Background

Reconciliation in Western Balkans has stalled and is being superseded by mounting ethnic divisions and polarization in the region[1], pointing specifically to denial of the past inflammatory discourse and ethnic segregation in education. Assuming, that the (re)establishment of economic and social ties would suffice for the (re)building of relationships between formerly conflicted parties in the post-Yugoslav space is mistaken. With the recent history of massive and widespread human rights violations, it will only be the proper outcomes of the transitional justice mechanisms coupled with peace and dialogue that can substantially contribute to progress in reconciliation.

The UN supports the improved social cohesion and reconciliation across the Western Balkans. The project aims to achieve this goal through providing support to RYCO, as a mechanism, which is endorsed by governments and citizens alike. The project will support RYCO to work in partnership with civil society, education systems and schools, grass roots, youth institutions and youth in general for the consolidation of RYCO as a regionally owned mechanism with the capacity to promote reconciliation, mobility, diversity, democratic values, participation, active citizenship and intercultural learning. The expected outcome of this project is: Social Cohesion and Reconciliation – as measured by increasing embracing of diversity, attitudes of tolerance and reduced prejudice and discrimination by youth – is enhanced across the Western Balkans.

To achieve its outcome, the project will target youth[2], youth organizations and schools in WB as well as RYCO and will be achieved through the implementation of diverse activities along three main outputs:

Output 1: Capacities of schools to access and use RYCOs resources to undertake intercultural dialogue in the WB6 will be strengthened. The project will contribute towards enhancing the regional cooperation among youth institutions (mainly schools) and increase the introduction and use of topics on intercultural learning such as peace building and conflict resolution. The project will enable sharing of best practices on inclusive education and peace building transformative pedagogies, facilitates school exchanges and increase the capacities of schools to embrace the above principles.

Output 2: Capacities of youth groups and grassroots organizations to access and use RYCOs resources to engage in peacebuilding and social cohesion activities in the WB6 will be strengthened. Also, RYCO will be supported to increase its reach out to grassroots organizations and youth in the region, and to ensure that young people with fewest opportunities have access and participate in reconciliation processes and benefit from opportunities provided by RYCO.

The selection of target groups under output 1 and 2 will follow principles of gender equality and both young men and women will be encouraged to actively participate. Successful experiences will be showcased in regional gatherings that will engage relevant actors from all sectors and institutions working with young people, including press and media, to gain support for scaled approaches or replication in order to mainstream and integrate peacebuilding approach in national policies and project interventions at national and regional level. Targeted schools, grass roots and young people will be capacitated to initiate and engage in regional activities supported by RYCO’s grant facility and not only.

Output 3: RYCOs capacities to enhance sustainable regional cooperation, peacebuilding and reconciliation amongst youth, through its small grants’ facility will be strengthened. Being a new institution and operating in a volatile environment, RYCO will be supported to strengthen its internal capacities and systems and will be enabled to achieve its mission. Considering that one of RYCO’s main tools to achieve its mission is through financial support to regional projects and initiatives, its grant facility system will be upgraded and strengthened through a tailor-made approach. RYCO will be equipped with effective tools to Monitoring and Evaluation, making it possible for it to measure the impact of its interventions. Finally, RYCO will be supported with an increase of human resources, especially in view of its Monitoring and Evaluation.

Output 4: Opportunities for youth from diverse backgrounds to identify common peace and security priorities and enter in constructive dialogue with their peers across divides will be created, confidence in and dialogue with decision-makers will be enhanced, and youth capacities to become actors for change will be strengthened. Under this heading, the project will conduct youth-led action research and make available regionally comparable, youth-focused conflict analysis and evidence base on youth perceptions on sustaining peace, as well as trainings on peacebuilding, leadership and advocacy and national and regional policy consultations. Moreover, RYCO, PBF projects and other peacebuilding actors’ evidence-base to engage young women and young men from diverse backgrounds to advocate for peace and social cohesion and participate in policy dialogues will be enhanced.  

[1]Western Balkans, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks

[2] Defined for the purposes of this intervention within the scope of adolescents (14-18 y/a) and  youth (18-30 y/a), in accordance with UNICEF standards and official youth strategies of the participating countries.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of work

Within the project “Supporting the Western Balkan's collective leadership on reconciliation: building capacity and momentum for the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO)”, UNDP is implementing an activity that seeks to address the deficit in the evidence-base on youth’s perceptions about peace and conflict issues in the Western Balkans and diaspora. The activity is centred around a regional study on youth perceptions, through a quantitative survey and qualitative methods co-designed and engaging young women and men from diverse backgrounds across the Western Balkans; as well as advocacy to influence public and political discourse on youth’s role in sustaining peace.

The messages coming out of the action research engaging youth and focusing on their perceptions will fill a gap in the array of available regional and global surveys and indices. It will also provide opportunities for renewed peace advocacy and messaging on critical issues that youth themselves prioritise surrounding conflict legacies. The research process itself will put young activists and leaders at the centre, engaging youth from design to implementation. The project will enable youth-led peace advocacy and help shape more effective evidence-based peacebuilding initiatives that takes young people’s experiences and perceptions seriously and realises the peace potential of young people.

In order to bring young people together and enable exchange of experiences and knowledge and offer opportunities for networking beyond the usual fault lines, as well as instigate entry points for RYCO collaboration with a variety of youth organisations and youth civic actors, a core team of young people that are representative of ethnic, linguistic, religious, and other identities present in the region will be established. The youth team will participate in trainings on leadership, peacebuilding, and advocacy, and will take part in various consultations for designing and validating the youth perceptions study.

The overall project is implemented with the joint participation of three UN Organisations of UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA and in close partnership with RYCO, with UNDP the leading UN Organisation for the overall implementation and coordination of the joint project. The implementation of this activity will be overseen by a Task Force, consisting of representatives of UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and other stakeholders, and set up for the design and implementation of the research and advocacy.

Description of Responsibilities

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of Team Leader, Governance and Peacebuilding at UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub and in close cooperation with the Youth, Peace and Security Specialist, the Governance and Peacebuilding cluster and the Task Force.

The overall objective of the assignment is twofold:

  • to support the design of quantitative and qualitative elements of a study on youth perceptions on peace and security, including a survey to be conducted in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo,[1] Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, and support in the analysis of the results. The data to be collected will provide information on how young women and men (aged 15–29) experience their circumstances and act upon them, how they define and view issues of security, safety, violence, conflict, reconciliation, and peace, and what their views, aspirations and priorities for the future are;
  • to support the design of a training to build the capacity of the youth core team in peacebuilding, leadership, gender equality and gender-sensitive peacebuilding, conflict-sensitive analysis and advocacy across borders.

The assignment is home-based with travel expected for two events (together up to 10 days of travel): inception workshop in the Western Balkans early October 2019 and a data validation workshop in the Western Balkans in June 2020.

Deliverables, timeline and payment schedule

Specific objectives include the following:

Deliverable 1 (15% of total amount) – Mapping of existing research on youth perceptions on peace and security in the region based on Country Office consultation and desk review prior to the inception workshop in the Western Balkans. Consolidating the discussions at the inception workshop into a 5-page summary and workplan for the study, revising the workplan according to feedback (10 days, by end of October 2018);

Deliverable 2 (25% of total amount) – Designing in collaboration with the Task Force two training modules on peacebuilding, conflict analysis, gender equality and gender-sensitive peacebuilding and advocacy, supporting in the delivery of the trainings (15 days, by end of December 2020);

Deliverable 3 (35% of total amount) – Drafting the study modules (survey questionnaire and potential qualitative methodology) and finalising these to include inputs from youth consultation and the Task Force (20 days, by end of January 2020);

Deliverable 4 (25% of total amount) – Participating at a validation workshop to support the analysis of the data collected, drafting a 20-25-page summary of results, preliminary outline for the presentation of data, combined with consultation recommendations (15 days, by end of June 2020).

[1] References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

  • Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Treats all people fairly without favouritism;
  • Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment;

Functional Competencies:

  • Strong interpersonal skills, communication and diplomatic skills, ability to work in team;
  • Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities;
  • Strong organisational, coordination and time management skills;
  • Ability to organise tasks independently and assume responsibility;
  • Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
  • Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: 

Master’s degree in Social Studies, Political Science, International Relations, Peace and Security Studies or similar.

Experience: 

  • At least five years’ work experience required in designing, conducting and analysing quantitative and/or qualitative research in the areas of peacebuilding, conflict analysis and reconciliation;
  • Demonstrated experience in designing and/or conducting trainings on peacebuilding and advocacy required;
  • Demonstrated knowledge of the Western Balkan region particularly as relates to conflict and reconciliation is required;
  • Experience in designing and conducting research and/or trainings focusing on youth, marginalised groups, gender equality and gender norms is a strong asset;
  • Experience working with UNDP in the area of governance and peacebuilding is an asset.

Language skills:

Excellent oral and written proficiency in English required.

Professional knowledge of a language in the Western Balkan region an asset.

 

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical (P11 desk reviews) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 35 points:

Criteria A (At least five years’ work experience required in designing, conducting and analysing quantitative and/or qualitative research in the areas of peacebuilding, conflict analysis and reconciliation) – max points: 10;

Criteria B (Demonstrated experience in designing and/or conducting trainings on peacebuilding and advocacy required) – max points: 8;

Criteria C (Demonstrated knowledge of the Western Balkan region particularly as relates to conflict and reconciliation is required) – max points: 7;

Criteria D (Experience in designing and conducting research and/or trainings focusing on youth, marginalised groups, gender equality and gender norms is a strong asset) – max points: 5;

Criteria E (Experience working with UNDP in the area of governance and peacebuilding is an asset) – max points: 2;

Criteria F (Language skills) – max points: 3;

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 15 points

 

Application Procedure

The application should contain:

  • Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
  • Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability-please fill in the attached form... www.un.org.al/sites/default/files/IC_Offerors%20Letter%20to%20UNDP%20Confirming%20Interest%20and%20Availability.docx
  • Latest personal CV, including past experience from similar projects or completed and signed UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SC) and Individual Contracts (IC) – Blank form Download here.
  • Financial Proposal - specifying a total lump sum amount in USD for completion of the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal should indicate an all-inclusive fixed total contract price and all other travel related costs (such as flight ticket, per diem, etc), supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template attached to the Letter of Confirmation of Interest template.  If an applicant is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the applicant must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP. http://www.un.org.al/doc/Financial%20Offer%20template.doc 
  • Copy of Diplomas and copy of Passport.

How to Submit the Application:

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

  • Merge your CV or P11, Financial Proposal Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
  • Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
  • Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;”
  • Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
  • You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Due to a large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process

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.