Historique

The joint Government- UN development assistance framework called Programme of Cooperation for Sustainable Development (UNDAF) 2017-2021 is currently under implementation. This strategic framework presents how the UN in Albania would respond to national development priorities, including European Union integration, in line with Albania’s National Strategy for Development and Integration 2015-2020 and Agenda2030.

The PoCSD implementation until 2021 requires an estimated total budget of USD 109 million broken down into core funds USD 15 million (14%), secured non-core resources USD 22.5 million (21%), and resources to be mobilized (funding gap) USD 71 million (65%)[1].

Rolling biennial Outcome-level joint work plans operationalize the PoCSD, underpinned by both core resources from UN agencies as well as mobilized resources (individually and jointly through the UN Albania One Fund - Coherence Fund) also identifying the annual funding gap. However, non-core resources make up almost 70-80% of UN Albania’s available annual budget, which highlights the importance of resource mobilization for successful PoCSD implementation.  The current trend (2017-2018 data) shows higher resources (core and non-core) mobilized towards Outcome 2- Social Cohesion covering 47% of the initially estimated 5-year total UNDAF budget for this outcome, while resources for the other outcomes cover between 30% to 38% of the relevant 5-year initially estimated total outcome budget. (see Annex 1 for the 5-year initial estimation of UN agencies resources towards the implementation of the UNDAF 2017-2021 as well as the 2017 actual budget and expenditures).

The UN Albania One Fund established in 2007, and re-branded in 2018 as the Albania SDG Acceleration Fund[2], has been an important source of funding, amounting annually to approximately 15% of the total non-core resources. Since 2007 total receipts by the Fund amount to USD $ 39 million. In the early years this fund received multiple unearmarked contributions from the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, EU, United Kingdom and other donors as well as global funding from the Delivering Results Together Fund. Since 2015, however, funding has declined and averaged only USD 2 million per year in tightly earmarked investments. Currently, the Government of Sweden[3] and the Government of Switzerland are contributing to the Fund as a vehicle for supporting joint UN action in line with the PoCSD, earmarked for gender equality and social inclusion programmes respectively.[4] 

On the government side, financial support has been slowly growing, and they were in 2017 the fifth largest non-core[5] contributor (USD$ 1,779,178) to UN programmes in country. However, although real GDP growth is projected to be a relatively strong 3.6% in 2018/2019 and although Albania has been classified officially as an upper-middle income country since 2012, Government cost-sharing is significantly lower than other countries in the sub-region, of approximately 9.3% of the total 2017 PoCSD budget . A high level of debt constrains the government’s financial flexibility. 

Nevertheless, Government has committed to contribute in the SDG Accelerator Fund, starting with USD $500,000 in 2018, and the UN is advocating for matching contributions from development partners in support of SDGs in the country.

To date, the private sector has not contributed significantly to financial resource mobilization in Albania, although some efforts at crowd-funding have been made by individual agencies.

In light of the above, UN in Albania is taking action to mobilize require funds and to build the necessary partnerships in order to collectively provide timely assistance in a wide range of issues.

Justification

In light of the above background, the UNCT is seeking to develop a resource mobilization strategy to take into account the following:

-          lessons from past and current resource mobilization efforts

-          a changing donor landscape in Albania as well as globally

-          a changing environment focused on Agenda2030 and SDGs in the country in synergy with the EU accession process

-          a desire to diversify funding sources beyond the limited number of traditional donors

-          the current workplanning process for the PoCSD (i.e. how to use the cycle of Outcome workplanning, activity pipeline, prioritization and gap analysis to help raise the required resources)

-          synergies and/or complementariness between the priority areas of the PoCSD with NSDI 2015-2020 and EU integration agenda to identify potential contributors and associated strategies for engaging them

-          UN comparative advantage in the country as a multilateral partner to Government with access to global expertise

-          UN Development System reform, in particular its emphasis on SDGs, pooled funding, encouragement to establish local SDG funds, links to the Global SDG Fund, the 'funding compact' associated with UN reform, and evolving accountability frameworks /processes within and between the RC and UNCT

-          opportunities arising from non-traditional sources of funding including blended finance/relevant alternative financing sources in the country. Because the financing gap in achieving the SDGs is estimated to be in the trillions, the development community has been focusing on innovative finance for the past several years.  What are possible models for Albania and UN to consider:  Some options could be included but not limited to the following:

-       Blended Finance and Public Private Partnerships

Blended finance refers to a strategic combination of public, private, and charitable funds, where limited public or philanthropic resources attract and mobilize private capital to sectors or areas with high development impacts.  Evidence shows that investments by the public sector or multilaterals can give private sector investors’ confidence to fund otherwise risky ventures.  Because blended approaches allow projects to have an expanded financial base, they allow for substantial additional investment that would not have otherwise been realized.  A World Economic Forum survey of 74 blended finance instruments found that “every dollar of public money invested typically attracts a further $1-20 in private investment.”

-       Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are a sub-set of blended finance instruments. PPPs bring all relevant players on a complex issue together in one fora, to create a shared vision and commit to investing or otherwise intervening in coordinated ways. For one example of a Public-Private Partnerships gone right, see Rockefeller Foundation President Judith Rodin’s talk (minute 13:45 for the overview and minute 33:34 for the example of rural electrification in India).

-       New financing instruments:

As pointed out by the OECD’s Angel Gurria, moving global development finance “from billions to trillions” requires developing the right instruments to access private capital. Sukuk or other Islamic Financial Sukuk, the sharia- compliant bond designed for Islamic banks is an option for Islamic countries. Any such options available for Albania context.

Addressing the above, the UN in Albania seeks a qualified international consultant to develop a Resource Mobilization[6] Strategy to accompany the PoCSD 2017-2021, responsive to UN Albania’s strategic vision, objectives, and results-orientation as embodied in the PoCSD 2017-2021 and in line with NSDI 2015-2020, EU accession objectives, Agenda2030 and SDGs. It will serve to reduce competition among United Nations bodies for resources, while improving cooperation on the basis of comparative advantages in resource mobilization. 

Equally important, this strategy will feed into the preparation of the upcoming UNDAF 2022-2026 for Albania. It should also feed into the Government's preparatory thinking for the development of its next national development plan as well as the EU's preparations for IPA 3. 

[1] PoCSD 2017-2021 https://www.un.org.al/publications/programme-cooperation-sustainable-development-un-sustainable-development-framework-2017

[2] http://www.un.org.al/news/government-albania-and-un-launch-sustainable-development-goals-acceleration-fund

[3] For an independent evaluation by Sida of the use of the One Fund for its programming in Albania on gender equality, see http://www.un.org.al/publications/evaluation-swedish-support-one-un-albania-gender-equality-work-2012-2017

[4] For details on One Fund / SDG Acceleration Fund, see Chapter 3 in 2017 Annual Progress Report http://www.un.org.al/publications/2017-progress-report

[5] The largest six donors contributing to the PoCSD in 2017 were EU, the governments of Switzerland and Sweden, GEF, and the governments of Albania and Italy.

[6] The documents will be aligned to UNDG Guidance note on Resource Mobilization https://undg.org/document/undg-guide-to-joint-resource-mobilization/

Devoirs et responsabilités

The ultimate aim of this consultancy is to effectively develop a Resource Mobilization Strategy 2017-2021 to ensure the UN in Albania has the necessary resources required to jointly achieve results and meet the funding targets of the PoCSD 2017-2021, in support of NSDI/EU integration and contribution to Agenda2030 and SDGs. 

The Resource Mobilization and Partnership Strategy will be an operational tool that speaks directly to the unfunded portion of the PoCSD 2017-2021, as well as to possible Albania emerging priorities that request for joint UN support. Given the current aid/growth context in Albania and perceptions by partners of the comparative advantage of the UN, it will provide an assessment of how much can realistically be mobilized, what sources should be pursued, and how to mobilize together as the UN.

The Strategy will feed from the discussions with UNCT Albania and partners on how to finance proposed development results of the United Nations. Its formulation will include six key steps[1]:

1.      Define realistic funding gap - the amount of resources the UNCT needs to mobilize for the period 2017-2021. Set and attain resource mobilization targets. The basis for this activity is the Common Budgetary Framework[2] prepared as part of the PoCSD development, as well as on an annual basis as part of the JWPs. Recommend UNCT review if unrealistic funding gaps.

2.      Agree on strategic approach to financing – reaching UNCT agreement on: 1) how it intends to fund the agreed priorities; 2) what are the comparative advantages of different United Nations agencies in mobilizing resources; and 3) what approach and which instruments should be employed – i.e. joint resource mobilization (by outcome groups; Albania SDG Acceleration fund for joint UN agencies’ implementation); resource mobilization by individual agencies for their programmes and projects; coordinated resource mobilization; incentives for joint fundraising that can be leveraged. Development and implementation of an annual planning/reporting RM practice (i.e. by outcome) for the UNCT to mark annual RM needs and report against this target’s achievement, with clear responsibilities for fund mobilization efforts. Tentative Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) will be established to associate the ratio of joint fundraising vs individual Agency fundraising. Regular reviews to enable adjustments, taking advantage of new or emerging resource mobilization opportunities.

3.      Analyze external environment - map potential and existing partners (local, regional and global levels) as well as their priority development areas. Recommend possible sources for accessing resources at different levels - Traditional OECD/DAC donors; Emerging donors, e.g. BRICS or MINT6; Government cost sharing and possible debt conversation; Global United Nations pooled funding mechanisms; Global and regional non-United Nations funds, including regional development banks; Philanthropic foundations and major individual donors; Public-private partnerships; and Innovative sources of funding including private capital investments.

4.      Match potential financing sources to unfunded outcomes - Link partners priorities to UN activities providing foundation and focus for cooperation between the donor and UN Albania. Linking the partners’ priorities to United Nations activities will provide the foundation and focus for cooperation between the donor and the United Nations system. The result of this matching exercise is a partner-specific overview of outcomes and outputs that reflects the development strategy of both the United Nations and the partner. Joint resource mobilization efforts with a particular donor will focus on these outcomes and outputs.

5.      Prioritize potential partners – identify/prioritize potential partners based on a wide range of criteria: financial/technical resources; working relationship; common areas of work; etc.

6.      Develop the RM Strategy - document may consist of the sections listed below.

• Background covers key national priorities and key results in the One Programme, an analysis of resource trends at the country level, and the rationale for joint resource mobilization for the One Programme.
• Key principles and incentives for joint resource mobilization of the United Nations system.
• Resource requirements and funding gap for each strategic outcome and output area.
• Possible financing partners and mechanisms at the global, regional and country levels for each outcome and output area.
• Analysis of United Nations agencies’ comparative advantages in resource mobilization including recommended approaches for engagement with key donors (past, present, future).
• Resource mobilization approaches to be used for each partner/outcome/output. Recommend practices to be applied: for example - for joint implementation to use Albania SDG Acceleration Fund; set up annual planning and reporting practices for UNCT (i.e. identify RM needs per outcome and hold annual review to adjust expectations); others.
• Agreed KPI or guidance target ratio for % joint versus individual fundraising
• Governance structure for the management and implementation of the strategy.
• Communication of the strategy. This section should cover how the RM strategy will be communicated.
• Implementation of the strategy. This section describes how the strategy will be implemented and would include rules, protocols on how UN can jointly mobilize resources, who is responsible for doing what, when and where. Describe the roles of the Resident Coordinator and UNCT members in mobilizing resources.
• Monitoring of the RM strategy progress. This section includes a monitoring framework with clear target based on based on baseline ratio of joint versus individual fundraising to ensure that accelerated RM moves towards joint efforts, indicators, means of verification, as well as a schedule for reviewing and updating the strategy; and
• Risks and rewards of the RM strategy.
• Time permitting, outline immediate steps/initial short-term action plan for the strategy implementation.

Scope of work

Specific tasks of the consultancy will include:

• Undertake a desk review and consultations with UNCT members to better understand the vision, mission and focus areas of the UN’s future assistance to Albania. The consultations should include discussions on: 1) how UNCT intends to fund the agreed priorities; 2) what are the comparative advantages of different UN agencies in mobilizing resources; and 3) what approach and which instruments should be employed.
• Review the One Budgetary Framework to better understand how much is needed and for what result area and assess the importance and potential of vertical and core funding sources within the UN system.
• Review processes and role of the JEC associated with earmarked contributions management;
• Undertake a desk review and consultations with the government and development partners to understand all the development strategies and the different funding actors’ profiles;
• Conduct a comprehensive analysis of potential donors[3] (local, regional and global) to map the feasibility of securing multi-year and thematic funding. Map/link donors’ strategic areas of interest, funds available, grantees, funding windows, requirements and guidelines and interest in funding key PoCSD result areas - linking the partners’ priorities to UN Albania activities will provide the foundation and focus for cooperation between the donor and the UN.
• Explore opportunities for partnerships (and mobilizing and leveraging resources) with donors (traditional, non-traditional and emerging) and private sector and recommend how to develop and maintain strategic partnerships and engagement with key donors, (past, present and future).
• Provide options of resource mobilization related to innovative finance such as blended finance and Public Private Partnerships, and alternative financing instruments
• Research possible debt-conversion options, assess government debt partners and whether there is any possibility of debt conversion/reduction for SDG outcome achievement.
• Other - as arising from consultations/discussions with UNCT and partners

Deliverables and Timeframe

The international consultant, under the supervision of the Resident Coordinator, and in close collaboration and support of the UNCT, the Resident Coordinator Office, Result Groups, OMT, UN Communication Group for the preparation of a Resource Mobilization Strategy 2017-2021.

He/She will complete the following deliverables under this assignment:

Institutional Arrangement:

The international consultant will work closely with the RCO staff and will be reporting to the UN Resident Coordinator.

The duration of this assignment will be 20 working days within April – May 2019. The consultant will have max 2 trips (8 days duration in total) to Albania during April - May 2019 to hold consultations with key actors to identify priority areas to be targeted for resource mobilization, key donor organizations and potential funding sources.

[1] IBID 1

[2]It should be noted that the resources per outcome/output refer to all programmatic, operations and communications needs. The result is a mapping of resource availability per outcome/ output in the UNDAF or Joint Work Plans as well as an identified funding gap.

[3] Traditional OECD/DAC donors; Emerging donors; Government cost sharing; Global United Nations pooled funding mechanisms (i.e. Human Security Trust Fund, Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, etc.); Global and regional non-United Nations funds, including regional development banks; Philanthropic foundations and major individual donors; Public-private partnerships; and Innovative sources of funding.

Compétences

CORE VALUES / GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• Integrity: Demonstrating consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.
• Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing diversity: Demonstrating an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Corporate Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN values and ethical standards.
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the UN in Albania.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills.

Development and Operational Effectiveness

• Ability to lead strategic information collection, analysis and result-based use of information.
• Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation.
• Ability to apply Resource Mobilization and Partnerships building theory to specific institutional contexts.
• Excellent writing and presentation skills.

Qualifications et expériences requises

Education

• Holder of a Master’s Degree in the social sciences, economics or development studies.

Work Experience

• At least fifteen years’ experience in the development sector, preferably in fundraising, resource mobilization or partnership building, development financing; Experience of UN system operations and donor assistance in normal development settings; Knowledge of UN’s Strategic Plan and Mission.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in spoken and written English is essential.

EVALUATION OF APPLICANTS

·         Only those applications which are responsive and compliant will be evaluated;

·         Individual consultants will be evaluated based on Combined Scoring method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal;

·         Combined weighted scoring: Technical (70%); Financial (30%).

25% or 25 points: - Relevant educational background.

35% or 35 points:  At least 15 years of experience in in the development sector, preferably in fundraising, resource mobilization or partnership building, development financing; Experience of UN system operations and donor assistance in normal development settings; Knowledge of UN’s Strategic Plan and Mission.

10% or 10 points:  Proven experience of UN system operations and donor assistance in normal development settings; Knowledge of UN’s Strategic Plan and Mission.

Application Procedure

Interested applicants are advised to carefully study all sections of this ToRs and ensure that they meet the general requirements as well as specific qualifications described. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

The application should contain:

• Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application.
• Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability-please fill in the attached form...http://www.un.org.al/doc/PSU_%20Individual%20Contract_Letter%20to%20UNDP.docx
• Latest personal CV, including past experience from similar projects or completed and signed UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SC) and Individual Contracts (IC) – Blank form Download here.
• Financial Proposal in USD that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price and all other travel related costs (such as flight ticket, per diem, etc), supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template attached to the Letter of Confirmation of Interest template.  If an applicant is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the applicant must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP. 
• Copy of Diplomas and copy of Passport.

PLEASE NOTE THAT INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR FURTHER EVALUATION 

How to Submit the Application:

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

• Merge your CV or P11, Financial Proposal Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
• Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;”
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Due to a large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process

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.