JOB: Regional Development and Poverty Reduction Expert (reliefweb.int)

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

UN Agency
Closing date: 10 Jun 2009
Location: Georgia - Tbilisi

Background

Over the recent years the Georgian economy has performed very impressively - during 2004-2008 the economy experienced an annual 9.4 per cent growth on average. Despite this considerable achievement, the benefits of growth have been highly concentrated in a few capital-intensive sectors (banking, communications, energy), and have failed to trickle down to the majority of the population, as reflected by poverty and unemployment rate figures. The socio-economic situation is especially challenging in the regions of Georgia, where subsistence farming is the primary source of income for the majority of the prevailing rural population.

In 2008 with the support of the EU, GTZ and Polish Aid the Government of Georgia set up a Task Force on Regional Development with the aim of developing the Strategy for Regional Development that will serve as an overarching framework for social and economic interventions at the regional level.

The task force‘s secretariat coordinates the work of 7 working groups in different sectors, including:
Financing of Regional Development;
Regional Management, Institutional Set-up and Human Resource Development;
Poverty Reduction and Employment;
Municipal Development and Infrastructure,
Innovation, New Technologies and Entrepreneurship;
Environment and International Cooperation of Regions;
Legal Solutions for effective Regional Development.

UNICEF has been actively engaged in the Working Group (WG) on Poverty Reduction and Employment and has made significant contribution to the Diagnostic Report prepared by the group and approved by the Government of Georgia. UNICEF seeks to provide further support to the WG by contracting a consultant who will contribute to the development of the Strategy Report.

Purpose and main tasks of the consultancy

To support the Working Group in developing the parts of the Strategy Report (including recommendations) that relate to macroeconomic and fiscal aspects of poverty reduction and employment generation in the regions of Georgia. Main tasks of the consultancyDrawing on the findings of the Diagnostic Report and analyzing other relevant materials/data, the consultant will perform the following tasks:
Through analyzing the drivers of economic growth both at national and regional levels, recommend a set of policies which can promote high economic growth based on the comparative advantages of the regions;
Through analyzing the profile and determinants of poverty against the economic growth rates both nationally and across the regions, recommend a set of policies which can promote sustainable pro-poor growth in the regions, and measures that would contribute to reduction of poverty;
Through analyzing the public budget revenues system and its effects on poverty, recommend pro-poor adjustments in the revenue generating system;
Through analyzing the effectiveness of different social protection measures (e.g. targeted social assistance, pensions, social care services) recommend potential adjustments to these measures at both central and regional levels;
Through analyzing budgetary allocations for human development and their effects on poor, recommend the priority areas for investing resources at regional/local levels (e.g. healthcare, education, gender equality, social services, vocational education).

Deliverable

The main deliverable will be a paper containing the analysis and recommendations outlined in the main tasks of the consultancy. The contents of the paper will be later streamlined with the overall Strategy for Regional Development. The size of the paper will be defined during the working process, though the final output must be no less than 20 pages.

Timeframe

The assignment starts on 15 June 2009 and ends on 20 July 2009. It involves 25 working days during the following stages:
Preparatory stage (familiarizing with the Diagnostic Report, Basic Data and Directions, World Bank Poverty Assessment and other relevant documents pertaining to the economy of Georgia and social policies in particular) – 5 days
In-country mission (meetings with the WG and Task Force Secretariat, as well as other WGs as necessary; meetings with stakeholders, including line ministries, local municipalities, Parliament, National Bank, etc.) – 5 days
Preparation of the first draft – 7 days
Finalization of the draft (29 June – 3 July) – 8 days

Required qualifications

Advanced academic degree in economics, public financial management, or social policy (or other related fields);
Sound knowledge of international best practices in poverty reduction and employment generation policies, including their regional dimension;
Minimum 5 years experience of working on poverty reduction and social policy issues;
Experience in designing strategies for poverty reduction and employment generation, including at regional level; Experience of working in Georgia or CEE/CIS region;
Good interpersonal and communication skills;
Excellent writing and editing skills;
Experience of working with a UN agency an asset;

Consultancy fees:

- Based on selected candidate’s qualifications.Supervision arrangements

The consultant will work under the supervision of the Task Force for Regional Development Secretariat WG on Poverty Reduction and Employment with the overall supervision from of Dimitri Gugushvili, Economic and Social Policy Officer, UNICEF Georgia.

How to apply

UNICEF invites proposals from candidates who meet the required criteria.
The candidates should submit the following documents:
CV;
P11;

Cover letter including the suggested consultancy fees. Requested documents must be submitted electronically to the following address: dgugushvili@unicef.org

The deadline for submitting proposals is 10 June.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.
Reference Code: RW_7S8BA3-57

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