Individual Contract- Development Finance Assessment for Lesotho
Location : Maseru, LESOTHO
Application Deadline : 04-Jul-18 (Midnight New York, USA)
Additional Category : Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction
Type of Contract : Individual Contract
Post Level : International Consultant
Languages Required : English
Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 01-Aug-2018
Duration of Initial Contract : 45 days
Expected Duration of Assignment : 45 days
Background
Lesotho is currently developing its National Strategic Development Plan for 2018/19 – 2022/23, that is also aligned to the global and regional development agenda as embodied in the Agenda 2030 and Agenda 2063 respectively. The overall development objective for Lesotho is development of a private sector led and job-creating economy. One of the lessons from the review of the NSDP I is that there was no costed implementation plan to tie delivery of the strategic actions to the budgeting processes, which also impacted on the allocation of resources required for implementation. In the context of the NSDP II, and to enable achievement of development priorities, Lesotho will need a clear financing framework that is linked to the NSDP II priorities. The Financial Resources Mapping for Lesotho has identified potential resources available for Lesotho, as well as recommended consolidation of domestic resources to finance the national development agenda. In view of the significant changes in the global development finance landscape, countries are going through transitions in terms of mobilising and managing resources to finance their development plans, including the Agenda 2030.
The Third International Conference on Financing for Development, held in Addis Ababa in July 2015, opened discussions on how to mobilise the unprecedented amounts of financial resources required to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Addis Ababa Action Agenda (AAAA) assumes that countries will use their own national development strategies and plans to respond to the SDGs and calls for the adoption of Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs). In this regard, governments are now increasingly requesting support to take forward policy and institutional reforms to enable more integrated management of a broader set of finance flows to support the implementation of their national priorities and the SDGs.
In this context, Lesotho is planning to undertake Development Finance Assessment (DFAs), which will consider the links between finance and national development priorities and facilitate a scope for stronger alignment of finance with the national development plan and the SDGs moving forward. In particular, the assessment will help provide recommendations for a road map for establishing an INFF to complement the NSDP II.
The DFA was developed as a tool to respond to the growing demand from countries in the region to establish evidence and analysis, and introduce policy and institutional reforms for managing the increasing complexity of domestic and international sources of finance for development. DFAs were introduced as the very first development finance studies of their kind, seeking to bring together fragmented approaches on the use of the different sources of funds that may not all be primarily dedicated to address development. The DFA provides governments with data and analysis on the quality of their national development plans and country results frameworks, changing trends in development finance and their alignment with national priorities and results. It also helps formulate recommendations for how institutions and systems might be adjusted to ensure that different sources of development finance are managed within a coherent framework, which better supports the implementation of the SDGs.
In this regard, the Ministry of Development Planning, through UNDP, is looking for two experts in public finance and development cooperation, (one international (lead consultant) and one national consultant), to complete the DFA for Lesotho. Working with the national consultant, the international Consultant will provide the strategic and technical leadership to the process. The assignment will be carried over a period of six- months, and it is intended to deliver an Assessment that provides an overview of development finance flows and the institutions and policies that align this finance with national development priorities in the National Strategic Development Plan II. The report should also include recommendations for a roadmap which will increase the alignment of financing flows – both public and private – to relevant countries national development plans and the 2030 Agenda.
Duties and Responsibilities
Assessment of the national planning and budgeting systems and their results orientation.
- In reference to the Financial Resources Mapping for Lesotho report, establish potential and existing means to finance the Lesotho’s national development priorities. Determine how priorities were formulated in plans and strategies in the last planning cycle at thematic levels.
- Assess the alignment of national development priorities and targets with financial strategies and allocations. The analysis should include an assessment of the degree to which plans and policies include targets which are costed; how results frameworks function in practice; the coherence between sector/thematic plans and the SDGs; and the extent to which multiple stakeholders are involved in the planning and monitoring process.
- Determine national structures and institutions that manage financial flows into the country and identify synergies and strategies for an integrated platform and policy framework to enhance planning process
Mapping and analysis of financing for development flows and their associated policy and institutional frameworks.
- Analyse the development finance flows in two main categories: by source (domestic/external) and in nature (distinguishing them by public or private nature).
- Using both quantitative and qualitative data, establish trends in the changing nature of the development finance landscape over the past 10 -15 years and determine existence of linkages between financing and planning system, their alignment with development priorities and to realise the SDGs.
In depth analysis of policy and institutional options for strengthening the alignment of priority flows with national development plans/strategies and the SDGs and projections of future trends with these selected flows.
- Based on the selected priority areas, develop case study areas for further in-depth analysis to determine options for strengthening their potential for accelerating progress in the implementation of the national development priorities and the SDGs.
- Provide projections of the future evolution of these priority flows into the next 5-10 years. (If sufficient quantitative evidence is available)
- Provide detailed policy and institutional analysis of the options to make the best use of these resources for financing the SDGs.
Roadmap to establish an INFF for achieving the national development goals and SDGs.
- Undertake consultations with a range of stakeholders throughout the process.
- Provide the government with policy and institutional recommendations for strengthening the alignment of development finance flows with national priorities and results.
- Facilitate a dialogue based on the DFA process to establish an agreement on a roadmap to support the government to: i) implement the main recommendations of the DFA analysis; ii) visualize the next logical and feasible steps to develop an INFF; and iii) identify the basis for support to be provided to the government as part of the proposed broader efforts to implement national development goals and the SDGs.
Competencies
Technical Competencies:
- Excellent client orientation and interpersonal skills and able to communicate effectively at all levels of the organization;
- Capable of working in a highly-pressured environment with extreme deadlines, managing many tasks simultaneously;
- Ability to manage complexity and is able to handle confidential and sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner;
- Impeccable analytical skills and able to research, analyse, and draft well and able to present convincingly;
- Exercises the highest level of responsibility;
- An excellent team player, projecting a positive image and ready to take on a wide range of tasks to create an enabling environment for the supervisor, focusing on results for the client and responds positively to feedback;
- Willingly shares knowledge and experience and makes contributions to UNDP practice areas (e.g., documented knowledge, community of practice building initiatives); and
- Understanding of the United Nations system, operations and structures – this includes demonstrating keen political awareness, particularly in relation to the principles of development effectiveness and transparency.
Corporate Competencies:
- Demonstrates integrity and fairness, by modelling the UN/UNDP’s values and ethical standards;
- Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN/UNDP; and
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Master’s degree in Public Administration, International Relations, Economics, and the broad social sciences or other related disciplines is required.
Experience:
- At least 10 years of work experience, with increasing independence, in an international organization;
- Experience in the areas of public finance, budget review, public expenditure review, development finance, private investment and/or innovative financial instruments;
- Demonstrated understanding of substantive policy issues in the field of development finance, e- public finance, or economic and development cooperation;
- Specialised knowledge of development issues particularly economic and development co-operation issues, development finance challenges, and related fields in developing countries globally and, in particular in the Africa region;
- Experience in conducting reviews and analysis in related areas and produced high quality review reports, and excellent knowledge of data collection, analysis and statistics tools;
- Advanced quantitative and econometric skills and experience with related data analysis tools are an advantage.
Language:
- Fluent in English.
Submit the following:
- Confirmation of Interest and Availability – Template available in the below link;
- P11 – Template available in the below link;
- Methodology – approach to work.
Link to detailed TORs and Templates: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=47 363
Submision Email: [email protected].
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
More Information
- Job City Maseru, Lesotho
