International Consultant To Develop a Public Finance for Children Strategy and Training (Banjul, The Gambia)

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UNICEF - United Nations Children's Fund

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Application deadline 2 years ago: Friday 18 Mar 2022 at 23:55 UTC

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Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

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, every right

Public Finance for Children in The Gambia is meant to support government’s effort to be smart, strategic from planning, mobilization, allocation, utilization and tracking public expenditure in social sectors that impact the lives of children. Most PF4C is centered on engaging the National Assembly Select Committee for Women, Children and Refugees to conduct mid and end line of social sector expenditure and social sector expenditure tracking. In addition, civil society and international partner organizations also support government in ensuring that budget process are program based and child friendly. However, there is the need to continue advancing PF4C including capacity building, policy dialogue, advocacy, budget analysis and citizen participation with more focus on child friendly budgeting.

Purpose of the Consultancy

The primary purpose of the consultancy is to develop a comprehensive public finance for children strategy, develop training materials and train government planning and budget officers on child responsive budgeting.

Objective of the Assignment

1) Develop a country office wide Public Finance for Children Strategy by liaising with Social Policy, Deputy Representative, Programme Sections (e.g. Education, Health, Child Protection, etc.), and external stakeholders (10 days)

  • Evaluate existing PF4C capabilities in country office
  • Develop internal UNICEF guidance mechanisms for improved tracking and monitoring of finances linked to improving the lives of children (improved budget execution
  • Develop internal UNICEF guidance on stakeholder engagement; how to liaise with line ministries, how to liaise with National Assembly, how to liaise with CSOs and other non-state actors

2) Develop a comprehensive child responsive budgeting manual/for both planning and budget officers (17 days)

  • Evaluation current planning and budget formulation process for child responsive budgeting (needs assessment),
  • Develop a baseline assessment on child responsive budgeting for improved planning and budget formulation
  • Develop child responsive budgeting framework: (planning and budget formulation), budget execution, and monitoring and evaluation

3) Conduct training of government planning and budget officers using the developed materials (3 days)

M****ethodology

The consultant is expected to apply diverse methods including literature review, consultations with key stakeholders (Government and UNICEF) as well as use evidence and best practices available in country, sub region and elsewhere. Considering COVID-19 restrictions, consultant can use virtual interview where face to face is not possible. The methodology used will make ethical considerations including data protection, informed consent, confidential matters, questions adapted to different ages, knowledge of interview techniques and mechanisms for sharing information included in the consultancy.

Schedule of Task

The following are the key tasks and deliverables for the consultant.

T****ask

D****eliverables

D****uty station

A****n****ti****cipated ti****m****elines and number of days

Develop a country office wide public finance for children strategy

-Inception report of desktop review

-PF4C strategy

Remote and In country visit

10 working days

Development of training materials and conduct training for government planning and budget officers

-Training materials and train government planning and budget officers

In country visit and remote work

20 working days

Estimated duration of the contract

The consultant will be engaged under short-term individual contract, for an estimated period of

30 working days from March 2022. The Consultancy fees will be negotiated based on value for money and in line with UNICEF standards and terms of payment are stipulated below.

P****a****y****ment schedule Deliverable

1st payment 50% Public finance for children strategy

2nd payment 50% Development of training materials and train government planning and budget officers on PF4C

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, does not meet the quality standards of both UNICEF and the Government of The Gambia, not delivered or has failed to meet deadlines. UNICEF does not provide or arrange health insurance coverage for the consultant.

The consultant will be supervised and report to the UNICEF Programme Officer (Social Protection Officer) with briefing and de- briefing to the Deputy Representative about the progress of the consultancy. The consultant will work remotely if need be with relevant UNICEF and Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (Directorate of Development Planning and Directorate of Budget), National Social Protection Secretariat, and National Assembly , as well as other intervention stakeholders. As part of quality assurance mechanism and ensure ownership, a reference group comprising of Government and UNICEF will be established to provide oversight to the assignment and provide comments to the deliverables.

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

  • Postgraduate (masters’)degree on public finance for children and child friendly approaches towards budgeting and advocacy
  • Extensive professional experience in public finance including child friendly approaches to promote the participation and inclusion of children into national budget development and monitor expenditures of social sectors.
  • The consultant must have at least 10 years of professional experience of public finance management, sector budgeting (e.g. Education, Health, etc.) and Value for Money
  • The consultant must have experience in conducting training using appropriate methods that makes the training sessions participatory and interactive
  • The consultant must have communication skills to deliver the training in the most appropriate manner.

Please refer to the attached TOR PF4C Terms of Reference.pdf For further details on the country context, and the requirements of the role.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA).

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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:

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

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.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org