Background
The Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA) leads and supports the organization in cultivating, building and nurturing strategic relationships and alliances that are essential for advancing and successfully achieving the mission of UNDP. The UN System Affairs Group (UNSAG) within BERA leads and manages UNDP’s engagement with and/or support to: the UN and its inter-governmental bodies including the General Assembly and Economic and Social Council; and other intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder bodies, including the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation.
Together with UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS), UNSAG provides support to the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) as part of a UNDP-OECD Joint Support Team. The GPEDC brings governments, private companies, civil society and others together to ensure funding, time and expertise produce maximum impact for development. The Global Partnership is led by three high-level co-chairs, and provides a space for political dialogue around the implementation of commitments on effective development cooperation and deepening broader engagement of wider development cooperation actors in their efforts to maximize their impact.
Under the overall guidance of the Director for UN System Affairs, and the direct supervision of the Partnerships Development Analyst, the Consultant will work with colleagues in BERA and BPPS to support the functioning of the GPEDC. The consultancy assignment will take place in New York for an initial period of five (5) months with possibility of extension.
Duties and Responsibilities
The consultant will specifically be called upon to support UNDP’s role in the GPEDC Joint Support Team in the following areas:
- Coordinate logistical and substantive support for side events and other outreach events;
- Provide secretariat services to the Steering Committee and Co-Chairs of the GPEDC, including managing correspondence; preparing background documents;
- Support organization of ninth Steering Committee meeting, March 2016, including agenda, documentation, and organization of sessions;
- Provide readouts and track follow-up from regular coordination meetings with GPEDC Co-Chairs, OECD, and other partners;
- Provide secretariat support to preparations for the second High Level Meeting of the GPEDC in Kenya, 2016;
- Serve as focal point for UNDP in UNDP-OECD support team for coordination of Global Partnership Initiatives, including managing regular reporting process, inclusion of results in GPEDC website;
- Support preparation of workshop on GPIs;
- Support preparation of monthly GPEDC newsletter, including collection of inputs from GPEDC partners, and other support to GPEDC communications as necessary;
- Monitor and provide summaries and analysis of relevant discussions on partnerships and multistakeholder engagement in UN intergovernmental bodies;
- Provide additional support to UNDP’s UN System Affairs Group and the UNDP-OECD Joint Support Team as needed.
Expected deliverables:
- Regular and increased reporting by Global Partnership Initiatives on completed and planned results for January 2016 reporting period (February 2016);
- Smooth functioning of preparations for ninth GPEDC Steering Committee meeting (March 2016);
- Timely execution of correspondence between the UNDP-OECD Support Team, the Co-Chairs, and the Steering Committee (April 2016);
- Support production and dissemination of five high-quality newsletters (April 2016);
- Timely and relevant summaries of key UN intergovernmental discussions relevant to multistakeholder partnerships and development cooperation (April 2016).
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:
Professionalism
- Sound understanding of effective development cooperation agenda, including the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation and related development policy fora;
- Familiarity with managing professional networks, to provide updates on activities and maintain active focal points;
- Understanding of process for organizing external events, including invitation process, particularly in UN setting.
Communication
- Proven ability to write in a clear and concise manner under tight time pressure and to communicate effectively orally;
- Ability to prepare reports and articulate options, concisely conveying maximum necessary information;
- Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.
Teamwork
- Works collaboratively with colleagues within and across teams to achieve organizational goals.
Planning and Organizing
- Develops clear functional results that are consistent with agreed strategies;
- Identifies priority activities and assignments; monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary.
Client orientation
- Establishes and maintain productive partnerships with partners by gaining their trust and respect; monitors on-going developments inside and outside partners’ environment to keep informed and anticipate problems.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree in international development, political science or related field.
Experience:
- At least 3 years of progressively responsible experience in development-related areas, including multi-stakeholder engagement, policy analysis;
- At least 1 year experience with event planning and coordination and managing networks of practitioners or policymakers;
- Knowledge of effective development cooperation and the work of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, Development Cooperation Forum and related initiatives is an asset;
- Knowledge of UN intergovernmental discussions on development preferred.
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in spoken and written English; excellent English writing skills;
- Working knowledge of another UN languages is considered an asset.
Application Requirements:
All interested applicants should submit the following documents. Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification.
- Updated P11 or Resume/CV;
- Brief statement as to why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable candidate for the assignment;
- Candidates short-listed for this position will be requested to submit a “Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability” form.
- Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.
Others:
- No travel is envisaged for this assignment;
- ANNEX 1- GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS_ INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT (IC)