Background

The Samoa Multi-country Office (MCO) in the Pacific will launch the process of the development of the new Common Country Analysis (CCA) to cover four (4) PICTS (Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau).  The CCA will provide the foundation for the design of the new UN Cooperation Framework for the Pacific and at the same time, inform annual planning and decision-making processes of Government and other stakeholders as well as in the development of the Joint UN Country Action Plans.

The CCA is the UN system’s independent, impartial and collective assessment (i.e., a description of a country situation) and analysis (i.e., a description of causes and their implications) of a country situation for its internal use in developing the Cooperation Framework. It examines progress, gaps, opportunities and bottlenecks vis-à-vis a country’s commitment to achieving the 2030 Agenda, UN norms and standards, and the principles of the UN Charter, including as reflected in the Cooperation Framework Guiding Principles.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of the CCA

The Guiding Principles of the Cooperation Framework will apply throughout the analysis.  In addition to being the foundation of the Cooperation Framework programming cycle, the CCA will also be  an
up-to-date source of information and decision-making tool on the country context for the whole UN system, informing and feeding into the discussions on emerging issues, early warning and prevention; programme adaptation and development of the Joint Country Action Plans.

The CCA will draw from and add to existing data, statistics, analyses, reviews, research, capacities and resources from within and outside the UN system. These include national and sector specific development visions and strategies, national budget allocations, and development financing from domestic and international, private and public sources.

The CCA process will also be an opportunity to engage with a wide range of stakeholders in the UN CCA process through continuous and inclusive dialogue to address complex issues, such as inequality and exclusion, among others.

The CCA is no longer a one-off event, but a core analytical function carried out by the UNCT and a flagship product of the UN in the Pacific that will be reviewed and updated at least on an annual basis. This approach will enable the UNCT Pacific to be responsive to emerging needs and changing conditions in the region and provide a basis for making course corrections in programme implementation. 

Moreover, the CCA will integrate findings of the socio-economic impact assessment of COVID 19 in the Pacific, the Rapid Policy Appraisals and will be linked to other country analyses undertaken by national institutions and development stakeholders, including but not limited to: IFI analyses on SDG financing; reviews and recommendations of human rights mechanisms; regional/cross-boundary assessments; and disaster risk profiles.

The CCA process will result in four (4) country specific reports for the Samoa MCO. The CCA Report will capture, for each of the 4 countries, the development context, SDG progress analysis, emerging trends, gaps & transformational opportunities for attainment of SDGs by 2030. The main elements of CCA assessment and analytical processes are outlined below:

1. National Vision vis-à-vis the 2030 Agenda with links to regional and global frameworks/goals
2. Political and institutional analysis
3. Economic transformation analysis
4. Environment and climate change analysis
5. Social exclusion analysis.
6. Analysis of compliance with international human rights, norms and standards
7. Development- humanitarian – peace linkage analysis
8. Multidimensional SDG Risk Analysis
9. Financial landscape analysis.

Consultant

The Samoa MCO is seeking a national consultants to work in Niue and be responsible for the following:

• Support the design and presentation of the detailed CCA methodology and tools including for data collection and analysis, review and reporting to fulfill the consultancy objectives.
• Lead the analytical review of the priorities of the villages, islands and support with communication, where necessary, in terms of language and cultural peculiarities.
• Work closely with CCA taskforce, UN agencies, government and other regional organizations like SPC to develop a high-quality and evidence based CCA Report as the foundation for the new Cooperation Framework and JCAPs;
• Support/facilitate consultations with key partners (Government, international development partners, civil society, Workers and Employers Organizations, private sector and municipalities) in country under the guidance of the Task Force;
• Drafting of different sections of the CCA with the support from CCA Task force/ RCO and UN agencies.
• Support organization of consultations and prepare presentations to national partners and UNCT as needed;
• Revise the reports in line with the findings from the validation sessions and comments/feedback;
• Consolidate the findings of the Common Country Analysis preparing and editing the country chapters in the final CCA report (no more than 20-25 pages) with a strong emphasis on integrated analysis.  

The Consultants will report to UN resident Coordinator and will work under the overall guidance of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, in close coordination with CCA Task Force and UNCT. The consultants will be shared the draft of the Samoa CCA Report (prepared by the RCO team) as a model/sample to follow for respective 3 countries.

United Nations Country Team & CCA Interagency Technical Task Force

The CCA Interagency technical taskforce which includes technical members from UN agencies, under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator, will provide the overall strategic oversight and guidance for the entire process. The UNCT will be responsible for approving all the deliverables.

Tentative Methodology

With the support of the consultant the Interagency Task Force will develop a technically sound methodology in accordance with human rights-based approach to data, international data protection standards and the UN Principles on Personal Data Protection and Privacy. The methodology will amongst others:

• Draw and synthesize country specific secondary and primary data and add to existing data, statistics, analyses, reviews, research, studies and resources from within and outside the UN system. These include national and sector-specific development plans and strategies, national budget allocations, and development financing from domestic and international, private and public sources, regional and global reports;
• Capture data on regional and cross-border issues which impact on the country’s development trajectory;
• Ensure a highly participatory CCA process involving a wide range of national stakeholders –government, regional bodies, development partners, international financial institutions, private sector, civil society, international NGOs, trade unions, youth, women, children, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups of persons at risk of or already left behind;
• Employ innovative approaches to inclusive and participatory data collection and analytical processes that also takes advantage of the internet and mobile coverage and usage in the region;
• The CCA design and tools will facilitate identification of those left behind or at risk of being left behind across all the themes examined;
• The evidence and data, where it is possible, needs to be disaggregated not only by income, gender, geography and age, but also other grounds of discrimination prohibited under international law.
• Social, cultural, economic, political, legislative and other systemic drivers of exclusion should be examined and described.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies

• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Demonstrates commitment to the Government of Niue mission, vision and values
• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards.
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP.
• Treats all people fairly without favouritism.
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for any form of violence including sexual harassment.

Functional Competencies                                                                                             

• Strong understanding and knowledge of accreditation and standard setting process for civil society organisations.
• Strong skills and experience in carrying out scoping studies and developing guidelines for quality standards in relation to violence against women and girls, domestic violence work.
• Excellent communication, facilitation skills in Samoa and English language; ability to communicate effectively and in a credible manner with various partners including government, civil society, UN agencies; development partners; and communities.
• Good understanding of the government of Samoa existing accreditation process for service delivered by CSOs and government.  
• Strong knowledge and understanding of SDG relevant gender indicators, government human rights & CEDAW gender reporting indicators at national and global levels.

Leadership and Self-Management

• Strategic thinker with critical analysis skills
• Ability to work in tight schedules or timeframes
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
• Demonstrate openness to change and ability to manage complexities
• Good inter-personal and teamwork skills in Samoan language, networking aptitude, ability to work in multicultural environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Tentative Timeline and Deliverables

Overall, the process of developing the CCA is expected to take 20 working days, covering the period of Mid-August 2021 to Mid-October 2021.

Duty Station

Given travel restrictions linked to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the assignment would need to be undertaken in respective 3 countries by the local (country-based) consultants.

Required Skills and Experience

• Advanced degree in International Development Studies, Economics, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Sciences,
• Over 5 years’ relevant experience and proven expertise with development of strategic frameworks; Experience developing CCAs required; Experience developing CCAs and similar analytical assessments for the Pacific or SIDS context highly desirable.
• Solid understanding of the history, current socio-political context, and challenges of development efforts in Niue
• Solid knowledge and understanding of UNDS reform process, UN programming principles, Delivering as One SOPs, UN country programming processes (CCA/UNSDCF), SDGs.
• Understanding of policy-making, capacity development issues and Government systems in Niue
• Excellent analytical skills including ability to review and synthesize information rapidly, distinguishing major trends from minor details;
• Excellent writing skills including ability to prepare high quality reports, summaries, and presentations;
• Strong communication skills both spoken and written and ability to articulate ideas in a clear and concise style; ability to conduct consultations and interviews; Fluent in native language of Niue and able to provide translations
• Ability to conceptualize and analyze problems to identify key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate;
• Knowledge of UN’s LNOB approach, gender mainstreaming and Human Rights based Approach;

Evaluation Method:

• Offers will be evaluated according to the Combined Scoring method – where the technical criteria will be weighted at 70% and the financial offer will be weighted at 30%;
• The technical criteria (education, experience, language) will be based on a maximum 70% of the combined total points. Only the candidates that have achieved a minimum of 70% of the total technical points from the review of education, experience and language will be deemed technically compliant and considered for financial evaluation;
• Financial score (max 30%) will be computed based on the formula “(Lowest Price Offer / Price of the Offer Being Reviewed) x 30%”.
• The financial proposal shall specify an all-inclusive lump sum fee in NZD.  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 all foreseeable expenses to carry out the assignment).
• Applicant receiving the Highest Combined Score and has accepted UNDP’s General Terms and Conditions will be awarded the contract.

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Download the full Terms of Reference from the UNDP Procurement site link https://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=82972 as well as the template for submission of your proposal,