National Consultancy for Promoting participatory budgeting culture by supporting non-government institutions to scrutinize budget proposals, Gaborone, Botswana (60 working days)

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, a champion

How can you make a difference?

Purpose of Activity/Assignment: To support the joint UNICEF and Botswana’s Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MFED) efforts in strengthening budget openness practices and public participation. The Consultant will be tasked with developing the guidelines and training module on child-focused budgeting review for parliamentary commissions/Members of Parliament (MPs) and civil society organizations, including child rights institutions and youth associations. All training materials and handouts should be in English and Setswana.

Scope of Work: The Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the UNICEF Social Policy Manager and will be required to undertake the following specific tasks: a) Developing, in consultation with the MFED and UNICEF, as well as all key stakeholders and beneficiaries, two separate guidelines on child-focused budgeting review for:

• Institutional stakeholders, including Parliamentary commissions and civil society organizations, including child rights institutions
• Individual beneficiaries, including adolescents and young people.

b) Developing the Training-of-Trainers (ToT) programme and all other related training materials/handouts for training facilitators, which are aligned to the guidelines and tools on child-focused budgeting review as mentioned above.

Work Assignment Overview: Budget openness is a key enabler for better use of available public resources and the efficient delivery of public services to children and their families. Botswana’s score of 8 out of 100 on the 2017 Open Budget Index (OBI) was substantially lower than its score in previous years. This was mainly because budget documents were published late and not in accessible formats. The country’s public participation score during the same year was 15 out of 100, which showed that this was another critical area that needed attention.

UNICEF’s technical assistance and advocacy efforts following the 2017 OBS led to publication of key budget documents on the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development’s (MFED) website, which has been fully functional since August 2018. These efforts resulted in substantial improvement Botswana’s score by 30 points from 8 out of 100 to 38 in 2019. Inclusive public participation in the budget process, however, remains limited (9 out of 100 in 2019).

Recently, the government has renewed its commitment to budget openness to enhance value for money in the utilization of public resources. The declining of government revenue and subsequent fiscal constraints compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic have given more reason for the government to emphasize budget transparency and accountability in the public sector.

Within the new Country Programme for 2022-2026 – which was launched in January 2022 – UNICEF will continue to work with the Government of Botswana to further strengthen budget openness practices and public participation in the budget process by promoting local child rights institutions to scrutinize budget proposals and outcomes, including the piloting of mechanisms to monitor budget implementation.

UNICEF and the MFED is looking to contract the services of a local consultant (hereafter “Consultant”) to support strengthening of budget openness practices and public participation.

Deliverables

Tasks/Milestone:Deliverables/Outputs:TimelinePayment Schedule1) Submit the first draft guidelines for review by MFED/UNICEFDetailed guidelines/tools on child-focused budgeting analysis in English/Setswana.

June 2030%2) Submit the first draft ToT package for review by MFED/UNICEFToT programme, including the training materials/handouts in English/Setswana

August 130%3) Submit the final package which

includes the guidelines and ToT

module

All deliverables, including the guidelines

and the ToT package are approved

September 1240%To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Education

• An advanced University degree (master’s or PhD) in Public Finance Management (PFM), Social or Public Policy, Development Economics, Statistics, or other relevant social science.

Experience

• At least 5 years of relevant experience and proven expertise in preparing background policy analyses, preferably in PFM
• Ability to analyse and synthesize information from a broad range of sources.
• Excellent report writing skills, analytical skills, as well as good computer skills
• Effective communication and relationship-building skills
• Demonstrated ability to effectively cooperate with Government, civil society, and other stakeholders.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

Note to Consultants: 1. Payment of professional fees will be based on submission of agreed deliverables. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold payment in case the deliverables submitted are not up to the required standard or in case of delays in submitting the deliverables on the part of the consultant. 2. 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 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.

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:

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.