UNDP Jobs - 92952- Consultancy on mapping of stakeholders for politic

Consultancy on mapping of stakeholders for political dialogue and Reconciliation in Guinea-Bissau

Location :

Bissau, GUINEA-BISSAU

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Sep-2020

Application Deadline :

05-Aug-20 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English French Portuguese

Expected Duration of Assignment :

60 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 2020, the UN in Guinea-Bissau has obtained funding from the Peacebuilding Fund to continue the work started in 2017 regarding the engagement of civil society actors in political dialogue and reconciliation. This has shown some positive impact and yielded significant conflict prevention effects as the past conflict and current political instability in Guinea-Bissau are driven by a small political elite’s struggle for power and resources often engaging also the military.

Despite the positive engagement of women, youth, religious and other civil society groups, there are still groups and/or influential leaders being excluded from the public dialogue. Their exclusion has some double-negative consequences: their voices are not heard and they are left to using their influence for personal short-term gain, putting them at risk of becoming spoilers.

An example of such influencial actors are the spiritual leaders connected to animist practices which are not openly accepted and practiced in modern Guinea-Bissau society, as they are seen as somewhat obscure, but which influence is always on the background and can partly explain some of the visible behavior of elite and average people. Former combatants, from both sides of the independence struggle, and their widows; victims or families of victims of past human rights violations are other examples of excluded stakeholders who, if brought to the public debate, can play a positive role and help break the cycle of instability and impunity.

To broaden the social base for a national consensus that can bring stability to the country and to ensure inclusiveness in political dialogue and national reconciliation processes, it is imperative to map these excluded stakeholders, with a view to engaging them in positive social action and mobilizing them to use their influence for the common good.

In this context, UNDP is recruiting a consultant who, building on past mapping exercises carried out by the international community and civil society in Guinea Bissau, is expected to identify all relevant stakeholders and groups and prepare and support the realization of a plan for their engagement.

Duties and Responsibilities

Building on the mapping exercises carried out in the framework of past PBF-funded projects, and other existing cartographies and directories (EU 2018, Interpeace 2020) the consultant is expected to:

Identify and study which groups and or influential people have been excluded from positive participation in the political dialogue and national reconciliation processes.
Map these people/groups and their past and present affiliations as well as their potential for positive engagement, in a participatory way.
Establish contact and engaging with these groups/people to present options and ensure their willingness and availability to participate in on-going dialogue processes for peace and reconciliation.
Develop a plan for their engagement/participation in those processes, incorporating the stakeholders’ views, to be submitted to the project team and further discussed with the identified stakeholders for their concurrence, feed-back.
Work with the identified persons and groups to facilitate, support, and add value to their participation in project or other activities aimed at political dialogue and reconciliation

Long-term Goals of the assignment

Ensure inclusiveness in political dialogue and national reconciliation
Identify excluded groups and/or people who may have become spoilers
Mitigate conflict and de-escalate tensions by engaging with influencial leaders
Prevent political instrumentalization of excluded groups/people
Facilitate these stakeholders’ meaningful participation in Forums, conferences and dialogue mechanisms, formal and informal, supported by the PBF and United Nations, and conducted by the civil society or the country political and institutional leadership (including political parties)

Expected deliverables:

Approach, Methodology and preliminary workplan (within 10 working days / 2 weeks)
A comprehensive mapping of all stakeholders/groups that should be considered for supporting an inclusive political dialogue and reconciliation (categories will be discussed and agreed between the Manager and the consultant). (within 30 days/ 6 weeks)
The identified stakeholders/groups are informed about the consultations and political dialogues. (within 30 days / 8 weeks)
A clear plan, outlining the modalities of engagement of these stakeholders to ensure their involvement and active participation in the political dialogue, is drawn up, and presented in a culturally appropriate form, to the stakeholders (within 40 days / 8 weeks).
Stakeholders are engaged, to the extent possible, in the consultations and political dialogue
Initial participation in PBF project -supported initiatives (forums, reconciliation conference, etc.) as applicable, is recorded, messages and concerns are clearly conveyed in oral and written form to the partners, and the impact of inclusion and engagement of previously excluded stakeholders is documented. (60 days during the remaining period of the assignment)

Competencies

• Political sensitivity and awareness;

• Excellent writing, research, analysis and presentation skills;

• Ability to produce high quality reports in a timely manner;

• Experience of working with multi-stakeholder organizations is essential: governments, CSOs, and the UN/ multilateral/bilateral institutions;

• Strong communication skills;

• Ability to work independently.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Masters in Anthopology, Sociology, social psycology or other social sciences directly relevant to the assignment (experience can be considered in lieu of the masters level)

Experience:

Minimum seven (7) years experience in academic research and/or civil society mobilization and advocacy;

Solid Knowledge of the culture, languages, traditions and history of Guinea-Bissau;

Languages:

Guinea-Bissau Creole and French or English, required. Knowledge of other local languages spoken in Guinea-Bissau is an asset.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents / information to demonstrate their qualifications:

1. Proposal:

(i) explain why they are the most suitable for the job

(ii) provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work (if applicable)

2. Financial proposal

3. Personal CV including previous experience in similar projects and at least 3 references

Financial proposal:

The financial proposal must specify a total lump sum and payment terms around specific and measurable results (qualitative and quantitative) (ie whether payments fall in installments or after the completion of the entire contract). Payments are based on delivery, that is, delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a subdivision of this fixed amount (including travel, per diem and estimated number of working days).