Background
Background
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. A global dialogue was launched by the Secretary in January 2020 to have the most inclusive and furthest reaching conversation on the role of global cooperation in shaping a better future for all by the organisation’s 100th birthday in 2045.
Across the world discussions have been had in all settings, from classrooms to boardrooms, reaching out to as many people as possible and building partnerships with youth, civil society, business and media to discuss our priorities in the face of serious challenges to humanity globally such as the climate crisis, inequality and sustainability under the banner of UN75.
UN75 is being marked at a time of great disruption in the world, with an unprecedented global health crisis creating severe economic and social impacts. The present COVID-19 pandemic focuses our mind on the socio-economic impact of the outbreak on the ability of Member States to fulfil the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda. The pandemic has connected humanity in a common goal in a way that has not occurred in our living memory. Our collective defining of the future that we want cannot be more critical than now.
UN75 in 2020 coincides with Maldives 55th years of membership of the UN. This celebration will be a testament to the importance the Maldives confers on being an active and contributing Member State of the UN, and their commitment to various international commitments in the spirit of #UN75/#MV55. During this time, Maldives has graduated to middle income status, and has benefited from a surge in growth and development. The intrinsic value of multilateralism in sharing the world’s finite resources, managing country, regional and global challenges, and maximizing the benefits of increasing globalization is central to the UN75 milestone.
This campaign will be the key mechanism for collaborating with stakeholders and the community in the Maldives. It will support the shift and communicate the UN Maldives’ focus on upstream policy support to the country towards accelerating achievement of the 2030 Agenda. It will be a platform to better understand the expectations of the Maldivian people, with a special focus on connecting people, amplifying their voices and inspiring action, especially those of marginalized groups. The role of civil society, academia, community organisations, local representation and leadership, and individual citizens are critical to the success of the initiative. The UN Maldives will ensure that the voices of Maldivians are heard as part of the global discussions.
Strategy
The UN75 global conversation in Maldives will also be generated around the 3 main questions:
1. What kind of future do we want to create?
2. Are we on track?
3. What actions are needed to bridge the gap?
As 2020 is being dominated by physical distancing in line with the COVID-19 outbreak, UN Maldives will focus on the official launch of #UN75/#MV55 initiatives in a creative way for maximizing online and media platforms to engage the widest set of sectors, communities and generations in the discussions.
With this in mind, UN Maldives is seeking the services of a consultant to support the UN Resident Coordinator to develop and operationalise the UN75 global conversation in the Maldives.
Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of Work
The consultant will develop the roadmap that outlines the methodology to undertake the UN75 dialogue in the Maldives in the current scenario of social distancing and work with the UN Maldives to implement it.
Roadmap Development
The roadmap should be developed based on the guidance provide with the toolkits for UN75 consultations (https://toolkit.un75.online/) and in discussion with the UN Resident Coordinator. The roadmap should be strategic, simple yet impactful, and should seek to reignite the conversation on key topics that are relevant to the Maldives such as:
- The 2030 Agenda and progress towards achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
- The climate crisis and its impact in the country;
- Inequality across the islands and its people;
- Generational perspectives on narrowing gaps; and
- COVID-19 and its socio-economic impact as felt by different target groups, for the response and recovery of the Maldives in the context of building back better.
The roadmap should identify and propose consultation approaches. Consultation approaches could include more structured focus groups, informal conversation, social media chats, stories with historical perspectives/images and various other approaches. These approaches should be designed in such a way that ensures a wide range of voices are captured across the breadth of the atolls while bringing the most vulnerable and marginalized (prisoners, drug addicts, etc.) into conversation with Government and civil society. Proposed consultation approaches in the roadmap should include but not be limited to the following:
- Online tools and mediums to be used for different approaches and groups with possible use of traditional media (TV, radio) and in local language for outreach to the island communities
- Techniques to capture voices of the marginalized groups that may not have access to internet
- Ways to ensure different perspectives are captured
- Approach to reach a larger audiences and promote the consultations
- Methodology to capture the discussions
The consultation approaches proposed should be feasible to be conducted within the limitations of the current context and the timeline set for the UN75 process. The consultant should identify existing local groups, tools and platforms that could be utilized for these consultations with the focus on capitalizing and building on existing fora, in recognition of the challenging times facing the Maldives with COVID-19.
The consultant in developing the roadmap should identify and consult with government counterparts, UN agencies, CSOs and other key stakeholders in the country.
Roadmap Implementation
The consultant will:
- Develop any surveys identified in the roadmap in English and Dhivehi.
- Identify any moderators, facilitators and resources persons needed for the consultations.
- Develop briefing papers on themes identified in the roadmap, and compile available relevant data.
- Work under the guidance of the UN Resident Coordinator, and work closely with the UN Communications Group for feedback and input to the design of promotional and advocacy materials around UN75.
- Deliver high quality outputs according to agreed timeframes, under minimal supervision.
Outputs and Deliverables
- Development of the Roadmap on UN75 Consultations in the Maldives
- Implementation of the Roadmap on UN75 Consultations in the Maldives
Institutional Arrangement;
The consultant will work under the guidance of the UN Resident Coordinator. Regular meetings will be held with the UN Resident Coordinator or her senior staff, to develop strategic ideas and agreed ways forward. Regular meetings/email communications are expected to ensure that deliverables are completed in the agreed timeline.
Duration of the Work
This assignment will take approximately 55 working days, spread across 6 months, through to 31 December 2020. The consultant should develop a proposal with a clear timeline for each deliverable as stipulated above.
Duty Station
The consultant can operate from Maldives or abroad.
Competencies
Corporate Competencies
- Demonstrates integrity by modeling 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 favoritism;
- Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.
Functional Competencies
- Inter-personal skills;
- Exceptional analytical skills, solution oriented program design skills;
- Research and evaluation skills including ability to synthesize information;
- Excellent oral, and effective presentation and report-writing skills;
- Ability to work under with minimum supervision, while meeting deadlines;
- Demonstrated ability of timely completion of assignments;
- Excellent social and communication skills;
- Strong facilitation skills;
- Ability to work in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural settings;
- Good working knowledge of information technology;
- Excellent Managerial and analytical skills;
- Proven co-ordination and networking skills.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Development Studies, or related disciplines. A bachelor’s degree in the related field with extensive professional experience maybe considered.
Experience:
- At least 7 years of professional experience working in the field of Public Policy, Human Rights or International Development is required
- At least 3 years of proven experience with working on evidence creation, analysis and policy development.
- At least 3 years of applied experience in campaigns/advocacy targeting communities and individuals.
- Experience conducting focus group discussions, and designing consultation methodologies for vulnerable and marginalized communities.
- Experience working with multilateral or bilateral aid agencies will be an advantage.
- In-depth knowledge of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Decade of Action.
- Confirmed completion of the SDG Primer is required.
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English and Dhivehi is required.
Application Documents
- The application must include a letter of interest to undertake this task, the CV, Personal History Form (P11), and a financial proposal (indicating the daily fee (in MVR) for the assignment). The applicant must also submit the reference letters from past supervisors/clients. To download P11, kindly please visit the link: http://www.mv.undp.org/content/maldives/en/home/operations/jobs
- Please combine all the documents into one single file, as the system will allow for only one document to be uploaded.
- We will only accept online applications