Background
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP Cambodia Country Office works in partnership with the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC), non-government organizations, civil society organizations, community-based organizations, multilateral aid agencies, bilateral donors and private sector to support the progress towards the Cambodia Sustainable Development Goals (CSDGs) and priorities set in the National Strategic Development Plan 2019-2023.
With the goal to transition to upper middle-income status in 2030, Cambodia has been rapidly modernizing, and its economy continues to transition from agriculture to industry and services. The Government has supported this transition through sound macroeconomic management, increasing foreign direct investment (FDI), high labour force participation, growing domestic resource mobilization and improved public services. This is a time of dynamism and opportunity, but also one of turbulence, dislocation and vulnerability - and these changes bring risks as well as opportunities.
Specific questions can be raised about the quality of the growth process. There are two dimensions to these concerns. The first relates to inclusiveness of the economic model. While there have been large reductions in poverty, a persistent proportion of Cambodians still live in extreme poverty, and a larger proportion of the population are vulnerable to shocks. The second set of issues concern slow structural change, including sluggish efficiency gains. Overall, productivity improvement has been weak, expansion is driven by extensive as opposed to intensive growth, and there has been significant environmental impacts. In addition, more pressing in the near term are the ongoing impacts of the global crisis, COVID-19 and the impact of the war in Ukraine. The global inflation in major commodity market and energy and food crisis are adding pressure on the national economic recovery and stability and are affecting Cambodia’s vulnerable population disproportionately.
UNDP is working to support the RGC on its socio-economic policy agenda and provide capacity building. This Terms of Reference (TOR) refers to a set of assignments to address the above challenges.
Duties and Responsibilities
The LTA holders will work as part of UNDP’s programme to develop research evidence and strengthen data gathering systems and analytical capacity within the government ministries. Assignments will be designed under seven headings:
Deliver a TA facility for socio-economic policy responses – conducting the impact assessment and projection and providing evidence-based policy analysis to the RGC and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) generally to better leverage opportunities and mitigate risks, combat the economic/ socioeconomic impacts of the pandemic and war in Ukraine. Specifically in designing, calibrating and implementing stimulus and other measures, linking to analysis to support the Strategic Framework and Program for Economic Recovery of Cambodia in the Context of Living with COVID-19 in A New Normal being implemented by MEF with particular emphasis on the at-risk and vulnerable population.
Provide macroeconomic modelling training and capacity building to MEF – this would include further developing MEF staff capacities apply to dynamic General Equilibrium (GE) and other macroeconomic models via formal training, but also mentoring and tutoring; and developing a core expert group. In addition to designing and delivering sessions, the supply of written teaching materials will be required.
Assist the National Institute of Statistics (NIS), the Ministry of Planning (MOP) –with capacity building and TA in two areas. This is firstly in respect of improving Cambodia’s System of National Accounts (SNA) to enable GDP revaluation; and second in relation to compilation and analysis of environmental-economic statistics and capacity building for the System of Environmental Economic Accounting (SEEA).
Develop a Gendered and New Social Accounting Matrix (SAM) for Cambodia – the current Cambodia SAM was developed for 2014. The new SAM should include gender representation via the labour classification and household classification. Subsequently it may be extended to include environment or what is known as ESAM for environment policy simulations. The tasks may include: (i) review of data; (ii) classification of labour and household account to represent gender, (iii) compilation of data into the SAM framework; and (iv) construction of a balanced SAM for Cambodia.
Deliver a TA facility for social protection responses – with reference to the National Social Protection Policy Framework and other policy measures. This includes (1) macroeconomic and microsimulation analysis and advice of key social protection schemes such as IDPoor programme, COVID-19 cash transfer programme, old age allowance, disability allowance, and poverty graduation model, and (2) capacity building to government counterparts.
Deliver a TA facility on relevant national planning, human development, poverty and inequality analysis and initiatives as initiated by UNDP or as per request of the government counterparts – these initiatives include, but not limited to, poverty risk analysis, multi-dimensional vulnerability/poverty index, graduation-based social protection, IDpoor recalibration, human development index, Cambodia SDGs and the National Strategic Development Plan.
Develop project proposal and/or concept note on social and economic issues but not limited to: poverty, trade, LDC graduation, SMEs, skill development – these include conducting background analysis through a desk review of relevant documents and policies and stakeholder consultations as part of project preparation, identifying project activities and opportunity to leverage UNDP’s programmes, and leading the development of project proposal/concept note result framework, theory of change, project strategy and M&E framework and project budge7
Competencies
Functional competencies:
Capacity to engage with senior decision/ policy makers, and to synthesize and present complex arguments in easily understood terms.
Superior written/ oral communication skills, with the ability to convey complex development concepts and recommendations.
- Positive and results-oriented attitude, able to meet targets/deadline.
Corporate competencies:
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.
- Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Master’s degree in economics, with specialism in development, macroeconomics and/ or econometrics (including advanced training on modelling and System of National Accounts (SNA) estimation). PhD is preferrable.
Experience:
At least 7 years of relevant work experience with conducting research and training in macroeconomics and economic development
Extensive knowledge and experience of Cambodia’s social and economic development including application of techniques (e.g. econometric approaches, statistical analysis, poverty analysis, and/or general equilibrium modeling such as General Equilibrium [GE] and Global Trade Analysis Project [GTAP]).
- Experience of SNA, and related tools – Supply/ Use and Input/ Output tables, and construction of SAM and SEEA in developing country contexts.
Language Requirement:
Fluency in written and spoken English
Interested offeror must read the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice, which can be viewed at https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=94945 more detail information about term of references, instructions to offeror, and to download the documents to be submitted in the offer through online.
UNDP reserves right to reject any applications that is incomplete.
Please be informed that we don’t accept application submitted via email.
Interested Offerors are required to submit application via UNDP jobsite system as the application screening and evaluation will be done through UNDP jobsite system. Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file. Your online applications submission will be acknowledged where an email address has been provided. If you do not receive an email acknowledgement within 24 hours of submission, your application may not have been received. In such cases, please resubmit the application, if necessary. Please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.
Interested individual offeror must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:
1. Proposal:
i. Letter of explaining why they are most suitable for the work
ii. A sample of work to prove superior written communication skills, with the ability to convey complex development concepts and recommendations
2. Financial proposal (Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP)
3. Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references
Any request for clarification/additional information on this procurement notice shall be communicated in writing to UNDP office or send to email pheara.lek@undp.org and cc procurement.kh@undp.org . While the Procurement Unit would endeavor to provide information expeditiously, only requests receiving at least 3 working days prior to the submission deadline will be entertained. Any delay in providing such information will not be considered as a reason for extending the submission deadline. The UNDP's response (including an explanation of the query but without identifying the source of inquiry) will be posted in Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice page as provided above. Therefore, all prospective Offerors are advised to visit the page regularly to make obtain update related to this Individual Consultant (IC).