International Consultancy for Libya budget analysis & policy briefs, UNICEF Libya, 6.5 Months (Home-based with frequent travels to Libya)

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, resilience.

Libya's public finance system face critical challenges, primarily relying on oil production for revenue. The government budget, not approved by the House of Representatives, predominantly allocates funds to civil servant salaries and subsidies, limiting investments in critical social services. A fragmented Public Finance Management system and a mechanical budget formulation approach further hinder budget effectiveness. In 2022, government spending lacked clear SDG-aligned investments, with major allocations to entities like the Electricity Company and limited spending on the national education system.

UNICEF Libya plans to address these challenges through budget advocacy using Public Finance for Children tools including Budget Briefs. There UNICEF would like to engage a consultant to map the legal budgetary framework, the national budgeting process, analyze macroeconomic data, conduct budget analysis for social sectors, and produce budget briefs. Budget Briefs serve as crucial tools for disseminating information and advocating for responsive budgeting. They highlight linkages between various planning and budgeting instruments, supporting informed decision-making by parliamentarians, citizens, and policymakers to ensure children's issues are prioritized in government budgets.

These briefs will inform UNICEF's advocacy strategy, mapping the government budget cycle and identifying opportunities for improving social sector financing. The goal is to leverage UNICEF's comparative advantage for better child outcomes, especially for disadvantaged children. The Budget Briefs will support budget advocacy which aims to influence government budgeting processes to prioritize children, aligning with UNICEF's Country Programme Document.

The consultant will be expected to travel to Libya at least three times (4 days each) for Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and workshops with Government agencies for a maximum of 12 days.

How can you make a difference?

Specific Tasks:

1. Develop an Inception Report outlining the methodology and approach for the entire assignment.

2. Produce a comprehensive analysis on the legal budgetary framework and the Budget Preparation and Execution process.

3. Produce a detailed Budget Cycle with a focus on identifying key advocacy entry points for public investment in child related programmes.

4. Collaborate with relevant Government partners to retrieve, compile, and process necessary data for budget analysis

5. Undertake budget analysis focusing on the size, composition, equity, efficiency, and financing of budget in the social sectors

6. Facilitate training sessions for Government task team on Budget Analysis.

7. Generate three thematic Budget Briefs covering national social sector spending, education, health, and social protection and care.

8. Summarize budget analyses into short, easy-to-read documents policy briefs suitable for reporting and advocacy.

9. Develop key messages for policy and financing changes based on budget analyses.

10. Present the results of the budget analysis to Government stakeholders during validation workshops

11. Provide evidence-based recommendations to Ministries and Government agencies committees.

Work Assignments Overview

Specific Deliverables/Outputs

Inception

Inception Report

Literature review and detailed budget cycle analysis

Report on the analysis on the legal budgetary framework and of the budget preparation and execution with detailed budget cycle and key entry points for advocacy

Budget Analysis

Comprehensive budget brief with analysis on macroeconomic situation and budget analysis for health, education and social protection and care

Three sectoral 2 pager policy briefs for health, education, and social protection

Capacity Building and validation

Facilitation of two training sessions for Government task team on budget analysis and presentation at the validation workshop

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

• An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in any economics, public finance, public policy or related field
• A minimum of five years of professional relevant work experience in economic policy and analysis especially in public finance management and state budget analysis.
• A solid knowledge PFM instruments, and proven experience in similar analyses of the State Budget with a focus on social sectors.
• Knowledge and understanding of on-going reforms in PFM in Libya or the MENA region.
• Experience with working with complex financial datasets.
• Strong analytical and writing skills, and the ability to present the results in a simple language, making use of interesting visual aids (maps, graphs, and other visual tools).
• Consolidated knowledge of economic analysis and a foundation on crosscutting themes such as equity and sectoral decentralization.
• High proficiency in Arabic and English languages.
• Ability to complete the task on a tight schedule and with limited supervision.

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.