UNDP Jobs - 68056- Extension/ Provision of individual services of an

Extension/ Provision of individual services of an Arabic Language Editor.

Location :

Beirut, LEBANON

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

up to 68 calendar days from contract signature date.

Languages Required :

Arabic English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

up to 68 calendar days from contract signature date.

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 Arab Knowledge Project (AKP) seeks to promote knowledge generation and dissemination in the Arab region. The project is firmly linked to the Regional Programme Document (RPD) as the main driver behind Outcome 4 (Promotion of Knowledge for Human Development). Further, it is aligned to the timeframe of the RPD as well as the UNDP Strategic Plan, both of which are in force through 2017.

It is the fruit of the partnership between UNDP and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation that has launched a five-year second phase of the collaborative effort on the Arab Knowledge Project, a pioneering regional project which started in 2007. Focusing on knowledge as a cornerstone of development in the Arab region, the project published, over the course of eight years, three widely disseminated Arab Knowledge reports underscoring key opportunities and challenges to building effective knowledge-based societies in Arab countries.

The Arab Knowledge Project builds on three Arab Knowledge Reports, the Arab Knowledge Index and the portal knowledge4all.com. The three Reports are: the ‘Arab Knowledge Report 2009: Towards Productive Intercommunication for Knowledge’, the ‘Arab Knowledge Report 2010/2011: Preparing Future Generations for the Knowledge Society’ and the ‘Arab Knowledge Report 2014: Youth and Localisation of Knowledge’. Throughout the preparation stages of all three reports, it has been continuously confirmed that there is a significant lack of credible data and research that can feed the decision making process in the areas of knowledge and development. This led to the development of the Arab Knowledge Index, an index that best reflects “knowledge from a development perspective” in the Arab region, while taking into consideration the Arab region’s specific context, needs and challenges, and focusing as well on the critical role of Arab youth in the establishment of the knowledge society in the Arab region. The Arab Knowledge Index focuses on six critical sectors: Education at its Pre-University, Higher and Technical Vocational and Training levels, Research & Development and Innovation, Economy, and ICT.

As part of its new phase, the AKP will be developing the second Arab Knowledge Index, a summary measure that best reflects knowledge accumulation, production and consumption from a development perspective, taking into consideration the specific socio-cultural context, needs and challenges of the Arab region.

Also, as the Arab region is witnessing a big interest in reading providing that it is a cornerstone to culture and education, and as many strategies and initiatives were put to encourage reading, the Arab Knowledge Project will consecrate a part of its work in 2016 to measure Reading in the Arab region through a separate study that would be consisting of a conceptual methodology in addition to indicators and data. The Index would help measure the effect of these initiatives towards achieving higher rates of reading.

Both Arab Knowledge Index and Reading Index will be presented in a technical publication that will present the methodology, relevant technical notes, as well as the conceptual frameworks that were adopted in the selection of the indicators. The publications will be first produced in Arabic, based on a compilation of the work of the 6 experts/core team members (for the AKI), and 2 experts/core team members (for the Reading Index,) each of which would have presented their methodology and results.

Another publication that will be produced by the Arab Knowledge Project this year will be an analytical study; which will be a publication containing the analyses of the core team of the results of the Arab Knowledge Index 2015.

Within this context, the Arab Knowledge Project is seeking consultancy services for the editing and proofreading the Arabic version to ensure a coherent narrative for the publications. Qualified consultants will have experience working with similar projects with international organizations (preferably United Nations).

Excluding the “Country Profiles”, which will not require editing and proofreading by the consultant, the estimated size of the Arabic text is 230, 000 words.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant should work closely with the Arab Knowledge Project’s technical team in order to fulfil the following tasks:

Editing the publications’ chapters and narrative sections with a view to ensure:

The spirit of the original text;
Consistency in text, data and bibliography;
The publications are structured and organized in a format consistent with UNDP standards (relating to grammar, punctuation and spelling);
Conducting technical editing and copy-editing for readability and consistency, including the sequencing, consistency, especially between text and tables and figures and integration of text and boxes, content errors, style and punctuation, spelling and grammar;
Copy-editing and Proof-reading of layout files of the publications;
Once the publications have been copy-edited and laid out, the contractor will perform one or more rounds of proofreading, checking spelling, country and city names as well as acronyms and other abbreviations (making sure that they follow official U.N. terminology and conventions), style consistency, callouts, layout problems, references, etc.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Solid understanding of the concept of human development and related themes;
Strong analytical skills, fair and sound judgment;
Effectiveness in meeting tight deadlines;
High level of competency in Arabic required;
Ability to work independently and achieve quality results with limited supervision and within tight schedules.

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;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Kindly refer to the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and all related Annexes by visiting the below link:

http://www.lb.undp.org/content/lebanon/en/home/operations/procurement/

Please make sure to submit all the requested documents/information; otherwise, your application will be considered incomplete

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

M.A. degree in Arabic literature, social sciences, or other related field.

Years of experience:

The consultant should have at least 15 years of relevant experience in professional translating and editing, including editing of international development reports or relevant materials;
Previous experience with UNDP style and understanding of publication requirements is a must;
Experience in working with statistical data and statistical indicators, and familiarity with the logic and structure of complex statistical tables and concepts.

Language requirements:

Fluency in written and spoken Arabic and English is required.

Kindly refer to the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and all related Annexes by visiting the below link:

http://www.lb.undp.org/content/lebanon/en/home/operations/procurement/

Please make sure to submit all the requested documents/information; otherwise, your application will be considered incomplete