Consultant on integration of geospatial and statistical information (Remote)

Result of Service - By 30 September: o Output 1: Detailed workplan with key outputs and timelines o Output 2: Progress report related to work assignments as outlined in this ToR

• By 31 October: o Output 3: Summary of engagement with countries in preparation for high-level seminar o Output 4: Progress report related to work assignments as outlined in this ToR

• By 30 November: o Output 5: Summary of high-level seminar, including agreed next steps

• By 31 December: o Output 6: Report on all work carried out under the consultancy, including results achieved and lessons learned

  Work Location The consultancy is home-based with regular phone and web conference meetings with UNSD, project countries and other partners. Travel or commute time, as well as related expenses, are not part of the consultancy.

The consultant may be required to travel to 1-2 countries to co-facilitate a training on integration of geospatial and statistical information for the production of selected SDG indicators. The consultant is also required to travel to the high-level seminar. Travel Authorization will be granted to the consultant prior to the travel date. The travel itineraries will be determined in due course and the related costs will be obligated separately. Airline tickets and Daily Subsistence Allowance will be covered by the project.

Expected duration The initial consultancy is for a period of four months, from 1 September to 31 December 2023.

Duties and Responsibilities The Data for Now initiative (https://unstats.un.org/capacity-development/data-for-now/), co-led by the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), the World Bank, the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD), and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), aims to develop countries’ capacities to deliver the information needed by local and national policy and decision makers to achieve the 2030 Agenda. To this end, it supports members of the national statistical systems in participating countries to collaborate more effectively with local, national and global partners from intergovernmental organizations, academia, civil society and the private sector, in order to leverage innovative sources, technologies and methods for the streamlined production and dissemination of better, more timely and disaggregated data for sustainable development.

As part of the implementation of the Data for Now initiative, and with funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), UNSD is looking for a geospatial consultant who can support the work on development of practical level guidance materials related to assessing the maturity of geo-statistical integration. The aim of the materials is to help countries in more easily use geospatial information to produce SDG and other national indicators and on promoting cooperation between national statistical offices (NSOs) and national geospatial information agencies (NGIAs) globally, primarily in Africa and Asia.

The activities highlighted above require close collaboration with the Data for Now team and the Global Geospatial Information Management (GGIM) team of UNSD as well as key partners such as NSOs and NGIAs in project countries, Statistics Norway, GPSDD, the World Bank and SDSN-TReNDS, as well as the UN country teams, donors and other international partners supporting statistical development initiatives linked to the initiative.

The objective of this consultancy is to support countries in their efforts to use geospatial data for producing SDG and other national indicators by enhancing cooperation between relevant authorities and build capacity to link and work with geospatial and statistical data. The consultant will work closely with the UNSD team.

Specifically, the work assignment will involve the following:

1. Prepare a detailed plan of activities, specifying key outputs and timelines, in close consultation with the UNSD team.

2. Country Level Work: o Engage in direct country work on integration of geospatial and statistical information. o Capture national experiences emanating from the implementation of the GSGF and SDGs Geospatial Roadmap that highlight how countries can geocode statistical unit records, foster interoperability and dissemination of geospatially integrated statistics;

3. Prepare a global/regional high-level seminar bringing NGIAs and NSOs together to discuss the baseline geospatial and statistical data available, data sharing mechanisms and integration of geospatial and statistical information, guided by the SDGs Geospatial Roadmap and Global Statistical Geospatial Framework: o Prepare materials for the seminar o Act as facilitator at the seminar together with others from UNSD and other partners o Document lessons learned from the high-level seminar and related activities

4. Support the Expert Group on the Integration of Statistical and Geospatial Information with the development of the Assessment Tool that will help identify geo-statistical maturity.

5. Conduct other activities as assigned by supervisors.

Qualifications/special skills Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in statistics, economics, development studies, international relations, public administration, or a related field with five (5) years of experience. A Bachelor’s degree in combination with seven (7) years of qualifying work experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced degree.

• A minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in social sciences, including statistics and geospatial data, is required.
• Solid knowledge of statistical production and use of geospatial data is required.
• Experience working with National Statistical Offices and/or mapping authorities, providing capacity development, including guidance and training is strongly preferred.

• Knowledge of the Sustainable Development Goals and national efforts to implement them is desirable.

  Languages Full command of spoken and written English is required, knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage.

  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.