CONSULTANCY -TERMS OF REFERENCE

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions

Drafter and Editor for UNRWA’s Resource Mobilisation Strategy

BACKGROUND

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees as of 1 January 2014. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

The conflict in Gaza, the unremitting hostilities in Syria with its impact on the wider region and the increase in violence in the West Bank continue to largely affect UNRWA operations. It has been challenging for the Agency, in recent years, to reach the overall funding targets by the end of the year in order to meet the needs of Palestine refugees across the Agency’s fields of operation. Based on financial forecasts it is expected that 2015 will be a very difficult year for UNRWA.

Another factor beyond UNRWA’s control is exchange rate movement which in 2014 was not favorable vis-à-vis the Agency’s finances and which will continue to be unfavorable in 2015. According to November 2014 data, the 2015 cash deficit for the General Fund stood at USD 81.3 million. As of February 2015, it was foreseen that the deficit will further increase in 2015 by USD 20 million, which is mainly due to unfavorable exchange rate movements. Part of the loss will be offset by gains from financial measures such as hedging, and through additional resource mobilization efforts. This makes new funding channels all the more important, and opportunities are being sought actively in emerging economies, Arab states and through private partnerships.

The Resource Mobilisation Strategy 2012-2015 aims to address funding challenges. It details the opportunities, risks, assumptions, and perceptions for the Agency. The Agency's Resource Mobilisation Strategy was developed by the External Relations and Communications Department (ERCD) in order to maximise the resources available to the Agency. The aim was to provide with stable predictable revenue through strengthened partnership with traditional donors, diversified donor base, and establishing an enabling environment to support donor relation management.

An evaluation of the Resource Mobilization Strategy (RMS) is currently being undertaken with the aim facilitating an objective assessment of the overall results against the planned achievement, including the design of the Resource Mobilization Strategy's logical framework and its implementation and execution. Specifically, the evaluation will determine as systematically and objectively as possible the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability of the RMS. The evaluation will provide recommendations that can serve as an input for the next Resource Mobilization Strategy and help to align this next strategy with the upcoming Medium Term Strategy 2016 – 2021.

For more information about UNRWA operations, please visit the following website:

PURPOSE

UNRWA is seeking the services of a consultant/contractor to assist ERCD in drafting and editing UNRWA’snew Resource Mobilization Strategy to be aligned with the Medium Term Strategy 2016 – 2021.

SCOPE OF WORK

a)Review all necessary documentation pertaining to the RMS and its evaluation

b)Consult with UNRWA’s External Relations and Communications Department (ERCD), Steering Committee members and evaluators of the RMS to better understand the vision, recommendations and lessons learned from RMS (2012-2016) and the new RMS;

c)Work with ERCD in drafting the RMS in a consultative approach through the following:

  • Consolidate the key recommendations from the RMS evaluation and include the information gathered during consultations with ERCD to draft a linguistically and content-wise high quality RMS document with a focus on drafting a solid logical framework with M&E indicators.
  • Explore and review options to strengthen and expand today’s government and private fundraising, leveraging best practice examples on fundraising and brand awareness, including consultations with experts in the field of innovative financing for development
  • RMS document should outline clear objectives, expected outcomes and indicators, as well as an implementation plan setting specific activities as seen by ERCD.
  • Review and assure the requisite quality of the whole RMS document on the basis of feedback provided from ERCD and the Steering Committee.

DELIVERABLES AND TARGET COMPLETION

The [Consultant/Contractor] will submit the following to UNRWA:

Deliverables/Outputs of the assignment/service:

  • A draft comprehensive resource mobilisation strategy that includes the following:

a)An overview of the global and regional economic situation, UNRWA’s MTS, impact of political and emergency situation, an analysis of past fundraising experience, future opportunities and strategies, as well as opportunities, risks and contingency analysis.

b)A strategic framework with an outlined time-bound action plan to raise funds for UNRWA, including core activities in terms of strengthening UNRWA’s branding and outreach activities (traditional and new government as well as private donors, foundations, innovative instruments of development finance etc.). New activities need to be specified to the extend that they are actionable (e.g., interlocutors to be approached)

c)A monitoring and evaluation plan with annual and quarterly indicators, baseline and targets.

d)An annex that maps donor interests, priorities, funding windows and points to clear actions that should be taken to mobilise funds and develop/maintain relationships with these donors.

  • Develop and edit final RMS document by incorporating feedback from key stakeholders (donors and hosts), the Steering Committee, and other experts and accepted by ERCD.

Time-Line

The RMS drafting is scheduled to take place during the period from July to September 2015. The expected start date is within one week after the signing of the contract. The consultant is expected to undertake a mission to UNRWA HQ to undertake necessary visits and meetings to support in drafting the RMS.

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Payments shall be linked to deliverables as follows:

Percentage / Deliverable
Payment 1 / 20% / upon the receipt and review of the RMSdraft document to be approved by ERCD
Payment 2 / 80% / upon the receipt and review of the final RMS to be approved by ERCDafter consolidation of comments from key stakeholders and the Steering Committee

RELEVANT DOCUMENTS (ATTACHED)

  • Resource Mobilization Strategy 2012-2015
  • Medium-Term Strategy
  • RMS M&E Guidebook
  • RMS evaluation report

REPORTING

The [Consultant/Contractor] shall report to Uta Boellhoff, Director, External Relations and Communications.

minimum Qualifications and Experience

  • A post graduate qualification preferably in Social Sciences, Public Administration or any relevant discipline.
  • Work experience as English language editor and communication specialist for at least 8 years is required; Experience must relate to drafting, editing and finalization of situation analysis, strategic planning documents and reports concerning development assistance.
  • Experience in drafting Strategic Frameworks managed by international organizations is required;
  • Work experience in the areas of government and private sector fundraising and resource mobilization;
  • Extensive knowledge in development cooperation; access to stakeholders involved in traditional and new instruments of development finance;
  • Knowledge of Palestine refugees rights and issues of concern is preferred;
  • Demonstrated analytical ability and excellent report writing skills with relevant experience and produced at least 3 reports for international organizations.
  • Excellent writing, editing, and oral communication skills in English.

COMPETENCIES

  • Teamwork:Ability to establish and maintain effective working relations as a team member, in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect;
  • Communication:Excellent interpersonal and writing communication skills.

dESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of Arabic would be an advantage.

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

The assignment shall initiate upon the signing of the contract and ending after four months,will consist of approx. 30-35 working days for a total remuneration of USD 22.000 as below:

No of working days / What tasks / Where (location)
3 / Desk review / Home based
9 / Meetings / UNRWA HQ
12-15 / Draft Report / Home based
6-8 / Final Report / Home based
Total working days: 30-35

Lump sum contracts

The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days of the consultant.

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNRWA should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the consultant wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants should submita technical and financial proposal which includes the following,via indicating the title of this consultancy “Drafter and Editor for UNRWA’s Resource Mobilisation Strategy” in the subject line of the message.

1. Technical Proposal/Cover Letter:

(i) A cover letter explaining why they are the most suitable for the work

(ii)A proposal that illustrates the proposed approach and timeline, and references at least twoprevious examples of editorial work developed;preferably examples of Strategic Frameworks previously developedfor International organizations

2. CV

3. Three references (of editorial work) with contacts and phone numbers

4. A completed P11 form

5. Financial proposal

The deadline for the submission of applications is15/7/2015:

UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men. UNRWA encourages applications from qualified women. Only those applicants shortlisted for interview will be contacted. UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.

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