Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been active and present in eastern Ukraine for the past decade, prior to the conflict, with a focus on community development, civil society development, and environmental protection. Work on addressing the specific conflict-related development challenges built on this earlier engagement, established partnerships, and started in 2015 through the United Nations Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme (UN RPP). UN RPP is a multi-donor funded framework programme formulated and led by the UNDP in collaboration with the Government of Ukraine and in cooperation with a number of partnering UN agencies (UN Women, FAO, UNFPA). UN RPP was designed to respond to, and mitigate, the causes and effects of the conflict in the east of Ukraine. It is an integral component of the UNDP Country Programme and is therefore fully aligned with the United Nations Partnership Framework (UNPF).

In October 2018, four UN agencies (UNDP, UN Women, FAO and the UNFPA) have countersigned a new joint project document, funded by the EU. The overall objective of the project is to restore effective governance, support economic recovery and promote reconciliation in the crisis-affected communities of Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in Ukraine, thereby enhancing the credibility and legitimacy of local governments in the government-controlled areas of the regions. It will contribute to peacebuilding and prevent further escalation of the conflict in Ukraine through effective and accountable decentralization, gender-responsive recovery planning and equal access to services, as well as enhanced economic recovery and development.

Component ??? of UN RPP “Community Security and Social Cohesion” aims to reach some of its goals through the implementation support of the projects strengthening community security and social cohesion via testing innovative legal aid, access to justice, conflict resolution and peacebuilding mechanisms at local level.

UN RPP recognizes the importance of non-conflict dialogue practices for social cohesion and seeks a qualified professional to organize a series of events on peacebuilding for active youth from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, including regional debates, civic engagement forums, and peace camps.

Duties and Responsibilities

Main objectives of the assignment 

The overall objective of this assignment is developing youth engagement formats for Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and organizing a series of events to promote civic engagement in the region.

Description of Responsibilities/Scope of work

The Individual Consultant for Promoting Non-Conflict Dialogue Practices, under the supervision of the Community Security and Social Cohesion Component Lead, will be responsible for:

a) Developing agenda and organizing an offline civic engagement forum

• Developing agenda for a 4-day forum which would facilitate civic engagement in the target communities, showcase best practices of civic engagement by partner NGOs, promote non-conflict dialogue practices on the community level and facilitate discussion about the community problems and potential solutions. Submitting forum agenda to the Supervisor for approval, submitting potential speakers (at least 8) on the abovementioned topics and facilitators if needed. Agenda of the forum must be adaptable to online format in case the quarantine restrictions are in place in the region.
• Organizing the forum in Kramatorsk, Kostiantynivka, Sievierodonetsk, Sloviansk (tentative locations, if allowed by quarantine restrictions, 1 session for each city) according to the approved agenda. All costs related to organization of the forums should be agreed with the Supervisor and will be covered by the Programme.
• Facilitating development of project concepts in small groups at the forums which would address community issues. At least one project concept should be presented after each forum.
• Preparing reports on the results of the forums, ideas discussed at the facilitation sessions and project concepts presented by the forum participants.

b) Organizing regional debates among active youth from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts

• Preparing announcement for the youth from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to participate in the regional debating tournaments. Selecting at least 60 participants from both oblasts to participate in the regional debating tournaments in Sievierodonetsk and Sloviansk.
• Preparing agenda of the debating tournaments and approving it with the Supervisor.
• Organizing and moderating two regional offline debating tournaments in Sievierodonetsk and Sloviansk. The format must be adaptable to online format in case the quarantine restrictions are in place in the region. All financial costs related to organization of the events will be covered by the Programme.
• Preparing, organizing and moderating the interregional debating tournament with the winning teams from two oblasts in Sviatohirsk.
• Preparing a visit to Kyiv for the winning teams to participate in the TV debates. Arrangements as for the venue will be made by the Programme.
• Preparing report on each debating tournament and submitting them for Supervisor’s approval.

c) Developing a concept of the peace camp and organizing it for the active youth from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts

• Preparing a concept and agenda of the peace camp for active youth (16-25 years old) and approving them with the Supervisor. The peace camp should promote active citizenship, develop leadership skills of the participants, critical thinking, promote dialogue and conflict resolution mechanisms. The overall duration of the camp should not exceed 2 days. The agenda should be interactive and include lectures, practical exercises, outdoor activities, and success stories from NGO leaders from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The peace camp should also concentrate on developing project ideas in youth groups as a way to promote civic engagement. The best project ideas can later be financed by the Programme.
• Preparing an announcement of the camp and selecting at least 30 participants from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
• Organizing and coordinating the peace camp. Ensure that the sessions start on time, coordinate trainers and participants, liaise with the logistical company, moderate discussions if needed, and report to the Supervisor. During the peace camp at least 10 project ideas should be developed with the participants in small groups.
• Preparing a report on the activities with detailed specification of the project ideas put forward by the participants.

The Consultant will ensure the mainstreaming of gender equality considerations in all aspects of the assignment, promote a safe and enabling environment free of any kind of discrimination and abusive behaviour, respect differences and accord equal spaces and dignity regardless of personnel’s sex, ethnicity, sexual preference, gender identity, (dis)ability or other markers of identity, and use the principles of gender-responsive communications in line with the UNDP corporate standards.

The timeframe is spanning about 6 months, from April 2021 to September 2021. The requested services will be provided according to the agreed workplan and paid in lump sums according to the following schedule.

Proposed payment schedule

Payments will be made in three stages according to the proposed payment schedule below:

30% - upon submission and approval of report according to Deliverable 1

30% - upon submission and approval of report according to Deliverable 2

40% - upon submission and approval of report according to Deliverable 3

The payments will be paid out upon the full completion and acceptance of deliverables in accordance with certificate of payments provided by the Community Security and Social Cohesion Specialist.

Administrative Arrangements

Financial proposals submitted by the candidates for this position should include cost for all logistical, secretarial, personal, travel, communication and other expenses. All expenses related to organization of the events and trainings should be agreed with the Supervisor and will be covered by UN RPP.

Monitoring and Progress Controls

The Consultant will work under supervision and directly report to the Community Security and Social Cohesion Component Lead according to the abovementioned schedule.  All reports and materials shall be prepared and transmitted electronically (Formats of: * .docx, * .xlsx, * .pptx,  * .pdf, etc.) to the electronic device or in the form of electronic communication with the final product.

Documents to be Included when Submitting the Proposals

Applicants shall submit the following documents:

Financial Proposal

 Lump sum contract.

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount. Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR, according to the abovementioned schedule. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including number of anticipated working hours, logistical expenses, etc).   

The IC will be responsible for all administrative expenses associated with undertaking this assignment including office accommodation, printing, stationary, telephone and electronic communications, and report copies incurred in this assignment.

Travel costs

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal.

Evaluation criteria

1. Relevant education – 10 points max

{7 pts. – at least Specialist’s/Master’s degree in Humanities, Pedagogics, Economics, Social Science or other related field; 10 pts. – PhD in one of the relevant areas};

1. Proved experience in conducting trainings on debates, communications and related topics, at least 5 relevant trainings held – 15 points max

{10 pts. – at least 5 trainings held; 12 pts. – 6-8 trainings held; 15 pts. – more than 8 trainings held};

1. Proved experience in moderating debates, at least 5 examples provided – 15 points max

{10 pts. – at least 5 debates moderated; 12 pts. – 6-8 debates moderated; 15 pts. – more than 8 debates moderated};

1. Proved experience in organizing interactive formats for youth engagement, at least 2 examples provided – 15 points max

{10 pts. – at least 2 examples provided; 12 pts. – 3-5 examples provided; 15 pts. – more than 5 examples provided};

1. Proved experience in coordinating mass events (forums, exhibitions, seminars, etc), at least 3 examples provided – 10 points max

{7 pts. – at least 3 examples provided; 10 pts. – more than 3 examples provided};

1. Professional fluency in Russian and Ukrainian, both written and oral – 5 points max

{5 pts. – professional fluence in Ukrainian and Russian, both written and oral}.

Evaluation method:

 Cumulative analysis

Contract award shall be made to the incumbent whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) having received the cumulative highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

* Technical Criteria weight: 70%

* Financial Criteria weight: 30%

Only candidates obtaining a minimum 70% from the maximum available technical score (49 points) would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal and will equal to 30. All other price proposals will be evaluated and assigned points, as per below formula:

30 points [max points available for financial part] x [lowest of all evaluated offered prices among responsive offers] / [evaluated price].

The proposal obtaining the overall cumulatively highest score after adding the score of the technical proposal and the financial proposal will be considered as the most compliant offer and will be awarded a contract.

Competencies

• Excellent communication and organization skills;
• Excellent computer skills (including, MS Word);
• Ability to set priorities, meet specific objectives, use political judgment and knowledge;
• Good interpersonal skills, diligence, open mindedness, and dedication;
• Excellent team and networking skills;
• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• 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;
• Ensures the mainstreaming of gender equality and women’s empowerment considerations in the field of expertise.

Required Skills and Experience

1. At least Master’s degree or equivalent in Humanities, Pedagogics, Economics, Social Science or other related field;
2. Proved experience in conducting trainings on debates, communications and related topics, at least 5 relevant trainings held;
3. Proved experience in moderating debates, at least 5 examples provided;
4. Proved experience in organizing interactive formats for youth engagement, at least 2 examples provided;
5. Proved experience in coordinating mass events (forums, exhibitions, seminars, etc), at least 3 examples provided;
6. Professional fluency in Russian and Ukrainian, both written and oral, is essential