Historique

In 2018, UNDP in Asia and the Pacific and the European Union (EU) began work on a new project that aims to address the root causes of violent extremism and promote tolerance and respect for diversity in Southeast Asia. The project includes three major outputs, the first of which is detailed below:

Regional network of practitioners that conducts research, holds forums and develops policy recommendations for preventing violent extremism in Asia established

To better understand the regional context of the specific drivers and potential mitigation strategies of violent extremism in Southeast Asia, UNDP commissioned two sub-regional analytical papers in 2016, updated in 2017. The key message to come out of both pieces of research was further analysis and partnerships are needed to ensure research is successfully transferred into policy and programming on the ground.

Current state of research

Violent extremism in Southeast Asia poses an increasing risk yet increasing evidence shows that PVE policies that are not grounded in research or evidence can have harmful impacts on the communities they target. Furthermore, the evidence base for effective preventing violent extremism interventions is very limited. South-East Asia is home to a large number of research institutions and policy centres working on various issues related to security, preventing violent extremism, and peacebuilding. Yet there is little coordination amongst actors and a large gap lies in nationally-led research in countries affected by extremism. Research in such countries remains under-resourced, disconnected, and distant from community-level PVE programming. UNDP’s Regional PVE project seeks to address these gaps by improving the research base on the issue, strengthening academic networks, and creating greater connections between research and PVE interventions in communities.

As a result of the above UNDP’s regional PVE project will commission research on violent extremism, bring together various stakeholders to discuss the existing state of research and policies address these gaps by improving the research base on the issue. The research will focus primarily on regional synergies, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand.

In October 2018, UNDP organised an expert meeting in Bangkok to discuss a new strategy for PVE research in the region. The meeting included 5 senior level practitioners who will make up a core advisory group and will produce up to 4-5 thematic research papers that will be compiled into a Regional PVE study for Southeast Asia.

UNDP requires the services of an experienced consultant to explore the extent of the returning terrorist fighter (RTF) phenomenon in the region, focusing on three countries (Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines). The research will analysis the statistics of RTF in each country, the question of RTF families, possible networking at the regional and local levels, and potential threats posed to security in the region. With the aim of steering policies in the region and assisting governments in avoiding potential threats, research will also examine the role of detention facilities and deradicalization programmes as a response to the issue.

Devoirs et responsabilités

Objectives:

To support the overall delivery of the UNDP PVE project, the objectives of the assignment are to:

1. Develop a strong evidence base for UNDP PVE project activities;
2. Connect PVE-related policies being developed in the region to up-to-date research and analysis;
3. Increase the effectiveness of future PVE programming in the region, particularly in areas affected by ongoing crises

Scope of Work:

The consultant will conduct the following activities under the supervision of UNDP Governance and Peacebuilding Advisor and the Regional PVE Research Coordinator:

 Research will be split into 20 days desk-based research and writing, and 20 days of field work:

• Conduct desk research to collect secondary data and identify existing gaps;
• Conduct interviews, meetings, and gather relevant quantitative data in target countries to gather data for research;
• Access and interview key individuals and families for UNDP interviews on extremism as part of the regional study;
• Drafting research paper on agreed PVE area of interest to UNDP;
• Provide policy recommendations, based on the research, that are in line with UNDP principles and approach to PVE.

Institutional Arrangement:

The consultant will work under supervision of UNDP’s Programme Advisor for Governance and Peacebuilding and the Regional PVE Research Coordinator.

Duration of the Work:  The period of the assignment is estimated to be ffrom 01 February 2019 – 30 June 2019, up to a maximum of 40 working days.

Duty Station: Home based with travel.

Expected places of travel: Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Any necessary missions must be approved in advance and in writing by the supervisor.

Compétences

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling 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 favouritism.

 Technical Competencies:

• Analytic capacity and demonstrated ability to process, analyse and synthesise complex, technical information;
• Proven ability to support the development of high quality knowledge and training materials, and to train technical teams;
• Proven experience in the developing country context and working in different cultural settings.

 Communication:

• Communicate effectively in writing to a varied and broad audience in a simple and concise manner.

 Professionalism:

• Capable of working in a high pressure environment with sharp and frequent deadlines, managing many tasks simultaneously;
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills.

 Teamwork:

• Projects a positive image and is ready to take on a wide range of tasks;
• Focuses on results for the client;
• Welcomes constructive feedback.

Qualifications et expériences requises

The consultant should possess the following expertise and qualifications:

Education:

• Master’s Degree, or equivalent preferably in political science, human rights, security, or other relevant social science studies.

Experience:

• At least 8 years of experience in researching preventing violent extremism, international development, and/or peacebuilding;
• 5 years of working experience in Asia;
• Academic experience on religious extremism based in Asia;
• Excellent writing and communications skills in English;
• Previous experience with the United Nations is a strong asset.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English.
• Fluency in written and spoken Malaysian is a strong asset.

Financial Proposal:

The consultant must send a financial proposal based on Lump Sum Amount. The total amount quoted shall be all-inclusive and include all costs components required to perform the deliverables identified in the TOR, including professional fee, communications, consumables, and any other applicable cost to be incurred by the consultant in completing the assignment. The contract price will be fixed output-based price regardless of extension of the herein specified duration. Payments will be done upon completion of the deliverables/outputs and as per below percentages:

All related travel expenses will be supported by the project travel fund and will be reimbursed as per UNDP rules and regulations upon submission of an F-10 claim form and supporting documents. Costs for airfares, terminal expenses, and living allowances should not be included in financial proposal.

The consultant will be responsible for making his/her own mission travel arrangements in line with UNDP travel. The consultant is responsible for obtaining any visas needed in connection with travel with the necessary support from UNDP.

In general, UNDP shall not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the consultant wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the event of unforeseeable travel not anticipated in this TOR, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and the consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Travel costs shall be reimbursed at actual but not exceeding the quotation from UNDP approved travel agent.  The provided living allowance will not be exceeding UNDP DSA rates. Repatriation travel cost from home to duty station in Bangkok and return shall not be covered by UNDP.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer

Individual consultant will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis. The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as a) responsive/compliant/acceptable; and b) having received the highest score out of set of weighted technical criteria (70%). and financial criteria (30%). Financial score shall be computed as a ratio of the proposal being evaluated and the lowest priced proposal received by UNDP for the assignment.

Technical Criteria for Evaluation (Maximum 100 points)

• Criteria 1: Relevance of Education – Max 20 points;
• Criteria 2: Relevance working experience – Max 20 Points;
• Criteria 3: Experience and knowledge of the Asia region – Max 20 points;
• Criteria 4: Academic experience on religious extremism based in Asia – Max 20 points;
• Criteria 5: Excellent writing and communications skills in English – Max 20 points

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% of the total technical criteria points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Documents to be included when submitting The Proposals.

Candidates wishing to be considered for this assignment are required to submit the following documents interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload maximum one document:

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
2. Personal CV, indicating all pass experiences from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email, and telephone number) of the candidate and at lease three (3) professional references;
3. Financial Proposal that indicates the lump sum rate/fee of the candidate, in US dollars. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal must additionally include a breakdown of this daily fee (including number of anticipated working days and all foreseeable expenses to carry out the assignment).

Incomplete proposals may not be considered. The short-listed candidates may be contacted and the successful candidate will be notified.

ANNEXES

Annex I – TOR for Consultant in Preventing Violent Extremism – to produce a Research paper on Off-Ramps, Prisons, and Returning Terrorist Fighters

Annex II – Individual IC General Terms and Conditions

Annex III – P11 for ICs (optional)

Annex IV - Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability for the Individual IC, including Financial Proposal Template

Annex V – Procurement notice

All documents can be downloaded at :  http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=51853