National Consultant – Development of a Common Country Assessment (CCA) for Jamaica

Following recent reforms repositioning the UN development system, new Cooperation Frameworks (CF) will be the most important UN planning and implementation instrument in support of the 2030 Agenda in the country and will be prepared and implemented in full consultation with the national Government. In the Caribbean, the next MSDF will outline the collective UN response to national SDG priorities agreed with national Governments for the period of 2022-2026. In this vein, it will be first and foremost a partnership with national governments, a compact for UN Country Teams and a commitment to national stakeholders including development partners, international financial institutions, civil society, trade unions, employers and those left behind. As per the CF Guidelines from the UN Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG), the UN Common Country Analysis (CCA) is the UN system’s

Under the overall supervision of the international consultant and directly reporting to the RCO Economist, the national consultant will contribute to the development of a high quality and evidence-based CCA for Jamaica which examines the progress, gaps, opportunities and bottlenecks vis- a-vis Jamaica’s commitment to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the National Development Plan, Vision 2030. Working towards this effort, the selected national consultant will, in cooperation with the RCO and the members of the UNCT, support the international consultant in the collection of detailed national data and the establishment of political contacts at the national level. The role of the national consultant in the development of the CCA will entail, but not be limited to the following:

1. Collecting relevant data from national and international sources, in cooperation with the RCO and the UNCT;
2. Providing contextualized analysis of specific development plans, including but not limited to the SDGs and the Vision 2040 National Development Plan;
3. Establishing and facilitating contacts with national stakeholders, including but not limited to government organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), private sector and other interest groups;
4. Facilitating discussions with key national and international stakeholders as required, on the draft CCA to validate and enrich the findings;
5. Supporting the international consultant in the completion of the CCA within the estimated timeframe.

The selected national consultant will have be responsible for supporting the international consultant in the development of the CCA, under supervision of the RCO. Throughout the CCA process, the national consultant will be expected to ensure that all data collection activities are in compliance with ethical and safety standards applicable to researching, documenting and evaluating programmes and with the Standards for Evaluation in the system of United Nations Evaluation Group[1].

Under the overall guidance of the international consultant and the RCO, the national consultant will be specifically responsible for the following:

·        Engage with the RCO to extract analyses from the SDG Data Repository and the related analysis;

·        Conduct consultations with key stakeholders (Government, international development partners, civil society, private sector and municipalities) in very close consultation with the international consultant and the RCO;

·        Contribute to the preparation of a high quality analytical CCA report following the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework Guidelines for UN Common Country Analysis;

·        Integrate into research design, analysis and report the UN Guiding/Programming Principles: i) Leave no one behind; (ii) Human rights-based approach; iii) gender equality and women’s empowerment; iv) resilience; v) accountability; and vi) sustainability.

Overall, the process of developing the CCA is expected to take two months, covering the period of October 2020 to November 2020.

The indicated number of working days is tentative and should be used for orientation only. In the financial offer the consultant should indicate the number of working days per deliverable.

[1] http://www.uneval.org/login?returnurl=/document/detail/81

The consultant should possess the following competencies:

Corporate Competencies

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards; Sensitivity to cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age differences.  Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment; ability to exercise sound political judgment;

Functional Competencies

• Outstanding communication (spoken and written) skills, including the ability to write reports, conduct consultations and interviews and to articulate ideas in a clear and concise style;
• Good knowledge of the UN system, UN Development System Reform and the new Cooperation Framework Internal Guidelines;
• Outstanding communication (spoken and written) skills, including the ability to write reports, conduct consultations and interviews and to articulate ideas in a clear and concise style;
• Ability to review and synthesize large amounts of information rapidly, and to distinguish major trends from minor details;
• Ability to conceptualize and analyze problems to identify key issues, underlying problems, and how they relate;
• Technical competence in undertaking complex analysis which involve use of mixed methods;
• Familiarity with statistical data and knowledge of human rights and gender equality approaches;
• Ability to respond positively to critical feedback and differing points of view;
• Ability to handle a large volume of work under time constraints;
• Ability to share knowledge and experience and provide helpful feedback and advice.

Academic Qualifications:

·        Advanced university degree (Masters and equivalent) in development studies, economics, social sciences, international relations or related field.

Skills and experience:

·        A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience supporting the implementation of projects/research in the social science field;

·        Previous experience in the area of social/socioeconomic analysis in Jamaica;

·        Understanding of the development environment in the Caribbean Region;

·        Experience in gathering and systematizing large amounts of data, evaluation of public policies, analysis of development indicators and other related issues;

·        2-3 years’ experience in quantitative or qualitative research and data analysis;

·        Experience with a UN organization/agency is preferable but not mandatory;

·        Excellent command over the English language;

·        Experience in data mapping is an asset;

·        Experience coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors in Jamaica is an asset.

The consultant should also be able to work in a culturally diverse environment and should be well-versed in local language and customs. In addition to the relevant qualifications and experiences, the consultant should have a proven track record and technical expertise in their field.

Language

•      Fluency in spoken and written English.

Please note that the consultant will be expected to provide a sample of work preferably a previously written socio-economic analytical document or a country-level situational analysis or something similar where the consultant is the lead author.

Additional Details:-

Any request for clarification must be sent in writing, or by standard electronic communication to [email protected] UNDP will provide responses by uploading them in the system.