International Consultant for Data Analysis for Common Country Analysis (CCA) 2021 for Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

Background

The Samoa Multi-country Office (MCO) in the Pacific will launch the process of the development of the new Common Country Analysis (CCA) to cover four (4) PICTs[1] (Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa and Tokelau). The CCA will provide the foundation for the design of the new UN Cooperation Framework for the Pacific and at the same time, inform annual planning and decision-making processes of Government and other stakeholders as well as in the development of the Joint UN Country Action Plans.

The CCA is the UN system’s independent, impartial and collective assessment (i.e., a description of a country situation) and analysis (i.e., a description of causes and their implications) of a country situation for its internal use in developing the Cooperation Framework. It examines progress, gaps, opportunities and bottlenecks vis-à-vis a country’s commitment to achieving the 2030 Agenda, UN norms and standards, and the principles of the UN Charter, including as reflected in the Cooperation Framework Guiding Principles.

Scope of the CCA

The Guiding Principles of the Cooperation Framework will apply throughout the analysis. In addition to being the foundation of the Cooperation Framework programming cycle, the CCA will also be an up-to-date source of information and decision-making tool on the country context for the whole UN system, informing and feeding into the discussions on emerging issues, early warning and prevention; programme adaptation and development of the Joint Country Action Plans.

The CCA will draw from and add to existing data, statistics, analyses, reviews, research, capacities and resources from within and outside the UN system. These include national and sector specific development visions and strategies, national budget allocations, and development financing from domestic and international, private and public sources.

The CCA process will also be an opportunity to engage with a wide range of stakeholders in the UN CCA process through continuous and inclusive dialogue to address complex issues, such as inequality and exclusion, among others.

The CCA is no longer a one-off event, but a core analytical function carried out by the UNCT and a flagship product of the UN in the Pacific that will be reviewed and updated at least on an annual basis. This approach will enable the UNCT Pacific to be responsive to emerging needs and changing conditions in the region and provide a basis for making course corrections in programme implementation.

Moreover, the CCA will integrate findings of the socio-economic impact assessment of COVID 19 in the Pacific, the Rapid Policy Appraisals and will be linked to other country analyses undertaken by national institutions and development stakeholders, including but not limited to: IFI analyses on SDG financing; reviews and recommendations of human rights mechanisms; regional/cross-boundary assessments; and disaster risk profiles.

The CCA process will result in four (4) country specific reports produced for the Samoa MCO. The CCA Report will capture, for each of the 4 countries, the development context, SDG progress analysis, emerging trends, gaps & transformational opportunities for attainment of SDGs by 2030. The main elements of CCA assessment and analytical processes are outlined below:

National Vision vis-à-vis the 2030 Agenda with links to regional and global frameworks/goals
Political and institutional analysis
Economic transformation analysis
Environment and climate change analysis
Social exclusion analysis.
Analysis of compliance with international human rights, norms and standards
Development- humanitarian – peace linkage analysis
Multidimensional SDG Risk Analysis
Financial landscape analysis.

[1] Pacific Island Countries and Territories

Duties and Responsibilities

The Samoa MCO is seeking an international consultant (data scientist) to support CCA data processing, analysis and write-ups production for Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau. The consultant will be responsible for the following:

Support the CCA data compilation and analysis based on the existing data, including the Socio-Economic Impact Assessment (SEIA) surveys for Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau.
Produce figures, tables, graphs, infographics to be used in the CCA Report.
Produce short country profiles for all 4 Pacific Island Countries (PICs).
Contribute, under the guidance and supervision of the RCO Sr. Economist, to the write-ups (draft CCA chapters) for all 4 PICs.
Work closely with UN RCO, CCA taskforce, UN agencies and government counterparts to develop a high-quality and evidence based CCA Report as the foundation for the new Cooperation Framework and JCAPs.
Drafting different sections of the CCA with the support from CCA Task force/ RCO and UN agencies.
Support preparation of the presentations to national partners and UNCT as needed.
Revise the draft CCA reports in line with the findings from the validation sessions and comments/feedback.
Consolidate the findings of the Common Country Analysis preparing and editing the country chapters in the final CCA report (no more than 20-25 pages) with a strong emphasis on integrated analysis.

The Consultant will report to UN resident Coordinator and UN RCO Sr. Economist, and will work under the overall guidance of the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, in close coordination with CCA Task Force and UNCT.

Key deliverables

Key deliverables include:

Figures, tables and infographics for the CCA country reports (Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau);
Processed SEIA datasets and analytics/charts for all 4 PICs;
Short country profiles (country context summaries) for the 4 PICs;
Drafts of various sections of the CCA country reports.

Tentative Timeline, Deliverables, Daily Rate and the Contract Amount

Overall, the process of producing the above CCA deliverables is expected to take the initial period of 18 working days, covering the period of September 15, 2021 to November 15, 2021.

Deliverables/ Outputs

Estimated Duration to Complete (Days)

Fee Disbursement (%)

Review and Approval Required

Review & analysis of data/information

4 working days

60%

Submission and approval of work plan and draft report

Processed SEIA datasets and analytics/charts for all 4 PICs

4 working days

Short country profiles (country context summaries) for the 4 PICs

2 working days

Consultations on the draft chapters

4 working days

40%

Submission and approval of final CCA country report

Finalization of the draft CCA chapters

4 working days

Total

18 working days

100%

Duty Station

Given travel restrictions linked to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the assignment would need to be home-based (remote). Nevertheless, the consultant will work closely with the UN RCO Samoa and the CCA Task Force.

Competencies

Advanced degree in International Development Studies, Economics, Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Sciences.
Strong STATA and Excel data processing skills.
Excellent research and evaluative skills.
Strong social protection, labour markets and poverty policy knowledge.
Experience in producing reports for international organizations (World Bank, UN, etc.).
Understanding of international development issues.
Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.
Excellent report writing skills.
Excellent inter-personal and teamwork skills, networking skills, and proven ability to work well in multicultural environments.
Excellent facilitation and presentation skills.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with various partners including government, civil society, the private sector, UN agencies, development partners, and communities.
Strong interpersonal and cross-cultural skills and ability to foster relationships with key stakeholders.
Ability to work under pressure, effectively coordinate others and meet tight deadlines without compromising the quality of work.

Required Skills and Experience

Education Qualifications:

Master’s degree or equivalent professional experience in public policy, economics or statistics (20 points).

Experience:

Minimum of 5 years combined of relevant experience in data processing, analytics and report writing related to social protection, labor markets, migration, poverty and other related policy work for development organizations (30 points).
Strong portfolio of data processing and analytics using STATA software (20 points).
Strong communication, time management, and organization skills.

Other requirements:

Fluency in English is mandatory (10 points).
It is desirable that the candidate should hold a license for all the software being used and has access to functional hardware to deliver on the tasks to be allocated (20 points).