Service Center Page, Jobs

MiDL - National Expert to facilitate the extension of the Migration and Development activities in the localities from the left bank of the Nistru river.

Vacancy Number: Pr21/02297

Location:	Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline:	30 Aug 2021, 16:30 (GMT+2:00)
Type of Contract:	Individual Contract
Starting date:	10 Sep 2021
Reference to the project:	Integrated Migration Local Development Project
Expected Duration of Assignment:	estimated 100 working days
Submission Instructions: Proposals should be submitted online, by pressing the "Apply Online" button, no later than 30 August 2021, 16:30 (GMT + 2, Moldova Local Time) Requests for clarification only must be sent by standard electronic communication to the following e-mail: dorin.toma@undp.org UNDP will respond by standard electronic mail and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all applicants.
Supporting Documents: Terms of Reference Procurement Notice OFFEROR’S LETTER TO UNDP CONFIRMING INTEREST AND AVAILABILITY FOR THE INDIVIDUAL CONTRACTOR (IC) ASSIGNMENT UNDP General Conditions of Individual Contract

Mr. Dorin Toma.

Background

Migration is one of the defining features of human existence. It significantly influences aspects of economic and social development, everywhere. Despite its negative connotations and stereotypes, migration has always been an important dimension of human development. It helps build connections, transform communities and empower people all over the world, also playing a key role in economic growth and sustainable development, both at the national and local levels.

Globally, UNDP is working to maximize the developmental benefits of human mobility and to mitigate any negative consequences. UNDP works with partner countries to balance short-term responses to addressing the impacts of emigration with long-term sustainable development solutions. UNDP addresses migration through development lenses.

The Republic of Moldova registers high levels of emigration, with significant impact observed at local and national levels. Although larger-scale emigration from Moldova started taking place only in the early 2000s, the intentions of the Moldovan diaspora to support and invest in their home country has been consistently high.

The Moldovan Government (GoM) has increasingly recognized the potential of the diaspora as a catalyst for its development efforts and acknowledges that, if addressed and managed properly, human mobility can also bring many opportunities, changes and improvements in the country. Due to the Swiss development support, the GoM migration policy focus shifted from a management and control perspective to capitalizing on the opportunities provided by migration. In 2017, the Moldovan Government approved normative amendments to expand the network of diaspora, migration and development (DMD) focal points to the local level. This network, facilitated by the well-coordinated institutional set-up, seeks to support implementation of a “whole-of-government approach” across national and local levels.

The UNDP intervention has helped translate this approach into more comprehensive and systematic engagement by developing a comprehensive approach to make emigration work for local development. The initiative, launched in 2015, was implemented within the framework of the Swiss-funded Migration and Local Development Project (MiDL / phase I) implemented by UNDP. It aimed to connect Moldovan emigrants with their native localities in Moldova and to meaningfully engage them at all stages of community development, transforming emigration into an opportunity. During the pilot phase, 38 communities (representing over 10% of the country population and located in all regions of Moldova) have been supported to pioneer a new Diaspora, Migration and Development (DMD) model, which resulted in improved local infrastructure and local services with tangible benefit for over 310,000 citizens.

Building on the sustainable results achieved during its first phase of implementation, the objectives of the current project phase (2019 – 2021) are:

• Potential, current and returned migrants in the Republic of Moldova benefit from complex employment support services. In this sense national and local authorities will be fully equipped to respond to the needs of all categories of migrants at every phase of migration.
• Community members including the migrants are significantly involved in local development processes. Hereby, activities are focused on the close cooperation between public authorities, local stakeholders and migrants, aiming at an efficient implementation of local development initiatives.

The project’s overall objective is to maximize the impact of migration on socio-economic development through an enhanced institutional framework and involved diaspora.

To that end, the project envisages a comprehensive, tailor-made and multi-layered capacity building support for its beneficiaries to enable them to achieve the objectives and goals of the project. Engaging the Moldovan diaspora in local development requires sustained and complemented efforts by a broad range of stakeholders. More specifically, the second phase of the MiDL project partners with:

• the State Chancellery of the Republic of Moldova, the Diaspora Relations Bureau and the Bureau for Reintegration Policies.
• the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection, and the National Employment Agency (including its territorial structures.
• Hometown Associations, civil society and local community representatives; and
• Local Public Authorities (specifically the designated migration focal points).

While confronted with similar consequences and challenges induced by outward migration, local communities from the left bank of the Nistru river have not yet initiated any systemic interventions on minimizing the related risks and maximizing the associated opportunities.

In this sense, the project shall implement a series of actions and preparatory work in the localities from the left bank, aimed at adjusting the national migrants’ engagement model - to the specific context of the Transnistrian region. While the overall goals and approaches will remain similar, the exact implementation modalities and intervention content will need to be adjusted to ensure efficient implementation and achievement of planned results.

Scope of work

UNDP intends to contract an experienced National Expert (hereinafter “the Expert”) to facilitate the extension of the Migration and Development (M&D) activities in the localities from the left bank of the Nistru river, based on the project’s model of engaging migrants in local development, successfully established and scaled up in over 200 localities from the right bank.

To achieve the stated objectives, the Expert is expected to:

• Provide strategic advice to the UNDP/MiDL team in conceptualizing the interventions on the left riverbank for engaging migrants in community development.
• Facilitate dialogue and consult national and local stakeholders in carrying out an adaptability assessment of the Migrants’ Engagement for Development model with respect to the localities from the left bank of the Nistru river.
• Support the UNDP/MiDL project team and experts to conceptualize a comprehensive study on migrants’ intention to contribute to local development, namely - inputs to ToR development, review of study methodology and peer review of the draft study.
• Adapt the Migrants’ Engagement for Development methodology for further replication in the localities from the left side of the Nistru river, and coordinate it with project stakeholders to fit the contextual specificities of the Transnistrian region.
• Offer thematic expertise and recommendations for the sustainable scale up of the project’s interventions on both riverbanks (for the period 2021 – 2022 and beyond).
• Provide support in the selection of up to two pilot localities from the left riverbank to pilot engaging migrants in the development of local communities.
• Contribute with advice to the Communication and Visibility Plan of the UNDP project with respect to the results of the current assignment (in terms of formulating public communications strategy, messages and identify the most relevant communications channels and tools).
• Prepare and submit the final activity report (including information on the stages passed, obtained results, risks mitigation, conclusions and recommendations).

Note: the assignment’s non-political nature shall be emphasized throughout the implementation period.

For detailed information, please refer to Annex 1 – Terms of Reference.

Requirements for experience

Academic Qualifications:

• Master’s degree or equivalent (University degree with at least 7 years of experience) in Political Sciences, International Relations, Diplomacy, Law or another field relevant for the current assignment.

Experience and knowledge:

• At least 5 (five) years of experience in the field of policymaking and/or policy advisory.
• At least 2 (two) years of experience in providing strategic expertise on cross-river cooperation and dialogue, as well as confidence-building.
• Demonstrated expertise in providing support for the implementation of local engagement initiatives on both banks of the Nistru river.
• Demonstrated knowledge and understanding of the Moldovan and regional political and governance systems.
• Experience in the collaboration with UNDP or other international organizations will be an advantage.
• Previous experience of collaboration with the Bureau for Reintegration Policies of the GoM will be an advantage
• Sound knowledge/understanding of the migration and development context of the Republic of Moldova

Competencies:

• Demonstrated interpersonal and diplomatic skills, as well as the ability to communicate effectively with all stakeholders and ensure their engagement.
• Excellent research, analytical and writing skills.
• Knowledge of the English, Romanian and/or Russian languages is a must.

Personal qualities:

• Proven commitment to the core values of the United Nations, in particular respecting differences of culture, gender, religion, ethnicity, language, age, HIV status, disability, and sexual orientation, or other status;
• Responsibility, creativity, flexibility and punctuality, ability to meet deadlines and prioritize multiple tasks.

The UNDP Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women and men, persons with different types of disabilities, LGBT, Roma and other ethnic, linguistic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non‐citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply.

Documents to be included

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/ information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• Offeror’s Letter confirming interest and availability for the Individual Contractor assignment, with Financial Proposal (in USD, specifying the requested amount per working day, including all related costs - quoted in separate line items). Financial Proposal template prepared in compliance with the template in Annex 2;
• Duly updated CV with at least 3 references;
• Proposal, explaining why he/she is most suitable for the assignment, including past experience in similar assignments, providing a brief information on above qualifications, and methodology on how he/she will approach and conduct the work.

Financial proposal

The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of the lump sum amount (daily rate and number of anticipated working days).

Travel

All activities under this assignment shall be conducted in accordance with the COVID-19 health safety measures. Except the on-site missions in the Republic of Moldova, priority shall be given to office-based work and remote collaboration.