Background

The General Assembly in its Resolution A/C.2/76/L.52 requested the Secretary-General to submit to the General Assembly a comprehensive report on the state of South-South cooperation, including the implementation of the outcome document of the second High-level Conference at its 77th session in 2022. The purpose of the report is to inform discussions on South-South cooperation as the General Assembly considers the operational activities for development.

The United Nations office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), hosted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 1974, serves as the focal point for promoting and facilitating South-South and triangular cooperation for development on a global and United Nations system-wide basis1. Following the provided mandate, UNOSSC is the UN system coordinator and focal point for South-South cooperation (SSC). The UNOSSC monitors South-South and triangular cooperation in the UN system and reports to the highest levels of the system, as well as the UN General Assembly, the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation (HLC), the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UNDP/UNFPA/ UNOPS Executive Board. It provides secretariat services to biennial sessions of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation and its bureau and to other relevant United Nations governing bodies. It supports the mainstreaming of South-South approaches to development in global policies and operational activities of the United Nations development system and enhances the coherence and coordination of United Nations system support to South-South and triangular cooperation.

An important outcome of the UNOSSC’s draft strategic framework (2022-2025) is to strengthen policies to advance South-South and triangular cooperation through effective, evidence-based support to intergovernmental processes, multi-stakeholder dialogues and reporting. Priority under this outcome will be given to enhancing United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation thought leadership in support of intergovernmental processes and multi-stakeholder dialogues including by expanding the scope and improving the quality and the usefulness of mandated reports by the Office through evidence-based knowledge and research, including the annual report of the Secretary-General on the state of South-South cooperation, which is the annual report to the General Assembly Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee), the biennial report of the Secretary-General to the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation, the biennial report of the Administrator of UNDP to the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation and Annex of the UNDP Administrator’s Report to Executive Board of UNDP/UNFPA/UNOPS (annual update on results achieved by the UNOSSC) .

This 2022 report of the Secretary General on the state of South-South cooperation will focus on trends in South-South and triangular cooperation, initiatives by Member states and efforts by the United Nations system organizations to promote South-South cooperation during 2021-2022, at global, regional and national levels. The report will include progress by Member States and United Nations system organizations towards implementation of the outcome document of the second High-level Conference on South-South Cooperation. It will also put forward recommendations on the measures needed to leverage South-South approaches towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other internationally agreed development priorities. 

UNOSSC seeks to hire a Senior Research Consultant to assist with the preparation of the 2022 report of the Secretary General on the state of South-South cooperation, by analyzing surveys, conducting research, and drafting the report that will inform deliberations of Member States on United Nations support to South-South cooperation during the 77th session of the General Assembly. 

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1Mandate and central role of UNOSSC reaffirmed in BABA+40 outcome document, para 27 (h)

Duties and Responsibilities

SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ANALYTICAL WORK

• Review the attached note (Annex) on scope of the 2022 Report of Secretary-General and analytically build on previous reports of the Secretary-General on the state of South-South cooperation;
• Analyze and draw lessons for the future from the report of Secretary-General on the State of South-South cooperation (A/76/403) that was submitted to the 76th  session of the General Assembly, and the Report of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation at its twentieth session (A/76/39); Report of the Secretary-General to the HLC (SSC/20/2), Report of Administrator to HLC (SSC/20/1);
• Gather, compile and analyze information and data obtained from a survey conducted by UNOSSC among United Nations organizations; UNDESA survey among partner country governments, UNDESA survey among Resident Coordinators, UNDESA Survey among UN entities Headquarters; UNDCO IMS database during the reporting period, 2021-2022;
• Fill information gaps in response to the survey by conducting further research, follow-up with agency South-South focal points and analyze the data available from other sources including official documents, websites and publications of United Nations system organizations relevant to South-South cooperation and analytically present the information provided;
• Prepare the following: a) an annotated outline of the report; b) a first draft on the basis of the outline agreed upon with the UNOSSC; c) submit a first draft for UNOSSC comments; d) c) a second draft for UNOSSC comments; and e) a final draft maintaining the timeline agreed upon with UNOSSC; f) prepare a one-page summary of the final report.
• Other duties at the request of the Director a.i.

Expected Deliverables, Duration of Work, and Payment

The consultant is expected to produce the following deliverables within the proposed timeframe below. Payment will be made upon receipt and acceptance by UNOSSC of the deliverables.

Competencies

Functional:

• Experience in researching on topics relevant to South-South cooperation;
• Experience in producing analytical reports, policy papers and briefs, and academic publications;
• Experience and knowledge of UN/UNDP procedures concerning reports, publications and speeches;
• Experience with qualitative and quantitative research; 
• In-depth knowledge of South-South cooperation as a development modality and experience on UN system support to SSC required.

Corporate:

• Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modeling the UN/UNDP’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. 

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

• Minimum Masters degree in international relations, international development, public policy, economics or other related fields.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible professional experience in the area of policy analysis and policy research in international development both at national and international levels required;
• Thorough knowledge and experience in the debates surrounding South-South and triangular cooperation; required
• Demonstrated experience in managing research projects including prior experience with the development of reports. Desirable
• Experience working collaboratively in a team structure in a multicultural environment Desirable.
• Knowledge of the United Nations system and in particular knowledge of UNDP policies and organizational frameworks is highly advantageous. Desirable

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required;
• Working knowledge of another UN language would be an asset.

Application Procedure

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

• A cover letter with a brief description of why the Offer considers her/himself the most suitable for the assignment;
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references; and
• Writing sample – analytical high-level reports required

Qualified women are strongly encouraged to apply.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

• .The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around the specific and measurable deliverables of the TOR. Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR, and deliverables accepted and certified by the technical manager. 
• The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; (excluding mission travel); living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.
• This consultancy is a home-based assignment, therefore, there is no envisaged travel cost to join duty station/repatriation travel. 
• In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.
• If the Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

Evaluation process

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Being responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation where technical criteria weighs 70% and Financial criteria/ Proposal weighs 30%.

Technical evaluation - Total 70% (70 points):

• Criteria 1. Domenstrated experince in managing research projects including prior experince with the development of reports (Quality of written sample) Weight = 25 %; Maximum Points: 25;
• Criteria 2. Thorough knowledge and experience of South-South and triangular cooperation Weight = 25 %; Maximum Points: 25;
• Criteria 3. Demonstrated experience and skills  to work collaboratively and effectively with stakeholders including Member States, UN entities, intergovernmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations Weight = 10 %; Maximum Points:10; and
• Criteria 4. Knowledge of the UN system and in particular knowledge of UNDP policies, processes, and organizational frameworks Weight =10 %; Maximum Points:10.

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points) shall be considered for the financial evaluation.

Financial evaluation - Total 30% (30 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Contract Award

Candidate obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

Institutional arrangement

The consultant will work under the guidance and direct supervision of Director a.i. UNOSSC  and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.

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. 
• The work week will be based on 35 hours, i.e. on a 7 hour working day, with core hours being between 9h00 and 18h00 daily.

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

Annex 1 - UNDP P-11 Form for ICs

Annex 2 - IC Contract Template

Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions

Annex 4 – RLA Template

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.

Annex

Scope of Secretary-General’s 2022 Report to the General Assembly Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee) on the State of South-South Cooperation

The 2022 annual report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee) on the State of South-South Cooperation will be more analytical, evidence-based and action-oriented. The report will:

1. Reflect on global challenges and the overarching contributions of South-South and triangular cooperation towards of the 2030 Agenda and BAPA+40 to eradicate poverty in all its forms, including extreme poverty. The 2030 Agenda provides a vision of a shared future with equality and opportunities for all and has pledged to leave no one behind in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Contribution of South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation to this priority and an analysis of how it can add value in the current global context will be key element of the report.

2. Highlight key emerging issues and trends in South-South Cooperation and triangular cooperation at global, regional and sub-regional levels, in support of the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, through policy coordination, knowledge exchange, good practices (incl. in COVID-19 recovery, access to vaccines, social protection, digitalization and climate change), technology development and transfer, capacity-building, network building, and financial support/ financing (incl. role of financial institutions from the Global South).  The analytical research on key issues and trends will be informed by research papers and policy briefs prepared by networks and consultations or virtual e-discussions with think tanks through the South-South Global Thinkers to identify key issues and trends (national, regional and global) on SSTC, examples of good practices on SSC in support of the achievement of the SDGs and policy recommendations.

3. Demonstrate the contribution of, and tangible results achieved by the UN Development system through, South-South Cooperation in enhancing the capacity of developing countries in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, addressing global crises and transformations such as COVID-19 recovery, particularly in areas of priority articulated by Member States such as access to health care and services, medical supplies and equipment, diagnostics, therapeutics, medicine and vaccines, as well as digitalization, the environment, climate change, social protection and the eradication of poverty. The report will also focus on contributions of the UNDS to countries in special situations through South-South and triangular cooperation, including LDCs, SIDS and LLDCs.

The analysis will also recognize the support provided by developed countries and partners to developing countries through triangular cooperation mechanisms by enabling requesting developing countries to source and access more, and a broader range of resources, expertise and capacities, that they identify as needed in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, addressing global crises and transformations such as COVID-19 recovery. 

4. Analyze progress made by Member States and United Nations system organizations towards implementation of the outcome document of the second High-level Conference on South-South Cooperation.  This will include progress made by member states in pursuance of South-South and triangular cooperation at sub-regional, regional and inter-regional levels and partnership initiatives among member states. This analysis will be based on secondary data of existing research/reports from relevant UN agencies and reports/white papers etc. from Member States. 

The report will analyze efforts by the United Nations system organizations to promote South-South and triangular cooperation through specific actions to operationalize the five outcomes under the UN system-wide strategy on South-South and triangular cooperation, at global, regional and national levels, during 2020-2021. This section will also look at the specific contributions of UNOSSC towards the implementation of the Strategy. It will analyze the extent to which the Strategy has taken any roots in the UNDS reform context. It will analyze qualitative and quantitative data and information on indicators outlined in the UN system-wide strategy on South-South and triangular cooperation and its action plan. This data will be collected through the UNDESA Partner Country Government Survey, UNDESA Resident Coordinator Survey; UNDESA Headquarters Survey, UNDCO’s Integrated Management System (IMS) and the UNOSSC Survey. The report will fill information gaps in response to the surveys by conducting further research, follow-up with agency South-South focal points and analyze the data available from other sources including official documents, websites and publications of United Nations system organizations relevant to South-South cooperation and analytically present the information provided. 

5. Draw lessons and put forward recommendations on the measures needed to leverage South-South approaches towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other internationally agreed development priorities.

The recommendation will reference the Report of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation at its twentieth session; Report of the Secretary-General to the HLC; Report of Administrator to HLC and provide evidence-based analysis on progress in implementation of recommendations in these reports, challenges in implementation and forward-looking policy guidance to address the challenges. It will also draw ideas and evidence shared from Global South platforms, including on actions that the UNDS can take at all levels. These platforms could include those facilitated by the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation such as the South-South and Sustainable Development Directors General Forum (formerly the High-level Forum of Directors General for Development Cooperation), the South-South Global Thinkers Network,  the Global South-South Development Expo, the South-South Galaxy and the South-South Trust Funds portfolios, as well as other existing and new multi-stakeholder platforms, forums, and policy dialogues on South-South and triangular cooperation at global, regional, and country levels.