Consultancy to develop a comprehensive mapping of European Union financing mechanisms - Remote/Home Based (3 months)

Contract

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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, hope

The Global Gateway is the EU’s plan for investment in infrastructure development around the world. Using all financial and development tools at the EU’s disposal, the Global Gateway aims to mobilize investments of up to €300 billion during the current multiannual financial framework (MFF) 2021-2027 through a Team Europe approach - bringing together resources of the EU, Member States, European financial institutions and national development finance institutions. It actively seeks to mobilize private sector finance and expertise and support access to sustainable finance. Within the current MFF, EU external action (incl. development cooperation) is financed from the Neighborhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI – Global Europe), with an overall budget of EUR 79,5 billion. NDICI – Global Europe significantly modifies the external investment framework, bringing together blended finance and guarantees under the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) – External Action Guarantee (EAG). The EFSD+ expands the geographical scope and financial envelope of its predecessor, the EFSD, as it will be able to guarantee operations up to EUR 53,4 billion through the EAG. The European Commission has developed a roadmap for an improved European financial architecture for development that underlines the key role of NDICI Global Europe, the EFSD+ and the EAG in providing a framework for blended finance, de-risking investments and guarantees, and mobilizing resources from the private sector with the support of the EU budget. It is within this context that this consultancy is being commissioned.

How can you make a difference?

As part of this work, the consultant will

• Map existing EU external financing instruments and/or mechanisms. This should include financing instruments and/or mechanisms under all EU institutions and related entities that can support the delivery of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025. This is expected to include all mechanisms, covering direct, indirect, and any other existing implementation modalities. This mapping is not expected to include instruments and/or mechanisms deployed in EU member states.
• With support from UNICEF’s team in Brussels, facilitate a process to classify the instruments and/or mechanisms in terms of their partnership potential for UNICEF, based on alignment with strategic priorities, investment/disbursement record and compatibility with UNICEF/UN policies and practices notably the Financial and Administrative Framework (FAFA) governing the EU-UN operational partnership. The analysis should result in a written summary of selected instruments and/or mechanisms including clear, concise summaries of their strategic priorities, financial scale, investment/disbursement processes and other key features of each instrument and/or mechanism including with which Directorate they sit
• Highlight key opportunities/recommendations for UNICEF engagement over the short, medium and long-term. Specific recommendations for expanding UNICEF partnerships in the fields of nutrition and health must be included.

The consultant will produce two key deliverables (delivery dates to be confirmed upon assignment):

1. Draft Mapping of existing EU and EU-related financing mechanisms (excluding member state instruments and/or mechanisms) in a summary document (no later than 35 pages) and slide-deck (no more than 20 slides) to be submitted no later than September 15th, 2023. The report is to include only those instruments and mechanisms aligned with the goal areas of UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and the UN Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement (FAFA).
2. Final Report (no longer than 50 pages) to be submitted no later than October 15th, 2023

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (Master’s or higher) in Law, Accounting, Management, Audit, Business Administration, Financial Management, or related discipline. *A first University Degree in a relevant field combined with 2 additional years of professional experience may be accepted in lieu of an Advanced University Degree.
• A minimum of 15 years of relevant professional experience in organizational development, governance and/or legal counsel.
• Previous experience in/with European Union/European Commission and its different institutions is essential.
• Previous experience in/with UNICEF, including knowledge of UN/UNICEF programmes and operations, policies and procedures is an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Competencies:

• Knowledge and understanding of public sector financing instruments and mechanisms essential
• Excellent understanding of the development and humanitarian sector is highly desirable
• Excellent track record of engagement experiences with government partners, civil society and/or think tanks
• Highly developed interpersonal skills and an aptitude for problem solving.

Requirements

• Completed online application (no email applications accepted).
• Upload copy of academic credentials
• Financial proposal that will include:
  • All-inclusive (lump sum) fees for the deliverables noted above.
  • Travel costs and daily subsistence allowance, if internationally recruited or travel is required as per TOR
  • Any other estimated costs: visa, health insurance, and living costs as applicable.
  • Indicate your availability
  • At the time the contract is awarded, the selected candidate must have in place current health insurance coverage.
  • Payment of professional fees will be based on the submission of agreed satisfactory deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

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.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.