Localisation Consultant

The localisation consultant will do an internal review on UNFPA’s approach in humanitarian action on i) localisation, ii) cascading of quality funding to national and local partners, and iii) flexibility measures in partnership provisions.

The main deliverable will be a report with findings and recommendations on how to strengthen UNFPA’s approach towards localisation notably on addressing bottleneck for efficient and effective delivery by national and local partners as well as recommendations on flexibility measures to be implemented beyond COVID-19 .

How You Can Make a Difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young’s person potential is fulfilled. UNFPA’s strategic plan 2018-2021 focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal death; to end unmet need for family planning; end gender-based violence and harmful practices.

Job Purpose:

UNFPA is committed to strengthen local and national capacities in its humanitarian responses as a way to support local ownership, resilience and continuity of services during crises. Partnerships with local and national organizations, including women-led organisations, are key to reach vulnerable groups with life-saving services, to engage the local community and to ensure context-specific designed responses.

Through the Grand Bargain, UNFPA has committed to achieve progress on localisation, including by ensuring increased funding to frontline actors, strengthened partnership and multi-year investment in their capacities. Moreover, as part of the Grand Bargain commitments, UNFPA should ensure that quality funding received by UNFPA from donors is passed down to local partners implementing on the ground.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on ongoing humanitarian crises have enhanced a need to make funding mechanisms more flexible so that frontline humanitarian actors receive timely and adequate resources and can pivot as appropriate to COVID-19-related activities. Improving flexibility is driven by the urgency of preparedness, anticipatory actions and response to COVID-19, and aligns with the long-term commitments outlined in the Grand Bargain. Against this background, IASC members including UNFPA endorsed a proposal for a harmonized approach to funding flexibility in the context of COVID-19 to increase funding flexibility, lightening, and speeding up processes in response to the pandemic, as allowable within existing regulations, rules, policies, and procedures. The ultimate goal is to ensure that flexibility is cascaded through the humanitarian system, including to local and national NGOs, in as consistent a way as possible.

In line with IASC and Grand Bargain commitments, UNFPA is seeking consultancy services to take stock of UNFPA’s implementation of the IASC funding flexibility approach and progress made on cascading quality funding for national and local partners, and make recommendations on advancing the localization agenda in UNFPA including as regards women-led organisations.

You Would Be Responsible for:

This internal assessment will take stock and make recommendations as regards:

1. Advancing the localization agenda in UNFPA including engagement with women-led organisations.
2. Challenges and progress made on cascading quality funding for national and local partners
3. Status of the implementation of the funding flexibility approach towards implementing partners as agreed by IASC and way forward

Methodology:

• Desk review analyzing current policies and systems and their use
• Consultation and interviews with key stakeholders at HQ and selected country offices, INGOs, national partners and local partners.
• Interviews with other UN agencies and donors to understand common challenges and bottlenecks.

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered:

The consultancy will start by 1st April. The final report and communication materials are expected to be finalized by end June.

Monitoring and progress control

• A timeline and workplan will be developed as for delivery of inception report, validation workshop, and consultation by key stakeholders of draft report.
• The acceptance of services at the end of each month will be certified through a Certification of Payment to be counter signed by both parties (IC and UNFPA).
• Biweekly review on progress and adjustment to be made with supervisor

Duration & Location:     60 working days starting 1 April 2021, for 4 months remote work

Required Knowledge and Experience:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in humanitarian, disaster management or development-related disciplines, gender issues, public policy, economics, human rights, or other social science fields;
• Minimum of seven years of progressively responsible experience in management of humanitarian programming preferably in in disaster/conflict  settings;
• Proven excellent competencies within report writing, analysis and evaluation, and communication;
• Experience working with civil society organisations, INGOs, National NGOs at the international and field levels;
• Knowlegde of the localisation agenda, interagency policies, and standards under the Grand Bargain;
• Knowledge of UNFPA’s internal policies and procedures is an asset.

• Proficiency in English (oral and written) is required
• Knowledge of an additional UN language is an asset

How to apply

Candidates should submit their curriculum vitae/resume along with a letter of motivation, which should include financial proposal to Lene Aggernaes, aggernaes@unfpa.org with "Localisation Consultant” in the subject field, by 25 March 2021.

NOTE:

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. Fraudulent notices, letters or offers may be submitted to the UNFPA fraud hotline http://www.unfpa.org/help/hotline.cfm

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, teamwork, Embracing diversity in all its forms, integrity and a healthy balance of work and life. We are committed to maintaining our balanced gender distribution and therefore encourage women to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities for all including persons with disabilities.