Background

UNDP works in more than 170 countries to simultaneously reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development that leads to transformational change and brings about real improvements in people’s lives. We promote an integrated approach to achieve sustainable development that tackles the connected issues of multidimensional poverty, inequality and exclusion, and sustainability, while enhancing knowledge, skills and production technologies to reduce risks and sustain development gains for both people and the planet. We help countries build their capacity to integrate environmental considerations into development plans and strategies, including through managing and sustainably using natural resources; ensuring that natural wealth is used to improve people’s lives; promoting economic recovery and livelihoods; and developing social inclusion policies and social protection for those in need, thus supporting the achievement of 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. 

To support the rollout of the SDGs the mainstreaming, acceleration, and policy support (MAPS) approach is being adopted across the UN Development Group (UNDG). The scope of the work is wide ranging, with each covering a set of activities and tools that support SDG localization and achievement including:

• Mainstreaming: Landing the SDG agenda at the national and local levels, such as through integration into national and sub-national plans for development and into budget allocations.
• Acceleration: Focus will be on identifying priority areas in respective countries along with support for accelerating progress. Specific support activities likely to include, for example, bottlenecks assessment, financing and partnerships, and measurement.
• Policy Support: Pooling together the skills, knowledge and experience of respective UN agencies to support policy formulation and implementation.

UNDP has been coordinating MAPS missions to individual countries for the elaboration of a national roadmap to implementing the SDGs. So far 12 MAPS reports have been prepared and highlighted various country level follow up areas in the ECIS region. 

Over the period of the contract IRH Sustainable Development Cluster will have significant needs to address MAPS follow up needs in a number of research areas including green economy, development financing, urbanization, and alignment of next generation Country Programme Documents (CPDs) with SDGs. 
Furthermore, as part of its mandate UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub, under the Climate and Disasters portfolio, is implementing a number of regional initiatives within in the framework of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including climate change and energy initiatives, amongst others. 

Energy Access SMEs Development Project (Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan) 

This project builds upon experiences from the UNDP Green Villages initiative implemented in Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic during the last two years. The project goal is to offer a comprehensive strategy to scale-up private sector engagement in energy access by improving the risk-return profile of private investment in energy access products and services. The key objective of the project is to expand energy access and provide reliable, affordable and sustainable energy products and services for the rural population of Tajikistan and the Kyrgyz Republic who are facing energy poverty, through promoting scalable, private sector-led business models and de-risking their investment. This project offers a comprehensive strategy to scale-up private sector engagement in energy access by improving the risk-return profile of private investment in energy access products and services. The project will focus on introducing new technologies and energy services in selected villages through the following three interlinked components: i) Enabling policy framework and capacity development for green energy SMEs, ii) Improved access to finance and piloted business models for green energy SMEs and energy service users, and iii) Improved access to sustainable energy services in remote rural areas – on a household, public buildings and village level. 

EU4Climate (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine)
The objective of the project is to support the development and implementation of climate-related policies by the Eastern Partnership countries which contribute to their low emission and climate resilient development and their commitments to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. It identifies key actions and results in line with the Paris Agreement, the "20 Deliverables for 2020”, and the key global policy goals set by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  The project will also translate into action priorities outlined in the Eastern Partnership Ministerial Declaration on Environment and Climate Change of October 2016. The following results will be achieved: (i) Finalized/up-dated nationally determined contributions and national mid-century strategies and communicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), (ii) Improved inter-institutional awareness and coordination at political and technical level of the Paris Agreement and the corresponding national commitments, (iii) Established or strengthened measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) systems, with countries getting on track with Paris Agreement transparency requirements, (iv) Establishment of concrete sectoral guidelines for the implementation of the Paris Agreement in each of the Eastern Partners, (v) Advanced alignment with EU acquis as provided by bilateral agreements with EU, (vi) Increased mobilization of climate finance, and (vii) Enhanced adaptation planning.

Climate Box (Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan)
Climate change has emerged as one of the most important issues facing the humanity in the 21st century. However, the awareness and understanding of drivers behind climate change, climate change impacts, mitigation and adaptation options are still insufficient among general public. Climate change education is key for empowering the youth for climate action. To reduce the burden on the environment and reduce our carbon footprint, we need relevant knowledge. It is important that such knowledge and habits are instilled from an early age, so that everyone understands by the time he or she leaves school how important it is to take good care of the natural environment and resources.  In 2014-2015, UNDP developed and piloted in Russia a new innovative interactive learning toolkit on Climate Change –” Climate Box”.  The toolkit was developed by an interdisciplinary team of Russian experts. The Climate Box consists of an illustrated textbook, the Climate Quiz game, a wall map illustrating the possible effects of climate change on nature and mankind, a poster with tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint, and a disk with all of the toolkit materials. 
The proposed project will (1) scale-up piloting of the Climate Box at the regional level including four more countries in the ECIS region – Armenia, Moldova, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, (2) support piloting and monitoring of the toolkit in seven ECIS countries – Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, and (3) support cross-country exchanges and learning initiatives including an international student contest on climate change. Russian experts and teachers will continue to play the leading role in the knowledge transfer, replication and building capacities of the national educational teams

Enhanced Access to Climate Finance (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz republic, Moldova, Serbia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.)
The UNDP programme countries in the Europe and CIS (ECIS) region represent a highly diverse group with distinct sub-regional development perspectives and challenges. All of these countries are now classified as middle income. This has been affecting the countries’ ability to attract development assistance in general and the international climate finance in particular in the context of the increasing scarcity of global development finance. Nonetheless, many countries in this region face difficult and often growing development challenges as well as multiple risks related to energy and climate, including energy shortages and vulnerability to climate change. Although climate change will affect countries to varying degrees, the entire region will be affected by long-term trends such as increasing scarcity of fresh water and increasing frequency and intensity of climate-induced disasters. This regional project will provide such assistance to the eligible countries in the region and will result in leveraging new and additional climate finance and private sector investments. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) is a new powerful source of climate finance for climate change adaptation and mitigation. UNDP has been very successful is helping programme countries to leverage GCF resources in 2015-2016. There is a solid pipeline of projects in the ECIS region, but the countries require financial and technical support in project scoping and development. Lack of project preparation funding hampered the ability of ECIS countries to accelerate development of their climate finance portfolios. This project will enhance access to climate finance to the eligible countries in the ECIS region and support knowledge exchange across the countries on leveraging and management of the climate finance. At least four new funding proposals on climate change adaptation and mitigation will be submitted to the GCF (supported with adequate co-financing) by the end of the project. At least $100 million of new and additional funding will be leveraged for enhanced climate resilience and reducing GHG emissions. Countries to be supported through this project: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz republic, Moldova, Serbia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.

Duties and Responsibilities

The scope of the work is provision of technical support and inputs in the rolling out of the implementation of project activities and functional support for a successful operation of the above mentioned programmes under Climate Disaster and Sustainable Development portfolios. 
Providing technical and research support to the on-going projects of the Climate and Disasters Team (CDT) and Sustainable Development Team (SD Team) in the region. 

The consultant will be shared between the Climate and Disasters Team and the Sustainable Development Team of the Istanbul Regional Hub. The consultancy is for technical assistance and research support for the on-going CDT and SDT projects; thus, the consultant needs to be in regular contact with the supervisor and programme specialists in the CDT and SDT in IRH to support delivery of tasks in timely manner. 

Task 1: Provide technical support to the team leaders in UNDP IRH by consolidating data from ECIS programme countries for implementation of the Energy Access SMEs Development; EU4Climate II; Enhanced access to Climate Finance; Climate Box, SEE Urban and Uranium 2 projects. 

Task 2: Conducting following research papers and case studies:

• Research paper on urbanization as an accelerator of inclusive and sustainable development in the region.
• A case study focusing on financial flows in the region.
• A case study focusing on green economy in the region as a follow up to MAPS recommendations.
• A regional overview of national institutional structures to support SDG implementation in the region in conjunction with others.

Task 3: Undertaking knowledge management for CDT and SDT programme. Knowledge management component includes:

• Updating and structuring the IRH Knowledge Management Gateway and other material information pertinent to CDT and SD thematic areas in ECIS, as necessary, and disseminating material through the site;
• Improve the design and contribute to the content of the CDT and SDT knowledge material tools;

Tasks 4: Preparation of agenda, list of participants and preparation of event-related materials for  meetings and global forums including Istanbul Development Dialogues, Global DRR Platform, World Reconstruction Forum, Secretary General’s Climate Summit and COP25 (dates tbc).

Task 5: Finalization of SDT Green Economy and CDT rosters by managing the full process for the establishment of the rosters.

Task 6: Finalization of CDT bi-monthly newsletters by collecting input from IRH and COs.

Task 7: Collecting and consolidating input from COs for Sustainable Development Team for the implementation of SDGs and the next phase of MAPS follow-up in the region, and for formulation of next generation Country Programme Documents (CPDs) in alignment with SDGs and green economy in the region.

Deliverable 1 (deadline by 28 February 2019):

• CDT bimonthly bulletin outline prepared and the first bulletin finalized.
• Consolidating data from country offices to support Programme specialist for SEE Urban programme for final reporting.
• Preparation of technical materials for the upcoming CDT and SDT project workshops.
• Draft a research paper on green economy in the region as a follow up to MAPS recommendations.

Deliverable 2 (deadline by 30 April 2019): 

• Preparation of technical materials for the CDT global forums.
• CDT bimonthly newsletters – second bulletin finalized.
• Draft a guidance note in preparation of the next generation CPDs aligned with SDGs and green economy in the region.

Deliverable 3 (deadline by 30 June 2019): 

• Collection of evidence on the best practices of energy, climate change and adaptation and disaster risk reduction to support CDT portfolio.
• UNDP corporate knowledge platforms (Intranet and Yammer) updated with latest tools and knowledge products during the CDT and SDT workshops and global forums.
• CDT bimonthly newsletters – third bulletin finalized.

Deliverable 4 (deadline by 31 August 2019):

• Collecting inputs from COs to support programme specialists for dissemination of key lessons learned in CDT portfolio.
• CDT bimonthly newsletters – fourth bulletin finalized.
• A case study on green economy finalized;

Deliverable 5 (deadline by 31 October 2019):

• A case study on financial flows to explore development financing opportunities in the ECIS finalized.
• A guidance note on next generation CPDs finalized and aligned with SDGs and green economy in the region.
• Development of a research content and data analysis on urbanization as an accelerator of inclusive and sustainable development in the region.
• CDT bimonthly newsletters – fifth bulletin finalized.

Deliverable 6 (deadline by 31 December 2019):

• SDT Green Economy roster finalized.
• CDT rosters finalized.
• CDT bimonthly newsletters – sixth bulletin finalized.

Payment Schedule

• Installment 1 - 20% of the contract amount upon confirmation by the Certifying Officer of satisfactory delivery Deliverable 1, by 28 February 2019;
• Installment 2 – 15% of the contract amount upon confirmation by the Certifying Officer of satisfactory delivery of Deliverable 2, by 30 April 2019;
• Installment 3 – 15% of the contract amount upon confirmation by the Certifying Officer of satisfactory delivery of Deliverable 3, by 30 June 2019;
• Installment 4 - 15% of the contract amount upon confirmation by the Certifying Officer of satisfactory delivery of Deliverable 4, by 31 August 2019;
• Installment 5 – 20% of the contract amount upon confirmation by the Certifying Officer of satisfactory delivery of Deliverable 5, by 31 October 2019
• Installment 6 - 15% of the contract amount upon confirmation by the Certifying Officer of satisfactory delivery of Deliverable 6, by 31 December 2019

Travel
This is an assignment with no envisaged travel. In the case of unforeseen travel is requested by the supervisors, the unforeseen travel costs will be paid separately as per UNDP rules and regulations.

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;

Functional competencies:

• Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations;
• Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities;
• Strong organizational skills

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education: 

• Minimum Master’s degree in one of the following areas: Development, Economics, Environment, Energy or related studies.

Experience: 

• Minimum 3 years of work experience in sustainable development and environment issues in ECIS region is required.
• Minimum 3 years of experience with SDGs and Agenda 2030 is required.
• Experience in research and reporting on development, environment or energy issues would be an asset.
• Prior experience in UN or international development organizations is an asset.

Language skills: 

• Fluency in English both written and spoken.

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.
The award of the contract should 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 a pre-determined set of weighted technical (P11/CV desk review with written samples evaluation) and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. 

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 35 points:

• Criteria A (Relevance of education) – max points:  3
• Criteria B (Experience in sustainable development and environment issues in ECIS region) – max points: 7
• Criteria C (Experience with SDGs and Agenda 2030) – max points: 5
• Criteria D (Experience research and reporting on development or environment issues) – max points: 5
• Criteria E (Prior experience in UN or international development organizations)– max points: 5
• Criteria F (Writing samples on sustainable development or environment, or energy issues)– max points: 10

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 15 points

Only candidates who will receive min. 70% of points in desk review (criteria A-E) will be considered for written samples evaluation. Only candidates who will get min. 70% of points in technical evaluation (criteria A-F) will be considered for financial evaluation.

Application procedures

Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should be single PDF file containing the following:

• 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. 
• Filled P11 form or CV including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://www.eurasia.undp.org/content/dam/rbec/docs/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc); 
• Financial Proposal* in USD - specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a) a total amount for profesional fee for tasks specified in this announcement and b) travel costs to join the duty station/repatriation travel.
• 2 (two) writing samples on sustainable development, environment, or energy issues.
• Offeror’s Letter (blank template can be downloaded from https://bit.ly/2KO1okS).

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials. Please group all your documents into one (1) single PDF attachment as the system only allows upload of one document. 

*Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination, personal security needs and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel.  

Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner. 

Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org
General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://on.undp.org/t7fJs.

Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply.

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