Consultant-Develop Economywide Trade Simulator for SA-(ETSI-KSA)

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

Result of Service

The required outputs to be delivered by the consultant are to develop the following: 1- The new balanced global database specially developed for the purpose of GETSI-KSA 2- The baseline scenario for KSA and its major partners for the period 2025-2035. 3- The calibrated GETSI-KSA model for the period 2025-2035 4- The required files to upload GETSI-KSA on GAMS-MIRO that will be used by ESCWA’s IT to develop the new interface

Work Location

Remotely

Expected duration

4 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Background: The regional version of ATSI developed by ESCWA in 2020 has been calibrated using a modified GTAP’s database 10.0. The original GTAP 10.0 links SAMs for 141 countries and sub-regions of the world in one global SAM. However, it includes only 10 individual Arab countries (GCC countries, Tunisia, UAE, Egypt and Jordan). In 2020, ESCWA developed a modified version of the GTAP 10.0 database to include 9 additional Arab countries namely Algeria, Mauritania, Libya, Sudan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Palestine using national SAMs developed by ESCWA in the context of its collaboration with its MSs. In 2022, and on the requests of a largen number of its member states, ESCWA started the development of tailored national versions of ATSI called Economywide Trade Simulator Interface (ETSI). The national tailored versions include specific sectoral and geographical disaggregation’s but also updated baseline scenarios, specific policy instruments, and latest available input output and supply uses tables for each country to better reflect the latest features of national economies. Duties and Responsibilities: The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a tailored version of the global CGE model for Saudi Arabia, which will be used to develop the friendly user simulator interface on GAMS-MIRO. The consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks: 1. Assist ESCWA’s team in updating the GTAP database with the last economic data on the Saudi economy. 2. Aggregate the original GTAP database to the adopted sectoral and geographical disaggregation agreed on with the Ministry of economy and planning in Saudi Arabia. 3. Calibrate the global CGE model with the new global database for all countries and regions to be included in the national version. 4. Define the baseline scenario (dynamic calibration) for KSA and all considered countries and regions for the period 2025-2035. 5. Test the functioning of the model through concrete simulations. 6. Define the policy instruments to be included in the simulation file for GAMS-MIRO interface.

Qualifications/special skills

An advanced University degree in applied Economics is required. A PHD is desirable. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. A minimum of 10 years of experience in developing and applying global dynamic CGE models using GAMS is required.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in English and Arabic is required. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.