Background
The Oslo Governance Centre [OGC] was established in 2002 as a centre of excellence designed to provide support to the practical and operational work of UNDP in assisting partner countries in developing more democratic and effective forms of governance for sustainable peace and development. The OGC is a unit of the Democratic Governance Group [DGG] in the Bureau for Development Policy [BDP].
The overarching purpose of the Oslo Governance Centre is to conduct systematic analysis and review of UNDP’s governance work around the globe, aimed at learning from experiences in the field and contributing to UNDP’s programming and policy advisory services at the national, regional and global levels. One of the main focus areas of this work is the analysis of projects funded by the Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund [DGTTF].
For more information about the Oslo Governance Centre, please consult our web site.
Background to the Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund (DGTTF)
DGTTF was created in 2001 to promote a thematic focus around UNDP’s Democratic Governance Practice (DGP). Its main function is to provide Country Offices with discretionary funds to explore innovative approaches and address issues in politically sensitive areas where the use of core funds may prove more problematic and slow. DGTTF was designed to allow rapid disbursement and to attract funding from donors interested in democratic governance. From 2002 to 2008, DGTTF disbursed $82 million for a total 660 projects in the field.. Additional funding was provided for global projects and for the Oslo Governance Centre.
UNDP Democratic Governance Group commissioned an independent evaluation of the Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund in 2007. The evaluation was based on OECD/DAC criteria of effectiveness, sustainability, relevance and efficiency. The main objectives of the evaluation were to i) assess the results achieved by DGTTF against its objectives, the relevance of the fund and its strategic positioning vis-à-vis other similar funds within UNDP, and the efficiency of the fund’s management processes; and ii) to distil important lessons learned and identify areas for improving the results, approach and processes.
One of the key recommendations of the evaluation was that the OGC take the lead for assessing DGTTF projects as of 2009, and to learn from their implementation as well as from DG programmes more generally, including in specific service lines.
OGC started successful partnership with Regional Centre in Bangkok (RCB) to assess DGTTF projects in the Asia region. They were presented in Bangkok in June 2009 at the LEADING Seminar, a high-level strategic learning event for UN and UNDP senior managers.
Another assessment took place in October2009 in the Arab States region in cooperation with Cairo Regional Service Centre (CRSC). The DGTTF project assessments took place in Iraq, Lebanon and OPT.
Against this background, the OGC is recruiting a consultant to deliver the outputs listed below.
Duties and Responsibilities
The key outputs of the consultant will be:
1) To provide substantive input to DGTTF assessments reports for Iraq, Lebanon and OPT. The consultant is expected to revise the current draft and liaise with Cairo Regional Service Centre, UNDP Country Offices in Iraq, Lebanon and OPT to request more information, if needed to finalize the report. Once the draft has been finalized consultant is expected to integrate all comments coming from CRSC and Iraq, Lebanon and OPT Country Office.
To deliver these outputs, the consultant will conduct a thorough review of a number of sources, including, but not limited to:
a) The DGTTF database
b) The DGTTF evaluation from 2007-08
c) DGTTF annual reports
d) DGG Annual reports
Duration of Contract and Work Plan:
The Consultant is expected to start working on January 4, 2010, with output to be completed according to the following schedule:
| Output | Preparation period and Delivery date |
| 1) Finalize DGTTF reports for Iraq, Lebanon and OPT. | 4 January – 15 February 2010 |
Competencies
1. Solid understanding of UNDP work on democratic governance , especially concerning governance assessment;
2. Proven excellent analytical and research skills;
3. Proven proficiency in English;
4. Ability to write and communicate in a clear and concise manner.
Required Skills and Experience
- Advanced academic degree in social sciences, political science, law. international relations, development studies, public or business administration, or equivalent field;
- Minimum of 5 years of professional experience in the area of democratic governance;
- Strong understanding of UNDP’s work on democratic governance;
- Strong sense of initiative and results-orientation;
- Excellent interpersonal skills;
- Fluency in English required;
- Experience with the Democratic Governance Thematic Trust Fund is an asset;
- Experience in the Arab State region is an asset.