With the adoption of the SDGs and Agenda 2030 in 2015, the UN System has been supporting countries in the establishment of innovative financing mechanisms in support of achieving the SDGs. Under the UN’s SDG Joint Programme in Egypt, a number of UN Agencies are contributing towards advancing the Government of Egypt’s planning and budgeting systems around the SDGs.

Recent years have seen an increase in the issuance of sovereign bonds tackling development issues, often referred to in the UN system as SDG bonds, with the more common sovereign issuance being Green Bonds. In a number of countries – Mexico, Uzbekistan, Fiji, Indonesia and Benin as examples – have developed SDG Capital Markets/Bond Frameworks, in part through the support of UNDP. In a number of countries world-wide, including Egypt, UN Women is working to advance the issuances of sovereign Gender Bonds. In Egypt, UN Women is working with the Ministry of Finance and he National Council for Women in advancing gender0responsive budgeting systems; and in exploring the possibility of the country issuing the world’s first sovereign Gender Bond. Globally and regionally, UNEP-FI has developed methodologies for financing in support of climate change and action which are increasingly used by public and private financial institutions. UNICEF contributes globally to countries enhancing their monitoring of national budgets against specific SDG targets.

As part of the government of Egypt’s on-going vision of sustainable development, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Planning are seeking to develop a SDG Capital markets Financing Framework (further in the document referred to as “SDG Bonds Framework”) under which innovative financing instruments such as sovereign bonds and Sukuk issuance are rolled out in support of key SDGs, including but not limited to Green Bonds, Gender Bonds, and “Blue” Bonds.

In coordination with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, UN Women and UNDP in cooperation with key UN Agencies will together support the Government of Egypt in developing its first SDG Framework.

On behalf of the UN System, UN Women co-leading with UNDP, will contract a senior expert consultant to work with the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning in developing the “SDG Bonds Framework”. UN Women’s support of this work is carried out under the UN Women/UNIDO Joint Programme on Women’s Economic Empowerment, financed by Global Affairs Canada.

Objective of the Assignment:

Under the oversight of the UN Women and UNDP Country Representatives and working closely with the Ministries of Finance and Planning and participating UN Agencies, the senior expert consultant will provide the Government and the UN with strategic advice and technical inputs on the development of the country first SDG Bonds Framework.

The Senior Expert Consultant will be responsible for the following:

• Provision of technical advice on the scope and substantive focus of the SDG Bonds Framework, with a view to targeting those components of integrated local development, human development, adaptation to climate change, water and gender equality which face considerable bottlenecks in realizing national policies.
• Facilitate Government of Egypt’s interface and contributions with UN experts, international platforms, and best practices in support sustainable development financing frameworks.
• Provision of coordination, convening, documentation and drafting support to the Government in the development of the Framework that aligns with Egypt’s priorities, strategic documents, and impact measurements systems.

The Senior Expert Consultant will be responsible for the following, in partnership with the Government of Egypt and the UN:

• Advise and contribute to the process of development and drafting of the focus and scope of the SDG Bonds Framework for Egypt, including overview of use of proceeds, process for setting criteria for selection and evaluation of projects and programs in support of issuance, management of proceeds and reporting of impact. Align the SDG Bonds Framework with the country’s vision, strategy, and targets (Egypt SDS 2030 and others), and existing measurement systems.
• Propose sequencing of action towards SDG Bonds issuance.
• Propose options for impact measurement and management framework; ensure alignment of the SDG Impact standards for Bonds https://sdgimpact.undp.org/assets/Bond-Issuers-Standards_1.0.pdf within the SDG Bonds Framework, as well as the ICMA-UN Women-IFC published guide on Gender Bonds https://www.icmagroup.org/assets/documents/Sustainable-finance/ICMAUN-WomenIFC-Bonds-to-Bridge-the-Gender-Gap-A-Practitioners-Guide-to-Using-Sustainable-Debt-for-Gender-Equality-November-2021.pdf .
• Identify capacity and system needs of government on the SDG Bonds Framework regarding both the pre and post issuance of the Bonds.
• Advising the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Planning in technical meetings with relevant line ministries engaged in shaping the Framework.
• Engage with UN senior experts on innovative financing to draw from on-going best practices as well as a means of informing the UN System’s broader innovative SDG financing tools emerging globally.
• Support the Government of Egypt in its presentation of upcoming issuances and in sharing of experiences and best practices in developing the SDG Bonds Framework.

Core Values

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Functional Competencies

• Political vision and strategy: Capacity to work with senior Government officials in shaping a financing framework in line with national policies and international standards.
• Communication Competency: High level ability to work with and communicate effectively with Government entities on confidential and time-sensitive issues;
• Continuous Learning and knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing knowledge;
• Planning, Budgeting and Financing for Development Competency: Demonstrated skills in working  around innovative financing, government planning and around social and human development;
• Knowledge of Government of Egypt’s Financial and Planning strategies and policies;
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings;
• Strong writing skills;
• Soft Skills: Excellent communication, presentation and writing skills in English and Arabic.

Education

• Master’s degree or higher (PhD) in economics, finance, political science or other related fields is required. 

Experience 

• Minimum 15 years of experience working in planning, economic and/or finance processes, required;
• Knowledge of socio-economic development issues, required;
• Demonstrated track record of advising and working with national government partners, especially in multi-stakeholder projects, required;
• Previous experience working with Government in planning, economic/financial regulatory process, and budgeting, preferred;
• Previous experience in public debt management and/or development of bond frameworks, preferred.

Language Requirements            

• Fluency in verbal and written English, required;
• Competent in verbal and written Arabic, preferred.

Evaluation Criteria:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology: Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 out of the 70 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Criteria Weight Technical: 70% (100 points)

• Relevant education: Master’s degree or higher (PhD) in economics, finance, political science or other related fields (10 points)..
• Minimum 15 years of experience working in planning, economic and/or finance processes (30 points).
• Demonstrated track record of advising and working with national government partners, especially in multi-stakeholder projects (30 points).
• Previous experience working with Government in planning, economic/financial regulatory process and budgeting (15 points).
• Previous experience in public debt management and/or development of bond frameworks (15 points). 

Financial: Lowest Financial Proposal: 30% (30 points)

The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula:

• Contract will be awarded to the technically qualified consultant who obtains the highest combined score (financial and technical).
• The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula: (Lowest Bid Offered*)/ (Bid of the Consultant) x 30.
• 'Lowest Bid Offered' refers to the lowest price offered by Offerors scoring at least 49 points in the technical evaluation. 

Application:

Interested Individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information in a package to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Letter of Interest (cover letter) explaining the suitability of the candidate to the work as well as indication of applicant’s availability and start date;
2. UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded at  http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment;
3. Financial proposal or price proposal that indicates a daily rate to undertake the terms of reference, and other related costs -if applicable- applications submitted without a daily rate will not be considered;

The above-mentioned documents should be merged in a standalone file including all them, since the online application submission does only permit to uploading one file per application.

Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification. Make sure that you provide a valid email address fro future communications.

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If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)