RIA Policy Mapping Consultant

Background

Sri Lanka is a lower middle-income country aspiring to higher middle-income status facing complex challenges to protecting and accelerating development gains. The policy framework of the Government, the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour aligns with the spirit of the 2030 Agenda and commits to a programme of actions to achieve the SDGs through a focus on a productive citizenry, happy family, disciplined society and prosperous nation. The Vistas framework has been translated into the medium-term Public Investment Programme (PIP) 2021-2024 which outlines key strategies and policy targets on increasing government revenue, upgrading the quality of human resources, promoting equity in economic and social spheres, minimising regional disparities, protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. Currently, Sri Lanka faces a period of adjustment as it addresses a challenging socio-economic context exacerbated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sri Lanka has remained committed to the SDGs and is embarking on its second Voluntary National Review (VNR) of implementation of the SDGs in 2022. As part of its follow-up and review mechanisms, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development encourages member states to "conduct regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels, which are country-led and country-driven". These national reviews are expected to serve as a basis for the regular reviews by the high-level political forum (HLPF), meeting under the auspices of ECOSOC. The VNRs aim to facilitate the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges and lessons learned, with a view to accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. The VNRs also seek to strengthen policies and institutions of governments and to mobilize multi-stakeholder support and partnerships for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In order to support this process, the National Planning Department (NPD) hopes to carry out a Rapid Integrated Analysis (RIA) to analyze alignment of national development policies, specifically the PIP to the SDGs, with a view of contributing findings to the VNR process. The RIA aims to support countries in mainstreaming the SDGs into national and subnational planning, by helping assess their readiness for SDG implementation. The tool suggests clear steps and templates for policy makers to determine the relevance of the SDGs to the country context, both at the national and subnational level, and identify gaps in alignment of national/subnational frameworks with the interlinkages across targets.

With over five decades of experience in Sri Lanka and with a global footprint spanning over 170 countries providing national and sub-national level planning support and capacity building, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) aims to support the NPD in this exercise. This is part of broader UNDP support to the Government of Sri Lanka in establishing a comprehensive SDG driven national development framework. A key feature of this support would be to carry out the RIA and provide advice and suggestions for greater SDG alignment and impact (where necessary) of selected development policies and strategies. Overall, this will contribute to capacitating Sri Lanka in fulfilling its commitments towards the 2030 agenda.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

The main objective of this assignment is to work closely with the NPD and UNDP Sri Lanka in carrying out a Rapid Integrated Assessment (RIA) using a tool developed by UNDP* to assess policy alignment between the governments national development policies and the SDGs, and to support the UNDP RIA experts in delivering the capacity building workshops of the NPD the department to continue future policy alignment mapping exercises in house, in order to achieve greater impact and alignment with SDGs.

* Orientation and technical training on the specific RIA methodology will be provided by UNDP at the start of the process.

Objectives:

Review of Sri Lanka’s current development policies including the Vistas of Prosperity and Splendour, and the Government’s Public Investment Programme (PIP) using the RIA tool.
Identification of areas of existing SDG alignment and degree of alignment of the policies and gaps in alignment
Provide (where relevant) recommendation/advice for greater SDG alignment and impact generation.
Support UNDP HQ based RIA experts in delivering capacity building initiatives through training workshops and learning-by-doing for selected staff of the National Planning Department.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

The Consultant will report to UNDP Sri Lanka’s SDG Integration Specialist and work closely with UNDP’s SDG Impact team and the Inclusive Growth team in carrying out the key responsibilities of the assignment.

The Consultant will be responsible for (but not limited to) the following:

1. Undertake training on the application of the RIA which will be conducted by UNDP

2. Working with UNDP Sri Lanka and government partners to rapidly generate workplan and responsibilties for rapid execution of the RIA.

3. Desk review of relevant national planning documents e.g. the PIP.

4. Conduct the RIA to assess SDG alignment of the planning documents, identify alignment gaps, indicators for implementation, institutions responsible for target implementation, and cross-sectoral linkages.

5. Develop an SDG Profile based on the analysis

6. Prepare a report with RIA findings and recommendations.

7. Facilitate a consultation to validate the finding of the analysis.

Institutional Arrangement

The RIA Consultant will work under the overall supervision and guidance of the SDG Integration Specialist of UNDP Sri Lanka’s Policy and Engagement Team, who will also review and approve the deliverables and payments. The Consultant will be given preliminary training and mentorship by a UNDP RIA expert, S/he will have access to relevant information and persons necessary for execution of the tasks under this assignment through facilitation by UNDP Sri Lanka supervisor. The consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own working station (i.e. laptop, internet, phone, scanner/printer, specific software, etc.) and must have access to a reliable internet connection.

Duration of the Work

The envisaged time frame of the consultancy is two (02) months from 29th April to 29th June 2022.

Duty Station

The consultants duty station would be Colombo, Sri Lanka. The assignment should be carried out in close consultation with the Government partners i.e. National Planning Department, and UNDP as well as other relevant national stakeholders.

Competencies

Analytical and Business Skills,

Strong analytical and research skills
Good knowledge of the SDG framework – goals, targets and indicators.
Pro-active, results driven and able to meet strict deadlines
Ability to collect, gather, visualize and analyze information in detail
Attention to details and proven ability to work independently and effectively

Technical and Computer Skills

Proficiency in computer software, including Microsoft office.
Good at data visualization and master reporting techniques.
Visual perception of information with charts, diagrams, tables.
Argumentation and logical thinking.
Ability to organize information and work with graphical information.

Expert knowledge on standard M&E processes, tools, frameworks and approaches
Experience working with national government counterparts preferably in planning and finance related work.
Leadership
People Management, maturity and confidence in dealing with senior members of national institutions
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Communication. The ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform
Delivery. Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement
Good organizational skills and the ability to prioritize work deliverables
Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and results for the client and responds positively to feedback
Knowledge transfer and mentorship

Required Skills and Experience

Educational Qualifications:

Minimum Bachelor’s Degree in Econometrics, Statistics, Computer Science, Information Management or any other field related to Development Policy.

Experience

A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible work experience in social and economic policy analysis with international development organizations or sustainable development-oriented organizations
A sound knowledge of the SDG framework – goals, targets and indicators, and the interlinkages
Demonstrated ability in policy and data analysis,
Excellent quantitative and analytic skills
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, Sinhala.
Experience working in international development organization is an advantage

Language requirements

Fluency in spoken and written English and a good working knowledge of Sinhala