HUMAN RIGHTS RESEARCH / KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT

Background

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has a longstanding commitment to mainstreaming human rights and as a programme area of the Democratic Governance Practice, support to Human Rights initiatives is one of the highest in demand, whilst the UNDP Strategic Plan (2008 – 2013) has formalized human rights as a separate standing Key Results Area. The UNDP Democratic Governance Group (DGG) hosts the UN Human Rights Policy network – HuriTALK. HuriTALK is a virtual knowledge network which facilitates knowledge sharing, dialogue and codification among UN practitioners on how to best integrate human rights in their work. Through the exchange of information, good practice and lessons learned, members develop their knowledge on human rights issues as well as their capacity to integrate human rights-based approaches (HRBA) in their work. HuriTALK has also recently developed and launched a web-based portal, the UN Practitioner’s Portal on HRBA Programming, (www.hrbaportal.org) (hereinafter referred to as the HRBA Portal), which serves as a ‘one-stop shop’ of resources, knowledge and experience on mainstreaming Human Rights-Based Approaches (HRBA) into development programming. Knowledge Management (KM ) is a key strategic enabler and a corporate service critical to the day-to-day business of UNDP. It serves as a cohesive component of the UN-wide knowledge structure in the context of UN reform. UNDP wishes to build upon its achievements and lessons learned on how to mobilize and utilize the rich elements dispersed within the organization to enrich its knowledge base. The result will be a knowledge-based organization where individuals and their knowledge are fully connected and mobilized to collaborate globally for more effective delivery of development results. UNDP Bureau for Development Policy’s Knowledge Management Group is leading these efforts and has established a 2.0 platform called ‘Teamworks’ to facilitate knowledge sharing within the organization. Launched in November 2010 Teamworks offers an unprecedented means to advocate for the importance of human rights and promote the work of the Human Rights team. UNDP wishes to engage a consultant to support the human rights community and knowledge management processes including research and knowledge management through Teamworks, HuriTALK and the UN HRBA Portal. UNDP is seeking a consultant with working experience in human rights and knowledge of knowledge management processes and strategies. The consultant will be supervised by the Facilitator of the UN Human Rights Policy network – HuriTALK / Knowledge Management Specialist and the Human Rights Advisor. In carrying out his / her tasks, the consultant will be expected to liaise regularly with colleagues working on human rights and knowledge management across the organization.

Duties and Responsibilities

The objective of the assignment is to develop innovative and comprehensive Human Rights content and activity on specific human rights themes to be distributed / made available on the various knowledge platforms facilitated by UNDP (Teamworks, HuriTALK, UN HRBA Portal) in 2011. Under the supervision of the Facilitator of the UN Human Rights Policy network – HuriTALK / Knowledge Management Specialist and the Human Rights Advisor, the consultant will contribute to the following key outputs: Content of Human Rights Spaces and sub-spaces in Teamworks and the UN HRBA Portal is maintained and updated (weekly) including new Teamworks spaces to be developed in 2011 (regional and global); Researching and drafting on thematic priorities / issues of human rights in 2011 including Indigenous Peoples. regional human rights mechanisms; human rights-based approach to programming; Human Rights News and Resource Update produced and shared in Teamworks and HuriTALK (once a month); Consolidated Replies drafted including substantive research on human rights issues and follow up on queries (within three weeks after the closure of a related query); New members are enrolled in Teamworks and HuriTALK (on a regular basis); KM support provided to knowledge sharing events and processes and services (as scheduled for the human rights team). Conduct any other assignments related to the research for human rights as requested by the Knowledge Management Specialist and / or Human Rights Advisor. Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications: Explain why they are the most suitable for the work (against technical criteria) Financial proposal Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references Financial proposal - The financial proposal should specify a daily fee, travel expenses and per diems quoted in separate line items. Payments will be made based on the number of days worked. The daily fee is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period: Consultant daily rate Health insurance as applicable Risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions Any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the IC, eg visa, All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. Travel cost should not exceed that of a restricted economy class ticket. To submit your application online, please follow the steps below: Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11). The P11 Form can be obtained at http://sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc Merge your P11 and/or Personal CV, Proposals and other relevant documents into a single file. Click on the Job Title. Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and click “Submit Application”. Upload your application. You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system. Monitoring and Evaluation: Performance of the consultant will be regularly monitored and evaluated to ensure that the expected results are achieved. The M & E system to be used will include the following: Monthly progress reports; Weekly consultative meetings; Internal review of products for quality control/assurance; Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies: Cumulative analysis: The award of the contract shall be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: Responsive/compliant/acceptable, Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. Criteria: Technical Criteria weight; 70% Financial Criteria weight; 30% Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 point and above would be considered for the Financial Evaluation will be conducted based on the desk review of the CVs and an interview. Final consideration will be made based on the criteria below. Criteria Weight Max. Point Technical Educational background and work experience (CV) 25% 25 Demonstrated research, writing and analytical skills on human rights related issues 25% 25 Familiarity with knowledge management tools and methods 10% 10 Prior experience with the UN(DP) 5% 5 Language skills 5% 5 Financial 30% 30

Competencies

Knowledge and experience of human rights and the human rights-based approach in the context of development with field experience highly desirable. Demonstrated strong research, writing and analytical skills. Demonstrated collaboration and knowledge management experience. Good knowledge of the human rights work of UN agencies and of knowledge management Proven ability to work clearly and compellingly in English with strong verbal communication skills also. Uses information and internet technology applications effectively as a tool and a resource. Excellent organizational skills and proven ability to work independently and ensure deliverables within assigned deadlines. Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. Experience working collaboratively in a team structure in a multicultural environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Masters Degree in one of the following fields: human rights, law, international development, development studies or political science or related area. Experience: 5+ years of post-graduate experience, in an international agency, civil society organization or research think tank in the field of human rights and / or within the context of development. Prior experience of working with, or dealing with UN / UNDP preferred. Proficiency in the usage of computer and office software packages including social media and web 2.0 platforms. Advanced research, writing and analytical skills Excellent organizational and time management skills, attention to detail and proven ability to work independently and effectively with minimum supervision Language Strong oral, written and editing skills in English is a prerequisite. Additional knowledge of either French ,Spanish or Arabic would be an asset.

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.