Encompassing 46 countries, RBA is UNDP’s largest Regional Bureau. To assist the Africa region overcome its development challenges, UNDP’s strategic goal in Africa is to develop the region’s capacity to promote pro-poor growth and accountability to accelerate progress towards achieving the MDGs and other human development goals. The Strategic Advisory Unit provides cross-disciplinary analytical and advisory support to RBA both at headquarters and country office level. The Unit oversees the work of the field-based economics advisors. It develops knowledge products and maintain knowledge networks and strengthen partnerships with pan African and regional institutions and with other relevant policy and research centers outside the region. It supports and complements the policy and analytical work of other bureaus and practices within UNDP. One of the key deliverables for SAU in 2012 is the African Economic Conference (AEC). The AEC is being organized jointly by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and UNDP. In 2012 UNDP is leading the preparations for the Conference scheduled to take place in Kigali in 30 October to 2 November.
The specific objectives of the African Economic Conference (AEC) are:
- To promote knowledge management as an important driver of policy dialogue, good policy planning and implementation;
- To foster and promote innovative thinking among researchers, development; practitioners and African policymakers;
- To encourage and enhance research on economic and policy issues related to the development of African economies;
- To provide an opportunity for Africans in the Diaspora, regional and sub-regional organizations to disseminate their research findings as well as share information with African policymakers on the work they do in the region.
With these objectives, and as have been demonstrated during the past six annual Conferences, the AEC has become a major forum that brings together leading academics and development practitioners from across the globe towards fostering dialogue and exchange of knowledge that contributes to the search for solutions to the development challenges of Africa.
The 2012 Conference is organized around the theme: Fostering Inclusive and Sustainable Development in Africa in an Age of Global Economic Uncertainty. The Conference comprises plenary and concurrent sessions. The plenary sessions will feature presentations and discussions by invited prominent academics, policy makers, business and opinion leaders, as well as representatives from development organisations who all share a deep passion for the development of the continent and have unique perspectives on how it can be achieved. The concurrent sessions will feature presentations of papers by scholars and development practitioners from the African continent. These high quality analyses will contribute to our understanding of the challenges facing inclusive and sustainable development in Africa and the options that exist for addressing these challenges in light of the prevailing uncertainty in the global economic environment. |
Duties and Responsibilities |
- Support administrative aspects of UNDP’s work in the preparation of the AEC 2012
- Take part in planning meetings and teleconferences with AEC partners based in Addis Ababa (UNECA), Tunis (AfDB) and Kigali (all partners)
- Consolidate and monitor the conference budget
- Assist with the preparation of the Conference Report interacting and providing support to with the team of conference rapporteurs and the lead author
- Assist in the monitoring of the conference work plan and follow-up with partners on matters that require coordination
- Assist in developing a format for publishing and posting conference papers and for listing the papers in searchable economics databases (IDEAS, REPEC)
- Assist in post-conference activities and follow-up
- Other duties related to the implementation of SAU’s research activities
|
Competencies |
- Profound understanding of a the economic development and political economy issues facing African;
- Ability to transfer knowledge and skills to colleagues and partners;
- Strong written and oral communication skills;
- Strong interpersonal skills demonstrated by the ability to gain the assistance and cooperation of others in a team endeavor; ability to build trust through operating with transparency and creating and open, positive and enabling environment; ability to work in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity;
- Demonstrated ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor tasks to achieve results;
- Sound judgment and decision making skills;
- Demonstrated ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor tasks to achieve result.
Selection Criteria:??
Submissions will be evaluated in consideration of the Evaluation Criteria as stated below: ?
- The Consultant should possess at least a master’s degree from a recognized university in any of the following areas or related field: Economics, International Development or Management [Maximum 10 points];
- Experience in research and policy analysis especially on Africa [Maximum 20 points];
- Experience in preparation of academic and policy-oriented conferences [Maximum 30 points];
- Experience in programme management and budget preparation/monitoring [Maximum 30 points];
- Computer literacy and presentation skills [Maximum 10 points];
In order to qualify for further consideration the Individual Consultant must accomplish a minimum score of 70 points. Candidates who qualify for further consideration may be invited for a personal interview.??The selected consultant(s) will work under the direct supervision of the Chief Economist of RBA? |
Required Skills and Experience |
Education:
- Post-graduate degree in Economics.
Experience:
- 5 years of relevant experience at the national or international level;
- Some experience in research and policy-level analysis;
- Past experience with organising academic and policy research conferences;
- Experience in programme management and budget preparation/monitoring;
- Excellent drafting and report-writing skills;
- Experience in programme management and budget preparation/monitoring;
- Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems and advanced programmes for statistical analysis of data (e.g. Stata, SPSS). ? Language Requirements:
Language Requirements:
- Fluency in English
- At least working knowledge of French ?
|
| Click here for important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders). |
| 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. |
Post a Comment