UNDP Jobs - 89000- Lead international consultant for the participator

Lead international consultant for the participatory and inclusive development of the 2020 Voluntary National Review on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the Republic of Moldova

Location :

Republic of Moldova/ Remote, with several missions to Chisinau, Moldova

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

20-Jan-2020

Application Deadline :

08-Jan-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

January – May 2020

Languages Required :

English Russian

Expected Duration of Assignment :

up to 45 working 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

In September 2015, along with the other 192 Member States, Moldova endorsed the new Sustainable Development Agenda – the 2030 Agenda, with 17 goals and 169 targets. A very important part of the follow-up process is the Voluntary National Review (VNR), to which countries sign up voluntarily and report on their progress on implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. Moldova intends to present its first VNR Report in July 2020 at the High-Level Political Forum in New York, USA.

The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Moldova is very well positioned to support the Government’s efforts to take stock of the progress on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs in Moldova and provide technical assistance for the preparation of the first VNR Report.

The United Nations provides its support to Governments around the world in preparation of the VNR Reports. The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) offers guidance through regional and global workshops – dates to be specified at later stages. The UNCTs globally offer a variety of tools and methodologies designed to assess progress in implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs that might feed into the VNR process and the Report. These tools and methodologies include e.g. Rapid Integrated Assessment, SDG Complexity Analysis, and others.

Therefore, to support the Government in the preparation of the VNR, the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) Moldova seeks to contract four national experts to support the State Chancellery in the organization of the of VNR process and drafting of the VNR report.

Duties and Responsibilities

The scope of the consultancy is to support the State Chancellery in the development and drafting of the VNR report to be presented by the Republic of Moldova at the HLPF in July 2020.

The UNCT is looking to contract three national consultants specialized as follows:

One national consultant specialized in economic policies;
One national consultant specialized in social policies (education, health and social protection);
One national consultant specialized in environment and energy policies.

The Lead Consultant will lead the team of thematic national consultants, coordinate and integrate all deliverables of the local sector consultants. The Lead expert will also cover the Governance area of the future VNR.

The VNR process and production of the VNR Reports are guided by 6 key principles, including:

Voluntary: Countries voluntarily agree to report on the progress of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
Country-driven: Reviews of progress at national and sub-national levels are country-driven.
Platforms for partnerships: Reviews ensure participation of all relevant stakeholders, with focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized groups.
Learning experience: Reviews facilitate consolidation of experience, including successes, challenges and lessons learnt, part of a process.
National circumstances: Reviews are guided by national circumstances, policies and priorities, and informed by partners.
Open, inclusive, transparent and participatory: Reviews facilitates communication and engagement with stakeholders, with focus on the most vulnerable and marginalized.

The VNR process will include several different components:

I. The development of a Stakeholder Engagement Plan to describe the multi-stakeholder consultative process, to be coordinated by the Steering Committee, including 1) all stakeholders involved in the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs implementation process in the country to get inputs for the VNR Report; 2) a platform for continuous stakeholder engagement for the post-VNR period; and 3) raise further awareness on the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. The consultations are to include the line Ministries, Government bodies and agencies, academia, civil society, private sector, as well as engage the vulnerable groups. Furthermore, the consultations may be organized around thematic areas (e.g. four areas: social development, economic development, environment, and governance, which were the organizing principle for previous SDG nationalization processes). The SEP might also discuss setting up of working groups as forums for discussions, updates, and drafting of the VNR Report. It is also recommended to strike the balance between offline and online consultations. Therefore, the SEP might also envisage the creation of an online outfit collecting contributions for the VNR Report.

II. Stocktaking of the ongoing and past work that has been done in terms of implementation and alignment to SDGs at various levels through desk research, interviews, and public consultations. Additionally, in liaison with the National Bureau of Statistics, the consultants will assess the availability of data for monitoring SDGs and readiness to use alternative sources of data to measure progress.

III. Analysis of the implementation of the SDGs in the Republic if Moldova, including:

Updating the Rapid Integrated Assessment (RIA) analysis conducted with the support of the UNCT in 2017 by excluding the strategic planning documents that have expired since 2017 and including the newly-developed ones;
conduct a SWOT analysis: identifying the strengths and weaknesses, possible threats and opportunities for Moldova in achieving the SDGs;
conduct a general analysis of the availability of data, both official and alternative, for measuring SDG indicators, reflecting the quality of data, availability, timeliness, etc., and analyse the dynamics of SDG indicators, as well as national indicators corresponding to the objectives of the SDGs;
identify the most significant contemporary challenges and trends for Moldova, as well as the assessment of their impact on the achievement of the SDGs in Moldova;
integrate the above analyses into the draft VNR and conduct the comprehensive discussions of the draft VNR with various stakeholders to get the VNR finalized;
develop the recommendations on the implementation of the SDGs in Moldova; present the key recommendations to the Steering Committee.

Competencies

Professional organisational skills and delivery in a timely and qualitative manner;
Proven research, analytical and writing skills;
Fluency in Romanian and English, Russian will be an asset.

Required Skills and Experience

Master’s degree or equivalent (5 years University degree) in one of the areas relevant to the thematic specializations above (i.e. Law, Public Policy, Human Rights, Economics, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Environment, Energy, or other relevant fields);
Proven experience (minimum 7 projects) in evaluating policy documents and in drafting policy documents;
Has an advanced understanding, knowledge and experience (minimum 2 projects) in applying Gender Equality and Human Rights Based Approach to development and/or policy-making;
Proven experience (minimum 2 projects) in and understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals;
Proven experience (minimum 7 projects) in leading teams of consultants and coordinating analytical products;
Extensive experience of working with government, public, civil society organisations and development partners (minimum 7 projects in total).