultants. The STA will liaise closely with parliamentary stakeholders in the Union Parliament of Myanmar in ensuring that the support meets the evolving needs of the Union Parliament. The STA will work in close collaboration with the Programme Specialist (Parliamentary Support) based in Yangon and other project staff in Naw Pyi Taw and Yangon. The STA will also coordinate closely with other Technical Advisor’s and consultants to the government of Myanmar, deployed under the UNDP Country Programme, to ensure linkages and cohesion between the different outputs of the programme.

Duties and Responsibilities

Functions / Key Results Expected

Summary of duties

The STA will be responsible for providing strategic and technical advice to the Union Parliament and its various stakeholders (Members of Parliament, Parliamentary Staff etc) in the different Assemblies. He/ she will be responsible for advising and supporting the implementation of the Strategic Plan together with the relevant Union Parliament stakeholders. This includes mentoring and capacity building. The STA will ensure that UNDP support to the Union Parliament is coordinated and integrated with the components of UNDP’s democratic governance work. 

Under the supervision of the Team Leader Democratic Governance, the STA will lead in developing the strategic direction of UNDP’s support to the Union Parliament and ensure project activities are well coordinated to respond to that direction. The STA will advise and support the Programme Specialist for Parliamentary Support in ensuring that UNDP workplans reflect the strategic requirements of the Union Parliament stakeholders and the strategic direction of the programme. He/ she will also support monitoring and evaluation and reporting requirements for the Parliamentary Support output.

Duties and responsibilities:

Provide strategic and technical advice to the Union Parliament Stakeholders

The STA will have the following responsibilities:

  • Provide strategic background papers, briefing notes and concept notes to inform decisions for a comprehensive, long-term approach to parliamentary development;
  • Advise key parliamentary stakeholders on the design and implementation of approaches to Parliamentary Strengthening;
  • Assist the Union Parliament in implementing a strategic plan by providing technical advice to the Speaker (or his nominated representative/s) and the Parliamentary Administration;
  • Assist the Union Parliament in preparation of research papers for developing policy recommendations on institutional strengthening. Work closely with the Speaker (or his nominated representative/s) and all relevant departments from the parliament.
Capacity Building:
  • Provide specific technical expertise to the Union Parliament on legislative, oversight and representative responsibilities;
  • Provide on-demand technical assistance to the Union Parliament including: operational planning, procedural development and cooperation and interface with other national and international stakeholders;
  • Communicate with key stakeholders, including officials of the Union Parliament, partner organizations, international and national advisors and experts in the areas of the project intervention;
  • Close communication and support to mechanisms set up by the Union Parliament for coordinating development assistance.

Oversee the strategic direction of the Parliamentary Support Project:

The STA will be responsible for providing effective guidance to project implementation of activities and work closely with the IPU project manager and staff and contribute to the design, management, implementation, monitoring and reporting of project activities by:
  • Provide strategic advice to the preparation and development of work plans and implementation, monitoring and reporting of activities;
  • Coordinate different streams of activities under the work plan, including the IPU implemented activities, to ensure a coherent approach of activities;
  • Support quality assurance of regular progress reports to the Country Office and Output Board;
  • Support quality assurance of project reports to the UNDP and donor community;
  • Provide technical advice on recruitment of project staff and consultants.

Coordination / Resource Mobilization:

  • Support coordination of bi-lateral parliamentary assistance through the mechanisms set up in UNDP HQs and the IPU;
  • Coordinate with donor and partner assistance to better integrate UNDP’s and others’ interventions to avoid duplication of assistance;
  • Coordination with other organizations providing support to the Union Parliament;
  • Support the Democratic Governance Programme in mobilizing funding by showcasing Parliamentary Strengthening work.

Knowledge Management and Transfer:

  • Facilitate the national, regional and international transfer of know-how and experiences in the area of parliamentary strengthening;
  • Ensure that Myanmar’s experiences with regard to parliamentary strengthening and related capacity development efforts are shared with UNDP’s networks and with other stakeholders insight and outside of Myanmar;
  • Advise the Union Parliament in designing systems for expanding experiences, lessons learned and know-how throughout the Myanmar Parliaments in the Regions/States;
  • To provide information and guidance to consultants working for the project and to brief interested donors, NGO’s or foreign missions on UNDP activities under the project;
  • To inform parliamentary stakeholders on selected topics in areas covered by the project as required;
  • Provide other such advice and support as may be required by the UNDP and the government as is to be expected in a dynamic process of change.

Impact of Results

Achievement of the above key results will contribute to the successful implementation of the country programme, particularly the Parliamentary Strengthening Output.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

  • In-depth technical knowledge on Parliament functions and processes;
  • Proven analytical capacity and strategic thinking; 
  • Ability for planning and establishing priorities, coordinating and monitoring the work of others, and delegating responsibility where appropriate; 
  • Excellent interpersonal and supervisory skills and the capacity to work impartially in a political environment; 
  • Resourcefulness, initiative, and maturity of judgment; 
  • Excellent organizational and management skills in a complex multi-stakeholder environment; 
  • Ability to handle effectively multiple tasks without compromising quality, team spirit and positive working relationships; 
  • Excellent computer/information systems skills;
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills;
  • Demonstrated programme management skills including; results-based management of work plans, programme implementation and monitoring and evaluation effectiveness.

Management and Leadership Competencies:

  • Proven strategic and results based management skills; 
  • Proven ability to provide timely and impartial advice;
  • Effective problem-solver; 
  • Demonstrated capacity-building and facilitation skills; 
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and positive-constructive attitude; 
  • Ability to establish and manage effective working relations and strong cross cultural teams; 
  • Effectively manages teams and projects and creates an enabling work environment; 
  • Flexible and responsive with a client-oriented approach.

Corporate Competencies: 

  • Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Considers and fully adheres to UNDP rules, procedures and best practices; 
  • advocates and promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of the UN system; 
  • Displays cultural, gender, religious, ethnic and age sensitivity and adaptability; 
  • Treats people fairly and without favouritism.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Advanced Degree in Political Science, Law, Public Administration or a related field.

Experience:

  • At least 10 years of relevant professional experience working on democratic governance, political institutions, institutional capacity building or at a senior position in a parliament;
  • At least five years in a senior position in an international development role in parliamentary support;
  • Experience working in an advisory capacity in a parliament, acting as lead expert; experience working in a parliament (as senior staff member or MP);
  • Experience of parliamentary development in South East Asia is desirable;
  • Experience in delivering effective institutional strengthening programs in other cultural contexts particularly in parliaments or central government ministries;
  • Experience with managing institutional change in challenging environments.

Language:

  • Fluency in English (written and spoken).

Remarks

Candidates must apply on-line through UNDP job website together with duly filled and signed UN-P11 form, academic qualification certificates. Applications without these document will note be considered. P11 form can be downloaded here:
http://sas.undp.org/documents/P11_Personal_history_form.docx .