RE- ADVERTISEMENT CONSULTANT: CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: VETTED EXPERTS ROSTER FOR PARLIAMENTARY DEVELOPMENT

Background
During the past two decades UNDP has witnessed the rise of democratic governance as a key concern of the international community. As democracy became an increasingly shared value, considerable efforts and resources have been dedicated to promote democratic governance around the world. UNDP’s work in the field of democratic governance has three broad goals: fostering inclusive participation, strengthening accountable and responsive governing institutions and grounding democratic governance in international principles. Parliaments are pillars of democratic governance, with a critical role in spurring and sustaining national action towards the Millennium Development Goals. They can be powerful agents of change, particularly during and after times of crisis. Therefore, UNDP provides integrated technical assistance to more than 60 national parliaments in their efforts to: (1) build the capacity of legislators and technical staff; (2) promote institutional reform through strategic development plans; (3) strengthen parliaments' relationships with the executive and judiciary branches of government and with civil society; and (4) enhance the effectiveness of women members of parliament and improve their ability to caucus and learn from one another. Regionally, working groups of parliamentarians are discussing and developing new ideas and approaches. UNDP created this space to build the capacity of national parliaments, and applies solutions to UNDP projects. The regional groups address topics such as women’s empowerment, the role of parliaments in crisis prevention, standards for political party legislation, and the representation of minorities and indigenous peoples in more inclusive parliaments. Globally, web-based social networks invite the exchange of information and ideas. Two cutting-edge tools are iKNOW Politics (www.iknowpolitics.org) for the political empowerment of women and Agora (www.agora-parl.org), which is open to anyone working with parliaments. UNDP also works with its partners to develop regional and global benchmarks for democratic parliaments, in particular through the UNDP Global Programme for Parliamentary Strengthening. Responding to the expanding request for Parliamentary Support, UNDP’s Parliamentary Development Programme determined in 2010 that it would create a roster of Parliamentary Development experts. UNDP is looking for expertise in policy advice, legal drafting, programme management and capacity development.
Duties and Responsibilities
The range of tasks that would typically be expected from a consultant includes a) Policy advice, legal drafting, programme management and capacity development. b) Designing, implementing or evaluating projects in the assigned areas: - Constitutional reform and support for institutional frameworks; - Administrative and institutional reform; - Policy support with a specific focus on MDG advocacy, crisis prevention and recovery, anti-corruption, or inclusive parliaments; - Parliamentary outreach (electorate, civil society, media); - Political party reform; - Capacity building for members and staff, including the establishment of sustainable knowledge services; - Political empowerment of women; - Oversight of the executive branch of government, including budget oversight; and - Development and scrutiny of draft legislation
Competencies
Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN's values and ethical standards Displays cultural, gender, religion, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability Ability to work in a team Strong interpersonal skills, communication and diplomatic skills Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback Ability to work under pressure and stressful situations Ability to manage workload with minimum supervision Strong analytical, reporting and writing abilities
Required Skills and Experience
Education: Master’s degree in governance related field (or equivalent work experience), including: Economics, Public administration, Business Administration, Public Policy, Social Science, Political Science, Law Languages: UNDP is looking for Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic speaking experts. In addition, fluency in spoken and written English is a must. . Computer skills: IT literacy and ability to operate with on-line web-based applications. Experience: At least 7 years of proving work experience, with a minimum of 5 years of experience in working with a parliament, either as a parliamentarian, parliamentary staff or in support of a parliament. Experience with the drafting of user-friendly knowledge products such as books, articles, research papers, toolkits, guides, methodologies, analytical documents, policy papers and notes, project and program documents, baseline studies, desk reviews, comparative studies, etc. is an asset. Experience in management of post-conflict interventions is an asset Knowledge of high-level governance, capacity and public communication support is an asset The consultant should demonstrate experiences in one or more of the following areas: Constitutional reform and support for institutional frameworks; Administrative and institutional reform; Policy support with a specific focus on MDG advocacy, crisis prevention and recovery, anti-corruption, or inclusive parliaments; Parliamentary outreach (electorate, civil society, media); Political party reform; Capacity building for members and staff, including the establishment of sustainable knowledge services; Political empowerment of women; Oversight of the executive branch of government, including budget oversight; and Dvelopment and scrutiny of draft legislationCapacity building & training Evaluation of Applicants: Applicants will be screened against qualifications and the competencies specified above. Those selected for the next stage of the selection process will participate in an assessment. UNDP applies the "Best value for money" approach - the final selection will be based on the combination of the applicants' qualifications and financial proposal. Contracting Arrangements: The successful candidates will be included in UNDP's technical expert roster for the period of 3 years. Entry into the expert roster system does not necessarily mean that contract with UNDP is guaranteed. This will depend on forthcoming needs. Where a request for services arises, the UNDP unit/office in need of the service will directly contract the consultant from the roster without the need for further selection process. A specific Term of Reference (ToR) outlining the outputs for each assignment will be provided and a Individual Contract (IC) will be issued to the consultant, detailing the time frame directly by the contracting unit/office. Conditions of a particular assignment may be negotiable. Payments: Payments will be made as specified in the actual contract upon confirmation of UNDP on delivering on the contract obligations in a satisfactory manner. Application procedures: Qualified candidates are requested to apply online via this website. The application should contain: A current, completed P11 form in English (blank form can be downloaded from http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_SC_SSA.doc); please upload the P11 instead of your CV. Financial Proposal: daily fee in USD Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials The deadline for submission of applications is 22 April 2011. Qualified women and members of social minorities are encouraged to apply. Due to large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.
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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.