Background

COVID-19 is a critical issue for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It is as much a health and development emergency as it is a human security crisis. In order to deliver on its mission eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities and building resilience to crisis and shocks, UNDP must help countries to urgently and effectively respond to COVID-19 in the context of the 2030 Agenda.

Urgently and effectively addressing COVID-19 is critical to safeguarding progress on the SDGs. Through its presence in 170 countries territories and its integrator role, UNDP together with UN and other partners can support countries to immediately scale up evidence- and rights-based multisectoral responses, i.e. whole-of-government/whole-of-society responses, needed to effectively tackle COVID-19. In so doing, the organization can rapidly leverage its extensive presence and networks at global, regional and country levels, its mandate to work broadly – to connect the dots – across humanitarian and development sectors.

UNDP’s offer to countries is to support an equitable, inclusive and multi-sectoral response. UNDP support focuses on ensuring that crisis management and recovery responses to COVID-19 are leaving no-one behind, as part of a wider and coordinated UN response in supporting countries to implement the WHO Strategic Preparedness Response Plan (SPRP). The next phase of UNDP’s COVID-19 crisis response is designed to help decision-makers look beyond recovery, towards 2030, making choices and managing complexity and uncertainty in four main areas: governance, social protection, green economy, and digital disruption. It encompasses our role in technically leading the UN’s socio-economic response, as outlined in the document “Beyond Recovery: Towards 2030”.

UNDP’s HIV, Health and Development global programme includes pillars emphasizing the reduction of inequalities and social exclusion that drive HIV and poor health as well as the promotion of effective and inclusive governance for health. The UNDP HHD Strategy 2015-2021 emphasizes that inequalities and exclusion contribute to poor health and drive epidemics and points out that people with disabilities are frequently among the poorest and most marginalized in the world, while intersecting  vulnerabilities  due  to  more  than  one  ascribed  or  intrinsic  identity,  including  disability may  exacerbate  health-related  disadvantages,  exclusion  and  inequality. UNDP’s work on disability-inclusive responses and COVID-19   is informed by the  UN Policy Brief and the  UNDP Guidance Document of Disability-Inclusive Development. UNDP hosts the secretariat of the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD), bringing together UN entities, governments, and organizations that advance the rights of persons with disabilities.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP is one the eleven implementing partners of the  UNPRPD Global Programme Supporting Disability Inclusive COVID-19 Response and Recovery at National Level. This global joint programme leverages the experience of nine UN agencies, organizations of persons with disabilities and broader civil society to support countries and other global initiatives to incorporate a strong disability inclusive perspective to COVID-19 response and recovery. The programme will work closely with 20-30 country teams and will expand its outreach to other countries through the generation of guidance and practical tools.

UNDP seeks an international consultant to support its participation in this program, in particular in the development and roll out of critical knowledge products.

The expected results of the program are:

• UN country teams to have a better understanding and capacity to develop and support a disability-inclusive response to COVID-19.
• Organizations of people with disabilities (OPDs) are supported to engage in planning, implementation and monitoring of a disability-inclusive response to COVID-19 emergency.
• Evidence, analysis and programmatic guidance is generated for countries to design and implement inclusive recovery plans.

 Scope of Work                                                                                                                                                                      

The objective of this consultancy will be to support the development and roll out of a Guidance Note, with key recommendations, to support coherent, effective, cost-efficient, evidence-informed, rights-based, and disability-inclusive responses to COVID-19 in the socio-economic response and recovery  ensuring that persons with disabilities are not left behind and those furthest behind are reached first.

Specific activities will include:

1. Carry out a desk review of existing documents on responses to COVID-19 in the context of disabilities and inclusion of people with disabilities; Identify ongoing initiatives and liaise with implementers. Compile results and produce a short report on good practices and lessons learnt.
2. Based on the findings of the report, develop a draft Guidance Note with key recommendations to support coherent, effective, cost-efficient, evidence-informed, rights-based, and disability-inclusive responses to COVID-19 in the socio-economic response and recovery ensuring that persons with disabilities are not left behind and those furthest behind are reached first.
3. Liaise with UN country teams and teams at UN HQ, as well as with OPDs to ensure a participatory consultative process for the finalization of the Guidance Note.
4. Support the translation of the Guidance Note and its adaptation to the needs of people with disabilities (audio format, easy language).
5. Co-organize and facilitate 2-4 webinars introducing the Guidelines, also adapted to the needs of people with disabilities (e.g. sign language/captions, easy versions)
6. Support the development of two case studies on emerging good practices on the inclusion of people with disabilities in government responses to COVID-19.

 Expected Outputs and Deliverables

 Institutional Arrangements                                                                                                                              

1. The consultant will be supervised by the Policy Specialist, HHD Team. They will be directly responsible to and seeking approval for activities and outputs from the Policy Specialist, HHD Team.
2. The consultant will report on a bi-weekly basis on each activity completed and output achieved as per their involvement.
3. The consultant during the course of this assignment is expected to interact with UNDP country offices and regional bureaux; other members of UN Country Teams; OPDs and a broad range of civil society activists and NGOs;
4. The consultant is responsible for providing and self-financing internet access, telephony, electronic communication;
5. The reviewing authority for the tasks completed will be the Policy Specialist. The overall supervising and certifying authority for the consultant will be the Policy Specialist, HHD Team.
6. The consultant is expected to have his/her own laptop

 Duration of the Assignment                                                                                                                                                                      

1. The expected duration of the overall contract is from 1 September  2020 (or the day the contract is signed) and ending on 26 February  2021  for a maximum of 90days;
2. The estimated lead time for UNDP and their partners to review and comment upon outputs and certify delivery is usually 7 days maximum.

Travel

1. No travel is envisaged to deliver this work. If need arises, travel will be arranged according to the UNDP travel policy.

Competencies

Corporate competencies:

• 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;
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism;
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional competencies:

• Planning and Organizing: allocates appropriate time and resources for completing work by foreseeing risks and developing contingency plans accordingly;
• Accountability: takes ownership of responsibilities and honours commitments;
• Communications: speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience. Keeps confidential information undisclosed;
• Self-developer/Innovator: learn, share and acquire new competencies and seek new challenges by exploring new approaches.
• Performer: works against an agreed outcome and priorities and seeks performance feedback from supervisors and support staff in the performance review in a constructive and objective manner;
• Aware of the needs of people with disabilities, emotionally intelligent.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

• Advanced Degree (master or higher) in Human Rights Law, Development Studies, Disability Studies or related fields is required.
• Academic and non-academic publications related to rights and inclusion of people with disabilities, human rights, inclusive governance, public health and marginalized populations, as verified by citations and hyperlinks submitted (in P11 or resume)

Professional experience:

• At least 10 years professional experience Human Rights Law, Development Studies, Disability Studies or related fields, with at least 5 years professional experience working with people with disabilities.
• Experience working with United Nations agencies is desirable.
• Experience in working on health emergencies such as COVID-19, Ebola, Zika, in conjunction with other relevant experience described above, is desirable
• Extensive experience facilitating complex processes with stakeholders.
• Extensive experience in research, document review, interviewing.
• Demonstrated expertise designing and drafting Guidance Notes and similar documents.
• Track record of preparing reports and publications for a variety of audiences, including donors, academic journals and for day-to-day use by NGOs.
• Demonstrated expertise in organizing and facilitating webinars.

Language and other skills:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Working knowledge of another UN language(s) is desirable.
• Capacity to communicate fluently with different stakeholders (UN staff, civil society, government authorities, local communities); and
• Computer skills: full command of Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Forms) and common Internet applications will be required.

Scope of Bid Price and Payments

• The consultnat must quote his/her fee based on an all-inclusive daily fee for the completion of all deliverables within the specified duration of the contract.  The terms “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel costs, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal. 
• The consultant will be paid upon submission of a time sheet and a Certification of Payment (CoP) duly certified and confirmation of satisfactory performance of achieved work (deliverables/outputs)  

Presentation of Offer                                                                                                                                                                       

Interested Individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Candidates who fail to submit the required information will not be considered. Please not ethe system only accepts one document please merge all your documents into one file for submission.

1. Duly completed Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
2. A CV or completed P11 from, indicating education, all past experience from similar projects, links and or citations of relevant publications as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of  at least three professional references;
3. Brief description of why the individuals consider themselves as the most suitable for the assignment, including references to how she/he will approach and complete the assignment;
4. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive daily fee for the completion of all deliverables within the specified duration of the contract.  The terms “all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel costs, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred are already factored into the final amounts submitted in the proposal. If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and they expects their employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing them to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.     
5. The proposal must be submitted using the UNDP template provided. Note Shortlisted candidates will be sent the form.    

Criteria for selecting the best offer                                                                                                                                                           

Individual Consultants will be evaluated based on Cumulative Analysis as per the following scenario:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. In this regard, the respective weight of the proposals are:

1. Technical Criteria weight is 70%
2. Financial Criteria weight is 30%