Background

The population projections have shown that Malaysia is moving towards an ageing society by 2030, as the population projection shows decreasing proportion of younger age groups, while population aged 60 and above will be increasing in proportion due to declines in mortality and fertility. These demographic changes in turn presents the pressure on educational facilities, housing, social and health services, dependency ratio, urban areas, labour shortage and environmental impact.  By 2040, Malaysia is projected to have more older people (age 60 and above) living in cities (greater than 15% of the population).  An ageing population not only puts a strain on a country’s social security system and health care, but also concerns on access of older person to social participation, entertainment or employment, which has direct and indirect implication to health, welfare, care and living arrangements. Among the states in Malaysia, Perak recorded the highest number of older persons in Malaysia, with 14.9% of its population aged 60 and above.

This project, a partnership with Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (MWFCD) and in collaboration with Municipal Council of Taiping (MPT), aims to strategically contribute in creating an age friendly framework for one of the ageing cities in Malaysia, which is in Taiping, Perak. This is in line with the World Health Organisation Guidelines on Age Friendly Cities, as well as ensuring that Malaysia is prepared in moving towards an aged nation by 2030.  This is to be done through:

• Identifying what makes a city inclusive, safe, and accessible for all, especially to the needs of those in vulnerable situations, women, children, persons with disabilities and older persons to achieve an equal participation in society.

• Assess the age-friendliness of the city, the city of Taiping in its current state and determine its strengths and gaps, with consideration of existing local development plans, and future demographic trends.

• Stimulate and guide local action to make urban settings and services more age-friendly through establishing a network of stakeholders in this focus area, sharing knowledge, and building capacity of government to practice participatory city planning involving wider stakeholder groups.

• Institutionalise age-friendly features in city planning through recommendations of the assessment and integrating action plans into local development plans.

Duties and Responsibilities

SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ANALYTICAL WORK

PROPOSED STAKEHOLDERS TO CONSULT FOR THE STUDY

• Local residents (e.g. Older persons – male and female, women, children, persons with disabilities)
• NGO / CSOs
• Government stakeholders (e.g. local councils, state government, relevant agencies)
• Private sector (e.g. age care providers, healthcare providers, developers and city planners)

Ideally, the pilot will engage with communities who impacts and will be impacted by the objectives of the project.

SCOPE OF WORK

• In consultation with project partners (MWFCD, MPT and UNDP), develop a practical methodology, processes and strategies for innovative consultations in support of the objectives of the project.

• Design the consultations around tried-and-tested innovative approaches, for example using Open Space Technology (OST) with input from project partners.

• Work closely with the research team (MyAgeing) in consultations with the relevant stakeholders

• Develop consultation resources and materials, e.g. presentation / objectives / questions.

• Convene, lead and facilitate the consultations.

• Provide technical assistance and resource support to Project Team for matters related to the consultations by participating in meetings and discussions on the subject matter.

• Provide input in report development / policy paper, i.e. consultation methodology and design, review report and present to government agencies and other stakeholders may be required.

DURATION OF ASSIGNMENT:

This contract is not a full-time individual contract. The number of working days required is estimated to be 40 days for the duration of the project from start of engagement. The duration of this contract is four (7) months (December 2020-June 2021).

TIMELINE & DELIVERABLES:

Expected deliverable for the consultancy:

*Tentative start date on December 2020.

The consultant will work in close consultation with MWFCD, MPT and UNDP Malaysia. He/She will report to the UNDP Program Manager, and MWFCD.

The consultant is expected to:

1. Maintain confidentiality of the project findings and outputs at all times.
2. Participate in meetings with the project team and partners, if required.
3. Provide technical assistance and support to the project team in preparation of the policy paper.

Competencies

• Experience in planning, designing and conducting civil society consultations / engagement using various facilitative approaches;
• Experience in collating feedback and writing reports;
• Good analytical skills and ability to work independently, as well as within a team;
• Commitment to rights-based approach to development;
• Ability to plan and produce quality results / deliverables to meet established goals;
• Ability to generate innovative and practical solutions to challenging situations; and
• Proactive and positive to critical feedbacks and differing points of view.

Required Skills and Experience

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelors’ degree or equivalent professional qualification in training/ facilitation management, design thinking, or innovative training certification.   

YEARS OF EXPERIENCE:

• At least 8 years of experience in planning, designing and conducting civil society / stakeholder consultations and engagements, and writing similar reports will be an added advantage; and
• Previous experience in socio-economic and developmental issues, particularly in the Malaysian context will be an added advantage.

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT:

• Proficient in written and spoken English and Bahasa Malaysia; and
• Knowledge of other local language and dialects will be an added advantage.