Background

September 2015 and since then has embarked into a process of integration and mainstreaming of the Agenda 2030 with the National Strategy for Development and Integration 2015–2020 (NSDI II) and National Statistical Programme II.

An Inter-Ministerial Committee on the SDGs,[1] chaired by the deputy prime minister and featuring membership of development partners, civil society, academia and the private sector, and an inter-institutional working group for achievement of the SDGs, have been operational since May 2017. In December 2017, Parliament unanimously approved a resolution[2] committing to the promotion, implementation and monitoring of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. In parallel with this approval, 25 Albanian universities signed a Declaration of Commitment[3] to play an active role in advancing the Agenda, while the civil society council approved a declaration[4] in support of the Goals. Moreover, the SDGs are integrated into the NSDI[5] and the National Statistical PrFogramme 2016–2020[6]. Meanwhile, the Rapid Integration Assessment[7] tool of UNDP has been applied and a report on the Harmonisation of the SDGs with Existing Sectoral Policies,[8] finalised in 2017 and launched in February 2018, serves as a useful baseline.

In 2018, Albania’s deputy prime minister presented the country’s Voluntary National Review (VNR) of the Sustainable Development Goals[9] at the 2018 high-level political forum (HLPF) held in July under the theme ‘Transformation towards sustainable and resilient societies’.[10] The Review—benefiting from sub-national and civil society consultations—highlighted progress made, particularly in the areas of judicial reform, public administration reform, intensification of the fight against corruption, increasing the fight against organised crime, and ensuring of the protection of human rights, including property rights. At the same time, particularly from the perspective of Leave No One Behind, the Review noted that further progress was needed for social protection, inclusion of Roma and Balkan Egyptian communities, persons with disabilities, children, minorities and other excluded communities.[11] The national statistical office, INSTAT, prepared a statistical annex that accompanied the Review.

During the HLPF, the Albania Permanent Mission to the UN, UNDP and Switzerland co-organised a side-event that underscored the regional aspects of the 2030 Agenda and especially the value of the EU integration process as an accelerator for the SDGs. With the participation of Serbia and Montenegro alongside Albania, the three cases focused on common SDG challenges across the Western Balkans and how EU accession can accelerate achievements.

In 2018, the UN, in collaboration with the government, undertook an SDG mission focused on Mainstreaming, Acceleration, and Policy Support (MAPS), the first in the Western Balkans. The joint UN mission drew on a simultaneous deployment of experts from regional offices, in collaboration with the EU and the World Bank, and identified three main accelerators of SDGs in Albania: i) governance and the rule of law, ii) investments in an inclusive, green economy, and iii) investment in social and human capital. The MAPS report[12] was launched officially by government on 19 September,[13] and at the same time the UN and the government announced the establishment of the Albania SDG Acceleration Fund. The Albanian government has committed itself to an annual contribution to this fund of USD 2 million and, with this leading contribution, other, flexible, matching funds will be sought from partners. In 2018, Sweden and Switzerland supported the Fund with contributions for gender equality and social inclusion.

During 2018, the UN Country Team also undertook a budget analysis of SDG-related spending in Albania (2015–2017)[14] to build evidence for investment trends in the SDGs, and UNDP undertook a needs assessment of INSTAT capacities so that they can better monitor and report publicly on the Goals.

Successful achievement of the sustainable development goals will require assignment and mobilisation of institutional resources in Albania, responsible for mainstreaming the SDGs in the national strategies, policies and plans, including the monitoring and reporting progress. In addition, improved capacities to prepare better, faster, detailed and reliable data would support Albania in making steady progress in the development agenda.

To support the government of Albania to prepare SDGs passports with intermediate targets for SDG country related indicators, the DDGG is looking to hire the expertise of a national consultant who will collaborate with relevant partners (government and non-governmental) for the completion of this assignment. The consultant will be working closely with the UN agencies, including strong collaboration with the UN SDG Task Force members.

[1] https://www.un.org.al/news/inter-ministerial-committee-sdgs-established

[2] https://www.un.org.al/news/members-albanian-parliament-commit-play-active-role-support-implementation-agenda-2030-and

[3] https://www.un.org.al/news/albanian-universities-sign-landmark-commitment-help-albana-achieve-global-goals

[4] http://www.amshc.gov.al/kkshc/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018.06.22-Nr.-16-1-KKSHC-Deklarate-per-SDG-EN.pdf

[5] Whereas Albania’s NSDI II is closely aligned with the SDGs at the target level, alignment at the indicator level is more modest. Less than one-third of the 232 global SDG indicators are used for tracking progress in NSDI implementation and other national development documents, out of more than a total of 1,200 indicators employed.

[6] http://www.instat.gov.al/media/376765/programi_kombetar_i_statistikave_zyrtare_2017-2021.pdf

[7] https://un.org.al/sites/default/files/sdg%20NSDI%20report%20final%20draft%20%28Final%29.pdf

[8] https://www.un.org.al/sites/default/files/Albania%20Report%20on%20the%20Harmonization.pdf

[9] http://www.un.org.al/publications/voluntary-national-review-sustainable-development-goals

[10] http://www.un.org.al/news/albania-presents-voluntary-national-review-sustainable-development-goals-%E2%80%93-during-ecosoc-high

[11] http://www.ambasadat.gov.al/united-nations/en/vice-prime-minister-mrs-senida-mesi-presents-voluntary-national-review-sustainable-development-goals

[12] http://www.un.org.al/publications/mainstreaming-acceleration-and-policy-support-achieving-sustainable-development-goals

[13] http://www.un.org.al/news/synergies-eu-accession-and-smart-investments-can-accelerate-achievement-agenda2030-albania

[14] http://www.un.org.al/sites/default/files/Final%20Report_SDG_Budget%20Analysis_1.pdf

Duties and Responsibilities

The national consultant would provide technical assistance to support the activity of the joint technical working group/ DDGG on preparation of the SDGs passports with intermediate targets for SDG country related indicators

Provide Technical Support on the following outputs:

·         Support joint technical working group/ DDGG and the respective institutions on defining the list of SDGs country related indicators

·         Provide assistance on preparation of SDG passports with intermediate targets for SDG country related indicators, baseline, challenges to achieve each, co-relation between indicators, similarities with country applicable ones, measurements

·         Supporting during the coordination work with relevant line ministries, ministerial departments and institutions, UN agencies, local government administrations, EU Delegation and EU member states, development and integrated partners, and other relevant stakeholders in the country.

Deliverables

·         Finalize the list of the SDG global indicators with data locally available in Albania and their historical data from the available sources.

·         Develop the set of SDG indicators passports which would include detailed information for every indicator – definition, methodology, leading institutions involved in data collection, reference to the strategic framework and specific SDG targets, periodicity of data collection, dissaggregation dimensions and depth etc.

·         Establish, where possible, intermediate and realistic targets (2022-2024) for all the SDG country related indicators. The targets should take in consideration historical trends, policy impact and the specifics of every indicator.

·         Identify a suitable subset of the locally available SDG indicators to be used as a monitoring framework for the implementation of NSDI III.

·         Integrate the locally available SDG indicators in the IPSIS platform and populate the structure with the available data and the proposed targets.

·         Conduct a gaps analysis with the available data for every local indicator and provide policy/institutional recommendations.

III        Institutional arrangements – management and conduct of the NSDI

Under the direct guidance and supervision of DDGG, the consultant will work with relevant line ministries, ministerial departments and institutions, UN agencies, including the UN SDG Task Force members, local government administrations, EU Delegation and EU member states and other relevant stakeholders in the country.

The consultant will be responsible for the overall coordination, guidance and quality assurance of the assignment and ensuring that the overall outputs are delivered on time.

IV        Duration of work and Duty Station

The assignment will be 50 working days during July – November 2019. The duty station of the work is in the premises of the Department for Development and Good Governance, Prime Minister Office, in Tirane, Albania.

Competencies

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 favoritism.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

• Communication - Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.
• Planning & Organizing – Develops clear goals in line with agreed strategies, identifies priorities, foresees risks and makes allowances accordingly.
• Organizational Awareness - Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
• Teamwork - Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Accountability – Takes ownership of all responsibilities and delivers outputs in accordance with agreed time, cost and quality standards

Functional Competencies

-       Experience and knowledge of the MDGs and SDGs agenda;

-       Understanding of Albania’s policy priorities and national plans and its link with the global development agendas;

-       Strong and proven skills in qualitative and quantitative analysis methods;

-       Strong capacity and record in designing and writing reports, using a wide range of evaluation approaches and toolsets;

-       Strong management, facilitation, interview and writing skills and demonstrate ability to deliver quality results within strict deadlines.

Required Skills and Experience

-       Advanced university degree (Masters & equivalent) in development studies, economics, international relations, or related field;

-       7 years of relevant professional experience is highly desirable, including previous substantive involvement in evaluations and/or reviews.

-       Excellent knowledge of the Albanian governance system and country development processes;

-       Good knowledge and experience with the national development frameworks, especially 2030Agenda, SDGs, MDGs, NSDI, etc.;

-       Specialized experience, methodological, technical knowledge, trained in specific data collection and analytical skills, logic modelling/logical framework analysis; quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis; participatory approaches;

-       Excellent written and spoken English.

-       Excellent report writing skills as well as communication and interviewing skills.