Background

Project Title: Policy Brief of South-South Global Thinkers Network: Transformative power of South- South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) for digitalization

Project Description  

The SSC Global Thinkers - A Global Coalition of Think Tank Networks for South-South and Triangular Cooperation (GCTTN SSTC) is a global project jointly implemented by UNOSSC and UNDP since January 2017. The project is concluding at the end of 2021 and is expected to continue with a 2nd phase starting in 2022. The purpose of this project is threefold:

1) Build partnership with major think tank networks to deepen the understanding of South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC), including its methodologies, trends, policy issues and solutions for sustainable development.

2) Establish a global online platform that connects and enable various networks of Think Tanks and centers of excellence, to exchange knowledge, pool multidisciplinary expertise, and collaboratively conduct research and policy dialogues on scaling up SSTC for sustainable development.

3) Support capacity development of think tank networks to provide data informed analysis and advisory services to inform policy making and practice in SSTC to accelerate progress in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda through SSTC.

To achieve these objectives, the SSC Global Thinkers Network Project 2017 – 2021 have the following 3 outputs:

• Output 1: Partnerships with Southern Think tank networks developed to deepen understanding of SSTC;
• Output 2: Online platform established for exchanges, research studies, and policy dialogues.
• Output 3: Think tank network capacity for data-informed analysis and advisory services strengthened.

The project is governed by a Steering Committee, consisting of representatives of founding partner institutions and major think tank networks. The Steering Committee provides guidance for mid-term and long-term strategies, annual work plans, and financial sustainability of the coalition. The UNOSSC and UNDP jointly provide the implementation support to the project as the Executive Secretariat, including the operational work of planning, budgeting, implementing, and monitoring of the work plan, including tracking use of and reporting on financial resources in accordance with UNDP rules.

The SSC Global Thinkers Project has provided an enabling environment for think tank networks from the South to produce and share relevant knowledge for sustainable development and scale up the impact of South-South and Triangular Cooperation (SSTC) in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since the beginning of the project, more than 200 research studies and knowledge products have been produced and published on the online platform – South-South Global Thinkers (SSGT) at www.ssc-globalthinkers.org.

As the current project is expected to end in December 2021, the Steering Committee raised the need to explore ways to build on the achievements made so far by the Global Coalition and scout opportunities to enhance and sustain its work. The Steering Committee aims to explore how the research studies and knowledge products generated by the think tank networks can effectively inform national governments on implementing SSTC policies, programmes and projects, as well as translating the results, recommendations and knowledge into programming.

To this end, the Executive Secretariat proposes to consolidate the existing research and knowledge products from the think tank networks and to hire consultants to develop five policy briefs in the following 5 thematic areas (one policy brief per each thematic area) (based on synthesis from desk review of literature, thematic areas from UNDP’s COVID Offer 2.0, and feedback from the internal consultation from UNDP colleagues across all regions and all levels):

1. Transformative power of SSTC for digitalization
2. Greater potential of SSTC in addressing climate change
3. SSC as a driver for regional integration and inter-regional collaboration
4. Scale and impact of SSTC through institutional change
5. Impact and assessment framework of Triangular Cooperation

The policy briefs should also be aligned with UNDP’s Signature Solutions, and with the UNDP’s COVID-19 2.0 Offer - Beyond Recovery: Towards 2030.

This consultancy will focus on the first thematic area -- Transformative power of SSTC for digitalization.

With the objective of providing insights and bringing evidence to advance progress in maximizing impact of SSTC, the policy briefs should target government officials, and will be published on the SSGT online platform, disseminated amongst government counterparts, UNDP country and regional offices and Bureaux, regional organizations, and other relevant stakeholders, through relevant events and other outreach activities. For UNDP Regional and Country Offices SSTC focal points, specific debriefing sessions with the consultants will be organized to present the policy briefs.

Duties and Responsibilities

After familiarizing with the objectives and strategies of SSTC and the Global Coalition, the consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Conduct mapping of the existing research studies and knowledge products on SSGT platform and, when not sufficient information available, from the SSGT think tank networks to identify and review relevant reports under the assigned thematic area above. An inception report that maps out the relevant studies and outlines the structure of the policy brief should be submitted.
• Consolidate the research into policy briefs. Ensure the policy briefs can explain the issue/s, known causes, links or relationships, context, stakeholders, scope, impact and implication for SSTC development policy and practice as well as present compelling and feasible recommendation/s for SSTC implementation and/or support, informing key messages to policy makers from the analytical studies.
• Draft policy briefs in non-academic language and laid-out using images, quotes, photographs, bullets to effectively convey specific evidence-based policy recommendations to policy makers. The Executive Secretariat will provide guidance to the consultants as needed with a generic template for the policy briefs.
• Prepare a presentation to debrief relevant colleagues from HQ and regional levels.
• Pre-identify relevant stakeholders (national governments, national development agencies in charge of SSTC, regional institutions and other relevant public policy makers) and relevant policies at regional and local levels, with a view of suggesting improvements in their way of implementing SSTC programmes, based on the evidence from the SSGT research and knowledge base.

Expected Outputs/Deliverables, Duration of the Work and Payment Scheme

The deliverables will be:

1. a policy brief on Transformative power of SSTC for digitalization, no longer than 8 pages
2. presentation of the policy brief. UNDP and UNOSSC will be responsible for disseminating the policy briefs with the identified stakeholders.

The total working days will be 25 days for the policy brief, starting ideally before the end of November. A detailed timeline with the deliverables will be included in the inception report, which will be agreed with the Executive Secretariat. The below table outlines the deliverables and expected working days.

Institutional Arrangements

• The consultant will directly report to, on a weekly basis, the Policy Specialist at UNDP, as his/her supervisor. The supervisor will liaise with other members in the Executive Secretariat. The Executive Secretariat will ensure that the consultant has access to the relevant information and contacts and will ensure appropriate feedback from the Steering Committee on the draft strategic project review report. The supervisor is also responsible for performance management, including recording non-performance.
• The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop.

Payment Modality

• Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified above and deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager. 

Duty Station

• The consultant will work home-based and will report to the supervisor once a week.

Competencies

Required Skills and Experience

Any request for clarification must be sent by email to cpu.bids@undp.org 

The UNDP Central Procurement Unit will respond by email and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.