Background
The EU4Moldova: focal regions Programme is based on the European Commission Implementing Decision on the Annual Action Programme 2018 in favor of the Republic of Moldova and is funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme.
The overall objective of the five-year Programme is to strengthen the economic, territorial and social cohesion in the Republic of Moldova through facilitating inclusive, sustainable and integrated local socio-economic growth and improving the standards of living of the citizens in the pilot micro- regions: Cahul and Ungheni.
To this end, this Programme will address the urban-rural divide and regional disparities, stimulate economic growth and job creation, refurbish and upgrade some social and technical infrastructure in selected pilot micro-regions (smaller towns and villages) while taking into account a gender perspective in the activities of the Programme.
Specific objectives:
- To strengthen transparency, accountability of local public authorities and citizen participation in local governance processes in the pilot micro-regions.
- To improve citizens' access to quality public services and utilities in the pilot micro-regions.
- To create employment opportunities for men and women in the pilot micro-regions and improve the attractiveness of the pilot regions for investors and entrepreneurs,
- To promote the smart specialization of the economy of the pilot micro regions through the development of the clustering and value chain approach in key economic sectors.
The Programme objectives will be achieved through measures targeted at: (i) capacity building to support the implementation and monitoring of local economic development plans; (ii) civil society engagement in local planning, governance processes and basic social service delivery; (iii) provision of investment funding in support of the creation and/or development of social and technical infrastructure which, combined with the outcomes from interventions (i) and (ii) above, will have an immediate, visible and tangible impact on employment creation, the standard of living of the population in the pilot micro-regions.
Duties and Responsibilities
SCOPE OF WORK
The overall objective of the International Consultant on Low Carbon Economic Development (LCED) assignment (hereinafter Consultant) is to provide methodological guidance and technical expertise in road-mapping of the Programme interventions for supporting 2 focal regions from the Republic of Moldova to build their competitiveness in promoting green and climate resilient economic growth and job creation. In this regard, the Expert is expected to deliver the following activities:
- Support the Programme to undertake the preparatory activities for defining the ‘functional economic area’ and initiation of the LCED field interventions in two focal regions;
- Support the process of elaboration of Low Carbon Economic Development Roadmaps for two focal regions with the environmental and climate change considerations duly mainstreamed;
- Support the conceptualization of the methodological approach to facilitate and catalyze the implementation of LCED Roadmaps in two focal regions.
Note: The term of ‘focal region’ is used to define the broader area of Cahul municipality (35 thousand inhabitants) and Ungheni municipality (32 thousand inhabitants), comprising adjacent rural communities (to be further defined).
TASKS AND ESTIMATED WORKLOAD
The assignment will require the completion of the following tasks:
Tasks, Activities & Deliverables (provision of deliverables of required content and quality is the only criteria for consultant’s payment) | Estimated work volume (used at the submission stage) | Tentative timeframe (subject to coordination/adjustment with EU4MD project team) |
---|---|---|
| up to 25 working days |
|
Deliverable 1:
|
| July 15, 2020
|
Deliverable 2:
Report on results of the facilitated workshops and coaching for defining the functional economic area and stakeholder’s analysis. |
| August 30, 2020
|
| up to 30 working days |
|
Deliverable 3: Draft methodology for conducting of rapid economic appraisal and LCED Roadmap |
| September 30, 2020
|
Deliverable 4: Report on coaching local teams for conducting rapid economic appraisal in Cahul and Ungheni focal regions |
| October 15, 2020
|
Deliverable 5: Report on coaching local teams in elaboration of Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Economic Development Roadmap in Cahul and Ungheni focal regions. |
| December 10, 2020 |
| up to 9 working days |
|
Deliverable 6: Report on recommendations for the Programme on further progressing of activities to support the Low Carbon and Climate Resilient Economic Development interventions in focal regions of Cahul and Ungheni. |
| February 10, 2021 |
IV Deliver a final Activity Report on all activities under these Terms of Reference | up to 1 working day |
|
Deliverable 7: Final Combined Progress Report Note 1: The report will contain the narrative part on progress achieved with all deliverables attached (both in hard and digital versions). |
| By February 28, 2021 |
TOTAL estimated workload | Up to 65 working days |
|
Note: The indicated tentative timeframe has been estimated as being sufficient/feasible for the envisaged volume of work to be completed successfully and is proposed as a guideline for the duration of the assignment. The provision of the envisaged deliverables approved by the Programme shall be the only criteria for Consultant’s work being completed and eligible for payment/s.
All activities under this assignment shall be performed in a gender-sensitive manner and applying human rights-based approach.
Language of the deliverables: All deliverables shall be submitted in English language (or Romanian or Russian if the Expert is fluent in one of these languages).
[1] www.mesopartner.com/knowledge-resources/methodologies/paca/
Competencies
- Knowledge and skills of MS Office, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint;
- Excellent language proficiency in both written and oral English;
- Knowledge of Romanian and/or Russian language will be an asset;
- Demonstrated capacity of team-orientation work, excellent planning and organizational skills;
- Good interpersonal skills, solid judgment/decision making, initiative and creativity;
- Ability to analyse, plan, communicate effectively organize and meet expected results;
- Ability to achieve results and deadlines in a timely manner, maintaining a high standard throughout;
- Proven commitment to the core values of the United Nations, in particular, respecting differences of culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, nationality, language, age, HIV status, disability, and sexual orientation, or other status.
Required Skills and Experience
Academic Qualifications :
- Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in economics, engineering, sociology, public administration or other relevant field.
Working experience :
- At least 10 years of practical experience in the field of local economic development;
- At least 5 years of international experience in the field of local economic development;
- Advanced experience related to implementing PACA[1] (Participatory Appraisal of Competitive Advantage) methodology (at least 2 projects/assignments);
- Advanced experience in conducting Rapid Economic Appraisal processes;
- At least 3 years experience in the field of low carbon economic development;
- Experience in European/East-European countries in the area of assignment will be an advantage;
- Experience in facilitation, coaching, mentoring and/or delivering trainings in the field of local economic development;
- Experience of work with international organizations/projects, including UN and/or European ones will be an advantage;
- Knowledge of local economic development context in transition countries;
- Knowledge of environmental mainstreaming tools into economic development will be an asset;
- Knowledge of the development context of Moldova will be an asset.
[1] E.g. www.mesopartner.com/knowledge-resources/methodologies/paca/
For the details on the evaluation process, please, refer to the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice attached to the announcement.