Background

Montenegro is an upper-middle-income country, with which the EU opened accession negotiations in 2012. The United Nations provides support to the country in many areas of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and human rights.

In 2016, Montenegro translated the Agenda 2030 into its national policies, with the adoption of the National Strategy for Sustainable Development (2015-2030), which sets strategic goals and concrete measures for addressing development gaps and needs including strengthening social inclusion.

The current work of the United Nations in Montenegro is coordinated through the Integrated UN Programme, also referred to as the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (2017-2021): UNDAF. The UNDAF aims to contribute to the overall development of the country by combining the relevant expertise and resources of various UN resident and non-resident organisations operating in the country into one cohesive assistance framework. The planned results focus on four strategic areas that respond to Montenegro’s development and human rights challenges and make use of the United Nations’ comparative advantages. These were identified through an intensive consultation process with the national authorities, implementing partners and people living in Montenegro. They are:

• Democratic Governance
• Environmental Sustainability
• Social Inclusion
• Economic Governance

Montenegro will embark on the process of developing a new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (the Cooperation Framework) in 2020. In preparation for the design of a Cooperation Framework, a comprehensive Common Country Analysis (CCA) will be carried out.  A CCA is a UN system independent, impartial and collective assessment of the country, aimed to provide a thorough and reflective analysis of the evolving country context, underlying causes of development challenges as well as future risks and trends. The CCA will be critical in identifying positive trends but also national challenges impeding the country’s development and progress in achieving Agenda 2030.

Leaving no one behind (LNOB) is the central, transformative promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It represents the unequivocal commitment of all UN Member States to eradicate poverty in all its forms, end discrimination and exclusion, and reduce the inequalities and vulnerabilities that leave people behind and undermine the potential of individuals and of humanity as a whole.

Through the pledge to Leave No One Behind, UN Member states, including Montenegro, have committed to fast-track progress for those furthest behind. The Pledge implies that progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should be judged according to how well groups that are furthest behind are advancing. In its support for Member states in SDG implementation, the UN has made this a priority.

In this context, the UN Country Team (UNCT), under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, has agreed on a number of areas for which additional background study could inform the CCA. One of these areas is social inclusion which is essential to realizing Leaving No One Behind as one of the key promises of the 2030 Agenda.

The UNCT seeks support for the compilation in a background paper, drawing from the considerable body of evidence that is already available in the form of research, studies and other documents on social inclusion in Montenegro. In addition, the collection of additional information may be needed as necessary. The background paper is expected to also identify data gaps, to facilitate the preparation of the CCA.

Duties and Responsibilities

Purpose of the work: Under the overall supervision of the Resident Coordinator (RC) and the direct guidance of the Social Inclusion Results group and the Human Rights Adviser in the UN Coordination Office, and in cooperation with national consultant, an international consultant shall develop a Background Paper for the Common Country Analysis development in the area of social inclusion/Leaving no one Behind (LNOB).

Leaving no one behind means moving beyond assessing average and aggregate progress, towards ensuring progress for all population groups at a disaggregated level. The consultancy is aimed at providing an overview who is being excluded, how and why, in particular those who are experiencing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and inequalities.

This paper should therefore present the most up-to-date overview of the situation of social exclusion and its causes in Montenegro, mainly using existing relevant data and studies . The paper will focus on groups that are excluded or at risk of exclusion, and for each group provide an overview of the causes of exclusion.

The methodology will include:

• a comprehensive desk review (synthesis) of existing national studies, surveys and other reports, and of analysis of national statistics and disaggregated data where available;
• interviews with UNCT and/or Social Inclusion Results Group members;
• number of interviews with representatives of excluded groups and relevant national-level authorities. The interviews with excluded groups should focus on those groups on which insufficient information is available. An ethics review of the questionnaire and interview methodology will be conducted before interviews;
• analysis of information gathered and the preparation of a draft paper;
• validation of the findings with representatives of excluded groups, national authorities and the UNCT
• integration of comments and suggestions as relevant into the final version of the paper.

The Leaving No One Behind, an Operational Guide for United Nations Country Teams, Interim Draft of March 2019 will serve as a key reference tool for the consultants to carry out their work.

Scope of Work:

The background paper will allow the UNCT to form a common understanding of the situation of the most excluded groups and the causes of exclusion. It will also set out data and knowledge gaps and current and future trends already impacting or likely to impact on the situation of social inclusion in Montenegro.

The process shall result in a paper that provides:

• A brief overview of the current situation of social inclusion in Montenegro, including the adoption of legal, policy and other strategic frameworks (first chapter, up to two pages);
• Identification (based on evidence and disaggregated data) of the groups that are excluded or at risk of exclusion in terms of the realization of social and economic rights, including those groups facing multiple deprivations. For each group, this will also include:

1. an overview of the immediate, underlying and root causes of the exclusion already identified in readily available secondary data sources and research and in interviews;
2. gender analysis to ensure an understanding of the gender dynamics of marginalization and lack of access to resources and enjoyment of rights;
3. references to the relevant SDGs and national indicators, together with related baselines and targets;
4. identification of data and knowledge gaps (second chapter – no more than four pages per group);

• Overview of the key current and future socio-economic trends and how these can potentially further positively or negatively impact groups currently or at risk of exclusion and the realization of economic and social rights (third chapter, up to four pages);
• Recommendations for further analysis as part of the Common Country Assessment and possible areas of intervention for inclusion in the next UN Cooperation Framework (fourth chapter, up to two pages).

The paper will include an executive summary (up to two pages), a brief introduction (up to two pages) and conclusions (up to two pages).

Deliverables and proposed timeframe:

After 3 days:  Workplan and comprehensive methodology for the consultancy developed.
After 5 days:  Inception meeting with UN representatives held to validate the proposed workplan and methodology 
After 10 days: Desk review conducted and draft questionnaires for interviews with excluded groups and national stakeholders
After 15 days: Interviews with members of excluded groups conducted
After 20 days:  Draft paper for review by the Social Inclusion Results Group
After 26 days: Incorporation of comment and second draft review by Social Inclusion Results    Group
After 30 days: Validation workshop with UN, members of excluded groups and national     stakeholders
After 32 days: Final draft paper for review by the UN Country Team
After 35 days: Final Paper

Duration of the contract: 35 days

The consultant is expected to address feedback regarding the above-mentioned deliverables, received at various stages of the development of the Background paper.

Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UN;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Ability to process and synthesize large volumes of data;
• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills;
• Demonstrates ability to manage complexities and work under pressure, as well as conflict resolution skills.
   

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Masters) in development studies, social sciences, international relations, research methods, or related field;

Experience:

• 5-7 years of relevant professional experience, including previous substantive involvement in development of strategic documents, reports, evaluations and/or reviews;

Language:

• Excellent written and spoken English;

Other:

• General knowledge of the UN system and UN common country programming processes;
• An understanding of the values of the United Nations;
• Specialized experience and/or methodological/technical knowledge, including specific data collection and analytical skills, particularly in the following areas: understanding of human rights-based approaches to programming; integration of gender; political and social analysis; experience in conducting LNOB type analysis is an asset
• Excellent report writing, communication and interviewing skills;
• Awareness and sensitivity to working with people of various cultural backgrounds.

Criteria for selection:

Combined Scoring method will be used. When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: (i) responsive, compliant, acceptable, and (ii) having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

• Technical criteria weight - 70% (Background and education 10%; Relevant previous experience 20%; Substantial knowledge/Required competencies 30%; Required language 10%);
• Financial criteria weight - 30%.

Only offerors obtaining a minimum 490 points for technical criteria will be considered for the financial evaluation. For more information on procurement methodology for Individual Contractors, please refer to Procurement Notice.

Application procedure:

Interested applicants are requested to submit their applications by January 9, 2020 by using the Apply now button. The application should contain CV or P11 that can be downloaded at http://www.me.undp.org/content/montenegro/en/home/operations/jobs.html. Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file.

Only the short-listed applicants will be contacted and requested to submit a letter of interest including a price quotation indicating the lump sum (in EUR) requested for the work envisaged in the section "Description of Responsibilities".