Background
The UNDP-UNEP Poverty Environment Action for Sustainable Development Goals (Poverty-Environment Action-PEA) is a global programme with 10+ country and regional projects supporting country-led efforts to mainstream poverty-environment linkages into national development planning from policymaking to budgeting, implementation, monitoring, and finance. Poverty Environment Action provides financial and technical assistance to government partners to establish institutional and capacity strengthening programmes and carry out activities to address the specific poverty-environment context. Poverty Environment Action assists government decision-makers and a wide range of other stakeholders to manage the environment in a way that improves livelihoods and leads to sustainable growth, with an overall aim to bring about lasting institutional change and to increase investment in pro-poor environmental and natural resource management.
At the heart of the United Nations COVID-19 response, the joint UNDP-UNEP project, Poverty-Environment Action, continues the work initiated by UNDP and UNEP in 2005 under the Poverty-Environment Initiative (PEI) by addressing communities most affected by poverty, inequality, and marginalization and helping partners work across diverse development contexts in an integrated way. Poverty-Environment Action provides an important example of a One UN programme that has demonstrated an integrated, programmatic approach to support countries to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. With 2022 being the final year of implementation for PEA, an inclusive global retreat to share knowledge acquired, assess lessons learned, facilitate successful project closure, and explore strategies for sustaining poverty-environment and climate mainstreaming is timely. A hybrid (a combination of in person and virtual) global retreat has therefore been planned to focus on Poverty-Environment-Climate Action Sustainability theme and the following objectives.
- Extract and record Poverty-Environment Action lessons learned and transformational results.
- Prepare an action plan for sustaining Poverty-Environment-Climate mainstreaming post-2022.
- Facilitate Poverty-Environment Action Project Closures at country and global levels.
To achieve the objectives of the retreat, PEA intends to commission services of an individual consultant with expertise and experience facilitation of meetings, including a report of its major expected outcomes, i.e., a record of Poverty-Environment Action lessons learnt and transformational results shared by participants of the Global Retreat.
Duties and Responsibilities
The objective of this consultancy is to facilitate discussions of the UNDP-UNEP Poverty-Environment Action Global Retreat 2022 to take place in September 2022 and produce a report of the session. The retreat will be attended by approximately 40 Poverty-Environment Action Global, Regional and Country project participants and other development practitioners.
The Global Retreat will be held virtually using the Zoom platform and consist of three sessions of approximately 2.75 hours each held over three consecutive days. A principal topic of the Retreat will be the sustainability of poverty-environment-climate mainstreaming and integration into national and sub-national development following the conclusion of the Poverty-Environment Action project in December 2022. The Facilitator will moderate these online sessions and draft a final report capturing their outcomes. The consultant will be expected to undertake the following tasks.
Preparation for the event (Pre-session of Webinar): This will involve planning and logistical activities including but not limited to:
- Planning meetings with the retreat task force.
- Review the “run of show” and plan for the webinar.
- Participate in a pre-event PREP session with the client for purposes of alignment.
Event Execution:
- This will involve activities conducted during the virtual and in person sessions across the three days:
- Moderate the program, breakout sessions, coordinating speakers, moderators, and participants.
- Document actual participation during the retreat – as basis for the Final Report.
- Facilitate and analyze participants’ feedback based on online survey tools, such as chats, polls.
- Debriefing session with the organizers during the retreat as may be necessary.
- Event Completion: This will entail:
Creation of a detailed webinar report, including a record of Poverty-Environment Action lessons learned and transformational results shared by participants of the Global Retreat
Competencies
Technical competencies:
• Strong technical knowledge of online communication, networking and collaboration tools
• Ability to review natural, social and economic scientific literature and other sources of information and to analyse it to produce high-quality documents understandable by all
Functional competencies:
• Planning and Organizing
Allocates the appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work
Uses time efficiently
Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary
• Creativity
Offers new and different solutions to solve problems or meet clients’ needs
Takes calculated risks on new and unusual ideas, thinks outside the box
Takes an interest in new ideas and new ways of doing things
• Communication
Ability to write clear reports articles and scripts
Ability to engage in diplomacy with various stakeholders
Competence in online communication
Specifically, the consultant’s prospective profile must demonstrate:
- Experience that includes strengths in coordination and production of similar global events . Experience with the United Nations is an advantage
- Identify risks and mitigation measures and propose and demonstrate innovative and creative way to address them while keeping in mind the diversity of the participants and countries’ projects.
- Demonstrate capacity to be highly responsive to requests, ability to work across multiple time zones and demonstrate excellent communication skills.
- Provide proof of exceptional service delivery and demonstrate a deep understanding and ability to achieve UN/international standards across all aspects of the assignment.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Master’s degree in a related subject including communications, environmental studies, political science, or development studies required.
Experiences
- At least 5 years demonstrable relevant experience in managing and implementing events of similar nature and magnitude.
- Proof of virtual event development experience and knowledge of virtual event management.
- Experience in the successful delivery of end-to-end virtual events services for the period before/ during/after the events (at least 3 examples).
- Demonstrated and proven ability to anticipate and mitigate risks across all aspects of event planning.
- Outstanding interpersonal and written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong analytical, drafting, editing, and reporting abilities.
- Experience in poverty-environment nexus or international development desired
Language requirements
- Excellent oral and written communication in English is required. working level Knowledge of french is desired.
Evaluation criteria
Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicant's qualifications and financial proposal. The contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
- 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.
Only those candidates who obtained at least 70% of points, or a minimum of 49 points, in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.
Technical Evaluation (70% of total evaluation; maximum 70 points):
- Academic qualification (Max. 5)
- At least 5 years demonstrable relevant experience in managing and implementing events of similar nature and magnitude. (15)
- Proof of virtual event development experience and knowledge of virtual event management i.e., successful delivery of end-to-end virtual events services for the period before/ during/after the events (at least 3 examples). (20)
- Demonstrated and proven ability to anticipate and mitigate risks across all aspects of event planning. (10)
- Outstanding interpersonal and written and verbal communication skills; (5)
- Strong analytical, drafting, editing, and reporting abilities; (15)
Financial Evaluation (30% of total evaluation; maximum 30 points)