Consultant to edit and review the UNCT Country Context Analysis for Syria

Result of Service Updated Country Context Analysis and development of Ex. Summary endorsed by the UNCT.

Work Location Home Based / Damascus

Expected duration 15 Working days between 09 October and 09 December 2022

Duties and Responsibilities The Syrian Arab Republic is facing one of the world’s most complex emergencies, with unparalleled levels of humanitarian needs, significant internal and external displacement, widespread destruction of civilian and agricultural infrastructure and disastrous impacts on development gains in the country. In 2022, 14.6 million people in Syria are estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance - a 30 per cent increase compared to 2020 - with needs increasingly being exacerbated by economic decline. Putting the response to people’s needs at the center of its work, the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) continues to complement its large direct humanitarian assistance efforts with multi-year resilience activities. In 2021, the United Nations Country Team defined a common approach to promote resilience in Syria, highlighting its aim to enhance urban and rural livelihoods for vulnerable people and improve sustained, equitable and safe access to critical basic services in areas with a high severity of needs.

Currently, the United Nations in Syria has two operating frameworks: the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and the UN Strategic Framework. While the HRP identifies the broad humanitarian community’s activities in response to life-saving and early recovery humanitarian needs based on the annual Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) exercise, the Strategic Framework (SF) frames the UNCT’s multi-year strategic outcomes, implemented in coordination between the Government and the United Nations for 2022-2024 It aims to build the resilience and improve the lives of all people in Syria, particularly the most vulnerable, within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the pledge to leave no one behind and reach the furthest behind first and with a principled and human rights-based approach to programming.

In 2019, a Country Context Analysis was developed based on the global UNSDCF guidance to inform the preparation of the new Strategic Framework. It sought to provide an overview of the national context, in particular the socio-economic situation and the impact of the protracted crisis; state institutions’ capacities; human rights and the protection of civilian’s situation; climate and the environment; within the broader framework of the agenda 2030 global goals and commitments. In doing so, the UNCT followed all globally agreed key country analysis principles (accountability, resilience, gender equality and women’s empowerment, and sustainability) and cross-cutting themes. Meanwhile, the Government of Syria has engaged with the UN on SDG monitoring and reporting and the relevant tools for monitoring and evaluation. The first national SDG report was launched in 2018, the Syria Strategic Plan (Syria 2030) was shared with the UN by late 2019 and in 2020 the first Voluntary National Report (VNR) was presented at inter-governmental level. Following the signature of the Strategic Framework in June 2022, the UNCT is launching an exercise to update the 2019 Country Context Analysis. This consultancy will focus on supporting the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) and UNCT to update the 2019 Country Context Analysis document to be annexed to the 2022-2024 Strategic Framework. The focus of this assignment is to i) update the country analysis document, reflecting the current realities based on key sector-specific analysis documents developed by UN agencies since 2019; ii) identify existing gaps; and iii) recommend specific additional assessments, if needed. Underscoring the importance of the UN Secretary-General’s Call to Action for Human Rights, the Sustaining Peace Agenda as well as Our Common Agenda, the updated CCA will place human rights, together with the realization of the SDGs, at the center of the analysis update. In this regard, the Consultant will ensure integrating analysis and recent recommendations of the UN human rights mechanisms; specific analysis of who is being left behind; a gender analysis; inputs from local communities collected and documented by agencies within their participatory programming activities at area level, including groups at risk of being left behind and civil society groups. In particular, the consultant will review and integrate recently developed resources, such as the HCT field-level context sensitivity analyses, risk assessments, as well as the analysis and recommendations from the 2022 Universal Periodic Review process and the 2019 review of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. He/She will consolidate evidence-based economic analysis in support of a shared understanding by the UN Country Team (UNCT) of socio-economic development trends, including the impact of the protracted Syrian crisis, the influence of the regional economic dynamics, the impact of the economic measures to which the country is subject to, and the socio-economic impact of COVID 19 on the most marginalized and vulnerable groups who are at risk of being left behind. Operating in a country marked by protracted armed conflict in some areas, the consultant will place great emphasis on the inter-relations between humanitarian, development, and peace (HDP) trends, to advance an integral understanding of the UNCT’s operational context and identify opportunities to advance and HDP nexus approach in programming. The impact of conflict and peace trends, as well as other external factors, on people‘s needs and the broader socio-economic context at the sub-national and local level should inform analysis, with special attention to varying dynamics across the national territory. He/She will ensure maintaining thematic cross cutting areas as per the advice of the relevant coordination groups. The consultant will work under the supervision of the RCO Team Leader supported by the RCO staff (Data Management and Results Monitoring/Reporting, Partnerships/Development Finance Officer), the Human Rights Advisor to the RC/HC, the UN Risk Management Unit (UN RMU) and UNDP Context Sensitivity Advisor. Moreover, the incumbent will undertake consultations with the SF Pillar Groups, the PMT and the UNCT, as needed.

SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES

The Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks, under the overall supervision of the RCO Team Lead, and direct work relationship with the RCO team in Syria: 1. Update the 2019 Country Context Analysis document.

2. Prepare the final package for the UNCT review including the UNCT presentation, with an executive summary that highlights key findings including shared understanding among humanitarian, development, peace, and human rights actors regarding the situation in the country, critical needs, vulnerabilities, and risks. 3. Provide advice on data gaps that need to be addressed as well as key data and relevant products/tools that need to be regularly updated to ensure that the CCA remains an up-to-date, reliable document that describes the country situation.

Tentative Timeline Stage 1 – Review Review of existing studies including but not limited context sensitivity analysis, risks assessment, socio-economic impact assessment, etc. Mapping of available data, including from government, UN, academia, and civil society sources, and identifying data gaps. Timeline: 3 days Responsible: Consultant w/th Data Officer, PG Conveners

Stage 2 – Update Analysis of available data, including from government, UN, academic, and civil society sources, and identification of priority areas for update. Fill gap for missing data/ suggest alternatives. Update figures in the CCA. Integration of recent human rights mechanisms’ analysis and recommendations, including from the 2022 Universal Periodic Review and the 2019 review of the Committee on the Rights of the Child. Timeline: 5 days Responsible: Consultant

Stage 3 – Consultation Consultation with relevant UN entities inter-Agency WGs and UN partners. Timeline: 2 days Responsible: Consultant w/th Data Officer, PG Conveners

Stage 4 – Drafting Incorporate comments received from agencies. Update the 2019 country analysis document, including editing the document structure in line with the UNSDCF Guiding Principles of a human rights-based approach, LNOB, and gender equality and women’s empowerment, with available data, including from government, UN, academic, and civil society sources. Prepare the final deliverables as mentioned in step no. 2. Timeline: 5 days Responsible: Consultant

Stage 5 – Endorsement Present the final report/findings to the UNCT for endorsement. Responsible: RCO

Qualifications/special skills Competency: - Good knowledge of UN system, procedures, and operational activities. - Good coordination skills. - Excellent planning, organizational and management skills. - Strong managerial experience and decision-making skills. - Build strong relationship with partners, focuses on impact for the client and responds positively to feedback. - Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English. - Ability to work as part of team. - Prior experience working in/on Syria is an asset. - Prior experience working in/on a crisis/ conflict country is an asset. - Analytical skills. - Proficiency in all computer application programs. - Familiarity with the UNSDCF Guiding Principles, including a human rights-based approach, leave no one behind, and gender equality and women's empowerment. Skills: Good computer skills in Windows environment, knowledge of internet communications and command of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) is required. Academic Qualifications: Master's degree or higher, in a related field such as, but not limited to, economics, social policy analysis, international relations, human rights, social sciences, political science, legal, international development and/or management is required. Experience: A minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience in human rights, recovery, development, peacebuilding, or humanitarian affairs is required. Work experience in the field of report writing, disaggregated data collection, and data analysis is required. Language: Proficiency in written and oral English is required. Knowledge of Arabic is an asset.

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.