Individual Consultant, Financing Local Climate Action (National Mentor for Africa)

Consultant

Contract

This is a National Consultant contract. More about National Consultant contracts.

Background

Project Description

The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) makes public and private finance work for the poor in the world’s 47 least developed countries. With its capital mandate and instruments, UNCDF offers “last mile” finance models that unlock public and private resources, especially at the domestic level, to reduce poverty and support local economic development. UNCDF’s financing models work through three channels: inclusive digital economies, connecting individuals, households, and small businesses with financial eco-systems that catalyze participation in the local economy, and provide tools to climb out of poverty and manage financial lives; local development finance, that capacitates localities through fiscal decentralization, innovative municipal finance, and structured project finance to drive local economic expansion and sustainable development; and investment finance, that provides catalytic financial structuring, de-risking, and capital deployment to drive SDG impact and domestic resource mobilization. By strengthening how finance works for poor people at the household, small enterprise, and local infrastructure levels, UNCDF contributes to Sustainable Development Goal-SDG 1 on eradicating poverty and SDG 17 on the means of implementation. By identifying those market segments where innovative financing models can have transformational impact in helping to reach the last mile and address exclusion and inequalities of access, UNCDF contributes to a broad diversity of SDGs.

The Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD)

The Swedish International Centre for Local Democracy (ICLD) is part of Swedish development co-operation. Its purpose is to promote local democracy in low and middle-income countries. For ICLD, strengthening local democracy principally concerns strengthening local institutions and the work of these promoting equality, participation, transparency and accountability. ICLD operates with existing local institutions and authorities and combines collaboration with local ownership of programmes that reflect the challenges faced by partners. The focus of Swedish development co-operation partnerships is on combating poverty using a rights-based approach. This approach to alleviating poverty is multi-dimensional and includes people’s ability to influence their own lives and development, particularly at the local level. The operations of ICLD therefore form a central plank in combating poverty and promoting sustainable local democracy and development. The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, Lund University and the Region of Gotland are the parent bodies for and constitute the board of ICLD.

The Climate Action Network and its training module

The ICLD Network for Climate Action brings together and supports partnerships among local governments committed to strengthening their systematic work on climate action and human rights at local level. The guiding framework for the Network is the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In the Network, Swedish municipalities or regions have been matched with a counterpart from participating municipalities. Together, the partners develop and carry out projects on climate change adaptation, resilience, and mitigation connected to issues such as youth inclusion and more depending on the needs of their communities. The projects shall strengthen the democratic capacities of the local governments. The training component will target the challenges of climate adaptation particularly in Africa through sustainable, good climate governance at the local level. Over the next two years, teams of individuals from the African project groups within ICLD’s Network for Climate Action are offered the opportunity to take part in the tailor-made training component. Teams will consist of three to four local government officials in strategic, decision-making positions. When possible, Swedish participants will join training sessions to ensure north-south peer-to-peer learning. The teams will use their ongoing municipal partnership projects as learning cases throughout the training.

During the training, the participants will meet a minimum of five times. Between workshops, teams continue working with their municipal partnership project and may conduct municipal partnership visits. Teams will be assigned national mentors and experts to support their work throughout the programme.

The ICLD-UNCDF training module will be designed to address the capacity challenges faced by local governments in southern and eastern Africa in discharging their critical roles and responsibilities in financing climate action. Local governments play a crucial role in addressing the climate crisis in Africa as key entry points and platforms for integrating sector and multi-stakeholder inputs into coherent interventions that support sustainable local development, poverty reduction and the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals and beyond. However, several local governments in the region, and indeed in the whole of Africa, lack the necessary resources and competencies to fully discharge their responsibilities, resulting in unfunded mandates. Moreover, most, if not all, countries in Africa face the problem of a lack of adequate absorptive and generative capacity in the local government sector, which has resulted in a significant local government delivery gap that requires urgent attention. By focusing on financing climate action, the training component aims to equip local governments in Africa with the necessary knowledge and skills to access and effectively utilize international climate finance to address the urgent climate crisis.

In addressing the capacity challenges faced by local governments in financing climate action, the ICLD-UNCDF training component will prioritize building the capacity of local governments to address the needs of vulnerable groups in southern and eastern Africa. Vulnerable groups, such as women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities, are disproportionately affected by climate change impacts, including increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, loss of livelihoods, and displacement.

UNCDF and ICLD seek to recruit National mentor for South Africa for the training component in the Climate Action Network”. The applicants must be nationals and resident of South Africa.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the Assignment

The ICLD-UNCDF “Training component for the Climate Action network” is a joint venture between the UNCDF and ICLD. Its main objective is to foster institutional change through capacity building and individual learning in several areas relevant to local development and climate action in the participating country. It will draw from the experiences of ICLD, UNCDF’s programmes and of the participating country within the framework of a facilitated collaborative learning process using the ICLD pedagogical profile and toolbox.

The training component will cover various topics related to climate change, sustainability, and financing. Participants will gain a better understanding of the Paris Agreement and the foundations of climate financing. They will learn how to conduct climate risk and vulnerability assessments and develop Adaptation Action Plans. The ICLD learning toolbox will be introduced, and participants will learn how to mainstream climate change adaptation, resilience, and mitigation into planning and decision-making processes.

Upon completion of the training, participants will:

• Execute an inclusive climate governance project at the organizational level.
• Formulate ambitious climate goals at the organizational level.
• Argue the importance of sustainable local budget management for inclusive local adaptation to climate change.
• Apply problem-oriented project planning tools to ensure sustainable climate governance.

• Identify opportunities for own local government to finance inclusive local climate action.

• Understand the Paris Agreement and the foundations of climate financing

• Conduct climate risk and vulnerability assessments and develop Adaptation Action Plans
• Have an understanding of human rights budgeting and anti-corruption measures

Scope of Work

The specific roles and responsibilities to be performed by the mentor are as follows:

• Support a team of public officials from the Climate action networks with their Municipal Partnership projects
• Using the approved Municipal Partnership project as a foundation, identify and suggest feasible entries of a climate action change project
• Provide support to participants in thinking through and shaping the content of their change projects consistent with the stated scope and purpose of the ICLD-UNCDF Training component;
• Develop a template and/or plan to guide the participants in undertaking their change projects through planned interactive sessions to be determined between the designated mentor and their participants;
• Produce and submit q progress reports to the Programme Management of the Climate Action Network, focusing, inter alia, on progress made by participants on their change projects, identified content related weaknesses and administrative and operational challenges and recommending specific corrective actions to be taken;
• Participate in the preparation and inform the content and structure of critical reflection and final reporting sessions or workshops in order to track, support and improve the capacity of participants in managing their change projects generally and adding value to programme content, design and management;
• To act as a pool, repository and sounding board for technical knowledge, assistance and advise in developing platforms to upscale and mainstream the ICLD-UNCDF training component into national and regional frameworks for sustainable human skills development in the local government sector;
• Participate in the different meetings during the training organised by the programme management of UNCDF and ICLD.
• Conduct at least 3 visits in the municipalities and provide a report
• Co-host sessions held in the mentor’s own country, deliver a lecture and facilitate workshops on mentor’s areas of expertise throughout the training.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

List of Tasks to be Undertaken/Services to be Rendereda

Deliverables/ Outputs Arising from the Completion of Tasksb

Target Due Dates

Percentage of Contract Price to be Paid (in %)d

Conduct field visit, prepare participants for workshop 1

Field visit report highlighting the preparedness of the team members

November 15th

10%

Workshop 1 Report highlighting the partnerships project’s action plans.

Inception report (Workshop 1) that highlights the partnerships project’s action plans

December 15th 2023

20%

Through field visit, prepare participants for workshop 2 with assignment.

Progress report highlighting key progress made on the action plans and completion of assignments for workshop 2

April 30th

10%

Participate in workshop 2. (in Sweden) Ensure teams provide a biannual detailed progress reports on action plans (in accordance with the ICLD Problem-Oriented Project Plan Handbook) clearly indicating organsiational progress in relation to indicated climate commitment

Progress report on action plans

June 15th 2024

10%

Prepare participants for workshop 3, on the institutionalization and sustainability of the action plans.

Progress report highlighting actions taken to institutionalize and sustain the interventions

September 15th 2024

5%

Participate in Workshop 3

Progress report highlighting preparations and completion of assignments

October 2024

10%

Support to UNCDF/ICLD in designing and developing a toolkit for local climate action that draws on relevant science in combination with case studies/lessons learned/results from the Municipal Partnership programme and propose a plan for national dissemination in relevant forums, local government associations

Toolkit

20%

Field visit, Prepare participants for final workshop

Field report indicating progress on action plans

February 2025

5%

A final report on the training module including an assessment of each team’s engagement and their climate action project in their respective country

Final report the training module including an assessment of each team’s engagement and their climate action project in their respective country

June 2025

10%

Institutional Arrangements

The mentor will work under the overall guidance of the UNCDF Programme Manager who will be responsible for the acceptance of deliverables and authorization of payments.

The mentor shall be given a contract duration comprising 28 working days spread over a period of 24 months. (approximately 14 for workshops, 14 for preparation visits and meetings, support, reporting etc.)

Duration of Work

The mentor shall be given a contract duration comprising 28 working days spread over a period of 24 months starting on 1st November 2023. UNCDF will review the outputs, give comments, and certify approval of outputs in a period of two weeks on receipt of the deliverables.

The mentor will be responsible for any delays if any, and serious consequence/impact of any form of delay in the completion of the work (e.g., deferment of the succeeding phase to the following year, cancellation of the budget allocation for the project, other potential losses to any party involved, etc.)

Duty Station

Home-based South Africa; the mentor will work remotely, with expected visits to the field and attend meetings whenever the need arises.

Competencies

• Excellent drafting and writing skills as well as strong analytical aptitude, communication and presentation skills are required;
• Good interpersonal skills and excellent team working ability;
• Ability to work independently, manage time, scheduling and logistical issues;
• Effective advocate of and able to articulate an agenda for policy, organizational and process change; Accessibility
• Should demonstrate leadership, interdisciplinary team working and coordinating skills and the ability to work under pressure to meet changing deadlines;
• Sensitivity to diverse opinions and difficulties arising from the differing social and cultural perception

Required Skills and Experience

Education;

• At least a master’s degree, preferably in development economics, finance, climate change, public policy and administration, or other relevant socioeconomic sciences and/ or development studies, is mandatory.

Experience

• At least Seven (7) years’ experience working in local government administration and management, and development studies related to policy development and management, regional and urban planning and sustainable local development, mandatory (30%);
• Very good understanding of issues related to social and economic development, municipal financing, climate change, food security, decentralization, local government, gender-equitable local development, local government finance, governance and accountability and policy and institutional change management processes as key components of a capacity development agenda (20%);
• Research & development skills, including baseline surveying, gender-sensitive, interdisciplinary and multi-scale analyses as well as policy research and evidence-based policy development (20%).
• Having a strong track-record in publications of work, i.e. technical, policy-and development-oriented publications, is an advantage (5%);
• Good understanding of national development and local government administration and management discourse in a developing country context generally and in southern and/or Eastern Africa is essential (15%)
• Previous similar experiences in mentoring/supervising learners and preparing change projects and supporting the participants to institutionalize the change projects is considered an asset (5%)
• Proven ability in Managing a Cross-Cultural Teams (5%)

Language requirements: Fluency in written and spoken English

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

The applicants are expected to quote only for professional fees. Payment will be based only upon UNCDF’s written acceptance of all deliverables as indicated in this TOR. Final payment shall require a signed performance evaluation of the consultant.

Recommended Presentation of Offer:

The interested parties should submit the following documents:

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using this template (Please click here for document ); please send to [email protected] with the subject heading VA 114227 - IC;
2. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references; please upload to this job site;
3. Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment, and a methodology, if applicable, on how they will approach and complete the assignment. Consider for example: In your understanding, what are the strengths of and challenges for local governments and their local communities (from a rights-based approach) in your country? How do you envision that you want to work with the team or teams assigned to you, to support them? How will you and your experience help the teams implement sustainable/organizational change in their municipality/district? How do you consider climate issues to intersect with local democracy and poverty/vulnerability reduction? Please upload this requirement to this job site.
4. Financial Proposal that indicates the professional fees (this the same as #1 above). If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNCDF under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNCDF.

Criteria for Selection of the Best Offer:

Applications will be rated on both technical and financial submissions. The following selection method will be used: Highest rated proposal using the combined scoring method, which assigns the weight distribution between the technical and financial proposals. The overall combined score will be 100, where weight distribution shall be 60% for the technical and 40% for the financial proposal. Please see above % to be used in scoring technical evaluation.

Note: Mentors who are already on the existing ICLD Training programmes should not apply.

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Added 7 months ago - Updated 6 months ago - Source: jobs.undp.org