International Individual Consultant for Business and Community Resilience Landscape Analysis for UNICEF Viet Nam Country Office

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Application deadline 1 year ago: Friday 25 Nov 2022 at 16:55 UTC

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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, Social Policies

Background:

Business and Community Resilience

Resilience refers to the preparation, response and recovery periods, with a focus on preparedness, to reduce the adverse impacts on communities and children and to build back stronger[1]. It includes the ability of a community to preserve and restore its essential social structures and services in the context of disasters. Business and Community Resilience aims to engage the business world to respect and support the rights of children from shocks and stresses (environmental, social and natural/climate-induced hazards) by addressing its negative impacts on children and their families, strengthening local communities and markets, and enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian actions and broader resilience building.

The UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and UNICEF Viet Nam Country Programme Document 2022-2026 call on every level of UNICEF to strategically mobilize business for results, while building resilience has been highlighted as an important change strategy. Engaging with the world of business is important to influence its policies and practices along with mobilizing its income, technical expertise, innovation, voice and core assets to contribute to results for children.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 puts the focus on governments to bring about change. However, it emphasizes that other players also have a specific role. Business has been particularly singled out in terms of how the public and private sectors can work together in disaster risk reduction. Also, the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) recognizes the need for business engagement in strengthening disaster management and resilience.

Business is a key driver of economic development and investment in any country. There is no doubt that it is well-placed to engage in promoting child-responsive community resilience work and in implementing more responsible and sustainable conducts. Businesses are also hit when disasters and crises arise, which will then adversely impact their products and services, as well as their workers and families, suppliers, markets, consumers and local community livelihoods. They, especially micro, small and medium enterprises, need additional support to build their own resilience, as a way to minimize adverse impacts on their operations and contribute to building resilience and to recovery of communities.

UNICEF Regional Office is in a process of development of a strategy and roadmap on engaging Business for Climate and Disaster Resilience in East Asia and Pacific. Through technical expertise and its convening power, UNICEF coordinates collaborative actions aiming to promote the rights of children and ensures children are put at the core of public-private partnerships on climate and disaster resilience actions.

UNICEF Viet Nam has kicked off the internal cross-sector consultation to align on concepts, an understanding of the role of business in Climate and Disaster Resilience and identifying opportunities to engage strategically “with businesses” and “on business impacts” in the context of disaster and climate resilience to shape strategic interventions.

It is widely known that Viet Nam is one of the most affected countries to climate change in the world. Main climate change hazards in Viet Nam include heavy rainfall, increased temperatures, sea level rise, extreme weather events and related disasters. They all result in flooding and drought, biodiversity loss, saltwater intrusion, storm surges and typhoons, which in turn have tertiary consequences such as decreased agricultural yields, compromised infrastructure of schools and homes, water scarcity and lack of sanitation, poor water quality and migration[2]. Children are more vulnerable to climate change and environmental degradation than other age groups, due to their specific stage in growth and development.

As the Vietnamese economy continues to recover from the effects of the COVID pandemic, there is an opportunity to engage businesses in the country to help build back better from the crisis and address the climate crisis impacts and strengthen disaster and climate resilience in the medium and long terms. In this context, Viet Nam, together with Philippines and Indonesia, are priority countries to initiate in-country action plans on business and community resilience (BCR). This will involve conducting a landscape analysis to identify opportunities for BCR to manage and respond to potential risks in Viet Nam. Moreover, the outcomes will feed into the broader direction and approach to BCR in the EAP region.


[1] UNICEF 2022, draft EAPRO regional roadmap on Business and Community Resilience.

[2] UNICEF 2021, Climate landscape analysis for children in Viet Nam.

Purpose, Objectives and Audiences:

This assignment is a first step to identify the scope for engagement related to BCR in Viet Nam, which will inform the development of a long-term strategy and plan to strengthen national systems and to build a collaborative model that promote child-responsive community resilience in the country. The landscape analysis will

- map key businesses, stakeholders, the enabling environment, trends and drivers of change in BCR in Viet Nam,

- unpack the role of the different businesses and stakeholders in the context of climate and disaster-related crisis, and

- identify current gaps, challenges and opportunities with existing initiatives, as well as opportunities and priorities for action for UNICEF, VCCI and business community.

The key audience of this analysis includes, but not limited to, the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and business communities, MONRE, MARD, Viet Nam Disaster Management Authority (VDMA), NGOs, and the UN system, including UNICEF.

The international consultant is expected to directly select an national team member to support him/her in the assignment and the technical and financial proposal should fully reflect this arrangement and associated costs.

Scope and methodology:

Scope: This assignment will undertake a BCR landscape analysis covering, but not limited to, the following tasks:

1. Develop a conceptual framework for the landscape analysis.

2. Provide a snapshot of climate change and disaster risks, building on the existing literature of UNICEF and other.

3. Analyze the legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks related to climate change and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Viet Nam to understand and determine the role and engagement of businesses in the government’s policies, including existing national frameworks and standards governing responsible business conduct in the country. Share insights on legal and institutional gaps, challenges and opportunities in business engagement in climate change and disaster resilience.

4. Prepare a mapping of the business sector[1] in Viet Nam with presence/engagement in the geographical areas strongly affected by climate change and disaster.

5. Prepare a mapping and analysis of past and current initiatives of businesses and business networks in climate change, disaster management, humanitarian action, business and community resilience and document businesses’ roles/contribution.

6. Identify stakeholders with emphasis on business networks and high potential businesses who have been active in and/or have plans in building community resilience.

7. Identify existing and potential coordination mechanisms to help UNICEF engage and advance collaboration with relevant government agencies, businesses and other relevant stakeholders in the country to address the climate change impacts, disaster risk reduction and build community resilience.

8. Describe concrete (sector) entry points for business engagement in BCR, which are in alignment with UNICEF’s Strategic Plan and Country Programme 2022-2026.

9. Provide recommendations to accelerate business engagement to address climate change impacts, disaster risk reduction and build community resilience and recommendations on potential scope for UNICEF to play a critical role in this area, with a concrete proposed plan of actions with concrete sector and cross-sector entry points.

The analysis is nationwide, but with selected target geographical areas for in-depth analysis in the Mekong River delta, Northern mountainous, and central coastal areas of Viet Nam.

Methodology:

The landscape analysis may use a combination of methods:

1. Desk review of laws, regulations, policies, plans and programmes,

2. Literature review of existing reports, case studies, good practices, and data, of UNICEF and other sources, to identify current engagements, coordination mechanisms, platforms and initiatives related to the agenda.

3. Stakeholder interviews and focused group discussions at national and sub-national levels.

4. Online surveys for the mapping exercises.

It is suggested that sub-national stakeholders will be selected based on the levels of impacts on businesses and the communities by climate change and representation of geographical locations such as Can Tho or Soc Trang in Mekong delta, Gia Lai in Central Highland, and Dien Bien in northern mountainous area. Stakeholders, especially relevant enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City will also be consulted. Virtual interviews should be considered where feasible technically without compromising the quality.

The team is to provide an ethnical approval, if the interviews/discussion involve vulnerable groups and children.


[1] The business sector includes all companies (small enterprises and community-level entrepreneurs to large global multi-nationals and corporations); multi-stakeholder platforms and industry bodies; business leaders (as influencers and philanthropists) as well as corporate and family foundations. UNICEF definition of the business sector, Programme Guidance on Engaging with Business, 2019.

Deliverables and Timeline: as attached Consultancy Notice for international consultant on BCR landscape analysis.pdf

Management and reporting:

The assignment will be undertaken under the supervision of the Social Policy (Strategic Advocacy) Officer and Climate Change and DRR Specialist with the leadership of Chief of Social Policy and Governance and Chief of Child Survival, Development and Environment. UNICEF Viet Nam's focal points will provide a number of contacts of UNICEF’s key stakeholders for the consultants to consult and capture their inputs. EAPRO specialists on DRR and Children’s Rights and Business/B4R will provide technical guidance and support to this work on a regular basis.

VCCI will provide relevant inputs and endorsement to the deliverables under this contract. VCCI will also provide additional contacts and connection support to the team where needed. UNICEF will coordinate and facilitate with VCCI to provide timely support and inputs to the team[1].

Performance indicators for evaluation:

- Quality of deliverables meets the standards set by UNICEF and specifications outlined in the contract.

- Deliverables are submitted in a timely manner as indicated in the contract.

- Technical assistance delivered in a contextualized and tactful manner.

- Performance evaluation will be completed at the end of the assignment.


[1] UNICEF & VCCI are not obligated to provide all contacts and the consultant(s) would be expected to leverage on its own resources and networks in the topics to include a diversity of stakeholders in the assignment.

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

International consultant (Team Leader) will be responsible for the assignment, including the process and quality of work, as well as account for all the deliverables specified in the TOR. S/he will propose a national team member to team up, with the required qualifications described below. The team member, upon discussion and agreement with the team leader, will provide local context knowledge, organize and conduct in-depth interviews, draft the mapping sections and provide inputs to the analysis report.

The International Consultant will be solely responsible for identifying and recruiting the national team member, including support for quality assurance of deliverables. In engaging a suitably qualified and competent national team member, UNICEF can support the International Consultant by introducing suitable candidates, but it is the responsibility of the international consultant to hire and supervise the national team member. The international consultant is also responsible for proper translation between English and Vietnamese.

International consultant:

- Must hold at least a Master’s Degree in related field (Economics, Environment and Climate, Natural Resources Management, International Studies, Disaster Management, or any other related field).

- At least 10 years of professional experience in the area of Climate Change/ Disaster Risk Reduction, with knowledge and experience in working with the business sector in this area.

- At least 10 years of recognized experience in conducting research, study exercise, especially as team leader of research team and as main writer of research reports.

- Experience in developing national disaster risk reduction strategies, policies and programmes, preferably with links to business sector.

- Excellent research and analytical skills and experience.

- Excellent communication and facilitation skills and ability to manage diversity of views in different contexts, especially in the finalization of research reports.

- Language: Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English.

National team members:

- Must hold at least a Master’s Degree in relevant field (Economics, Environment and Climate, Natural Resources Management, International Studies, Disaster Management, or any other related field).

- At least 7 years of professional experience in the area of Climate Change/ Disaster Risk Reduction, with knowledge and experience in working with the business sector in this area.

- Having a wide established professional network with key stakeholders in the field.

- Proven experience and skills on research, especially in facilitating key informant interviews and focused groups discussions with various groups of stakeholders.

- Demonstrated familiarity with the Vietnamese social, economic and political contexts.

- Language: Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English and Vietnamese.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

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

To view our competency framework, please visit here.

Assessment criteria:

For evaluation and selection method, the Cumulative Analysis Method (weight combined score method) shall be used for this recruitment:

a) Technical Qualification (max. 100 points) weight 70 %

- Qualifications, Knowledge and Experience (60 points)

- Skills and competencies (30 points)

- Languages (10 points)

b) Financial Proposal (max. 100 points) weight 30 %

The maximum number of points shall be allotted to the lowest Financial Proposal that is opened/evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum 70 points score in the technical evaluation. Other Financial Proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

The Contract shall be awarded to candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores, subject to the satisfactory result of the verification interview (if needed).

Submission of applications:

Interested candidates are kindly requested to apply and upload the following documents to the assigned requisition in UNICEF Vacancies by COB 25 Nov 2022

  1. Letter of interest, CV and confirmation of availability;
  2. Technical proposal which clearly explains the outline on how to deliver the tasks and deliverables (preferably less than 2 pages);
  3. Performance evaluation reports or references of similar consultancy assignments (if available);
  4. Financial proposal: All-inclusive lump-sum cost including consultancy fee, including cost for the national team member, the travel cost to the stated provinces and all other related costs including translation for the assignment.

Norms and standards:

Throughout the proposed combination of research, study and evaluation methods, this work will be held to UNICEF’s highest standards for conducting research and evaluation. This means it will abide by the following documents:

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.

Added 1 year ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unicef.org