Consultancy: Development of the Community Resilience Landscape Analysis of the local ecosystem for private sector engagement in humanitarian action and resilience

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UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, resilience

How can you make a difference?

Location: Remote/home-based

Duration: 39 days working days

Start Date: 9/10/2021 End Date: 11/30/2021

BACKGROUND:

BUSINESS AND COMMUNITY RESILIENCE (BCR)

The Business and Community Resilience is an approach that aims at engaging with business to protect children from shocks and stresses (environmental, social and environmental or climate-related hazards) by using private sector’s core expertise, operational capacities and networks to address its impact on children, strengthen the resilience of local communities and markets, and enhance the efficiency of humanitarian actions and resilience.

The COVID-19 crisis demonstrates more than ever the need to build resilient systems to reduce the negative impact of such crises on people and the economy. This crisis also highlights the interlinkages which exist between each of the stakeholders contributing in building peaceful, prosperous and resilient societies - including people and businesses; and the need to invest in both community and business resilience to reduce the human costs and economic impact in the short- and long-term.

The private sector is a fundamental component of local communities affected by humanitarian crises, and it has long been engaged in humanitarian preparedness, response and recovery. Private sector actors are present before humanitarian crises occur and as crises unfold, and they are among the first responders to emergencies. When disaster strikes, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are first hit which in turn affects market stability and community livelihoods. A resilience model established between larger and smaller businesses could also support community resilience.

Private sector actors, whether small or large, operating directly in humanitarian contexts or indirectly through supply chains, can leverage their own expertise, resources, channels and influence to address humanitarian needs and make positive contributions to long-term resilience, peace and sustainable development. Building community resilience can be done by addressing adverse business impact on children while supporting business and ensuring swift recovery of markets and resumption of community livelihoods.

1.1. The UNICEF BCR PILOT PROJECT IN INDONESIA

The Business and Community Resilience (BCR) pilot project in Indonesia, with implementation starting in August 2018 and successful completion in December 2020, helped operationalize the BCR approach in the country. Implemented in collaboration with the UNICEF Private Fundraising and Partnership Division (PFP), the Office of Emergency Programs (EMOPS) and the Programs Division Humanitarian Support and Transition Support (PD HATIS), the project demonstrated strong interest from the private sector in contributing with their expertise to humanitarian action and to build the resilience of communities in the regions in which they operate. UNICEF took a leadership role and convened its sister UN agencies (UNDP, UN OCHA) and Connecting Business initiative (CBi) to work together as a “One UN system” in engaging with the private sector in the BCR initiative. UNICEF’s role was instrumental in bringing expertise of the agencies with their different mandates, including child safeguarding and child-sensitive humanitarian and development standards and principles, policy development and formulation, coordination for strengthened disaster management action and expertise for private sector capacity development and networking together. Working as a “One UN system” enabled the supporting of the one business engagement process and framework.

The BCR project focused its implementation on two main objectives: 1) Actively engaging with national and international businesses on DRR and preparedness in Indonesia at the national and subnational level, and support of a formal national engagement (National Framework) in disaster resilience, awareness raising and capacity development processes, in collaboration with key national actors; and 2) On the basis of this pilot initiative, to draw lessons learned and strategic recommendations on the evidence-base to develop a “business case” for the key role that the private sector can play in DRR, and internal guidance documents to equip UNICEF Country Offices in engaging with business in DRR.

1.2. The UNICEF BCR PROJECT IN EASTERN CARIBBEAN

Building on the Indonesian experience, the BCR Multi-Country Project aims to replicate the Business and Community Resilience approach in other countries of similar context in Latin America and the Caribbean.

UNICEF has identified the Eastern Caribbean area (comprising Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands) as a country for the BCR Multi-Country Project.

The overall strategic objectives of the BCR Multi-Country Project are:

• Engaging private sector on risk reduction and preparedness, response and recovery (within the business operation, for children and the community).
• Protecting Employees and communities where the company operates
• Create an enabling environment promoting responsible child-friendly business practices
• Contribute with core business expertise to humanitarian action and resilience
• Building awareness of business on the direct and indirect impact of their operations, value chains,and relationships on children and communities and on actions they can take to address adverse impact.
• Building understanding of and capacities of the private sector to adopt child-centred strategies for community resilience, climate adaptation and humanitarian action. Providing advisory guidance on community resilience, climate adaptation and humanitarian action, in collaboration with national authorities and key stakeholders.
• Leveraging private sector’s comparative advantage and resources to increase community resilience,
• Strengthen the efficiency of climate-related adaptation and humanitarian action, which ultimately protects children rights.
• Putting children’s rights at the core of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and Shared Value Partnerships (SVPs) on resilience, climate-related activities and humanitarian action.
• Engaging with influential private sector actors and “Champions” on advocacy and mobilizing new businesses to catalyze action.
• Promoting innovation through the active children’s participation and the use of technologies for risk reduction and preparedness.

The BCR project follows a phased approach, that should support a 3-5 years programme cycle to build and maintain sustainable action and systems to build Business and Community Resilience:

- Phase 1 (year 1, 2): BCR scoping and institutionalisation of BCR engagement systems

- Phase 2 (year 3-5): Sector-specific operational engagement (year 3-4) and implementation (year 5), BCR systems strengthening

As part of the Phase 1 the UNICEF BCR strategies should be informed by a BCR Landscape Analysis whose objective is to analyze the country context of private sector engagement in humanitarian action and resilience, identify gaps and priorities for action. The BCR Landscape analysis could be informed by the Private Sector Landscape Analysis developed previously, whenever available. Results and recommendations from the BCR Landscape Analysis should be discussed with UNICEF to be presented to key private sectors, national authorities and UN/NGO partners identified during the BCR Landscape Analysis process.

PURPOSE/SCOPE OF ACTIVITY/ASSIGNMENT:

Goal and Objective: UNICEF Eastern Caribbean Area is seeking the services of an Individual Consultant support the development of the Community Resilience Landscape Analysis of the local ecosystem for private sector engagement in humanitarian action and resilience, including an analysis of existing partnerships and initiatives, key progress, gaps, and opportunities.

The comprehensive landscape assessment analysis for the Eastern Caribbean Area (ECA) will include the following (but is not limited to):

1. An analysis of past and current UNICEF engagement with the private sector (humanitarian/DRR, programme sectors, resource mobilization, partnerships and child-friendly business practices), the UN system (including Clusters), NGOs, donor agencies and national authorities; interest and recommendations to engage further.
2. An analysis of past and current business and business networks’ engagement in humanitarian action and resilience; interest and recommendations from companies to engage further.
3. An analysis of regulatory, financials or other types of bottlenecks currently existing in private sector engagement in humanitarian action.

Activities and Tasks: Proposed elements and activities of the Landscape Analysis:

• Executive summary;
• Regional disaster risk profile for ECA. This includes the following:
• Country or sub-regional snapshots of disaster risk profiles;
• Overview of each country’s national disaster management structures and mechanisms.
• Relevant regional disaster risk reduction and management as well as humanitarian coordination mechanisms (e.g., OCHA Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, UNDP Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean)
• Building on existing Private Sector Landscape Analysis developed (when available),
• Develop a Business and Community Resilience Landscape Analysis to map all relevant stakeholders and existing initiatives supporting Business and Community Resilience.
• Include the listing of relevant laws, legal frameworks and other related references to describe the disaster risk management structure and mechanism in the region. Include also regulatory, financial impediments or bottlenecks to fully engaged private sector in humanitarian action.
• Based on the Mapping of stakeholders and initiatives supporting Business and Community Resilience, consult with UNICEF to identify good practices, lessons learned, gaps and opportunities for engagement.
• An overview of key business sectors and critical industries in the region (e.g., tourism, telecommunications, power and energy, agriculture and agribusiness, water);
• Identify priority areas to be addressed through engagement with the private sector and other traditional humanitarian and development actors.
• Suggest an engagement plan and identify potential partners to support future Business and Community Resilience actions

Outputs/Deliverables:

Development of Business and Community Resilience Landscape Analysis for the Eastern Caribbean area (comprising Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands)

The Contractor will undertake an in-depth analysis of the country landscape through an agreed research approach that may include a combination of: literature review; analysis of current partnerships and initiatives related to the key priority areas; stakeholder interviews and consultations with public and private sector partners, UN and multilateral, civil society organizations, and surveys.

The detailed analytical framework will be tailored specifically following a format provided with identification of main areas of research and determined during the inception phase, to ensure use of existing information and knowledge base and avoid duplication of efforts, but will broadly cover the following areas:

1. Review of policy and regulatory environment related to private sector engagement in humanitarian action;
2. Demand-side analysis on the perspectives of business, challenges and aspirations around priority areas;
3. Supply-side analysis of macroeconomic landscape;
4. Inefficiencies and areas where changes/improvements in investment might lead to greater return on investments (RoI);
5. Opportunities for BCR in promoting partnerships and funding, white spaces and gaps for further public/private partnership, shared value opportunities for private sector involvement. Regulatory and financial bottlenecks.

WORK ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW:

Key Activities/Tasks:

Deliverables/Outputs:

Duration (Est. days:

Due Date

1. Inception Phase

Initial Desk Review which will also include landscape analysis design and methodology (data collection approach and detailed workplan of proposed activities)

4 days

9/7/2021

2. Submission of first draft mapping of the following: Existing private sector networks and initiatives related to disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness and response, and recovery in the region; Programs and good practices on private sector engagement by humanitarian actors (e.g., UN agencies, non-government organisations) in disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness and response, and recovery.

Preliminary Mapping following the data collection

28 days

10/5/2021

3. Final draft of Landscape Assessment with Priority areas to be addressed through engagement with private sector Provide an overview of current findings in relation to private sector engagement in humanitarian action and resilience, focus on the private sectors capacities, experience, potential, barriers, and challenges.

   Final Draft

7 days

10/28/2021

METHODOLOGY:

The Consultant is expected to follow a qualitative method of doing landscape assessment—doing both primary data collection and using secondary data, coupled with a systematic mapping of available resources. Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, field visits and on-site activities (e.g., workshops, meetings) are highly discouraged and primary data collection and all other proposed activities will be done remotely until further notice (i.e. until COVID-19 restriction measures allow).

The regional landscape assessment activities should be implemented in consultation and coordination with UNICEF ECA office.

The consultant is expected to propose a methodology with a clear intent to provide credible information to the assessment areas. The proposed methodology will need to ensure that the information collected is valid, reliable and sufficient to meet the assessment objective and that the analyses are logical, coherent and complete. Triangulation (utilizing multiple sources of data and methods) should be applied in order to validate findings. The proposed methodology should also show collection, use and analysis of gender-disaggregated data where relevant.

In the proposed methodology, the consultant will need to provide the following: 1) what information should be collected; 2) from which sources / or stakeholders it should be collected; 3) for what purpose it should be collected; 4) how the collected data will be analyzed in order to answer the assessment questions; 5) how the collected data will be analyzed and processed to help develop recommendations for regional engagement; and, 6) draft timeline. The consultant is expected to submit this as part of the inception report.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE:

Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables which receive satisfactory quality review. In general, individual contracts shall not allow for fee advances. However, a maximum of 30 per cent of the total contract value may be authorized by the Approving Authority in cases where advance purchases, for example for supplies or travel, may be necessary.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE/QUALIFICATIONS:

• A Master’s degree in Business Administration, International Relations, Economic Development, Development Studies, Social Science, International Development, Political Science, International Relations or other relevant field is required.
• A minimum 5 years of experience in humanitarian or development work, out of which at least 2 years are related to private sector partnerships is required;
• Experience in disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response and recovery particularly in the context of the Caribbean is desirable;
• Experience in developing and implementing knowledge management activities (research and analysis, report writing, workshop delivery, making presentation in public, etc.) in the context of disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response and recovery is desirable;
• Experience in partnership development and management as well as experience in working with international organizations and donors, and the UN system related to disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response and recovery is desirable; and
• Experience in working in or supporting a developing country in humanitarian or development programming and knowledge of national and international disaster management issues and institutional arrangements is desirable.
• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE:

Before commencing work, a consultant or individual contractor shall submit a statement of good health and take full responsibility for the accuracy of that statement, including confirmation that he or she has been informed of the inoculations required for the country or countries to which travel is authorized. Consultants and individual contractors shall assume all costs that may occur in relation to the statement of good health. Consultants and individual contractors are required to certify that they are covered by medical/health insurance.

TRAININGS: Please see attached full TOR for required trainings. ToR Landscape Analysis BCR Adv.pdf

HOW TO APPLY: Prospective consultants should apply through UNICEF jobs website using this link here no later than 2 September 2021. The application package should include the following:

1. A cover letter;
2. Detailed curriculum vitae
3. A proposal stipulating all-inclusive fees, including lump sum travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

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Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org