Youth empowerment specialist

Contract

This is a International Consultant contract. More about International Consultant contracts.

Background

Guinea-Bissau has an estimated population of 1,8 million people which is predominantly young (63,5% is under the age of 25). Young women and men today constitute the most important reservoir for human capital potential and could play a key role to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of the country. Unfortunately youth potential as innovators, political actors, entrepreneurs, and peace-builders remains weakly tapped in development spaces.

Bissau-Guinean youth face multiple problems and major challenges that hinder their active participation in development. Youth remain in large part excluded from employment opportunities, socially unprotected and confined to the informal economy (25.4% are NEET). Even though youth constitutes almost 65% of the population, youth do not participate in socioeconomic development and are excluded from exercising leadership positions. Young people are largely affected by poverty (80% of the poor are between of 15 and 35 years old).

The situation is even grimmer for young women, who face reduced incomes, higher rates of unemployment (32%, against 19% of men) and limited access to factors of production. The average years of schooling (1.4 women; 3.4 men) and illiteracy rates for women are considerably higher (58% women; 31% men). The continuous teachers’ strikes result in an entire generation without adequate schooling and is cause of youth’s grievances and lack of preparedness for labor market. A generation that loses faith in their future is a burden on societal relations, thus reduces trust in government.

In Guinea-Bissau, there is a positive entrepreneurial dynamic in the informal sector, but this is not adequately channelled and does not create decent jobs. Some of the reasons for these limitations are: limited entrepreneurial skills, lack of capacities and professional experience, weakness of structures and support mechanisms for entrepreneurship, limited government’s support to young people’s initiatives, difficult access to credit in banking institutions and low access for young people to information and communication technologies. Moreover, the education system is very fragile and offers very limited and of poor-quality vocational training, thus exacerbating the difficulties of access to the job market for young people. In addition to unemployment, among youth, there is a gradual loss of civic, moral, cultural and social values. An increased individualism, which in turn weaken the sense of general interest and common good, a gradual loss of solidarity, and flagrant and serious violations of the "living together" rules are increasingly perceived across the society.

The persistence of economic inequalities, especially among youth, contribute to grievances that pose a risk to the path towards Guinea-Bissau’s political and social stability. It constitutes a high peril of social disruption, undermining youth’s abilities to contribute to country’s sustainable development, social cohesion and ultimately peace. Socio-economic (and political) exclusion have led youth to rely on suboptimal coping strategies, which reinforce youth’s vulnerability, who can be manipulated into violence and crime.

In this context, there is the need to equip young people and women to make the most of emerging economic opportunities, support innovative, inclusive, job-creating and sustainable approaches, and ensure access to inclusive financing and markets at the national and local level. There is also a need to increase young people's possibilities to participate in decision-making spaces and empower them to play an active role as agents of change for peacebuilding and social cohesion. Several initiatives in favor for Youth are being implemented by UNDP and need to be strengthened.

In this way, UNDP is hiring an international consultant who will contribute to increase young people's possibilities to participate in decision-making spaces and empower them to play an active role as agents of change for peace-building and social cohesion.

Objective of the assignment

Contribute to establish new initiatives to increase youth participation in development spaces as agents of change for peacebuilding and social cohesion.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UNDP’s Representative Resident, the technical supervision of the Head of Governance cluster, the consultant is expected to perform the following tasks:

Contribute to the UNDP Youth Sounding Board establishment

• Formulate the vision and strategic objectives of the UNDP Youth Sounding Board;
• Establish close links with national programmes and other relevant stakeholders;
• Propose axes, components, and synergies to be achieved, and the steering institutional framework and Youth Sounding Board establishment;
• Propose partners engagement strategy and communications strategy;
• Collaborate with relevant Government bodies by working closely with Government counterparts and national partners;
• Establish strong ties to and with national programmes, and Youth organizations relevant stakeholders;
• Finalize the Youth Sounding Board document based on the inputs of all actors involved;
• Contribute to the launch of the Youth Sounding Board.

Develop Youth Connekt Guinea Bissau

• Formulate the vision and strategic objectives of the Youth Connekt initiative for Guinea Bissau;
• Propose axes, components, and synergies to be achieved, logical framework for implementation, the steering institutional framework and Youth Connekt initiative implementation;
• Propose partners engagement strategy, resource mobilization and communications strategy;
• Propose collaboration with relevant Government bodies by working closely with Government counterparts and national partners;
• Establish strong ties to and with national programmes, and other relevant stakeholders;
• Finalize the project document.

Deliverables

The consultant must guarantee the achievement of the expected results, ensuring, among others, the following achievements:

• The UNDP Youth Sounding Board is established;
• The document project of Youth Connekt Guinea Bissau is available;
• The Annual Work Plan for Volunteer project is available and project final report available on time;
• Thematic notes on the topics addressed are produced and shared;
• Best practices, lessons learned, disseminated, and promoted;
• Provide top advice the Ministry of Youth.

Duration of the assignment

The assignment must be conducted within 3 months - 60 working days, from the day the contract is signed. During the assignment the consultant will be part of the Country Office Governance Unit.

Competencies

• Excellent research, analysis and writing skills with demonstrated ability to think strategically.
• Strong analytical and communication skills including ability to produce high quality practical advisory reports and knowledge products.
• Ability to work in a team, produce high quality outputs.
• Strong capacity to communicate clearly and quickly.
• Strong inter-personal and liaison skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in Economic, Public Administration, Development Studies, Peacebuilding or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum of 7 years in project management and administration/development program, governance, and sustainable peace programmes and project implementation in international development organizations and/or bilateral development agencies;
• Experience in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, programmes and projects in Youth fields , employment and entrepreneurship;
• Experience in implementing national volunteer infrastructure, Youth projects;
• Experience of working with UNDP is an asset;
• Proven ability to work effectively in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams;
• Sound understanding and capability to empower and develop the capacity of national staff;
• Strong interpersonal and written and oral communication skills

Language:

• Excellent command of written and spoken Portuguese;
• Proficiency in english or french, constitutes a strong advantage

Guidelines for application:

Required documents:

• A cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for this assignment;
• A brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the tasks, describing the tools and workplan proposed for this assignment;
• A financial proposal;
• A personal CV including past experiences in similar projects and at least 3 professional references.
• Lump sum contracts: The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the ToR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days)

Evaluation:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:

• Technical Criteria weight – 70 points;
• Financial Criteria weight – 30 points.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Evaluation criteria:

• Education background - 10 points;
• Experience as defined in the ToR - 20 points;
• Competences as defined in the ToR - 10 points;
• Understating of the ToR - 15 points;
• Methodology and overall approach - 25 points;
• Overall quality of the proposal (comprehensiveness, structure, language and clarity) - 20 points.