Background

ADMINISTRATION

To apply, interested persons should upload the combined* Technical Proposal/Methodology (if applicable), CV and Offeror’s Letter to “UNDP Jobs” by navigating to the link below and clicking “APPLY NOW”, no later than the date indicated on the “UNDP Jobs” website. Applications submitted via email will not be accepted**: -

UNDP Job Site – https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=99856 (cut and paste into browser address bar if the link does not work)

* PLEASE NOTE: The system allows the upload of one (1) document ONLY – if you are required to submit a Technical Proposal/Methodology, this document along with your CV/P11 and Offeror’s Letter, MUST be combined and uploaded as one.

NOTE: The Financial Proposal should not be uploaded to “UNDP Jobs” **.

**Please email the password-protected Financial Proposal to procurement.bb@undp.org. The subject line of your email must contain the following: “BBRSO##### Financial Proposal – Your Name”

If the password for your Financial Proposal is required, it will be requested by the Procurement Unit.

Any request for clarification must be sent in writing to procurement.bb@undp.org within three (3) days of the publication of this notice, ensuring that the reference number above is included in the subject line. The UNDP Barbados & the OECS Procurement Unit will post the responses*** two (2) days later, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to: -

http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=79714 (cut and paste into browser address bar if the link does not work)

A detailed Procurement Notice, TOR, and all annexes can be found by clicking the above link.

*** UNDP shall endeavour to provide such responses to clarifications in an expeditious manner, but any delay in such response shall not cause an obligation on the part of UNDP to extend the submission date of the Proposals, unless UNDP deems that such an extension is justified and necessary

BACKGROUND

The Joint Programme Enhancing Resilience and Acceleration of the SDGs in the Eastern Caribbean: Universal Adaptive Social Protection modelled at the Community, National and Sub-regional Levels is the first UN joint initiative to be implemented in the Eastern Caribbean by the Joint SDG Fund under the “Leave no one behind and Social Protection” window to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. The Joint Programme aims to strengthen people’s resilience through predictable access to adaptive and universal social protection in Saint Lucia, Barbados, and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS).  It is being implemented by five UN agencies: UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UN Women, and the ILO over a two-year period from January 2020 to January 2022. Through the Joint Programme, the SDG Fund supports the United Nations Sub-Regional Team to contribute to countries’ achievement of the SDGs through catalyzing integrated, transformative policy change and innovative financial investments. 

The Joint Programme contributes to the development of an adaptive and universal social protection system through integrated policy development, programme design and service implementation. The programme will utilize research, analysis, monitoring and evaluation to support the evidence-based development of an adaptive system towards progressive universal coverage of social protection, while facilitating replication and expansion to Eastern Caribbean Countries (ECC) through South-South exchange under the OECS framework. This will also include strengthening the OECS Commission to support scale-up and sustainability of interventions and implementation across the ECC.

UNDP’s expertise and experience directly relevant to the Joint Programme includes its support to poverty and inequality reduction and integrating gender equality and climate change considerations into programmes, and it has also led the development of institutional policies for national and sector-level climate change adaptation, and worked directly with communities to undertake emergency response training. UNDP also has extensive experience and several projects working with governments to develop innovative financing mechanisms in the face of climate change and in the context of limited fiscal space to support sustainable financing and natural resource management.

UNDP as a participating UN Agency (PUNO) will contribute activities under two outputs for Saint Lucia and Barbados related to strengthening institutional capacities for integrated service delivery and supporting innovative financing for sustainable and adaptive social protection systems and programmes.

Duties and Responsibilities

The individual contractor is expected to work collaboratively with any other teams conducting work on behalf of UNDP as directed, or in/on behalf of the beneficiary country as determined important by the government or UNDP. Outlined below are the expected task components for this consultancy.

The Individual Contractor is responsible for supporting the implementation of activities towards the achievement of the joint programme Enhancing Resilience and Acceleration of the SDGs in the Eastern Caribbean: Universal adaptive social protection modeled at the community, national and sub-regional levels as follows:

Scope of Work

• Using the results of the UNDP supported Gender-responsive and Multi-dimensional Socio-Economic and Climate-based Vulnerability Analysis of Saint Lucia’s National Report of Living Conditions 2016 (SLC-HBs 2016), associated qualitative research undertaken, and other available resources on expenditure and finance on the current social protection system: (i) Identify social protection programmes/interventions in consultation with or which have been prioritized by the government, for the development of gender responsive and adaptive finance modalities at the local and national levels (ii) Develop a comprehensive costing of priority interventions identified by the Government of Saint Lucia, and a gender budget analysis of the same to inform the development and piloting of gender responsive financing strategies;

Financing strategies should not only focus on the existing framework for public financial management for disaster risk (i.e. the Contingency Fund, Emergency Disaster Fund etc.) but also recommend new strategies). Interventions should be adaptable to addressing existing socio-economic and also climate related vulnerability, and so data on the interventions used for the analysis should be disaggregated by sex as well as geographic area. Likewise, any data produced should be disaggregated by sex and geographic area.

• Undertake (i) an assessment of existing financial instruments (such as the Contingency Fund, Emergency Disaster Fund etc.) and (ii) an analysis of how different risk financing instruments can be used to address different risks to ensure a timelier response through a risk layered approach;

• Utilize and adapt existing methodologies to undertake the needs-based gender-responsive budget assessments and corresponding finance modalities, inclusive of considerations for adaptive and shock responsive social protection programming. The methodology should include a draft table of contents for the associated reports/deliverables as well as a stakeholder engagement plan. Examples of relevant methodologies which can provide guidance and can be adapted to focus on social protection are:

1. The Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) Programme (https://www.pefa.org/gender);
2. The European Institute for Gender Equality (see information on Gender budgeting  (https://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/toolkits/gender-budgeting)

• Undertake needs-based gender-responsive budget assessments of the programmes/interventions selected to include relevant information from DRM programmes and the existing DRM infrastructure. This should also include recommendations for gender-responsive data requirements for the identification/targeting of persons/households that are vulnerable to both socio-economic and climate related shocks. Data collection instruments should be gender-responsive and both qualitative and quantitative;

The assessment should provide clear recommendations for gender-responsive sustainable financing options including specific options for resource sharing within the relevant DRM infrastructure. Recommendations should be detailed and should suggest draft finance models for piloting as agreed with government counterparts.

• The gender-responsive budget assessment will focus on ways to improve the efficiency of existing programmes (cost-savings) and will:

1. Identify a suite of options to improve the coverage of prioritized interventions
2. Examine a range of gender responsive financing modalities, taking into account the fiscal space analysis being undertaken within the joint programme, and in the fiscal and monetary context of Saint Lucia, and
3. Develop recommendations for finance options to support social protection systems in the aftermath of a disaster
4. Provide costed recommendations to expand the interventions both vertically and horizontally to foster economic resilience and reduce long-term disaster risks for target beneficiaries

• Discuss recommendations with government partners and pilot recommendations towards gender-responsive and sustainable finance/budgeting, which can include capacity building for implementation as well as support for budget restructuring. The consultant will be expected to support discussion and planning for piloting as well as for documenting the process and results achieved in the time period.

Competencies

Competencies and skills:

• Proven ability in gender responsive policy and programme design and analysis of shock responsive and or adaptive social protection at the national level;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English;
• Ability to work independently and respond to feedback in a timely and professional manner;
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail and ability to contribute to a team.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• A Minimum requirement of a Masters Degree with at least 10 years’ relevant experience or a PhD in social protection, or one of the following areas: Finance, Financial Econometrics, Economics, Gender Studies, Climate Finance, Public Policy, or International Policy Development.

Experience:

• 5 years’ experience working with policies related to gender-responsive social protection programmes with a focus on sustainable financing and gender-based budgeting;
• 5 years’ experience in gender-responsive policy and programme design and analysis of shock responsive and or adaptive social protection at the national level;
• 5 years research experience in gender-responsive quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis for informing gender responsive social protection programmes and finance modalities;
• 5 years’ experience in applying gender analysis in policy and programming on the socio-economic impacts of climate change and or knowledge and experience in gender responsive disaster risk management;
• Proven experience working within the Eastern Caribbean specifically, or the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) generally is an asset;
• Proven research experience in gender responsive quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis for informing gender responsive social protection programmes and finance modalities;
• Proven knowledge and experience in applying gender analysis in policy and programming on the socio-economic impacts of climate change and or knowledge and experience in gender responsive disaster risk management.

Language:

• Fluent in English.