Consultant, YOUTH, PEACE and SECURITY QUANTITATIVE DATA ASSESSMENT, BPPS/UNDP

Location :

Home Based

Application Deadline :

07-Aug-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Time left :

12d 14h 44m

Additional Category :

Management

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Post Level :

International Consultant

Languages Required :

English  

Starting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)

14-Aug-2017

Duration of Initial Contract :

2 months (45 working days)

Expected Duration of Assignment :

2 months (45 working days)

Background

Recent international frameworks, such as the 2030 Agenda and the Sustaining Peace resolutions have recognized that peace and development go hand-in-hand.  Throughout the world, more than 600 million young people live in fragile and conflict affected contexts today (Cordaid, 2014). The effects of violent conflict – social, political and economic - vary for men and women of different age groups, including young women and young men. Exposure to armed violence often leads to human rights violations, displaced and refugee populations, households losing their main sources of livelihood and injured or disabled individuals.

The lives of young women and men can alter dramatically and in very different ways when directly affected by violence or as a result to changes in their communities and environments. However, the experiences of conflict and violence of young men and young women are generally not tracked and analysed, in part because young people tend to be seen as troublemakers or a threat to peace, and therefore primarily addressed as a problem to contain rather than a constituency whose diverse experiences of conflict and violence need to be understood.

New research has started to analyse young people’s critical role in conflict prevention and peacebuilding. Notwithstanding this growing recognition, both in academic and policy circles, of the centrality of young people in conflict, the full implications of their position and role in the prevention of violent conflict, especially around issues of agency, motivation and resilience, has thus far been under-studied

UNDP’s Youth Global Programme for Sustainable Development and Peace (Youth-GPS, 2016-2020) is seeking to address these gaps as a contribution to the Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) mandated by Security Council resolution 2250 (2015), which will provide recommendations for action at the local, national, regional and international levels to promote the positive role of young people in peace processes and conflict resolution.

The proposed research will seek to demonstrate, based on the analysis of available quantitative data, the effects of violent conflict on young women and young men and the role of young people in supporting or promoting peace and stability in their communities. It will inform the Progress Study on Youth, Peace and Security and other relevant flagship processes on conflict prevention and sustaining peace. The proposed research will also be a standalone publication, disseminated separately and made available on the www.youth4peace.info multi-stakeholder platform promoting young people’s participation in peacebuilding.

Duties and Responsibilities

SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED ANALYTICAL WORK

Under the supervision of the UNDP Youth-GPS manager, the consultant will undertake a review and assessment of available quantitative data sources on young people in relation to peace and security. 

In particular, this refers to quantitative data sources on young people’s victimization (by conflict and violence), their participation in violence, their civic and political participation and inclusion; the nature and extent of their economic participation in conflict and post-conflict settings; and an analysis of perception surveys related to young people’s roles, needs and priorities in relation to peace and security.

Expected outputs and deliverables:

Specifically, the consultant will:

• Conduct desk research to identify and assess available quantitative data sources that can provide sex and age disaggregated data on young people in relation to peace and security, both privately generated and collected or held by governments.
• Identify relevant quantitative evidence using existing datasets from 2-3 case studies (from the following list: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Palestine, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, Vietnam, Zimbabwe) on the effects of violent conflict on young people and on the effectiveness of the roles played by young people in specific case studies.
• Undertake a select series of interviews/consultations (approximately 15) with key researchers, scholars and/or organizations who are experts in quantitative data production and this field of research, as well as a select group of expert-practitioners on YPS, on available data sources and data gaps.
• Compile an assessment report of approximately 40 pages that: identifies the useful, reliable and available quantitative data sources; demarcates knowledge gaps and gaps in available quantitative data sources; makes recommendations for filling these age and sex disaggregated quantitative data gaps.
• Design and facilitate a half-day interactive workshop between scholars and peacebuilding practitioners working on YPS (either in person or online), to assess, validate and further develop recommendations on how to fill the age and sex disaggregated data gaps necessary to capture the reality of young people’s experience in conflict and post-conflict contexts and for effective data-driven assessment of progress on the YPS agenda.

The consultant will be expected to incorporate UNDP’s Youth-GPS team inputs and feedback during the drafting and finalization phases.

 This consultancy will mostly entail desk review type of work and interviews/email exchanges. No travel is foreseen.

Deliverables and Time Frame:

• Meeting with the team – agree on overall scope and approach, collection of material, scope and requirements for the report to be produced as a result of this assignment -  by 15 August 2017 (lumpsum 20%)
• Compile and submit first draft report (first draft) by 14 September 2017 (lumpsum 55%)
• Prepare for and hold a validation workshop, by 3 October 2017 (lumpsum 10%).
• Submit complete final report [” Young People, Violent Conflict and Peacebuilding”], by 12 October 2017 (lumpsum 15%)

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

• Strong research, analytical, writing and communication skills;
• Knowledge and research experience in development, governance, youth development, peace and security, and quantitative data analysis.
• Ability to produce high quality research from academic and non-academic sources;
• Familiarity working with public and private datasets, and with data disaggregation;

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical ;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Maturity combined with tact and diplomacy;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in data science, social sciences, studies, international relations, political science or related field is required. PhD is an asset.

Years of Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of relevant work experience on youth, violent conflict and peacebuilding is required.
• Post-graduate research activities such as Ph.D. research, tank affiliation and/or a track record of academic and/or policy-oriented publications and/or research management is an required.
• Experience working with academics, quantitative data experts, development practitioners is required;
• Experience collaborating with the UN System is an asset;
• Familiarity working with private, public and official datasets is highly desirable;
• Experience with multi-stakeholder is an advantage.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required;
• Good command of an additional UNDP working language (Spanish and/or French) an asset.

Application Procedure

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

• Online application with brief description of why the Offer considers her/himself the most suitable for the assignment, which includes a description of approach/methodology for the assignment; and
• Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

• The financial proposal must be lumpsum, all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; cost of travel from the home base to the duty station and vice versa, where required; living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.
• This consultancy is a home-based assignment, therefore, there is no envisaged travel cost to join duty station/repatriation travel.
• In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.
• If the Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

The Financial Proposal is to be emailed as per the instruction in the separate email that will be sent to shortlisted candidates.

Evaluation Process

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Being responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation where technical criteria weighs 70% and Financial criteria/ Proposal weighs 30%.

Technical evaluation - Total 70% (700 points):

• Criteria 1:  10 years of relevant work experience on youth, violent conflict and peacebuilding Weight = 15%; Maximum Points: 150;
• Criteria 2. Relevant Experience in post-graduate research activities such as Ph.D. research, think tank affiliation and/or a track record of academic and/or policy-oriented publications and/or research management Weight = 10%; Maximum Points: 100;
• Criteria 3.  Proven experience working with academics, quantitative data experts, development practitioners Weight = 10%; Maximum Points: 100
• Criteria 4: Experience collaborating with the UN System Weight = 5%; Maximum Points: 50
• Criteria 5: Familiarity working with private, public and official datasets Weight = 10%; Maximum Points: 100
• Criteria 6: Description of approach/methodology to assignment Weight = 15%; Maximum Points: 150
• Criteria 7: Additional UN languages (Spanish and/or French) Weight = 5%; Maximum Points: 50

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (490 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (700 points) shall be considered for the financial evaluation.  

Financial evaluation - Total 30% (300 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Contract Award

Candidate obtaining the highest combined scores in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

Institutional arrangement

The consultant will work under the guidance and direct supervision of UNDP Youth-GPS manager and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above.

The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop.

Monitoring and reporting arrangements:

• The consultant will liaise as needed and report to the Youth-GPS Project Manager.
• The review and of payments will be made by the Youth-GPS Project Manager.

Payment modality

• Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified above and deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager.
• The work week will be based on 35 hours, i.e. on a 7 hour working day, with core hours being between 9h00 and 18h00 daily.

Annexes (click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

Annex 1 - UNDP P-11 Form for ICs

Annex 2 - IC Contract Template

Annex 3 – IC General Terms and Conditions

Annex 4 – RLA Template

Any request for clarification must be sent by email to [email protected] 

The UNDP Central Procurement Unit will respond by email and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.