The Asia-Pacific Regional Centre, Bangkok, serves countries of the region under UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific. It is a regional hub for development knowledge and expertise, providing programming, policy advisory and capacity development services in Asia and the Pacific. Located at the APRC, the strategic value of the Inclusive Growth and Poverty Reduction (IGPR) team is in bringing a combined understanding of the regional and national development contexts to multi-dimensional poverty issues that need to be addressed at an international or multi-country levels, and in-country national as well as in urban and rural areas. Development results are linked to influencing ideas, policy and programming impacts for reduction of multi-dimensional poverty and sustainable human development. Towards these results outputs of the Team include knowledge products, knowledge exchange, knowledge services, and policy-oriented advocacy, contributing to programming and policies for poverty reduction and the MDGs.

One of the areas of focus of the Inclusive Growth and Poverty Reduction is ensuring inclusive and sustainable urbanization. Asia’s population was 45% urban in 2011; this is projected to increase to 56% in 2030 and 64% in 2050. Successfully managing city growth will be critical to development in such areas as providing decent employment, reducing poverty, and addressing climate change and environmental sustainability. Ensuring equitable services, social inclusion, democracy, and protection of the rights of the urban poor are all demands that will expand with the growth of cities in the region.

As many city and national governments in the region lack the resources or the expertise to take on the multi-dimensional challenges posed by urbanization, UNDP APRC has established a multidisciplinary team, the Development Solution Team (DST), working on Inclusive and Sustainable Urbanisation. The UNDP APRC DST on inclusive and sustainable urbanisation offers a body of knowledge and technical expertise to address complex and interconnected development challenges; it also offers experience in bringing stakeholders together by facilitating exchange of knowledge, including through South-South Cooperation. It is actively employing and seeking innovative ways to address pressing development issues in urban areas and looking toward design-thinking as a means for transferring knowledge and experience from one country to another.

The work of the DST has the following key components:

• Offering technical assistance to UNDP’s country offices on issues related to urbanization from a multi-dimensional perspective, particularly through the application of innovative approaches such as design thinking, application of big data for development solutions, futures thinking, crowd sourcing, data exhaust, etc.;
• Forging partnerships with countries, multi-lateral and bi-lateral institutions, UN agencies, and other local as well as international development partners on urban issues;
• Promoting south-south as well as triangular cooperation around urban solutions;
• Developing project/grant proposals for urban initiatives.

The objective of this assignment is to support UNDP APRC DST on inclusive and sustainable urbanization in all its areas of work.

 Scope of Work:

• Provide backstopping support as well as technical assistance to UNDP’s country offices in Asia Pacific on urban issues including desk research, presenting at relevant foras, drafting and editing project documents;
• Coordinate the different streams of work on inclusive and sustainable urbanization that bring together the governance, environmental, resilience, climate change and poverty and inequality dimensions of urbanization;
• Support to the urban futures challenge prize process;
• Support to the SS exchange, use of design thinking;
• Revisit the regional urban strategy and provide substantive inputs toward a new and updated vision of the DST’s work;
• Conceptualize, organize, and provide inputs toward urban initiatives including regional and country based events/meetings the DST is organizing;
• Map potential partners and leverage existing partnership to develop potential proposals for joint work on urban issues including with multi-lateral and bi-lateral organization, UN agencies, as well as with international and local institutions/think tanks;
• With other members of the DST, build on existing a community of practice comprising experts, practitioners, policy makers relevant to the team’s urban work;
• Carry out due diligence as necessary and required toward DST work.

 Expected Outputs and Deliverables:

• Country Office Support: Coordinating responses to requests for technical assistance on urban-related issues from UNDP Country Offices in the region, including background research, sourcing technical inputs from Urban DST members and other APRC specialists, and preparing draft consolidated responses. (20 per cent of time);
• Regional Urban Initiatives: Supporting the delivery of on-going initiatives under the Urban DST work programme, including the China-Bangladesh South-South exchange and the urban futures challenge prize. (20 per cent of Time);
• Due Diligence: Draft talking points, presentation, issues briefs as required on an on-going basis, especially in support of COs. (20 per cent of time);
• Proposals and project development: Map partners, and develop proposals for joint work on urban issues (20 per cent of time);
• CoP: build on existing community of practice comprising experts, practitioners, policy-makers relevant to the team’s urban work (10 per cent of time);
• Regional Strategy: Finalize the draft of a new regional strategy, based on regular meetings with relevant DST colleagues. (10 per cent of time).

Functional Competencies:

• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities skills;
• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
• Ability to plan, organize, implement and report on work;
• Ability to work under pressure and tight deadlines;
• Comprehensiveness knowledge of urban issues, especially in the Asia Pacific context
• Proficiency in the use of office IT applications and internet in conducting research;
• Outstanding communication, project management and organizational skills;
• Excellent presentation and facilitation skills.

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards;
• Positive, constructive attitude to work;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Educational:

• Advanced degree in development economics, development studies, geography, urban planning, population and development, statistics, or other relevant social sciences relevant to this assignment.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of experience working on urban development challenges. At least 3 years working on and/or covering Asia Pacific countries;
• Familiarity with governance, climate change, poverty and inequality debates as they related to an urban context;
• Experience working on employing innovative methods toward urban issues an asset;
• Experience using design thinking and other innovative methodologies for development;
• Experience working in multi-lateral and bi-lateral development oriented agencies;
• Track-record of forging partnerships, coordinating joint milti-partner initiatives and mobilizing resources.

Language:

• Fluency of English language is required;
• Knowledge of an Asian language would be an asset.

Institutional Arrangement:

• The international consultant with report to the Team Leader – Inclusive Growth and Poverty Reduction, and in close collaboration with the Policy Specialist, MDGs and the rest of the Urban Task Team colleagues.

 Duration of the Work:

• Expected initial duration of work is from September 25 to December 24, with the possibility of extension.

 Duty Station:

• Bangkok, Thailand with no travel required.

Documents to be included when submitting proposal:

Interested individual consultant must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate your qualifications:

• Cover Letter: Brief motivation letter explaining why the applicant thinks is an outstanding candidate for the job.
• Financial proposal: indicating all-inclusive daily fee in USD;
• Personal CV and/or signed P.11: including past experience in similar projects and the name and contact details of 3 references.

Financial Proposal:

The financial proposal will specify the daily professional fee in USD and payments will be made to the Individual Consultant based on the number of days worked and upon completion of the deliverables. The roundtrip airfare to join duty station will be covered by UNDP.  In the event of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Evaluation:

The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable;
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical Criteria weight; 70%:

• Experience related to services: 60 points;
• Expertise & Availability: 40 points;
• Financial Criteria weight; 30%.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 350 technical points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.