UNDP Jobs - 76246- Review of Civic and Voter Education strategy for 2

Review of Civic and Voter Education strategy for 2019 Tripartite Elections and beyond

Location :

Blantyre, MALAWI

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

08-Jan-2018

Application Deadline :

29-Dec-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

20 working days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Over a period of 2 months

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

The Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) is a body created under Section 75 of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi to supervise and direct the conduct of all elections in Malawi i.e. Parliamentary, Presidential, By-elections, Local Government and Referenda. The Commission conducts these elections in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Malawi, Parliamentary and Presidential Elections Act No.31 of 1993 (PPEA), Local Government Elections Act No.24 of 1996 and Electoral Commission Act No.11 of 1998 (ECA).

The Electoral Commission Act Section 8 (j) further mandates the Commission to “promote public awareness and other appropriate and effective means and to conduct civic and voter education on such matters.” The Commission’s role is to fulfill this mandate, comply with international standards of managing elections and delivery of civic and voter education.

In addition, the various stakeholders that are involved in Civic and Voter Education (CVE) need guidance on the key areas that they need to concentrate on in imparting information to the grassroots. Stakeholders also need to be aware of issues that form the content of voter education and voter information and the specific periods when these two can be delivered to the electorate to achieve maximum output.

Although the Commission’s main focus on the provision of voter information/education is aligned to the various electoral processes, it also ensures that it coordinates and provides adequate information to civic and voter education practitioners so that they in turn impart the same information in a timely and adequate manner to the public.

Prior to each election and in liaison with the various stakeholders, the Commission develops a CVE strategy that provides a guide and direction on how to deliver civic and voter education programmes. The CVE strategy outlines the key areas of focus, target groups, delivery methodologies, media, roles of various stakeholders, accreditation process, codes of conduct, mapping and issues of monitoring and evaluation.

This activity will be implemented under the Malawi Electoral Cycle support (MECs) programme 2017 – 2019 which is a basket fund pooling resources from various development partners and is managed by UNDP.

The last CVE Strategy was developed in 2013 Tripartite Elections and has since expired. There is need for the Malawi Electoral Commission to review a 2014 CVE Strategy that was used in the 2019 Tripartite Elections. This will be done relying on evidence based research in liaison with relevant stakeholders.

The Commission, therefore, seeks to engage two individual consultants (one Voter Education expert / team leader and one data analysis and research expert) who will work with relevant Commissioners and staff to develop a Civic and Voter Education (CVE) strategy that will guide the implementation of all CVE activities towards the 2019 elections. This activity will be implemented under the Malawi Electoral Cycle Support (MECS) Project 2017-2019.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Data Analysis and Research Expert will work under the leadership of the Voter Education Expert and work hand in hand with the Commission, staff and selected key stakeholders to establish a new VE strategy. In order to arrive at this goal the consultants will need to undertake the following:

An inception report to be submitted within 5 days of the commencement of the assignment including a draft work plan, timelines and methodology. The inception report will be submitted to the MEC and UNDP for comments and approval which will include: -

Executive Summary
Technical approvals and methodology to be used
Time frames
Key assumptions and risks
Observations and comments

A work plan covering the entire assignment. The main elements of the report will include: -

Executive Summary
Methodology
Operational and logistical consideration
Activity Based calendar with time frame

Final CVE Strategy report shall contain, but not limited to the following elements: -

Executive Summary
Background
Methodology
Main findings related to the objectives of the assignment
Thematic areas
Implementation plan
Monitoring and evaluation tool and its methodology
Conclusion

Produce an evaluation report for the 2019 CVE Strategy.

Facilitate a workshop on the 2019 CVE Strategy and come up with an implementation plan and logical framework for discussion at the stakeholder’s workshop.

Incorporate all suggestions from the stakeholder’s workshop into the CVE strategy.

Submit a final end of assignment report to MEC/UNDP.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UNDP;
Demonstrate integrity by modelling the UN's values and ethical standards;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

Ability to work with people of different political, religious and cultural backgrounds;
Awareness and sensitivity of gender and social inclusion, and an ability to integrate a gender and social inclusion perspective into tasks and activities;
Ability to work with minimum supervision and in a team
Proven knowledge and experience of working with Malawian non-state actors in the field of democratic governance.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

University degree and possess either of the following: - Social Science, Economics, Political Science or any related field

Experience:

Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience;
Proven experience in research and data analysis processes, preferably in the public-sector context.
Specific professional experience:
Proven experience in participative research and data analysis processes in the democratic governance sector in Malawi is essential.
Sound understanding of CVE and electoral administration would be an asset.
Proven knowledge and experience of working with Malawian non-state actors in the field of democratic governance.

Language Requirement:

Fluency in written and spoken English is essential.

How to apply:

Please submit the following documents:

Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP.
Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and three (3) professional references.
Brief description (max. ½ page) of why you consider yourself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology (max. 1 page) for how you will approach and complete the assignment.
Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided below.

Note that availability around 5 January 2018 will also be a determining factor for candidate selection.

A detailed Procurement Notice can be accessed through the following link: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/

Submission of Proposals

Proposal should be submitted to the following address: UNDP, P.O. BOX 30135, Lilongwe 3, or through email to procurement.mw@undp.org no later than December 29, 2017