Final Report on Piloting Approaches to Governance in the Context of the SDGs - From Piloting to Implementation

Final Report on Piloting Approaches to Governance in the Context of the SDGs - From Piloting to Implementation

Location : New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Application Deadline :18-Nov-15

Additional Category Governance and Peacebuilding

Type of Contract :Individual Contract

Post Level :International Consultant

Languages Required :English  

Starting Date :(date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 01-Dec-2015

Duration of Initial Contract :Three months - 75 working days

Expected Duration of Assignment :Three months - 75 working days

Background

On 25 September the United Nations Member States adopted the final text of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: transforming our world.  In support of efforts to finalise the 2030 Agenda, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working with five Member States – Albania, Indonesia, Rwanda, Tunisia and more recently, the United Kingdom (UK) – to consider relevant approaches to implement and monitor governance-related national goals, with associated targets and indicators. This Pilot Initiative has aimed to enhance the readiness of participating countries to integrate such a goal and related targets into national planning processes, as well as to operationalize their delivery in anticipation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) being adopted. In addition to enhancing readiness, the Pilot Initiative has been designed to facilitate cooperation and exchange of knowledge and experience between countries, and assist in identifying champions in each region whose early start on this work can serve as an example for other countries to follow. The Pilot Initiative is particularly important because Goal 16 will ensure the principles of accountability, participation, and transparency, underpin implementation and localization of the SDGs in all countries around the world. The inclusion of the goal in the wider SDGs framework reflects the growing acceptance that issues related to peace, security, voice and accountable governance are critical drivers of development progress and have a direct bearing on the achievement of all the other SDGs. In turn, the wider push towards achieving a more peaceful, just and inclusive world will not be successful unless the specific targets of Goal 16 are met to address crucial areas of peace, access to information and justice, open and effective institutions and decision-making, and fighting corruption and illicit flows, amongst others. Initial phase The initiative was launched in 2014 to support interested Member States and partners to field test governance-related goals and targets so that they could begin assessing both their data capacity needs and measure progress on particular targets. While every national context is unique – because countries pursue different approaches, prioritize different content and sequence activities in distinct ways – all pilot countries have roughly followed the following phases of work, which include: Designing and defining feasible goal(s), targets and indicators for measurement; Piloting the nationally-determined goal(s); and Engaging in outreach and dissemination activities. The inclusion of countries at very different levels of development is a key strength of this process: the universal nature of the SDGs and their associated reporting requirements make documenting a wide range of experiences essential in helping different countries develop context appropriate strategies going forward. Global Workshop Several months after the governance pilot project was launched, a global workshop was convened in April 2015 in Tunis to review findings and recommendations from countries undertaking the initiative, and to discuss experiences, lessons learned and common threads from the initial phase of the Pilot Initiative. It provided an opportunity for policy-makers from the pilot countries to interact with officials from other countries that are grappling with similar issues around governance monitoring, as well as with experts and civil society members from around the world. Participants benefitted from cross-country, South-South and even South-North learning. The workshop also provided an opportunity for participants to reflect on bottlenecks and challenges they faced during the initial stage of the pilot, as well as to consider next steps for implementing the second phase of the initiative. Participants broke into working groups on the second day of the workshop to consider in more detail the experience of individual pilot countries, and to discuss ways of addressing some of the particular constraints, which had been observed. Many of these discussions garnered additional insights into the common themes that have already been identified during the piloting process, whilst others brought new issues to the forefront. Interim Report A Side Event was held in New York on 29 September in the margins of the UN General Assembly to consider an Interim Report on the Pilots Initiative, covering progress in the first phase of activity, the lessons from the Tunis workshop and the plans for Phase 2.  The event was addressed by representatives from Pilot countries, and provided an opportunity to share findings and recommendations emerging from this initiative, and to look ahead to implications for the implementation of Goal 16 globally. Participants had an opportunity to engage with representatives from pilot countries to discuss experience, lessons learned and common trends on the implementation of SDG 16 at the national level. The Interim Report outlines and critically assesses the results from the first phase of work, entailing the formulation of a national goal with associated targets and indicators, and also projects forward to examine the stage of implementing and tracking nationally-led governance-related goals across each of the pilot countries.  The Interim Report is available at https://www.worldwewant2015.org/node/508502. Second Phase The primary objective of the second phase of the Pilot Initiative has been to field test the specific governance-related goal(s), targets and indicators chosen during the initial phase of work at the national level. The results from this work are expected to inform work on development of national indicator frameworks, alongside the work of the IAEG-SDGs to finalize the selection of global indicators for the monitoring of the SDGs. The bulk of the activities of Phase 2 have been taking place between September and December 2015. The emphasis of Phase 2 activities has been on achieving measurability and policy impact of the illustrative goal(s) in each country through: (a) applying each of the targets and indicators at the country level, by gathering data to assess the baseline and historic and projected trends; (b) assessing the capacities and costs needed to produce, collate and analyze the required data; (c) assessing the relevance of chosen targets; (d) assessing the inter-linkages between the illustrative goal(s) and other national goals; (e) recommending additional, replacement or revision of the proposed indicators based on the on-going pilots; and (f) mapping the different stakeholders involved in the monitoring of those policies and assess their capacities and needs. Each pilot country is pursuing different ways of achieving these aims. In the final months of 2015, some or all countries will primarily be engaged in: (a) convening consultative processes at all levels of government (Albania, Rwanda, Indonesia), (b) fine-tuning and condensing the long-list of proposed indicators chosen to track progress (Albania, Indonesia, Tunisia); (c) expanding the range of targets tracked under Goal 16 (Indonesia); (d) completing a baseline study (Albania, Indonesia, Rwanda, Tunisia) with available information; and (e) increasingly mainstreaming governance-related targets and indicators into national and sub-national development plans (Albania, Indonesia). The following section describes activities planned by each pilot country for this phase of work. Final Workshop and Final Report Building on activities to date, a Final Workshop will be held to take stock of activities in the second phase of activity, with countries moving from piloting to implementation.  There will be an opportunity to review findings and recommendations from pilot countries, and an opportunity for participants to engage with representatives from pilot countries to discuss experience, lessons learned and common trends in designing Goal 16 initiatives – focusing on national priorities, including targets and indicators. Discussions at the Final Workshop will address the following guiding questions: what key issues have been faced in adapting Goal 16 to national contexts, building on the initial pilot work to encompass all elements of Goal 16? what gaps are being experienced in the essential capacities and resources required for moving from piloting to implementation of Goal 16, and what implications will these gaps have for successful implementation? what are the key recommendations from the Pilot countries for integrating Goal 16, targets and indicators into national development processes and structures? A Final Report on the Pilots Initiative will be prepared after the Final Workshop to capture lessons from activity throughout the Pilots Initiative, and to share them with all countries implementing Goal 16 in their own national contexts, mindful of the very different policy space in each country.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work A consultant is sought for up to 75 days work between 1 December 2015 and 29 February 2016 to organise the Final Workshop, and prepare the Final Report described above.  Specific activities will include: Reviewing the following in detail: the Interim Report and other background materials from the Pilot Countries, and materials generated by pilot countries during Phase 2 of the Pilot Initiative; Contacting key counterparts in each Pilot Country (contact details to be made available) to discuss the achievements to date and progress on Phase 2, and considering contact with other key stakeholders in each Pilot Country to obtain feedback on activities to date, and plans for future activities; Managing all aspects of the holding of the Final Workshop, including: liaising with the Policy Adviser and 2030 Agenda Team in UNDP to agree the substantive content of the workshop, preparing the Agenda, issuing invitations, arranging travel for individual participants in respect of whose attendance UNDP is providing funding, liaising with Admin colleagues in UNDP to ensure proper processing of paperwork at all times and payment of all liabilities, and other duties in relation to the Final Workshop as assigned from time to time, identifying and preparing the venue for the Workshop, arranging translation as necessary, arranging the Minutes of the Workshop, feeding key lessons and findings from the Workshop into the Final Report; Compiling the Final Report based on the earlier Inception Reports from individual pilot countries, and the Interim Report prepared in September 2015, including: building in lessons from the Phase 2 work; building in lessons from the Final Workshop; taking stock of other initial work on implementation of Goal 16 to put the Final Report into context; Managing the contracts for preparation of the Final Report including: editing, layout and printing; liaising with the Policy Adviser to ensure effective quality assurance of the work of the editor/designer/printer; arranging an online version of the printed version of the Final Report; taking delivery of the printed copies of the Final Report and leading on dissemination of the Report as required and as directed; preparing an appropriate launch of the Final Report, including preparing press and social media links. Expected Outputs, Deliverables and Deadlines: Preparing an outline of the Final Report by 31 December 2015; Organising the Final Workshop to take place by 31 January 2015; Preparing a draft Final Report in consultation with the UNDP 2030 Agenda/Governance Team by 31 January 2015, and incorporating inputs from the Final Workshop asap thereafter; Arranging delivery of the printed version of the Final Report by 29 February 2016. Report finalization: Final Report completed by 29 February 2016. Institutional Arrangement: The Consultant shall report to Chris Murgatroyd, the Policy Advisor for the G&P Post-2015 team and work in close coordination with other team members. The consultant shall regularly provide informal updates on progress made in terms of the above responsibilities. Duration of the Work and Duty Station The expected duration of the work is up to 75 days between 1 December 2015 and 29 February 2016.  It may be possible to undertake some of the work remotely/home-based.  One overseas visit may be required to one of UNDP’s Regional Hubs – in which case Economy Class travel will be made available by UNDP, along with DSA payments at standard UNDP rates (these elements need not be part of the Presentation of Offer).

Competencies

Corporate Competences: Commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values; Sensitivity to cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age differences. Functional Competencies: Strong partnering skills and ability to mobilize support for UNDP; Strong analytical, negotiation and communication skills, including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products; Clear understanding and experience of policies and procedures for corporate due diligence and reputational risk management; Demonstrated experience working in the field of governance; Innovative approaches/experience on global development issues; Ability to manage resources. Behavioral Competencies: Productive and efficient worker, highly motivated; Excellent organizational skills and ability to prioritize tasks; Strong initiative and is comfortable to pro-actively reach out to new and existing external partners; Performance-oriented and focused on results; Persistence and willingness to follow through; Strong interpersonal skills and flexibility; Ability to take instructions and to learn on the job; Communication and advocacy skills; Curiosity and desire to work a complex, international environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Advanced university degree (Master's level) in International Relations, Law, Economics, Development or related field. Experience: Minimum 2 years of work in development and/or crisis contexts with international NGOs, bilateral, regional and/or multilateral organizations; Demonstrated experience in writing reports; Knowledge/understanding of institutions, capacity development or institutional strengthening in areas associated with development, governance and peacebuilding; Demonstrated excellent writing and editing skills; Understanding and experience of the UN system. Language: Fluency in written and spoken English. Recommended Presentation of Offer: The application is a two-step process. Failing to comply with the submission process may result in disqualifying the applications: Step 1: Interested individual consultants must include the following documents when submitting the applications in UNDP job shop (Please note that only 1 (one) file can be uploaded therefore please include all docs in one file): Personal History Form (P11), indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references (the template can be downloaded from this link: http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc); Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment. Step 2: Submission of Financial Proposal Applicants are instructed to submit their financial proposals in US Dollars for this consultancy to bpps.procurement@undp.org, using the financial proposal template available here: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_file.cfm?doc_id=43528. The proposals should be sent via e-mail with the following subject heading: “Post-2015 – Interim Report on Piloting Approaches to Governance in the Context of the SDGs” by the deadline for this vacancy. Proposals to be received after the deadline may be rejected. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal should be all-inclusive and include a breakdown. The term ‘all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel related expenses, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the financial proposal. Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer: Combined Scoring method – where the qualifications and methodology will be weighted a maximum of 70 points and combined with the price offer which will be weighted a max of 30 points out of 100 points Method: Cumulative analysis method will be used to evaluate proposals. When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation; Technical Criteria weight: 70%; Financial Criteria weight: 30%. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points on technical part will be considered for the Financial Evaluation. Technical Proposal: Criteria to pass technical evaluation requires a minimum of 49 points out of 70 points; Criterion 1:  Two years combined experience in relevant fields such as development and governance (10  Points); Criterion 2: Demonstrated experience in communications and external relations skills (15 Points); Criterion 3: Experience writing reports and other relevant advisory documents and knowledge products (20 points); Criterion 4: Experience organising conferences and workshops (15 points); Criterion 5: Strong inter-personal skills and a demonstrated capacity to forge effective relations with colleagues and counterparts from different backgrounds (5  Points); Criterion 6: Proven ability to effectively function in a multi-national, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic environment (5 Points). Criteria for financial evaluation (30 points ): The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal: p = y (µ/z), where p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated; y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal; µ = price of the lowest priced proposal; z = price of the proposal being evaluated. Financial Proposal (30% weight of combined score) Please submit an all-inclusive lump sum daily fee. Financial proposals must be all inclusive and must be expressed on the basis of a daily fee.  The term ‘all inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel related expenses - i.e. return travel from home to duty station (Istanbul, Turkey) if required by applicant, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the daily fee. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses will be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP will not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. Contracts will be based on daily fee in US dollars Payments are made to the Individual Consultant based on the number of days worked, and certification of payments by the Supervisor. UNDP reserves the right to have an interview.