Background

In July 2017, UNDP has started implementation of 2,5-year project “Promotion of social and economic opportunities for women and youth in Zerafshan Valley of Tajikistan” funded by the Government of Russian Federation. The project aims to promote socio-economic opportunities for women and youth in Ayni and Kuhistoni Mastchoh districts of Sugd region of the Republic of Tajikistan.

The “Promotion of social and economic opportunities for women and youth in Zerafshan Valley of Tajikistan” project is financed through the UNDP-Russian Trust Fund for Development and implemented by UNDP in the Republic of Tajikistan within the period of July 2017 – December 2019. The overall objective of the project is to address socio-economic issues, through increased income and job opportunities, enhanced access to education, healthcare, social services and reinforced capacities to effectively address migration issues, which in turn contributes to improvement of livelihood of population, according to priorities at national and local levels.  The “Promotion of social and economic opportunities for women and youth in Zerafshan Valley of Tajikistan” envisages to address economic and social disparities of the most vulnerable population in two districts of Zerafshan Valley (Ayni and Kuhistoni Mastchoh) through demonstration and promotion of efficient integrated local development solutions to improve livelihoods and social opportunities for women and youth through strengthened business skills and vocational education, better access to education and health services, and effective addressing of labor migration issues including mitigation of its social consequences. It assists local communities, women and youth especially, with economic empowerment, improving quality of social services and support for creation of jobs at local level.

The project helps to improve the efficiency of producers and processor of agricultural goods and will help to increase employment and development of business practice in target districts, taking into consideration their social and economic needs. The focus is given also to the issues related to enabling business environment for women and youth by conducting tailored business trainings, financial literacy courses, institutional capacity-building of knowledge organizations (VTLs, Adult Education Centers), and businesses on local economic development. Development of entrepreneurship and investment promotion are relevant to rural areas of Tajikistan.

The main long-term outcome (impact) of the project is livelihood improvement of rural population in target districts of the Republic of Tajikistan. To achieve this result, in the medium term (Project outcome), project will directly contribute to increasing employment and business development in view of their existing needs and economic capacity. Indirectly, the project will help to reduce social and economic vulnerabilities of target communities, especially of women and youth, and the flow of unskilled labor migrants from Tajikistan to other CIS countries, including the Russian Federation.

Duties and Responsibilities

The International Consultant is required to work in close consultation with and under the guidance of the UNDP Senior Economic Development Officer and project staff of Field Project Office in Ayni district. The purpose of this assignment is to conduct final evaluation and assess the progress of the “Promotion of social and economic opportunities for women and youth in Zerafshan Valley of Tajikistan” Project.  

The International Consultant will assess the progress of the Project “Promotion of social and economic opportunities for women and youth in Zerafshan Valley of Tajikistan” against stated outputs, as well as identify issues and recommend course corrections. Evaluation will also highlight issues and challenges affecting effective and efficient implementation of outputs and their contribution to project outcomes and impact.

One additional independent National Consultant will be recruited to support the mission of International Consultant.

The detailed ToR is presented in Annex 2.

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;
  • Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
  • Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional Competencies

  • Maintains and establishes network of contacts with national counterparts and development partners for information sharing and responding to capacity development request;
  • Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders;
  • Technical expertise in area-based development process;
  • Demonstrates good knowledge of Integrated Rural Development strategies, and good understanding on Local Development issues;
  • Relevant international experience and cross-cultural communication skills;
  • Proven interpersonal skills;
  • Attitude and ability to motivate people;
  • Flexibility and resourcefulness;
  • Computer skills (common software programmes).

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

  • Advanced university degree (at Master level or equivalent) in social sciences, economic development, management, sustainable development or related field is required. ;

Professional experience:

  • More than 10 years of technical background in poverty reduction, economic development, good governance, public administration, local development issues, pro-poor economics, private sector in development;
  • Experience and expertise in project design, management, implementation and monitoring and evaluation, policy analysis, development aid and technical cooperation, as well as development management /organizational capacity building programming; 
  • Knowledge of UN procedures and UN evaluation strategies will be additional asset;
  • Good report writing skills and advanced computer literacy;
  • Ability to make recommendations focused on results and impact, with a strong understanding of value for money concepts;
  • Familiarity with the political, economic, social and gender situation in Central Asia (preferably Tajikistan)

Application Procedure:

Please follow the link to download Individual Consultant Procurement Notice and follow the application procedures indicated in the downloaded ICPN: 

http://46.20.207.66:49103/va/upload/va/ICPN%20International%20Consultant_EWY%20Evaluation.pdf

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.