Consultant on Parliamentary Autonomy

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) is the global organization of national parliaments with a membership of 183 Member Parliaments and 15 Associate Members. The IPU promotes democratic governance, institutions and values, working with parliaments and parliamentarians to articulate and respond to the needs and aspirations of the people. It works to promote peace, democracy, human rights, gender equality, youth empowerment, climate action and sustainable development through political dialogue, cooperation and parliamentary action. The IPU has supported over half of its members to strengthen parliament capacity to perform their functions. The IPU collaborates with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) both nationally and globally for over 40 years.

UNDP has been supporting more than 60 parliaments globally to strengthen parliament as an institution of good governance, inclusive development and public accountability.

In the Pacific, the UNDP Pacific Office (PO) has been supporting Pacific Parliaments to fulfil the core functions of parliaments of law-making, oversight and representation. The PO has supported Pacific Parliaments to reform the parliamentary professional service, provided trainings and activities to strengthen parliamentary library and research services, provided policy support with a focus on SDG advocacy, supported the production of Budget Briefs for members to assist with informed debates on the national budgets, increased opportunities for citizens and CSO engagement in the work of parliament, built capacities for members and staff on substantive and procedural issues as well as skills such as public speaking, dealing with the media, debating, and codes of conduct, supported the development for institutional frameworks to ensure that parliaments have sufficient power and independence to contribute to democratic development.

In late 2025, the IPU and UNDP have entered into a cooperation agreement to support parliaments in Pacific countries. Within this project the IPU will conduct a regional update on the status of different dimensions of parliamentary autonomy, through the lens of the Indicators for Democratic Parliaments.

Objectives

The main objective of the consultancy is to research and analyse the different dimensions of parliamentary autonomy in seven Pacific Island countries, benchmarked against the Indicators for Democratic Parliaments, and produce a high-quality knowledge product covering 7 partner parliaments highlighting strengths, common challenges, and opportunities for collaboration between parliaments and with development partners.

Duties and responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Manager, Technical Cooperation Programme, IPU and working closely with 7 pacific parliamentary administrations, the consultant will:

• Familiarise him/herself with the IPU indicators for democratic parliaments, focusing on aspects relevant to parliamentary autonomy.
• Conduct a desk review of existing literature, legal frameworks, and reports related to parliamentary autonomy in Pacific Island countries.
• Collect and synthesize data on the operational, financial, legislative, and oversight autonomy of parliaments in the Pacific region.
• Identify key factors that enhance or inhibit parliamentary autonomy in these countries.
• Analyse findings with reference to the indicators to provide an evaluative perspective on the state of parliamentary autonomy.
• Engage with relevant stakeholders (e.g., parliamentary staff, regional organizations, Consultants) as necessary to validate findings.
• Prepare a detailed report outlining the research methodology, detailed data and analysis of the various strands of parliamentary autonomy, common challenges and practical recommendations to strengthen parliamentary autonomy in the Pacific region.

Institutional Arrangements

• The Consultant will report directly to the Manager, IPU Technical cooperation programme
• All reports and documents relating to the assignment will be submitted to the Manager, IPU Technical cooperation programme
• The Consultant will be responsible for all technical related equipment including Laptops, Printing, Internet, and Software subscriptions relevant to this assignment.

Duration of the Work

• 20 days between 15/01/2026 – 15/04/2026

Duty Station & Travel

• Home based

Educational Qualifications (Minimum):

Advanced degree in political science, law, governance, or related fields.

Experience:

• Proven experience in parliamentary research or democratic governance studies, preferably in the Pacific region or similar contexts.
• Familiarity with the IPU’s framework and indicators for democratic parliaments.
• Strong analytical, research, and report-writing skills.
• Ability to engage with diverse stakeholders and synthesize complex information clearly.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including politicians, parliamentarians and other government officials.

Competencies:

• Good representational and liaison skills.
• Excellent interpersonal, intercultural, communication and networking with a demonstrated ability to build and maintain professional relationships.
• Ability to meet deadlines.
• Excellent English writing and communication skills.

Deliverables

Deliverable

Due date

1. Inception report outlining methodology and work plan

Within 10 days of contract signature

1. Draft research report

20 days following submission of inception report

1. Workshop or validation session report.
2. Final research report incorporating feedback, including an executive summary highlighting key findings and recommendations

10 days following validation sessions

How to apply

The deadline for applications is 19 December 2025 at 12.00 CET. Applications should be sent by e-mail to job@ipu.org with “Consultant: SLIP-Autonomy” in the subject line. For further details about the consultancy, please contact Norah Babic at the IPU Secretariat (nb@ipu.org)

Applicants will be contacted only if they are under serious consideration. Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.

Recruitment principles

Our guiding principle in selecting candidates is to secure the highest standards of efficiency, competence and integrity. We do not discriminate on any grounds and are committed to promoting diversity in our workforce.

Particular attention is paid to candidates from developing countries and to achieving gender balance. We strive to provide an environment where the contribution of each individual is valued.

We ask all our personnel to apply the Common Principles for Support to Parliaments in their work.

We ask all our personnel to agree to our Code of conduct for personnel and our Fraud and corruption prevention policy available at https://www.ipu.org/about-us/working-with-ipu, and our policy to prevent and address harassment including sexual harassment at IPU Assemblies and other events, available at: https://www.ipu.org/about-ipu/structure-and-governance/statutes-and-policies-ipu.