UNDP Jobs - 58769- Consultant - Thematic and Global Consultations in

Consultant - Thematic and Global Consultations in Berlin and Geneva

Location :

Home Based with Travel to Berlin and Geneva and Possibility to Travel NY

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

24-Aug-2015

Application Deadline :

16-Aug-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

30 days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

30 days

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

Humanitarianism in a rapidly changing world. The world is facing humanitarian needs on a massive scale. Global trends such as climate change, urbanization and population growth are creating new challenges for the future. The humanitarian landscape is also changing. The number of actors involved has increased. Innovation has brought new opportunities and partnerships. At the same time, humanitarian action is struggling to keep pace with rising demand and is riskier than ever before, with record numbers of humanitarian workers being the victims of violence.

An inclusive future. Humanitarian actors have continuously sought to improve their ability to serve the needs of people affected by conflicts and disasters. It is now time for a collective effort to look for solutions to our most pressing challenges and make humanitarian action fit for the future. This WHS initiative must represent the widest range of perspectives and experiences. The Summit itself will bring together all stakeholders: governments, humanitarian organizations such as UN Agencies, NGOs and the Red Cross & Red Crescent movement, people affected by conflicts or disasters, civil society organizations, militaries, diaspora networks, faith-based groups, the private sector and other partners. Most importantly, it will go beyond functional and technical discussions on the humanitarian sector, and put the needs of people affected by conflicts and disasters at the heart of the agenda.

The road to the Summit. During 2014 and 2015, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is facilitating eight regional consultations to gather the perspectives of people from around the world. Consultations are also being held online. Alongside the consultations, teams of thematic experts are working to take stock of what has already been done, identify over-arching issues and ensure that the outcomes of the consultations translate into a set of clear recommendation. Linkages will also be made with concurrent global development, climate change and disaster risk reduction processes.

The findings of the complete consultation process will get wrapped up into a Synthesis Report, which will be presented at the Thematic Consultation, which will take place in Berlin from 9-11 September 2015. The report will be an account of the inclusive and transparent nature of the WHS as a multi-stakeholder process. It will be the main input to the discussions at the Global Consultation, which will take place in Geneva from 14 – 16 October 2015. The report will be mainly drafted by the Thematic Team in close collaboration with Linklaters, which will provide the WHS secretariat with a raw analysis of the data, and selected input by experts and advisors. The Synthesis Report will be shared with participants of the Thematic Consultation in advance. The meeting will take stock of the report and discuss how to take the proposed ideas and recommendations forward, particularly in preparation for the Global Consultation.The Thematic Consultation in Berlin will be the third and final face-to-face meeting of the Thematic Teams. The main objectives of the Thematic Consultation are to take stock of the synthesis report, further develop and build support around the emerging ideas and initiatives for the Summit, and prepare the ground for the Global Consultation that will take place in Geneva on 14 – 16 October.The Global Consultation will discuss the findings and emerging recommendations presented in the Synthesis Report and aim to mobilize support behind them. The results of these discussions will be integrated into the report of the UN Secretary-General, which will be published a few months ahead of the Summit. The SG’s report will be the major input into the Summit itself. It will set out the Secretary-General’s vision for a future global humanitarian agenda and the changes that need to take place to meet the humanitarian challenges of the future.

A platform for action. In May 2016, the World Humanitarian Summit will bring the global community together to commit to a new agenda for humanitarian action. It is a call for bold thinking, not on how to adjust the present approach to humanitarian assistance, but on what is needed to respond to the humanitarian challenges of the future. The Summit is just the beginning – all humanitarian actors will have a role to play in proposing solutions, taking forward recommendations, and ensuring that Istanbul is a platform to enact far-reaching change.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives

As the consultation process starts to wind down in the coming months, the distillation of the findings and recommendations from them, and shaping them into an ambitious vision and set of action for meeting the challenges of the future needs to accelerate. To achieve the latter requires bringing in an Adviser on a consultancy basis to support the WHS secretariat in developing a suitable choreography for the Thematic Consultation in Berlin as well as for the Global Consultation in Geneva. This will also require close engagement with the work being taken forward by the Thematic Teams.The objective of this consultancy is to support the WHS secretariat in the substantive preparations for the two final consultations that will conclude the WHS consultative process. TheConsultant will contribute to the works of a small team tasked with the preparations to the Thematic Consultation and facilitate the meeting in Berlin. Based on the outcomes of the Thematic Consultation, the Consultant will also support the planning for the Global Consultation in Geneva.

The consultancy would be carried out under the overall supervision of Thematic Coordinator of the WHS Secretariat, who will be the Project Manager. The Project Manager will be the focal point for the consultant and be responsible for providing internal introductions as needed. The Project Manager will provide guidance on the delivery of outputs, as well as sign off on it. The consultant would be expected to liaise closely with the Thematic Coordination Team of the WHS secretariat and the Head of the WHS Geneva office as Project Manager for the Global Consultation in Geneva.

The consultant is expected to undertake the following key tasks as part of the preparations for the Thematic and Global Consultation:

Advising the WHS secretariat in the development of the agenda, methodology and other background material of the Thematic Consultation through verbal and written inputs;
Consolidating and reviewing relevant background material to be shared with participants in advance of the Thematic Consultation;
Providing input to the WHS secretariat in the logistical and operational preparations of the Thematic Consultation in coordination with the German counterparts in the form of attending selected telecons (if required) and verbal and written input to considerations;
Developing a facilitation guide or facilitation guides for others setting out the methodology of the Thematic Consultation in a clear and concise way;
Managing preparatory sessions and documents as needed to brief and guide a team of meeting facilitators and rapporteurs on the methodology and strategy for the Thematic Consultation;
Leading facilitation of the Thematic Consultation, including managing time effectively, moderating plenary sessions and overseeing breakout sessions and participating actively to guide proceedings throughout;
Drafting an executive summary report of the Thematic Consultation of no more than 2 pages to be circulated widely, including on the WHS website, targeting a general public audience with accessible and concise language;
Drafting a final report to document and reflect upon the findings and outcomes of Thematic Consultation, as an input to the preparations for the Global Consultation and the Secretary-General’s Report;
Contributing to the development of a ‘discussion guide’ for the Global Consultation based on the outcomes of the Thematic Consultation and the Synthesis Report;
Providing input to the thematic and strategic preparations of the panel sessions of the Global Consultation, i.e. translating major ideas and recommendations from the synthesis report and the Thematic Consultation into panel presentations and moderated discussions;
Developing facilitation guides for moderated discussions at the Global Consultation setting out the methodology in a clear and concise way;
Managing preparatory sessions and documents as needed to brief and guide a team of meeting facilitators and rapporteurs on the methodology and strategy for the discussions at the Global Consultation;
Providing input to the preparation of an outcome document of the Global Consultation.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Thematic Consultation – Berlin, Germany:

Preparation of a detailed agenda and review of other background material (Verbal and written contributions);
Support to logistical and operational preparations (Verbal and written contributions);
Development of a facilitation guide to direct the discussions at the Thematic ConsultationProvision of professional facilitation services at the Thematic Consultation (incl. preparation for meetings, preparatory sessions and actual facilitation);
Preparation of executive summary report of Thematic Consultation (max. 2 pages);
Preparation of final meeting report of Thematic Consultation.

Global Consultation – Geneva, Switzerland:

Review and contribution to ‘discussion guide’ for the Global Consultation;
Development of facilitation guides to direct the panel sessions at the Global Consultation;
Provision of professional facilitation services at the Global Consultation (incl. preparation for meetings, preparatory sessions and actual facilitation);
Verbal and written contributions to the Global Consultation outcome document.

Duration of the Work:

This consultancy will be for a period of 30 days, to take place between 24 August until 30 October 2015. The target date to begin the work is 24 August 2015 and expected completion date is 30 October, allowing for one week following the conclusion of the Thematic Consultation on 11 September 2015 to draft the executive summary;
The full meeting report will be due 2.5 weeks after the Thematic Consultation. The time for internal review and sign-off of the agenda and executive summary of the Thematic Consultation will be 1 day; 2 days for the facilitation guides for both consultations; and 3 days for the full meeting report of the Thematic Consultation. Timely compliance with the deadlines is of the essence.

Duty Station:

The consultant will be working from his/her own location with duty travel to New York, if necessary;
The consultant will require travel to the Thematic Consultation in Berlin, Germany from 9-11 September 2015;
The consultant will be required to be on site for a full working day on 8 September 2015 (the day prior to the meeting) and to remain onsite for the full working day on 11 September 2015;
The consultant will be required to travel to Geneva, Switzerland to the Global Consultation.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Professionalism:

It is proposed that the planning and execution of this project is outsourced to a senior-level individual consultant with extensive experience in meeting facilitation and preparation, in particular meetings addressing strategic issues with highly qualified global policy experts and researchers;
Cross-cultural facilitation experience with diverse groups of 50 or more are required, in particular in facilitating expert meetings for the United Nations or other multi-lateral institutions, as are solid drafting skills and consultancy and time management skills;
Strong demonstrated capacity and experience in the international humanitarian sector, in particular on humanitarian or development policy is desirable;
Knowledge and understanding of humanitarian and development issues and the challenges faced by the humanitarian community;
Planning and organizing: ability to work under pressure, establish priorities and plan, coordinate own work plan, use time efficiently and apply judgment in the context of competing deadlines.

Communication:

Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to articulate complex ideas in a clear and accurate manner.

Creativity:

Is not bound by current thinking or traditional approaches, takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas;
Flexible and able to think “outside the box”, and offers new and different options to solve problems or meet client needs.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree (masters or similar) in a relevant field.

Experience:

A minimum 10 years of professional experience in a related sector; proven knowledge of the international humanitarian system (principles, policies, tools) and experience working in crisis-affected countries is desirable.

Language:

Excellent proficiency in spoken and written English is required.

Other:

Proficient in use of Microsoft Word and PowerPoint;
Ability to work to schedule, but where requested to be flexible with changes in timelines;
The schedule of payments will be in the ‘daily fee’ modality. The daily fee rate will be determined by functions performed and experience of the consultant. The fees will be paid upon satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables and number of days. Where applicable, travel costs, transfers, and daily allowance as per the UN rate is payable in addition to the daily fee.

Documents to be included with this application:

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and contact details of at least three (3) professional references;
Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology on how they will approach and complete the assignment;
Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided.