UNDP Jobs - 92972- Study on SDG localization and partnership in Italy

Study on SDG localization and partnership in Italy-modalities in the post Covid-19 scenario

Location :

home based

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

17-Aug-2020

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

45 work days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

45 work 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

With the adoption of the 2030 Agenda, all UN Member States together with the UN System and development partners at large have embarked on a major process to address the challenge of not only implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at national level but also locally. The real challenge indeed lies in transforming the aspirations of the SDGs into a reality for communities and individuals by supporting an inclusive and sustainable development of the territories.

The implementation of the SDGs requires an integrated approach that will allow to coordinate and articulate the action among local, regional, national and global facets. The SDGs provide a powerful illustration of the challenges and opportunities that cities and their surroundings present.

It is only by considering the entirety of the territory, its endogenous potential, and the role and the relationships between multiple public and private actors, that it will be possible to effectively implement the development goals and achieve a positive impact, going well beyond the traditional project approach and avoiding the risk of working in silos.

Advancing integrated territorail development will require empowered local and regional governments, togehter with other key local governance stakeholders, so that they can fulfil their role as development actors by better coordinating and aligning development plans, strategies and interventions in their territories. In this context, it will also be crucial to assure policy coherence and coordination between all different levels of governance concerned with the SDG implementation, monitoring and reporting, being regional, national and international. Only by feeding and complementing local, regional, national and global efforts, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will be successful.

Over the past decade, UNDP, through the ART initiative and its Hub for territorial partnerships, has facilitated the sharing of territorial experiences, facilitated dialogues, peers-to-peers learning and territorial partnerships that contributed to shape the development pathways of many partner territories. Territorial partnerships have been recognized as a strategic modality to deliver mutual benefits between all partners involved.

The Covid-19 pandemic has unleashed disruption and devastation around the globe, bringing into focus our global connectedness and the interdependencies between economic, social and environmental outcomes. Economies have slowed down; daily routines have stopped; enterprises have ceased production; millions of people are unemployed; and more than a hundred thousand lives have been lost. As it is often the case, the most disadvantaged are the most affected. Recover from the current crisis is going to require both strong government action and an unprecedent collective effort.

The idea of sustainable development and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030 may seem irrelevant to their current challenges. At the same time, while the top priority is to stop the virus and stabilize economies and communities, the UN Secretary General Guterres has pointed to the 2030 Agenda as a natural organizing principle once the world can shift its focus to recovery.

Considering the current context, UNDP/ART would like to focus on decentralized cooperation in the post-Covid-19 context and on how to effectively approach the localization of the SDG. To this end, UNDP ART would like to comission a study with the aim to analyze the challenge for the Localization of SDG in the post Covid-19 scenario in terms of content, strategies and operating methods. Furthermore, the study should also reflect on how the current Covid-19 situation is impacting the decentralised cooperation efforts (both in terms of challenges and opportunities: reflections on DC in general would be a good complement to the specific Italian context).

The consultant is expected to work under the supervision of the ART Initiative Team in Brussels.

Duties and Responsibilities

Overall Objective

Analyze the Covid-19 impact on the SDGs localization process and the way how Italian decentralized cooperation actors are adjusting their agenda and operation modalities in the wake of the current crisis, with a specific accent on:

the Italian debate on the evolution of of decentralized cooperation and territorial partnerships approaches in a post-Covid scenario
Possible ways forward for the decentralised cooperation to effectively promote SDG localization.

Activities

Conduct a broader context review and current situation analysis, with specific reference to (i) the ongoing reflection on the crisis and its impact on Italian bilateral and more specifically decentralized development cooperation frameworks and (ii) adopted strategies to effectively deal with the consequences of the crisis.
Map and consult identified decentralised cooperation actors in Italy to identify and analyze the most relevant practices and measures adopted in the new scenario
Structure and elaborate a study that includes above reflections in terms of strategies, approaches and applied practices and tools, as well as innovative options and suggestions to effectively engage with decentralized cooperation partners in a rapidly evolving context.

Deliverables

A study outline including methodological framework and timeline (not more than 15 pages).
A draft study.
Final study.

Time frame and deadlines

We consider the following working days as reference for applicants:

The study will start with the signature of the contract and the expected total duration is 4 months (an approximate of 45 working days).
A study outline including a methodological framework and timeline (indicative 15 working days after start).
A draft study to be shared and discussed with UNDP/ART Team (indicative 40 working days after the start).
Final study will be drafted taking in consideration the observation of all consulted parties (45 working days after start/latest by mid-December).

Competencies

Corporate competences:

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;
Demonstrates experiences on territorial researches.

Technical and functional competences:

In depth experience in development cooperation related research;
Strong research background on issues of international cooperation in Italy, social and economic investigation in the Italian territory and deep knowledge of investigation methodologies;
Experiences in working with institutional stakeholders in Italy, including government, association and international organizations;
Profound knowledge of decentralised cooperation in Italy;
Demonstrated capacity for strategic thinking, and excellent analytical and writing skills;
Familiarity with Italian decentralized cooperation actors and familiarity with the Italian International cooperation framework;
Expertise with localization and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and with 2030 Agenda for sustainable development;
Excellent writing and reporting skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Advanced Degree in Political Science, Development Studies, Development Cooperation, International Relations, or a related field.
Minimum 15 years of relevant work experience.
Demonstrated capability as an effective investigator and researcher
Familiarity with international cooperation .
Relevant publications in the field of international development cooperation and decentralized cooperation
Language: English will be the language in which the reports and products must be submitted. Fluency in written and oral English is therefore required. In addition, fluent Italian is also required.

Application Submission Process:

Interested applicants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Applications may be submitted in English. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows you to upload one document:

CV and a Personal History Form; http://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc
Letter of interest outlining why you would be the most suitable candidate for the assignment;
A brief methodology on how you will approach the assignment and the areas to be covered;
An example of relevant work (materials, publications, related links).

Financial Proposal:

Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price. The proposal shall be provided as per the financial proposal template available here: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=45780 and needs to be sent to: procurement.be@undp.org by 6th August 2020. The proposals should be sent via email with the following subject heading: Study on SDG localization and partnership in Italy: modalities in the post Covid-19 scenario.

Proposals received after the deadline will be rejected. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal should be all-inclusive and include a breakdown. The term ‘all-inclusive’ implies that all costs (professional fees, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the financial proposal.

Criteria for Evaluation of Proposal:

Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated. Offers will be evaluated according to the Combined Scoring method – where the educational background, experience on similar assignments, technical proposal will be weighted at 70% and the price proposal will weigh as 30% of the total scoring. The applicant receiving the Highest Combined Score that has also accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract. Only Consultants obtaining a minimum of 70% on the Technical evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 100 points:

Criteria A – Demonstrate experience and skills through CV and P11 analysis– max points: 15;
Criteria B – Technical proposal – max points: 30;
Criteria C – Relevant publications and research in the field of international development cooperation and decentralized cooperation – max points: 20;
Criteria D - Familiarity with Italian decentralized cooperation actors and the Italian International cooperation framework – max points: 20;
Criteria E - Candidate has in depth knowledge of SDG localization process – max 15 points;

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

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where;
p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal;

< > = price of the lowest priced proposal;

z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

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