UNDP Jobs - 19114- Expert on Agricultural Service Cooperatives and ma

Expert on Agricultural Service Cooperatives and manual development issues (extended, UNDP Crimea Integration and Development Programme)

Location :

home-based with travel to Crimea, UKRAINE

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Nov-2010

Application Deadline :

25-Oct-10 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

3 months

Languages Required :

Russian

Expected Duration of Assignment :

3 months

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 UNDP Crimea Integration and Development Program (CIDP) is an international technical assistance initiative financed by the United Nations Development Program in Ukraine, and international development agencies. The goal of the Program is to provide assistance to republican and local authorities, representatives of territorial communities and their organisations in seeking long-term and effective solutions for social and economic problems at the local level and coping with the development issues faced by the multi-ethnic population of Crimea.
CIDP was established in 1995 as a joint initiative of the international donor community, United Nations Development Programme as well as the governments of Ukraine and Crimea in response to the complex social and economic problems of development faced by Crimea as a result of the mass return of more than 260,000 representatives of ethnic groups deported in 1944 by the Soviet government. Responding to the needs of an evolving situation in Crimea over the last 14 years, CIDP applied different approaches in different program phases. Following an emergency response approach during the first two phases (1995 - 2000), the program has been shifting to a social mobilisation approach during its third phase (2001 - 2004), while during the fourth phase (2005 - 2007) CIDP complemented this with an integrated approach to regional development in Crimea that goes beyond the community level to intervene at the regional policy level.
For its fifth phase (2009 to end 2011), the Program will not only consolidate its work but will ensure that Crimea?s institutions, processes and partnerships are strong and sustainable to allow for the region?s sustainable socio-economic development, taking into account its ethnic and cultural diversity.
Four strategic directions will be adopted to fulfil this main goal:
1. To continue working on disseminating and institutionalizing the social mobilisation approach that CIDP has implemented in Crimean rural territories since 2002 - community mobilisation is considered as an essential first step towards territorial development.

2. To develop effective models for increased rural livelihoods and improved social services - this covers the need to diversify economic opportunities of rural population, to create effective information space for remote villages and to further disseminate the principle of the joint state and community education management in rural schools.

3. To further develop sound democratic governance principles and help institutionalize them among stronger rural communities and more competent authorities - these principles are essential to achieve a participatory approach to local sustainable development.
4. To help develop, at the republican level, effective socio-economic monitoring and public dialogue on Crimea?s sustainable development issues. Such capabilities are important to form a clear strategic development vision for Crimea among republican legislative and administrative structures.
In its effort to ensure sustainability of agricultural cooperatives model in Crimea, UNDP CIDP organizes trainings and consultations on the set-up and development of agricultural service cooperatives (ASC).
Between the years 2006 and 2010 with the assistance of UNDP CIDP more than 20 cooperatives were established and trained, but their institutional development requires further trainings and information provision.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the assignment:

In order to ensure the sustainability of the agricultural cooperatives model through an in-depth understanding of the Ukrainian and international expertise and best practices, the development of partnership relations with relevant government institutions and raising public awareness on cooperatives opportunities, the UNDP CIDP plans the following activities:
1) Elaborate a manual entitled ?Developing Agricultural Service Cooperatives in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea?;
2) Provide methodological support during Conference on Agricultural Cooperatives-2010.
Scope of work:
1. Elaborate a manual entitled "Developing Agricultural Service Cooperatives in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea"
The manual should summarize legal framework, practical problems and solutions worked out during UNDP CIDP operation in the field of local economic development. For this reason, the manual should contain recommendations on the set-up of agricultural service cooperatives, their structure, management, statutes and bylaws. It should describe key traits of ASCs' financial and economic activities, taxation and reporting issues, bank requirements for crediting ASCs, elaboration of business plans. It should also provide case studies of at least two ASCs? successful activities and summarize the results achieved by ASCs that have been set up with the help of UNDP CIDP in the social and economic contexts.
This analysis should include description of peculiarities of agricultural service cooperatives in Crimea in comparison with other regions in Ukraine and abroad as well as advantages that this form of self-organization implies.
A structure of the manual?s body should be comprised of individual units and aimed at initiative groups of agricultural producers that plan to establish an ASC, government officials and local government administration. It should necessarily include: a title page, a table of contents, a glossary, introduction, the main body, conclusion and appendices. The appendices should be clearly numbered; all tables and pictures should contain references to sources, have indices and be properly referred to in the main text. The manual should contain a bibliography and a list of internet sources.
The following is a preliminary table of contents for the manual:
1. Introduction
2. Agricultural Service Cooperatives: main principles and traits, classification
3. Institutional and management structure of ASC
4. ASC and its membership
5. Managing ASC
6. ASC?s property
7. Business planning. The structure and sequence of business plan elaboration
8. ASC?s registration procedures by state bodies. Statutes and bylaws
9. Economic and financial activities of ASCs
10. Initiating book keeping and taxation reporting practices in ASC. Special features of ASCs? taxation
11. Drawing loans by ASCs?
12. Main directions in state assistance and ASC? regulation policies. Legislative base
13. Key achievements in UNDP CIDP in ASC development: figures and numbers
14. Developing the system of agricultural service cooperatives in ARC as an institutional base for unemployment reduction
15. Further steps for ASCs institutionalization: starting up a Crimean Association of ASCs
16. Conclusion
17. Glossary
18. Bibliography
19. Appendices
The language of the manual (Russian) should be concise and clear with minimal use of specialized terms.
All resulting materials should be submitted by the Expert to the CIDP in unified format which is approved by a respective CIDP specialist.
The Expert should build his/her work on the principle of a constructive collaboration with UNDP CIDP specialists. All relevant suggestions by the UNDP CIDP specialist in charge should be accepted and integrated to the work.
Within these terms of reference, the selected Expert:

- Analyzes existing statistical and reporting data and methodological materials regarding ASCs supported by CIDP UNDP in Crimea (the data is provided by CIDP UNDP);

-Processes and presents the main legislative base as well as various state, republican, and local programs in that field, and evaluate their effectiveness;

- Studies books on ASCs, for example, the role of democratic governance and education in ASCs? institutionalization, book-keeping and tax reporting in a cooperative, business planning, solution of legal issues dealt with registration and economic activities of ASCs, foreign and national approaches to cooperatives? development;

- Revises mass media articles for the last 5 years, namely major republican and selected local print media as well as internet sources, on the issues of agricultural service cooperatives;

- Interviews not less than 5 representatives of ASCs, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy of ARC and local authorities.

2. Provide methodological support during Conference on Agricultural Cooperatives-2010
A conference on Agricultural Cooperatives-2010 will be held by the UNDP CIDP together with the Ministry of Agricultural Policy of Crimea in November 2010. Therefore, methodological support of the Expert should include:

Writing a report on one of the current issues dealt with ASCs? development; the topic and structure of the report should be previously agreed with the respective CIDP specialist;
- Consulting UNDP CIDP specialists on conference-related issues;
- Facilitation of sessions during the conference;

- Preparation of recommendations which resulted from the conference;
- Detailed provision for monitoring and progress controls:
1. Elaboration of the manual:
- Confirmation of the final structure and table of contents of the manual (first week);
- Analysis of prospective legislation (first and second weeks);
- Revision of existing print media and internet resources (third and fourth weeks);
- Interviewing, transcription (second and third weeks);
- Writing the manual (forth, fifth and sixth weeks).
Investigation for and writing of the manual should not exceed 6 weeks from the date of signature of the contract and beginning of works.
2. Methodological support during the conference:
- Confirmation of the topic of the report (three weeks before the approved date of the conference);

- Writing the report (two weeks before the approved date of the conference);
- Consulting UNDP CIDP specialists on conference-related issues (from 1 October to 30 November);
- Facilitation of the sessions during the conference (3 days in November 2010, if approved);
- Preparation of recommendations resulted from the conference (two weeks after the conference)

A clear definition of the final product/output to be delivered:
1) Manual entitled ?Developing Agricultural Service Cooperatives in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea? ? 80-100 pp. (A4 size, Times New Roman 12, and single line spacing mode) in electronic (*.doc) and printed versions (1 copy);
2) Audio recordings and transcriptions of all the conducted interviews as well as an approved script (questionnaire) of the interview;
3) A list of legislative and regulatory documents on agricultural service cooperatives of Ukraine;
4) A list of newspapers and articles on ASC issues (republican and local print media and internet);
5) A short-list of scientific and non-scientific publications on ASC issues;
6) A report for the conference on one of the current issues dealt with ASCs? development (not less than 6000 symbols, A4 size, Times New Roman 12 in electronic *.doc versions);
7) Recommendations resulted from the conference (not less than 1000 symbols, A4 size, Times New Roman 12, and single line spacing mode in electronic *.doc versions);
8) A final report (in *.doc, *.pdf formats), original drafts and appendices should be delivered upon completion of works.

Other information:

Implementation Arrangements:
Throughout the assignment the respective expert will work home-based in the home city (except 4 days during the conference); during this period the expert is expected to arrange his/her working space, computer and access to the internet needed for the subject assignment. While on assignment in Crimea (4 days), working space and access to internet needed for the subject work will be provided. However, the expert is expected to travel with his/her own laptop.
If required, the CIDP will provide the incumbent with logistical support in hotel reservation and transportation. The expert will be paid lump sum fee that should include consultancy fee, travel costs to Simferopol and back to the home city, 1 day accomodation in Simferopol. Accommodation and meals during the conference will be provided.
Payment Schedule:
The lump sum payment will be made in three installments upon completion of the tasks in accordance with the List of Deliverables of the respective Terms of Reference.
After the satisfactory completion of all contractual obligations the Certification of satisfactory performance of work will be prepared by the respective supervisor to initiate the payment.

Competencies

- Previous experience in cooperation with UNDP and experience in elaborating curricula and manuals in Ukraine will be an asset.
- Articles/reports on agricultural cooperatives? issues published in national and international specialized media.
- Excellent knowledge of Ukrainian and Russian.
- Excellent writing and presentation skills
- Microsoft Office proficiency

Required Skills and Experience

- PhD or Master's degree in Economics, Sociology or other relative fields.
- A minimum of 5 years of professional work experience in the sphere of agricultural economy or/and cooperatives in Ukraine.
- Experience in participation in national and international conferences on social issues in a capacity of a key speaker or a facilitator.

- Experience in cooperation with governmental structures, international agencies, NGOs.