UNDP Jobs - 85403- Consultant in Youth Policy

Consultant in Youth Policy

Location :

Home based consultancy with one mission to Georgia, GEORGIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

04-Jun-19 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Up to 30 consultancy days during June- July 2019, including one ten-day mission to Georgia

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

The comprehensive “Georgian National Youth Policy", adopted in 2014, was elaborated based on best international practices through the joint efforts of state agencies, youth, civil society, private sector, and international and local organizations with technical assistance from UN agencies (UNFPA and UNICEF). The policy regulates a wide range of issues related to the development of adolescents and youth aged from 14 to 29 in four strategic directions: 1. Participation; 2. Education, employment and mobility; 3. Health care; and 4. Special support and protection (http://www.youthpolicy.org/national/Georgia_2014_National_Youth_Policy.pdf).

Based on the policy document, the Government of Georgia (GoG) has elaborated and approved the “2015-2020 Action Plan for State Youth Policy Development" covering the strategic directions of youth policy with more than 200 programs to be accomplished by the executive authorities.

As the current action plan is reaching the end of its term, GoG aims to renew the Youth Policy in light of the 2030 SDG agenda and will reflect a number of priority areas of the UN Youth Strategy 2030 (https://www.un.org/youthenvoy/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/18-00080_UN-Youth-Strategy_Web.pdf) so that it accurately reflects the current environment in which the Georgian youth lives and comprehensively responds to their rights and emerging needs. Since January 2019, an oversight function on Youth Affairs has shifted from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports to the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Parliament of Georgia, under its new Rules of Procedure, possesses the tools to ensure improved oversight of the policy-making process through the Parliamentary Committee on Sports and Youth Affairs. As highlighted in its Strategy and Action Plan for 2019 (https://bit.ly/2TFRuGt), the Committee intends to analyze the current Youth Policy and prepare recommendations for the Government based on an evaluation of its results. The recommendations should be aimed at promoting the development of state services that are evidence- and needs-based.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) is the leading UN agency coordinating the youth development agenda alongside the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The listed UN agencies provide technical assistance to the Parliamentary Committee in order to fulfil the needs of the youth agenda’s reform and to assess the status of the implementation of the 2014-2019 youth policy Action Plan, to elaborate recommendations on coordination mechanisms and the Youth Dialogue Platform, to support renewed Youth Policy Concept development (2020-2030), and to elaborate its monitoring framework (Youth Index).

As part of this joint effort, and to support the committee in the above exercise, UNDP in Georgia, through its Governance Reform Fund (GRF) Project, is seeking the services of an international consultant in the field of youth policy.

Duties and Responsibilities

The International Consultant will work under the overall supervision of Governance Reform Fund (GRF) Project Manager and in close coordination with respective personnel from the Sports and Youth Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Georgia. The service provider will be directly responsible to, reporting to, seeking approval from, and obtaining certification of output acceptability from the above-mentioned persons. In addition, the respective GRF team will be responsible to share relevant documents, contact details and other necessary information with the service provider.

The consultancy aims to strengthen the policy-making and oversight capacities of the Parliamentary Committee on Sports and Youth Affairs through providing a comparative outlook on the good European practices of governance regarding youth policies, and then using that to assess the challenges in Georgia’s institutional and legal framework.

The scope of work for the International Consultant will include, but may not be limited to:

Develop a methodology for assessing the governance practices of youth related policies to identify challenges and good practices in Georgia’s institutional and legal framework;
Based on the above methodology, and findings of the 2014-2019 National Youth Policy Action Plan Implementation Assessment (as described above), conduct a study including desk research and in-depth interviews with national key informants to review the good practices of the EU member states in the area of governance (planning, implementation, central and municipal coordination, cooperation with youth NGOs, structural dialogue with youth) of public youth policies;
Undertake a study with stakeholder mapping in the area of Youth sector and conducting in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with key stakeholders including government officials, youth organizations and donor community;
Prepare a comparative analysis demonstrating practical examples and good practices of different countries such as institutional and legal framework for policy governance systems/mechanisms at national and local levels;
As part of the mission, lead a workshop with the participation of key stakeholders in order to present the above-mentioned comparative analysis and the first assessment of the challenges in the Georgian context;
Undertake a desk research of different countries’ most relevant models of youth agencies and suggest such adapted to the local context, including its function and role to be operationalized under the Prime Minister’s office;
Based on the desk research, comparative analysis, and the mission to Georgia, elaborate recommendations and model on strengthening the youth policy governance system including coordination and implementation of youth policy at national and local levels as well as a suggested model of a sustainable mechanism for structural dialogue with youth;
Develop a final report including the accomplishments of the consultancy, and a set of recommendations for the further enhancement of youth policy in Georgia.

Deliverables, timelines and payment modality:

The payment will be made upon satisfactory completion/submission and approval of the deliverables by the supervisor, as per the below details:

Meetings and workshop - mission in Georgia: due by the end of June 2019 (30% of a total sum)
Report on Comparative Analysis on good EU member state practices in the area of youth policy: due by mid-July 2019 (30% of a total sum)
Recommendations on strengthening youth policy coordination and implementation at national and local levels (institutional and legal framework); Report on different countries’ most relevant models of youth agencies; Recommendations on model of the structural dialogue with Youth; Final report including accomplishments of the consultancy and a set of recommendations for further enhancement of youth policy in Georgia: due by the end of July 2019 (40% of a total sum)

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, team-building, organizational and communication skills
Ability to work in a multi-cultural environment

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

At least Master’s degree in public policy/administration, social sciences or related field (minimum requirement: Master's degree - 12 points, PhD - additional 3 points)

Experience:

At least 7 years of experience of working with governmental, civil society and/or international organizations in the field of youth policy (minimum requirement: 7 years - 12 points; more than 7 years - additional 3 points);
At least 3 years of experience of working on international assignments/providing advisory services for national and/or local governments in the area of youth policy (minimum requirement: 3 years - 11 points; more than 3 years - additional 4 points);
Strong knowledge of coordination mechanisms on youth policy governance;
Knowledge of parliaments’ role and its functions is an asset;
Experience of working in Georgia and/or knowledge of the region’s context is an asset (5 points);
Experience with the UN organization is an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in English.

Evaluation:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis method against combination of technical and financial criteria. Maximum obtainable score is 100, out of which the total score for technical criteria equals to 70 (desk review - 50 points and interview - 20 points) and for financial criteria – to 30. Offerors that do not meet Minimum Qualification Criteria will be automatically rejected, while the rest will form up the long list. The offerors who obtain minimum 35 points as a result of the desk review will be invited for the interview. Offerors who pass 70% threshold, i.e. obtain minimum 14 points, as a result of the interview will be requested the financial proposal.

Financial Proposal:

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the ToR. 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. Maximum 30 points will be assigned to the lowest price offer. All other price offers will be scored using the formula (inverse proportion): Financial score X = 30* the lowest price offer/suggested price offer. All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal as well.