International Consultant - Landscape Study of IB in Lao PDR

Contract

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Result of Service

The consultant will work from his/her home base and in the field. S/He will work under the guidance of and report to the Economic Affairs Officer of the Innovation, Enterprise and Investment Section, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division (TIID), ESCAP. The objective of this consultancy is to conduct the Landscape Study of Inclusive Business in Lao PDR and provide insights for the 7th ASEAN Inclusive Business Forum, in terms of Lao PDR substantive participation. Outputs / Work Assignments: Output 1: Preparations Deliverables: - The design and implementation of the study, including scope and priority focus areas, key stakeholders to interview, timelines, quality control, confidentiality, approvals, and format of expected outputs is agreed with ESCAP and the national counterpart - The specific methodology to be used in the study including reference assessment framework, assessment of companies, gender lens, impact data is agreed with ESCAP - The national consultant is fully briefed - The list of business and other stakeholders (including businesses associations, public institutions, development partners, impact investors) to be interviewed is agreed Delivery date: 19 April 2024 Output 2: Draft Landscape study of inclusive business in Lao PDR Deliverables: - Interviews and meetings with businesses and other stakeholders (including businesses associations, public institutions, development partners, impact investors) to gather the necessary data and information are conducted. - The IB assessments and profiles of 10 IB and potential IB models spanning a variety of models are available. - A workshop to share preliminary findings with national stakeholders is organised - A draft of the Landscape study of inclusive business in Lao PDR (60 pages) based on the outline which will be provided - A draft set of powerpoint slides presenting the messages of the report that could be used for different public audiences is submitted and approved by ESCAP Delivery date: 31 July 2024 Output 3: Final draft Landscape study of inclusive business in Lao PDR Deliverables: - A final high-quality national IB landscape study (60 pages) is submitted and approved by ESCAP and includes all the elements of the provided outline, has undergone at least two rounds of comments by ESCAP and key national stakeholders, and the business profiles have been approved by the businesses. Delivery date: 31 October 2024 Output 4: Dissemination of the Landscape study of inclusive business in Lao PDR Deliverables: - A final set of powerpoint slides presenting the messages of the report that could be used for different public audiences is submitted and approved by ESCAP - A set of quotes from business leaders and government officials, including their permission to use them in the report and in communications related to the report is submitted to ESCAP - Ten quality pictures of business leaders, beneficiaries and government officials to be used together with the quote, and their permission to be used in connection with the report are submitted to ESCAP - The report in at least two events as determined with ESCAP Delivery date: 31 December 2024 The outputs will be delivered in electronic format, in word, excel or powerpoint as relevant. The performance of the consultant will be evaluated based on the quality of the work and the timeliness of the work delivery.

Work Location

The consultant will work from his/her home base and in the field.

Expected duration

Estimated 4 work months over the period from 1 April to 30 December 2024.

Duties and Responsibilities

Background: Inclusive businesses models are specific innovative business models that explicitly seek to address the needs of low-income groups by “providing goods, services, and livelihoods on a commercially viable basis, either at scale or scalable, to people living at the base of the economic pyramid making them part of the value chain of companies’ core business as suppliers, distributors, retailers, or customers”. Inclusive business models in agriculture particularly seek to support smallholder farmers and create value for these groups. For this inclusive agri-business models to be inclusive and remain commercially viable, an innovative mindset and partnerships are needed, and a conducive ecosystem can be created to support such models. Given the critical importance of inclusive business for supporting social impact at scale, ASEAN member states adopted in 2017 the ASEAN Inclusive Business Framework and in 2020 adopted the Guidelines for Promoting Inclusive Businesses in ASEAN (this is the first sub-region to do so). In addition, several ASEAN countries - in particular Cambodia, Malaysia and Viet Nam - are in the process of adopting strategies to promote inclusive businesses. There are opportunities to support the implementation of such strategies, learn from these efforts, and replicate best practices in countries in Asia. Lao People's Democratic Republic has requested ESCAP to provide technical assistance and capacity building to support their national efforts to promote inclusive business. This request includes conducting a landscape study on inclusive business to provide an overview of what is happening on the ground, and to provide an evidence base for the future development of inclusive business strategies and policy measures. In addition to this, Lao PDR – as the 2024 ASEAN Chair and during meetings with the ESCAP Secretariat – requested ESCAP support to organize and substantively develop the 7th ASEAN Inclusive Business Forum. The objective of this consultancy is to conduct the Landscape Study of Inclusive Business in Lao PDR and provide insights for the 7th ASEAN Inclusive Business Forum, in terms of Lao PDR substantive participation. The responsibilities of the consultant are to conduct the Landscape Study of Inclusive Business in Lao PDR. The work will comprise: 1. Agree with ESCAP and the national counterpart on the design and implementation of the study, including scope and priority focus areas, key stakeholders to interview, timelines, quality control, confidentiality, approvals, and format of expected outputs. 2. Agree with ESCAP on the specific methodology to be used in the study including reference assessment framework, assessment of companies, gender lens, impact data. 3. Guide and supervise the work of the national consultant, including briefing him/her on IB specific analysis and the methodology used in the study, business assessment meetings with companies, providing the necessary guidance and directions, and monitoring the quality of his/her work and outputs. The local consultant provide information on key stakeholders to interview, support organize interviews, interview companies and do IB assessment, collect data and information (including translate as necessary), and prepare inputs for the report. 4. Conduct interviews and meetings with businesses and other stakeholders (including businesses associations, public institutions, development partners, impact investors) to gather the necessary data and information. 5. Conduct up to three missions in Lao PDR: (1) initial one to gather information [tentatively early May 2024]; (2) workshop sharing preliminary insights with key stakeholders [tentatively end June 2024]; (3) sharing key findings during the 7th ASEAN Inclusive Business Forum [September 2024] 6. Provide a summary report on the results of key meetings and workshop discussions. 7. Identify, conduct IB assessments and prepare the profiles of 10 IB and potential IB models spanning a variety of models (different sectors, geographic areas, models). This includes: 7.1 With the support of the national consultant, identify a long list of about 30 potential IB companies, help screen this down to 20 companies. Interview about 15 companies. 7.2 Guide the national consultant on the methodology and how to conduct the interviews. Conduct pilot interviews together with the national consultant – the national consultant can afterwards carry out independently additional interviews. Develop a guiding questionnaire to be used for the 1.5 hours semi-structured interviews with the CEOs, COO or CFO of the companies. Based on the interviews, fill in a data questionnaire for each company. 7.3 Do IB rating of the companies interviewed–together with the national consultant for the pilot ones, review the rating of the other businesses done by the national consultant. 7.4 Review and finalise the company profile for each interviewed company. 7.5 With the support of the national consultant, get clearance from the company for the final edited profile. 8. Assess the enabling environment, including: - Role of government, including existing (federal & state) policies, strategies and programmes supporting IB models in agriculture and agribusiness - Role of the private sector - Financing and impact investment - Intermediary organisations (civil society organisations, industry associations, academia, others) 9. Identify opportunities to promote IB models, including by government, private sector associations and universities 10. Draft a high-quality Landscape study of inclusive business in Lao PDR (60 pages), based on the provided outline and following ESCAP report template and editorial guidelines (to be provided by ESCAP) 11. Support the dissemination of the study results, including by: - Preparing a set of powerpoint slides presenting the messages of the report that could be used for different public audiences - Preparing quotes from business leaders and government officials, including their permission to use them in the report and in communications related to the report - Taking/requesting quality pictures of business leaders, beneficiaries, and government officials to be used together with the quote, and their permission to be used in connection with the report. - Presenting the report in at least two events (to be determined). The consultant will work under the guidance of and report to the Economic Affairs Officer of the Innovation, Enterprise and Investment Section, Trade, Investment and Innovation Division (TIID), ESCAP.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university Degree in Economics, International development, Management, Public Policy, Innovation policy or related field. A minimum of fifteen years of progressively experience in promoting social and economic development through research and analysis, policy formulation and application. Experience in the promotion of inclusive businesses, social enterprises or impact investment in ASEAN. Desirable Criteria: - Experience in conducting research and policy formulation/advice related to ASEAN is desirable. - Experience in Lao PDR is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in English is required. Fluency in Laotian or Thai is beneficial.

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.