Background

The 2030 Agenda: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda), adopted by world leaders in September 2015 at an historic UN Summit, presents an ambitious, complex and interconnected vision for sustained and inclusive economic growth, social inclusion, and environmental protection, fostering peaceful, just, and inclusive societies. Realizing this vision will require mobilizing and effectively utilizing a diverse range of public and private resources. The Addis Ababa Action Agenda, which outlines a framework for financing the 2030 Agenda, calls for integrated approaches to finance that are driven at the national level. 

Strategic development documents (development policies): Armenia Transformation Strategy 2050 (ATS 2050) and about 20 new sectorial strategic documents have been designed since 2018, with the Public Finance Management (PFM) Strategy being approved in 2019. In addition to that there are many other strategic documents which have been designed before 2018 and are still in force. These documents are not always aligned with Government Programme, with each other or with budget programs. Misalignments result in improper design, implementation, and financing of the strategic documents. That’s why, to ensure full effectiveness, the strategies and associated action plans need to be properly analyzed, costed, and aligned with budget programs and integrated financing strategies.

SDGs: Budgeting for SDGs reform paths and solutions vary in their nature and can be applied in isolation or need an orchestrated effort throughout the whole Agenda-2030 timeframe. The modelling of Budgeting for SDGs (B4SDG) choice can vary from a base model aimed at enabling governments in understanding better the alignment of its budget resources with SDGs to a ’best practice model’, where country systems produce SDG related information, including the priorities, targets, progress in achievement of the goals and, most importantly, a wide range of stakeholders, primarily the legislature and CSOs play an active role in SDG-related policy and budget formulation, monitoring, reporting and accountability.[1]

Project overview: Building on the ongoing reforms in the country, the current development of sectoral strategies and the adaptation of an Economic Response Plan to compound crisis in the country, the GoA is committed to translate the vision of the 2030 Agenda into national development strategies, plans and programmes. In line with this objective, the joint UNDP/UNICEF/WFP project “Making Finance Work for Transformative Change in Armenia: Unlocking Finance for Armenia 2030” has been designed to:

1. help the GoA create clear links between policies, planning and budgeting processes; and
2. deploy innovative and evidence-driven mechanisms to leverage partnerships and multiple sources of finance towards three priority areas in Armenia – climate change, food security and human capital.

This will include measures that can help the GoA develop capacities to reinforce its financing framework as a whole, discover new financing options that can support investments for development strategies and sectors that disproportionately benefit vulnerable groups, and strengthen medium and long-term planning by better aligning investment opportunities with longer-term Megagoals/the SDGs.

[1] For more information please refer to UNDP (2019) “Budgeting for Agenda-2030 Opting for the Right Model”.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the UNDP Team Leader and direct supervision of “Unlocking finance for Armenia 2030” project coordinator, the National Expert on SDGs(“SDG Expert”) will work closely with PFM expert, National expert on development policies, UNDP, UNICEF, WFP, Ministries and relevant governmental authorities towards aligning sectoral policies with SDG-s and for integrating the SDGs into medium-term and/or annual budget policies.

Duties, responsibilities and key milestones

• Serve as joint project focal point for line Ministries and governmental authorities in the alignment of sectoral policies to relevant SDG-s. Based on the analysis of the National expert on development policies assist line Ministries and other governmental authorities in integrating SDGs and targets into relevant sectoral policies
• Assist line Ministries and other governmental authorities in integrating SDGs (policies and targets) into the Mid-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and/or annual budgeting processes and documents in a systemic way, including specific support integrating SDGs into 2023-2025 MTEF for climate change, food security and human capital areas/sectors.
• Jointly with PFM expert provide support and recommendations in the development of principles and a model suitable for Armenia for tagging/coding of SDG aligned programs and projects within the MTEF, annual budget for better tracking of budgets in line with SDGs.
• Work on a design and development of a special off-budget toolset for possible automation of SDGs, their targets and indicators alignments with budget program/measures.
• Provide overall methodology support to the Project team and line ministries, and assist in relevant capacity enhancement in effective SDG-related policy negotiations and integration of SDG targets/indicators in budget KPI framework during the pre-budget negotiations with CSOs.
• Organizing at least 1 seminar/workshops for line Ministries and other governmental authorities on SDGs, their alignments with budget programs/measures.

The SDG expert will be responsible for the following key deliverables:

Payment mode:

Payment will be made in the following installments upon completion of the tasks under each output and approval of deliverables by the UNDP country office and PFM Expert:  

• Output 1 – 30% of total amount
• Output 2 – 20% of total amount
• Output 3 – 30% of total amount
• Output 4 - 20% of total amount

All outputs will be quality reviewed and approved by UNDP.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling 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 favoritism

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent intercultural, moderation, facilitation and negotiation skills;
• Builds strong relationships with stakeholders, focuses on impact and result and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
• Ability to lead effectively, mentoring as well as conflict resolution skills
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
• Proven networking, teambuilding, organizational and communication skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced academic degree in public finance, economics, or equivalent discipline.

Experience:

• At least of 10 years of working experience in the development projects at country level,
• Working experience on alignment of SDG-s with policies, integrating SDGs in budgeting processes,
• Proven experience in policy analysis and public financial management, and advisory role to senior government stakeholders
• Research experience in the areas of SDG-s, public finance, policy alignments are required.
• Solid knowledge of UN Sustainable Development Goals, public finance, Innovative Financing for Development
• Demonstrated ability to engage in strategic analysis, and in-depth sectoral analysis.
• Excellent writing skills required, as demonstrated by previous high-quality research/analytical reports on relevant topics.
• Ability to lead consultations with senior government officials from ministries of finance, line ministries and relevant government institutions required.

Language:

• Fluency in Armenian and English languages

CANDIDATES WILL BE EVALUATED BASED ON THE FOLLOWING METHODOLOGY:

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants' technical qualifications, experience and financial proposal.The contract will be awarded to the candidate whose offer has been evaluated and determined as technically responsive/compliant/acceptable to the requirements of the ToR and received the highest cumulative (technical and financial) score out of below defined technical and financial criteria.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation - max. 70 points

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

DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION.

• Financial Proposal and Availability form: OFFEROR’S LETTER TO UNDP (A total lump sum  option is applicable for this assignment)
• CV shall include Education/Qualification, Processional Certification, Employment Records /Experience

General Conditions of Contract is available here: GENERAL CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT

Note: Please note you can upload only one document to this application (scan all documents that should be included in the application in one single PDF file and upload it).