UNDP Jobs - 58806- Consultant – UNDP Work on Measuring LGBTI Inclusio

Consultant – UNDP Work on Measuring LGBTI Inclusion Through Increasing Access to Data and Good Practice

Location :

Home Based

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

20-Aug-2015

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

20 working days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

20 August to 1 October 2015

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

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 170 countries and territories, working with governments and people on their own solutions to global and national development challenges to help empower lives and build resilient nations.

The Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, South-South and Triangular cooperation initiatives, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas. BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Response Unit (CRU) to support emergency and crisis response. BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working. BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

BPPS supports UNDP’s 2014-2017 Strategic Plan, focusing on 7 outcomes including strengthening institutions to progressively deliver universal access to basic services (outcome 3). The HIV Health and Development team, within BPPS, is helping to contribute towards this outcome.

HIV, Health and Development Approach

UNDP is a founding cosponsor of the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), a partner of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and a co-sponsor of several other international health partnerships. UNDP’s work on HIV, health and development leverages the organization’s core strengths and mandates in human development, governance and capacity development to complement the efforts of specialist health-focused UN agencies. UNDP delivers three types of support to countries in HIV, health and development.

First, UNDP helps countries to mainstream attention to HIV and health into action on gender, poverty and the broader effort to achieve and sustain the Millennium Development Goals. For example, UNDP works with countries to understand the social and economic factors that play a crucial role in driving health and disease, and to respond to such dynamics with appropriate policies and programmes outside the health sector. UNDP also promotes specific action on the needs and rights of women and girls as they relate to HIV and other health.

Second, UNDP works with partners to address the interactions between governance, human rights and health responses. Sometimes this is done through focused or specialized programmes, such as promoting attention to the role of legal environments (law and access to justice) in facilitating stronger HIV responses, including the use of flexibilities in intellectual property and human rights law to lower the cost of drugs and diagnostics and to increase access to HIV-related treatment. UNDP also works to empower and include people living with HIV and marginalized populations who are disproportionately affected by HIV - also known as key populations - such as sex workers, men who have sex with men, and transgender people. Beyond these focused efforts, UNDP plays a key role in ensuring attention to HIV and health within broader governance and rights initiatives, including support to district and municipal action on MDGs, strengthening of national human rights institutions and increasing access to justice for marginalized populations.

Third, as a trusted, long-term partner with extensive operational experience, UNDP supports countries in effective implementation of complex, multilateral and multisectoral health projects, while simultaneously investing in capacity development so that national and local partners can assume these responsibilities over time. The UNDP/Global Fund partnership is an important part of this work, facilitating access to resources for action on MDG 6 by countries that face constraints in directly receiving and managing such funding. UNDP partners with countries in crisis/post-crisis situations, those with weak institutional capacity or governance challenges, and countries under sanctions. When requested, UNDP acts as interim Principal Recipient in these settings, working with national partners and the Global Fund to improve management, implementation and oversight of Global Fund grants, while simultaneously developing national capacity for governments or local entities to be able to assume the Principal Recipient role over time.

Objective

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) have initiated a joint programme focused on reducing inequalities and exclusion for LGBTI people, and combatting homophobia and transphobia. As part of this effort, UNDP and OHCHR are engaged in increasing data and the evidence base related to reducing inequalities and exclusion of LGBTI people in the context of sustainable development.

The international community is also currently finalizing the post-2015 development agenda. The new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are meant to set universally applicable standards for ending poverty, better meeting human needs, protecting the environment, and promoting peace and realizing human rights. Mounting evidence suggests that homophobia, and other forms of stigma, violence and discrimination against LGBTI individuals significantly hinder social and economic progress, thus having a direct impact on country- and regional –level ability to achieve SDGs in the future.

A limited amount of studies that are available and that document the impacts of LGBTI exclusion on development also illustrate enormous data gaps when it comes to the lives of LGBTI individuals and impacts of exclusion. Particularly in developing countries, data and analysis related to the human rights and development challenges facing LGBTI people remain scant. Data that exist have not been properly brought together and analysed, including identifying research gaps, with global overview and policy in mind. Think tanks, development agencies, civil society organizations, and private partners collecting these data have not had the opportunity to join forces in order to devise uniform collection, analysis, and reporting techniques that could have global significance. Improved data and analysis of the impacts of inequality and exclusion of LGBTI people, underpinning policies and programmes to improve LGBTI inclusion, would provide the necessary foundation for rights-based and sustainable development for LGBTI people.

With this in mind, UNDP and OHCHR are seeking to convene an expert group comprised of individuals engaged in measuring economic and social inclusion, and individuals engaged in measuring different impacts of LGBTI exclusion and inequality, from the UN, other international agencies, NGOs, the private sector, and academia. This meeting of experts will take place in September of 2015.

As relates to this meeting UNDP is seeking a consultant with experience in collecting and analyzing data related to LGBTI rights and inclusion to draft a background paper on the subject, participate in the September meeting of experts, and produce a meeting report.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Deputy Director HIV, Health and Development Team, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, the Consultant will be responsible for:

In consultation with UNDP, developing and delivering a background paper to launch the discussion at the September 2015 expert meeting that will 1) frame a discussion of the definition of LGBTI inclusion, 2) discuss indicators for effectively measuring LGBTI inclusion, 3) review the available types of data and review the data gaps related to LGBTI inclusion, and 4) provide potential criteria for prioritizing efforts to address the data gaps;
Attending and participating in the September meeting in New York;
Producing the meeting report based on consultant’s own and UNDP staff notes.

Specific Deliverables:

Research, write, and produce a first draft of the background paper. Envisaged Deadline: August 28, 2015;
Finalize the background paper including UNDP and OHCHR comments. Deadline: September 2, 2015;
Attend and participate in the September experts meeting. September 3-4, 2015;
Produce the meeting report. Envisaged Deadline: September 30, 2015.

Expected Outputs:

Draft of the background paper on data related to LGBTI inclusion;
Final background paper on data related to LGBTI inclusion;
Attendance and participation in the September 2015 meeting;
Produce meeting report.

Reporting:

The consultant will regularly evaluate progress in meeting the specific deliverables with the Deputy Director HIV, Health and Development Team, Bureau for Policy and Programme Support.

Travel

Travel is anticipated for this consultancy as the consultant will be expected to travel round-trip to New York for the September 2015 meeting on Measuring LGBTI Inclusion. UNDP will cover travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses agreed upon, between UNDP HHD Team and the Individual Consultant, prior to travel. The fare will always be most economical and any difference in price with the preferred route will be paid for by the expert. UNDP does not accept travel costs exceeding those of a full-fare economy class ticket. Individual Contractors wishing to upgrade their travel to business or first class shall do so at their own expense.

Timeframe:

The consultancy will be home-based for 20 working days covering the period 20 August 2015 through 1 October 2015.

Evaluation

Applicants will be screened against qualifications and competencies specified below through a desk review and/or an interview process. Those selected for the next stage of the selection process will be reviewed based on a cumulative analysis method that combines the results of technical and financial evaluation results.

Specifically, the award of the contract will 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; Technical Criteria weight: 80 points; Financial Criteria weight: 20 points;
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 56 points (80%) out of a maximum 70 points on the Technical Evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Criteria for Technical Evaluation (70 points maximum):

Advanced degree in human rights, public health, international law, international affairs or a related degree, preferably a PhD (20 points);
Minimum of 7 years of relevant work experience in the area of LGBTI rights, data analysis, social or economic studies, public health or a related field (20 points);
A demonstrated knowledge of data analysis related to LGBTI inclusion and development as evidenced by a publications record (15 points);
Excellent writing and editorial skills, as evidenced by a writing sample (15 points).

Criteria for Financial Evaluation (30 points maximum)

The following formula will be used to evaluate the financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where;
p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal;
µ = price of the lowest priced proposal;
z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

Payment:

Payment will be processed through the Certificate of Payment (COP) and timesheet, verified and certified by the direct supervisor.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling 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.

Functional Competencies:

Strong research, writing and analytical skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports, background papers and knowledge products;
Professional and/or academic experience in one or more of the areas of human rights, public health, public policy or international affairs.

Project and Resource Management:

Ability to produce high quality outputs in a timely manner while understanding and anticipating the evolving client needs;
Ability to focus on impact and results for the client, promoting and demonstrating an ethic of client service;
Strong organizational skills;
Ability to work independently, produce high quality outputs;
Sound judgment, strategic thinking and the ability to manage competing priorities.

Partnership building and team work:

Demonstrated flexibility to excel in a multi-cultural environment;
Provides and receives constructive feedback.

Communications and Advocacy:

Strong ability to write clearly and convincingly, adapting style and content to different audiences, and to speak clearly and convincingly;
Excellent analytical, research and writing skills with demonstrated ability to think strategically;
Capacity to communicate clearly and quickly.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

An advanced degree (PhD preferred) or equivalent in law, economics, human rights, public policy, public health or a related field and knowledge of at least one of the other substantive areas.

Experience:

A minimum of 7 years of relevant work experience in the area of LGBTI rights, data analysis, social or economic studies, public health or a related field;
Excellent writing, research and analytical skills;
Prior work or research experience on LGBTI inclusion will be a strong asset.

Language:

Fluency in English is essential.