UNDP Jobs - 8450- Consultant: Literature Review for Platform Human D

Consultant: Literature Review for Platform Human Development 2010 (HD2010)

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

20-Feb-2009

Application Deadline :

08-Feb-09 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

SSA

Duration of Initial Contract :

One Month

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

One Month

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 year 2010, marking the 20^th anniversary of the launch of the first UNDP Human Development Report (HDR), provides the United Nations with an important opportunity to engage with civil society on future perspectives on human development. The well being and empowerment of citizens is at the heart of the UN’s human development mission. The year 2010 is thus also an opportunity for UNDP to mobilize civil society and other stakeholders in an outward looking multilateralism that engages civil society and fosters civic engagement in the cause of human development.

The United Nations recognizes that globalization has transformed relations between state and society. In particular there has been a spectacular rise in the growth, role and importance attached to non-state actors. The United Nations Panel of Eminent Persons on United Nations-Civil Society relations, headed by ex-President Cardoso of Brazil, produced a report in 2004 (“We the Peoples: Civil Society, the United Nations and Global Governance”) that recommended a paradigm shift and urged the UN to strengthen civil society as well as its own ability to interact with it. The Secretary-General endorsed the recommendations, stating that “civil society is now so vital to the United Nations that engaging with it well is a necessity, not an option.”

Emerging debates on the “new multilateralism” are founded on the premise that processes of globalization have given rise to new multi-layered networks of non-state actors increasingly active in development. The participation of new actors – civil society, private sector, community organizations, local action networks, social entrepreneurs, “philanthro-capitalists” and new foundations, to name a few – is fundamental to solutions to the key development challenges of today. How the United Nations interacts with them is integral to the emergence of a new multilateralism.

UNDP envisages a sequence of events, seminars and papers, involving academics, civil society representatives, development experts – stimulating and energizing a dialogue at multiple levels – in conjunction with the 20th anniversary of HDR 2010. UNDP will hire a consultant to conduct a comprehensive literature review of recent and current writings on the subject of the new multilateralism and the role of non-state actors. The consultant will examine a representative sample of writings from a range of sources, i.e., newspapers and magazines, academic journals, policy think tanks and civil society organizations to conduct the literature review.

Duties and Responsibilities

Output:

Strong synthesis paper of 10-15 pages. This paper will:

Provide an overview of broad trends in the debate on the new multilateralism
Identify the different schools of thought and a story line emerging in the debate
Suggest themes on which UNDP may commission papers
Provide a strong bibliography

Competencies

Strong understanding of international development issues and civil society and civic engagement
Ability to organize and interpret data and present findings in both oral and written form
Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals
Generates innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations
Ability to meet deadlines in a timely fashion

Required Skills and Experience

Proven knowledge of international development trends, United Nations and multilateralism, and civil society perspectives, in developed and developing countries
Demonstrated writing skills in English
Strong research and analysis abilities

Note

Interested candidates are requested to apply on-line with CV and writing sample of your work by the application deadline date.