Consultant: Mapping of east-east cooperation initiatives in Europe and CIS and UNDP role

This is a terms of reference for the following assignment: Mapping of east-east and triangular cooperation initiatives in Europe and CIS: key players, issues, modalities and possible UNDP role. The global development assistance landscape is changing, with many new actors, and new cooperation modalities gaining prominence including South-South (which we refer to as “East-East” in the region of Europe and CIS, given the geography), tri-angular and other horizontal cooperation platforms through which developing countries and emerging economies have been undertaking and sharing policy experiments on development issues. The development assistance landscape in Europe and the CIS is changing too, with several Emerging European Donors appearing in the past few years. Countries, such as the new EU Member States (Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Cyprus. Croatia is expected to join the EU in July 2013) and the Russian Federation that were receiving foreign aid and advice (including from UNDP) just a few years ago now assert themselves as donors and providers of development assistance, many institutionalizing their increasing Official Development Assistance (ODA). Others, like Turkey, are active donors while still benefiting from the support of the international community. Most of these new players share several common features. First, the new donors in the region mostly have very limited financial resources, both to support the institutional capacity for ODA (e.g. creation of an ODA Agency) and in terms of funding for assistance. Moreover, for the New EU Member States, a significant portion of their ODA budget is currently channeled to the EU foreign assistance budget. Second, the new donors often have non-traditional views on development, derived from a distinct set of values but also their recent experience as recipients of aid. Yet, they still lack the voice and visibility internationally. Third, unlike the traditional donors, the new donors, in addition to financial resources, often have recent experience of institutional transition similar to that faced by the recipient countries. It creates additional value and helps them understand recipient’s needs better. The changes in the development assistance landscape have clear implications for how the global governance system will adapt including how UNDP will respond, globally and regionally. Specifically, they will affect how UNDP will do its business, both in terms of its offering of development services and in terms of modalities of partnerships and presence on the ground. Globally, UNDP is realizing the “UNDP Agenda for 2012 and Beyond” that, among other goals, seeks to make UNDP more relevant and more strategically focused in this shifting environment by: Positioning UNDP as a development leader in the global multilateral environment through strategic engagements with emerging global powers (the eight global pilots include: China, Brazil, Turkey, Russia, India, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain); Enhancing South-South Cooperation and cooperation with emerging powers to accelerate progress on the MDGs and other internationally agreed development goals; Broadening substantive participation and dialogue with these countries in key multilateral fora. In Europe and CIS, UNDP is already realizing this global vision at two levels. First, it has been leading the corporate efforts to engage with Turkey and Russia as global partners of UNDP. Second, it has been undertaking efforts around the East-East cooperation, in the form of (a) capacity development of emerging donors in development cooperation, (b) managing ODA in a Trust Fund-like modality on behalf of emerging donors (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary), (c) engaging in a number of country specific partnerships: In Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia – knowledge exchanges supported by Trust Funds; In Slovakia – Public Finance Management Programme (benefitting Serbia, Montenegro and Moldova). In Poland – triangular cooperation projects with Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Iraq, India, etc. In Romania – exchanges of experiences with Moldova, Georgia and Serbia, Egypt and Tunisia. In Croatia – emerging hub for EU-related knowledge for neighbors in the Western Balkans. In Kazakhstan – as an emerging provider of development cooperation, focused on Central Asia. To help advance this agenda, UNDP launched a new regional initiative “New Partnerships in Development Cooperation” that will, among other priorities, support and promote east-east and triangular cooperation. One of the main tasks of the Initiative is to assess feasibility and test in practice whether UNDP Bratislava Regional Center can and should establish a new service line of facilitating complex horizontal partnerships focused on knowledge and taking the form of east-east and triangular cooperation initiatives. If feasible, and proven to deliver impact and added value, such service line could become one of the elements of UNDP’s global positioning in the Middle-Income Countries. The answer to this question is not known in advance, as both the business model itself, as well as demand and UNDP capacity need to be ascertained. This consultancy is the first step towards assessing the feasibility of such a service line.

Duties and Responsibilities

In the context of the above, the key objective of the Consultant will be to create a mapping of the east-east and triangular cooperation efforts in Europe and CIS with participation of emerging donors, and establish current and future of UNDP’s support. Specific tasks will include: Analyze who are the key players in east-east and triangular cooperation (providers, stakeholders, recipients), and what their expectations and capacities are, including both state and non-state actors involved in horizontal knowledge partnerships; Analyze what are the main issues on the agenda (substantive areas of focus) of east-east and triangular cooperation efforts, and to which extent there is overlap and duplication in addressing these issues by various players; Analyze what modalities are being used by various players, including institutional set up, funding models, involvement of academia, NGOs and private sector and partnerships with multilateral organizations, including UNDP; Analyze what actual role UNDP plays in facilitating east-east and triangular cooperation, as perceived by various players and make recommendations on how this role should evolve in the future based on the outcomes of the above analysis of players, issues and modalities. Some possible questions this analysis should answer: - What is and could be the added value of UNDP compared to relevant national and international players, based on existing cases of UNDP’s support to east-east and triangular cooperation? - Is there scope for a centralized network service connecting the needs and capacities of various players in east-east and triangular cooperation? - In which way UNDP could work with academia, private sector, NGOs, etc. to support east-east and triangular cooperation (i.e. going beyond supporting the state actors in emerging donor countries)? - In which way can east-east and triangular cooperation best fit within the programming frameworks and operational realities of UNDP offices in recipient countries? - How well the substantive issues that are central to east-east and triangular cooperation efforts correspond to UNDP’s Thematic Practices priorities and capacities? Realization of the above tasks will involve: Desk research based on materials provided by UNDP, as well as online resources and publications identified by the Consultant; Interviews (when feasible – via Skype or video-conference) with key UNDP staff in UNDP HQ, the Bratislava Regional Center, as well as offices supporting the respective emerging donors and UNDP Country Offices in the recipient countries; Identification of and interviews with key persons in state and non-state institutions in a selected group of countries (both providers and recipients) and if necessary in the respective multilateral organizations. Travel is foreseen to a maximum of three relevant countries, including Slovakia. The main deliverables will include: A report (of up to 25 pages) consisting of two parts: Part 1 (up to 15 pages) – analysis of players, issues and modalities (tasks a), b), c) above) – upon which 50% of the fee is payable; Part 2 (up to 10 pages) analysis of UNDP role (task d) above); Presentation of the findings during a stakeholder meeting organized by UNDP – upon which the remaining 50% of the fee is payable. The timeline is estimated as follows: First draft of Part 1 of the report: 10 July; Discussion of the findings of Part 1 with UNDP: 15 July; Final draft of Part 1 of the report: 1 August; First draft of Part 2 of the report: 25 August; Discussion of the findings of Part 2 with UNDP: 1 September; Final draft of Part 2 of the report: 15 September; Presentation at a stakeholder workshop: Early October.

Competencies

Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations; Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities; Excellent public speaking and presentation skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education: Minimum Masters Degree in Economics, International Relations, Public Administration or related field. Experience: At least 7 years of proven consultancy experience, including track record of research and / or practical work on ODA and development cooperation issues, especially in the new EU Member States; Experience of working on analytical assignments for major multilateral institutions would be a strong asset; Knowledge of UNDP’s programmatic and operational frameworks would be a strong asset. Knowledge of the EU accession and Eastern Partnership countries’ context would be a strong asset. Language skills: Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English. Evaluation of Applicants: Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation. Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation. Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 35 points: Proven track record of research and / or practical work on ODA and development cooperation issues – max points: 10 Experience of working on analytical assignments for major multilateral institutions – max points: 10 Knowledge of the EU accession and Eastern Partnership countries’ context – max points: 5 Knowledge of UNDP’s programmatic and operational frameworks – max points: 5 Knowledge of the EU accession and Eastern Partnership countries’ context – max points: 5 Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 15 points Application procedures: Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain: Cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position and a brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the work (if applicable). Please paste the letter into the "Resume and Motivation" section of the electronic application. Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc ); please upload the P11 instead of your CV. Financial Proposal* - specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this announcement. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (number of anticipated working days and any other possible costs). Travel costs will be covered separately according to UNDP rules and regulations. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials *Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services...). Travel costs will be covered separately according to UNDP rules and regulations. Payments will be made only upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner. Individual Consultants are responsible for ensuring they have vaccinations/inoculations when travelling to certain countries, as designated by the UN Medical Director. Consultants are also required to comply with the UN security directives set forth under dss.un.org General Terms and conditions as well as other related documents can be found under: http://europeandcis.undp.org/home/jobs

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.

Consultant: Mapping of east-east cooperation initiatives in Europe and CIS and UNDP role