Background

BACKGROUND

The United Nations Country team (UNCT) in Lesotho, in close collaboration with the Government and key stakeholders has formulated the new United Nations Development Assistance Framework for 2019-2023 (UNDAF). The UNDAF was signed with the Government of Lesotho in August 2018.  It builds on three pillars that have been set through stakeholder consultative process with engagement of 8 Resident and 18 Non-Resident UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes. These pillars are:  1: Accountable Governance, Effective Institutions, Social Cohesion and Inclusion; 2: Sustainable Human Capital Development; 3: Sustainable and Inclusive Economic Growth for Poverty Reduction. With the SDGs at its core, this UNDAF plans to invest an estimated USD 256 M into the development of Lesotho. Out of this amount, USD 159 M is projected to be available through agency’s funds and USD 97 M to be mobilized. The UNDAF operationalization has been addressed through: 1) development of bi-annual Joint Work Plans for 2019-2020 with identified funding gaps under each JWP; 2) establishment of the new UNDAF management arrangements - four UNDAF strategic outcomes have resulted in establishing four Outcome Result Groups (ORGs) chaired by Heads of Agencies; 3) establishment and endorsement of the UNDAF Joint Steering Committee.   

In the current aid environment, emerging partnerships are increasingly diverse and complex. Whether with traditional donors on vertical funding modalities with non-traditional partners in the framework of South-South cooperation; or the private sector on scaled-up public-private partnerships, new aid modalities show a need for new and strong trends for financing for development. There are certainly new opportunities for the UN to mobilize resources to cover the UNDAF funding gap in the current aid environment. There are also important challenges: building up the internal knowledge base on how new funding modalities work, defining what the UN’s comparative advantage/added value would be in these new kinds of partnership models, and agreeing on how to best leverage the latter to secure Government  of Lesotho and donor support.

UN Country Team  in Lesotho is seeking technical support to formulate the Joint Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Strategy under new UNDAF 2019-2023 to support coherent and effective strategy to avoid ‘missing opportunities’ to access funding, and to tap into these resources in an effective and appropriate manner. The effective strategy will assist UNDAF implementation in support of the National Strategic Development Plan II (2019/20-2022/23) of the Government of Lesotho.

Additionally, proposed strategies for filling the resource / investment gap include:

  • additional domestic investment by Government through improved revenue mobilization
  • Marshalling more ODA in both grants and soft loans
  • Encouraging / promoting additional domestic investment through policies and attracting additional FDI through the adoption of appropriate policies.

Duties and Responsibilities

PURPOSE, OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE

The key objective of the consultancy is to develop a Joint Resource Mobilization and Partnership Strategy for the UNCT in Lesotho. This should build on the shared vision of the UNCT’s engagement and strategic positioning in Lesotho. The consultant will:

  • Analyze the external and internal development environment;
  • Identify potential areas where the UNCT is best positioned to succeed in joint resource mobilization considering its development priorities and comparative advantages;
  • Build the capacity of the UNCT and programme staff in resource mobilization by enhancing their knowledge on relationship management, partnership building and fundraising.

The consultant will review and analyze, inter alia, the following documents:

  • Strategies of key development partners and mapping thematic areas of donor interest;
  • Agency-specific resource mobilization strategies (where they exist) and/or regular and extra-budgetary resource allocations;
  • UNDAF and agencies’ resources alignment to UNDAF 2019-2023;
  • UNDG Guidance Note on joint resource mobilization;
  • UN Reform documentation, the UN strategy from Funding to Financing and the UN Common Chapter;
  • Other documents provided by the agencies and RCO.

The final report will consist of a maximum of 15-20 pages, including a matrix showing the interplay between the priorities of the development partners, especially those supporting Lesotho directly or indirectly including through regional mechanisms i.e. SADC, SACU, Africa Union, etc.; as well as donor engagement tactics and mechanisms, a detailed implementation plan for the UNCT and UNDAF outreach presentation.

The consultancy will comprise the following stages:

Map potential and existing partners at the country, regional and global levels, as well as their funding priorities vis-a-vis the programmatic priorities of the UNCT as reflected in the UNDAF 2019-2023 and UNDAF Joint Work Plans. The following possible sources can be considered:

  • Traditional OECD/DAC donors;
  • Emerging donors, such as BRICS;
  • Government cost sharing;
  • Global UN pooled funding mechanisms (Peace-building Fund, SDG Fund, Human Security Trust Fund, Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, etc.);
  • Global and regional non-UN funds, including regional development banks;
  • Philanthropic foundations and major individual donors, including from the diaspora and private sector;
  • Public-private partnerships; and
  • Innovative sources of funding.

Prioritize potential partners considering the added value of the potential partnership. Prioritization should take into account the following factors:

  • Financial or technical resources at the partner‘s disposal at the country level;
  • A good existing working relationship with the partner and UN system;
  • Preferred partner of the Government of Lesotho;
  • High number of outcomes that the UN and the partner have in common; and other comparative advantages of the partner, such as technical expertise, access to political networks, proven track record, etc.
  • Partner-specific overview of programmatic areas/outcomes that reflect the priorities of both the development partners and the UNCT.

Competencies

  • Profound knowladge of UN system operations and donor assistance in development settings; Knowledge of UN’s strategic planning.
  • Understanding of the development context in lower / middle income countries; regional/national experience

Required Skills and Experience

Education

  • Master’s Degree in the social sciences, economics or development studie

Experience 

  • At least fifteen years’ experience in the development sector, preferably in fundraising, resource mobilization or partnership building;
  • Previous experience preparing Resource Mobilization and Partnership Strategy for UNCT/UN agencies would be an asset;
  • Training experience and ability to organize and facilitate multi-stakeholder workshops and presentations;
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Language 

  • Excellent written and spoken English

Application Procedure 

Submit P11, Confirmation of interest and Availability Form and a Methedology

P11 and Confirmation of Interest and Availability templates and TORs can be viewed and accesed  at  http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=54784

Submission email : ls.procurement@undp.org