UNDP Jobs - 57904- International Consultant To Support the Developmen

International Consultant To Support the Development Of the National Action Plan On Persons with Disabilities

Location :

Home-based with Three Missions in Tirana, ALBANIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

24-Jul-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

35 working days over a period of 5 months

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

In the broader framework of the joint United Nations’ initiative on social inclusion in Albania, social exclusion is defined as the process whereby certain individuals and groups are pushed to the edge of society and prevented from fully participating in it by virtue of their poverty, lack of access to basic services and opportunities, lack of capabilities, and/or as a result of discrimination. This distances them from job, income and education opportunities as well as from social and community networks and activities.

Albania experienced remarkable economic growth in the past decade. Reforms have been launched in all sectors of the economy as well as in basic services such as education, health and increasingly for social care, insurance and other protection systems. Nevertheless, government structures cannot respond adequately to the needs of marginalized and vulnerable groups due to limited financial and human resources as well as inefficient institutional capacities. Vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities, face multiple barriers to social inclusion.

Currently, Albania is preparing new policy documents on Social Inclusion and Social Protection for 2014-2020. These policy documents are an integral part of the National Strategy for Development and Integration (NSDI) 2013-2020 and are responsive to the EU2020 perspective of “Increased Social Inclusion through Development of Labor Market and Social Welfare”. With respect to vulnerable groups, such policies would articulate the group-specific dimensions and implementation measures necessary to ensure that the strategy is not “blind” to the group specific characteristics. As in countries, at similar stages of transition, human resources, budgets, and institutional structures required for the necessary vertical and horizontal integration and coordination of policy responses requires further development.

United Nations Support to Social Inclusion in Albania Programme seeks to support the development of capacities of Albanian institutions at central and local levels for advancing the national social inclusion agenda with a view to ensure that government policies and programmes are consistent and coherent in achieving the maximum possible effect for the social inclusion of people at risk; and, to enhance civil society and citizens’ participation as rights holders in national social inclusion processes.

Support for the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will have a special focus in the programme. While the policy level work will target mainstreaming disability issues in the common policies, legislation and programmes, capacity support interventions will address a wide range of government and non-government partners at national and local level to be able to carry out the country’s commitment towards more inclusive policies for people with disabilities.

Purpose of the assignment:

Persons with disabilities are not yet fully included in Albanian society, whether in political, social or economic life. In the area of employment, the percentage of persons with disabilities employed is low and most of the work does not require qualifications. The Ministry of Education and Sports is working to sensitize schools and teachers in order to include children with disabilities into the general education system; however, schools lack basic infrastructure and teachers do not have the requisite training. In terms of social protection, disability allowances have increased in recent years from 116,709 people covered in 2010 to 142.000 in 2014. In the area of social services, the number of people benefiting is lower than the number of those who need services. Rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities face deficiencies. Challenges remain in the area of physical and technological accessibility. Attitudes in society, whether people generally or professionals and family members can create barriers to the full participation of persons with disabilities in society.

Since 2005 Albanian governments have recognized the social exclusion of persons with disabilities and in response to this have adopted the National Strategy on People with Disabilities (NSPD) and the associated action plan 2005-2015 which outline the measures for improving the living conditions of people with disabilities in the fields of education, employment, support services and access with a focus on the ability and competence of the individual rather than on their impairment. Whereas some progress is reported in specific areas, yet the situation of persons with disabilities is far from the envisioned one.

In December 2012, the Government of Albania took the significant step of ratifying Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Another significant development in the area of protection of persons with disabilities has been the recent adoption by the Parliament of the Law on Inclusion of and Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities. Based on this Law, the Government has created the National Council on Disability Affairs as an advisory body to the Council of Ministers – a body that will have an important role to play in the process of implementation of the CRPD.

Another policy document that directly concerns people with disabilities is the new (draft) Social Inclusion Policy Paper SIPP 2015-2020 which envisions to enable all Albanian citizens to have unrestricted access to high quality public services in order to facilitate and support their active participation in society regardless of income level, gender, age, disability, ethnic origin, sexual orientation and identity, place of residence or religious convictions. The Social Inclusion Policy Paper analyses the state of social exclusion and identifies priority sector strategies that should address social inclusion policies while it includes persons with disabilities in the vulnerable groups and prioritizes their access to public services.

The new (draft) Social Protection Strategy SPS 2015-2020 sets out the goal of improving the position of people with disabilities by ensuring that they progressively have access to and benefit from proper social services, which are of high quality and integrated through the schemes of the Social Protection Programme. The Strategy highlights the Government commitment’s to reform the assessment system for persons with disabilities, increase the transparency of the Disability Cash Entitlements through better data systems, establish/strengthen multidisciplinary teams at central/regional level for assessment of disability, develop an integrated social services system in synergy and to compliment the cash payments, review the legislation to comply with the best international standards, and establish and strengthen the monitoring and inspection mechanisms for the quality of services offered for the persons with disability at local and central level. Currently the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth is developing proposals for reforming the disability assessment system. The reform aims to make possible the bio-psycho-social evaluation of disability based on the conceptual model of the International Classification of Functioning and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization (WHO).

In the circumstances when the CRPD has been ratified, the timeline of the National Strategy on Persons with Disabilities is expiring, new policy documents affecting persons with disabilities are being adopted and some other important developments in the area of disabilities are taking place, the Government is faced with the task of developing a new National Action Plan on Persons with Disabilities 2015-2020. The Action Plan will aim at bringing to the Government’s attention all measures it should undertake to progressively ensure full implementation of the rights of persons with disabilities in the country, while it will be developed as integrated part of the Social Inclusion Policy Paper 2015-2020, and in line with the Government of Albania programme in the field of social affairs and international standards Albania has adhered to.

UNDP through UNSSIA programme, funded by Swiss Development Cooperation, will provide support to MSWY structures and the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on Social Inclusion to develop the National Action Plan on Persons with Disabilities. For fulfilling this commitment, the programme is inviting interested international consultant to apply for carrying out this assignment.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance of the UNDP Programme Analyst for Social Inclusion, and the direct supervision of the National Programme Manager for the UNSSIA Programme, the international consultant, supported by a national consultant, will perform, to the required standard of quality and within the specified constraints of time and cost, the following tasks:

Become familiar with the Albanian legal, policy and institutional framework related to disability issues;
Play the role of team leader for the national consultant by guiding him/her in describing the context of the Action Plan as well as by assigning to him/her other tasks in relation to the formulation and consultation of the main output;
Guide the national consultant in studying the National Strategy on Persons with Disabilities 2005-2015 and the associated action plan and carrying out a rapid assessment of its implementation in the country. The methodology for this assessment should include analysis of primary and secondary data and make as much as possible reference to exiting research works on quantitative and qualitative data. The findings of this review, jointly with those mentioned under task 2, shall help to describe the context for the new Action Plan on Persons with Disabilities;
Guide the national consultant: in studying the in-force and upcoming national strategies and associated action plans covering social inclusion, social protection, employment and skills, education, health, housing and other social areas as well as available monitoring reports to analyze and assess, as appropriate, their implementation or envisaged results with regard to persons with disabilities; and in identifying challenges and lessons learned;
Support the Ministry of Social Welfare and Youth and the IMWG on Social Inclusion to develop the draft Action Plan on Persons with Disabilities in Albania. Particular consideration should be given to other elements that may exacerbate problems related to disability, such as gender, age, ethnic background, economic status, etc. The action plan should include vision, goals, objectives, measures, targets, achievement indicators, responsible institutions for implementation and monitoring, timeframe, and cost implications;
Ensure coherence of the new draft action plan with the disability-related parts of existing strategies and action plans. Assess and comment on the consistency and feasibility of disability-related actions planned in existing policy or action documents and make recommendations aiming at updating them. Identify the measures that can be considered as already effectively incorporated in the in-force strategies, i.e. in terms of content, timeframe and funding, and integrate them in the new Action Plan. Provide technical inputs related to integration of measures from the new action plan on persons with disabilities into the line-Ministries sectoral action plans and budgets;
Estimate as accurately as possible the costs necessitated for the implementation of the newly designed action plan, including breakdowns per year. Efforts should be made with a view to ensure not only appropriate costing of actions, but also an appropriate share of their benefits to various categories of populations with disabilities. Referring to the above estimates, suggest which could be for each measure or group of measures the most appropriate funding resources, for instance, state budget, private sector, donors, international cooperation, etc. This shall help the Government to make the appropriate yearly budget forecasts for disability issues;
Conduct consultation meetings for government and non-government relevant stakeholders including line-ministries, local government institutions, civil society organizations, business, etc. on the draft action plan. The consultation meetings shall aim at enabling the participants to discuss the draft action plan, its priority measures, cost estimations, funding resources, and implementation& monitoring& evaluation & reporting framework;
Taking into account the feedback/comments gathered from the consultation process of the action plan with national and international partners, submit an advanced version of the action plan, and, for the main actions, write in an explanatory note their purpose, scope and interconnection of measures;
Following further consultations with Albanian partners, revise the advanced draft action plan with budget provisions as well as the narrative/ explanatory note in order to finalize them.

Deliverables:

An Inception Report including the methodology on how the consultant will approach and conduct the work and the suggested work plan and timeline. The Work Plan shall take the form of a detailed description of the steps to be followed. This plan will indicate the sequencing and staging of tasks, key decision points, the expected completion date for each task and the interrelationship between the completion of the tasks and the preparation of the outputs;
A summary (as part of the Context and Situation Analysis chapter of the Action Plan) on to date progress on implementation and monitoring of current policies on persons with disabilities;
Outline of the Action Plan document incorporating vision, goals, objectives, measures with cost estimates and potential sources of funding, targets, achievement indicators, responsible parties for implementation and monitoring at national and local level, and timeline;
Consultation meetings with government and non-government stakeholders at central and local level to get agreement on the proposed Action Plan;
Advisory notes on the consistency and feasibility of disability-related actions planned in other existing policy or action documents and on integrating the action plan on persons with disabilities in the in-line Ministries sectoral action plans and budgets;
Final draft of the Action Plan on Persons with Disabilities including, for the main actions, an explanatory note on their purpose, scope and interconnection of measures and incorporating feedback/comments gathered during the consultation process;
An expert’s assignment report (in English) highlighting the expert’s work, outputs, achievements, lessons learned and the proceeding of the consultations, including recommendations for follow-up interventions.

All outputs will be agreed with UNDP/UNSSIA team.

Timeline/Remuneration schedule:

The work is expected to be completed within 35 working days over a period of 5 months from the contract signature date. The inception report shall be submitted within two weeks from the contract signature.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
Excellent understanding of human rights and disability rights;
Excellent understanding of social economy, public finance, planning and prognosis;
Analytical thinking and strategic planning skills, ability to facilitate, consult and negotiate with a broad range of government and non-government partners.
Excellent research, writing and presentation skills;
Creativity skills;
Strong inter-personal and communication skills;
Ability to work and adapt to a dynamic working environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

PhD degree in public policies, social sciences, economics or closely related field of studies.

Experience:

Minimum 10 (ten) years of professional experience in social policy/public policy advisory functions;
Experience in research and strategic studies related to socio-economic affairs, preferably with relevance to disabilities and social inclusion;
Substantial experience in strategy formulation and in drafting documents based on extensive consultations;
Familiarity with EU accession requirements and European social agenda.
Experience in providing expertise to governments on promoting human/disability rights;
Relevant experience with UN Agencies or other international organizations would be appreciated;
Relevant experience in Albania would be highly appreciated.

Language skills:

Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English.

Evaluation of Applicants:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 70 points:

Criteria A: Professional experience in social policy/public policy advisory functions – max points: 35
Criteria B: Educational Background– max points: 15
Criteria C: Writing and presentation skills– max points: 20

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points

Application procedures:

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain:

Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work (if applicable). Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application;
Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees
(blank form can be downloaded from http://www.undp.org.al/index.php?page=bus_center/vacancies ; please upload the P11 instead of your CV;
Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (consultancy daily rate expressed in USD, travel cost, per diems and any other possible costs);
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel.

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner.

Qualified women, members of minorities and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.