The consultant will ultimately collect relevant information about current donors’ strategies for Syria, develop short donors’ profiles, develop key points on which the RCO and the PGs will build the Resources Mobilization Strategy, and present the final report/findings to the PMT for endorsement.
Home-based with possible travel to the region (Amman, Beirut and Damascus)
20 days
The Syrian people continue to suffer from a prolonged and compounded crisis with an estimated number of 14.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Putting the response to people’s needs at the center of its work, the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) continues to complement its large direct humanitarian assistance efforts with multi-year resilience activities.
Currently, the United Nations in Syria has two operating frameworks: the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) and the 2022-2024 UN Strategic Framework.
1) the HRP identifies the broad humanitarian community’s activities in response to life-saving and early recovery humanitarian needs based on the annual Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) exercise.
2) the UN Strategic Framework (SF) frames the UNCT’s multi-year strategic programme outcomes, implemented in coordination between the Government and the United Nations for 2022-2024. It aims to build the resilience and improve the lives of all people in Syria, particularly the most vulnerable, within the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), the pledge to leave no one behind and reach the furthest behind first and with a principled and human rights-based approach to programming.
Following the signature of the Strategic Framework in June 2022, the UNCT embarked on an exercise to develop its annual Joint Work Plans (JWPs) for 2022 and 2023. This includes an assessment of the resources required to deliver the four outcomes outlined in the SF. It identifies already mobilized resources by funding type, the annual funding gaps under each outcome and provides an overall estimation on the amounts to be mobilized to ensure delivery. JWPs provide a source for regular dialogue on funding mainly with the donors to better steer their support to UN interventions, and remain the main reference for UN programme budgeting for the UNCT, derived by individual agencies’ budgets and resources mobilization strategies.
This consultancy will focus on supporting the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) and the UNCT collect key data and information to guide the development of a UNCT’s common Resources Mobilization Strategy for the Strategic Framework 2022-2024. Based on the overall estimations of budgets in the UN SF Funding Framework and agencies’ specific inputs, the consultant will establish the current baseline of donors’ financial contributions to the Syria operations under the Strategic Framework. This shall inform the UNCT’s efforts - together with the PMT and the UN SF Pillar Groups - to design a coherent and effective resource mobilization strategy.
The consultant’s work will also lead to identify areas for targeted outreach towards existing and potential donors, by specific programme priorities. It will be generating some key pointers for the RCO’s work in the area of partnerships and a good base for advocacy for the UN RC/HC and the UNCT.
The consultant will work under the overall guidance of the RCO Strategic Planner (Team Leader), the direct supervision of the Partnerships and Development Finance Officer (PDFO) , and in close collaboration with the RCO Data and Results Monitoring Officer (DRMO). Moreover, the incumbent will undertake consultations with UNCT members, the UN Programme Management Team (PMT), the UN SF Pillar Groups, and other relevant Inter-Agency Work Groups and stakeholders - as needed.
SCOPE OF WORK AND DELIVERABLES
The Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:
1. Conduct a donors’ mapping exercise and develop donors’ profiles based on the current donors’ support provided to the UNCT in Syria, to both humanitarian and early recovery activities (looking also at different funding streams);
2. Provide an analysis and highlights on potential areas for expansion of donors’ funding and the UN donors’ base, informed by donors’ future strategies in relation to Syria and the region;
3. Provide an overview on resource mobilization opportunities in similar contexts of conflict/crisis affected countries in the region and beyond;
4. Advise the RCO on some key pointers to be considered when developing the UNCT Resources Mobilization Strategy for the UN Strategic Framework 2022-2024;
5. Advise the RCO on potential stakeholders’ outreach to broaden existing partnerships.
Tentative TimeLine:
Stage 1 – Mapping, timeline : 10 Days, Responsible: Consultant w/th PMT, Donors, PDFO Officer, M&E WG, PG Conveners, DRMO.
a- Review of existing data on donors’ mapping strategies, agencies resource mobilization strategies, etc.
b- Conduct interviews with Senior managers/ Partnerships Officers in UN Organizations and donors to map donors’ support the UNCT.
c- Collect relevant information about donors’ strategies for Syria and develop short donors’ profiles.
d- Develop an easy tool to view and update data pertaining donors contributions against the UNSF Funding Framework.
Stage 2: Analysis, Timeline: 3 Days, Responsible: Consultant:
- Analyze the data generated in step 1 of mapping donors’ support to UN organizations.
Stage 3: Drafting, timeline: 4 days:
- Consult with relevant UN entities, inter-Agency WGs and UN partners.
Stage 4 : Consultation, timeline: 3 Day, Responsible: Consultant w/th RCO, PG Conveners
- Incorporate comments received from agencies
- Finalize the findings of the exercises
- Develop key points on which the RCO and the PGs will build the Resources Mobilization Strategy
Stage 5: Endorsement, Responsible : RCO
- Present the final report/findings to the PMT for endorsement
Master’s level university degree or higher, in Communication and External relations, Social Policy Analysis, International Relations, Human Rights, Social Sciences, Political Science, International Development, Management, or a related field is required.
Minimum of 8 years of relevant work experience in resource mobilization and partnership, development/humanitarian planning and financing is required.
Prior experience working in/on a crisis/conflict country, possibly with a focus on resource mobilization and funding modalities, is desirable.
Work experience in the field of data collection and management, data analysis and reports writing is desirable.
Familiarity with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework Guidance and prior experience working in/on Syria is desirable.
Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of Arabic is desirable.
THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.