UNDP Jobs - 74791- Naional Consultant to Financcial Resources Mapping

Naional Consultant to Financcial Resources Mapping for SDG Implementation in Lesotho

Location :

Maseru, LESOTHO

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

06-Oct-2017

Application Deadline :

28-Sep-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

20 Days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

20 Days

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

World leaders from 193 countries came together at the UN General Assembly and adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (also known as Agenda 2030) contained in the document ,“Transforming Our World: 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ” on 25th September 2015. It came into effect on 1 January 2016, upon expiry of the Millennium Development Goals, and will run through December 31, 2030. The Agenda 2030 spells out the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets which will guide development agenda in the next fifteen years. The new Agenda builds upon the achievements of the MDGs and focuses on the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental pillars. The Agenda 2030 is comprehensive, far-reaching, ambitious, universal and transformative and people-centered and aims to eradicate poverty in all its forms. It sets forth “a plan of action for people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnerships” and seeks to strengthen universal peace amongst others. The 2030 Agenda envisages a world of universal respect for human rights, equality and nondiscrimination, and the overriding message of the new agenda is “to leave no one behind”. The SDGs and targets are global in nature and universally applicable, taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities.

The Government of Lesotho has committed to implementing the Sustainable Development Goals. At the National level, this implementation involves integration of the agenda into the National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) and aligning it to the National Budget. Implementation of Agenda 2030 will be done through its integration into the current and the new National Strategic Development Plan which is being developed. It is therefore critical to highlight that as the country is in the process of formulation of its next strategic plan, it is an opportune time to ensure integration of the SDGs into the NSDP and budgetary frameworks. This will ensure that prioritized SDGs are achieved. The availability and quality of finance for development will be critical for the implementation of the national development strategies and plans in the context of the SDGs.

Achieving the Agenda 2030, will require an ambitious, comprehensive, holistic transformative approach with respect to the means of implementation, combining different means of implementation and integrating the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. To realize the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) there is a need for a significant increase in investments. Globally, the cost of the SDGs is estimated in the trillions of dollars, which is well beyond the resources currently available to countries. Many developing countries are facing an increasingly complex landscape of development finance to manage at the national level, owing to a shift in financial flows. The Agenda 2030, with its ambitious, integrated and transformational goals, presents significant challenges for governments, in particular, for their fiscal planning and budgeting capacity.

The Third International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD) held in Addis Ababa in July 2015 focused on how to mobilize the unprecedented amounts of financial resources that will be required to achieve the SDGs. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) on financing for development outlines an array of financing mechanisms, the full scope of which should be considered for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The array of financing mechanisms in the Agenda includes public and private, as well as domestic and international financial flows for development. Countries have to devise a diversified and high level financing strategy for achieving the SDGs by 2030. Meeting the SDG investment needs will require not only raising and mobilizing significant additional resources from multiple sources, but also require using and channelizing available resources (both domestic and external) efficiently. Using resources effectively implies that these resources are working according to their comparative advantages in meeting a variety of investment needs. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda assumes that countries will use their own national development strategies and plans to respond to the SDGs and calls for the adoption of Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs) in order to link finance with results. All actors – public and private, domestic and international – have contributions to make. Meeting financing challenges will require countries to take a more strategic, holistic approach to mobilizing and fostering financing for development.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant is expected to undertake a preliminary mapping of available resources for SDG implementation to support financing for the achievement of the Agenda 2030.

The objective of the study will be to provide an overview of the evolution of the flows of financing for development and their allocation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Specifically, the consultant is expected to carry out a mapping and analysis of financing for development and their associated policy frameworks. Development finance flows will be analysed according to two main categories: by source (domestic/external) and distinguishing them by public or private nature. This analysis will look to assess both quantitative trends in the changing nature of the development finance landscape over the past 5-10 years (depending on availability of data), as well as the policy coherence across flows in terms of their alignment with the SDGs/national development priorities.

The Consultant will undertake the following:

Desk Review of existing financial resources currently available for various sources (public finance, sovereign debt, ODA, FDI, private finance and others) for SDG implementation/national development priorities;
Conduct consultations with key stakeholders (the Ministry of Finance, Central Bank of Lesotho, Ministry of Development Planning (DAC) and other relevant Ministries and non-government stakeholders) on the various financial resources that are currently available for national development priorities/SDGs;
Produce a Draft Report and help in Validating the Report;
Produce Final Reports including suggestions /comments during the Validation workshop and from various other stakeholders.

Competencies

Excellent analytical, research, presentation and writing skills;
Excellent listening, communication skills and facilitation skills;
Good interpersonal skills;
High computer literacy.

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications

A Master’s degree in Economics, Development Studies, Public Administration, International Development;
A Phd will be an added advantage.

Experience

At least 7 years of work experience in policy analysis, development and research.
He /She should have broad knowledge and understanding of SDGs and its implementation in Least Developed countries/ lower middle income countries.
Demonstrated understanding of substantive policy issues in the field of development finance, public finance, economic and development cooperation is required.
Experience in conducting reviews and analysis in related areas and has produced high quality review reports, and excellent knowledge of data collection, analysis and statistics tools is required.

Language:

Fluent in English.

Application procedure:

Submit Confirmation of Interest of Availability, P11 and a methodology
Detailed TORs and Submission forms can be accessed at: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=41106
Submision Email: ls.procurement@undp.org.