UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, support.

In the Pacific we work in Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu: These 14 Pacific island countries are home to 2.3 million people, including 1.2 million children and youth, living on more than 660 islands and atolls stretching across 17.2 million square kilometers of the Pacific Ocean, an area comparable to the combined size of the United States of America and Canada. Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu are classified as Fragile States according to World Bank/OECD criteria.

All 14 Pacific Island countries and territories have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, but only a third are on track with reporting obligations. Explore the different areas of our work in the link provided here www.unicef.org/pacificislands.

Background of Assignment:

Provincial Governments (PG) in Solomon Islands operate under the Provincial Government Act (PGA) of 1997 with limited clarity and facing challenges on many fronts. The issues and challenges currently facing the development interventions and service delivery at the provincial level are understood to be around the following:

• Lack of clarity on devolved functions
• Lack of clarity on role of PG- sectoral coordination and institutional coherence,
• Inadequate human resources and management practices although with recent years’ improvement for PGs,
• Incoherent financing arrangements, insufficient and fragmented funding for local service delivery evident through multiple and possibly competing funding streams disbursed for local development such as Constituency Development Fund (CDF), Rural Development Fund (RDF) and Provincial capacity Development Fund (PCDF) etc.
• Inadequate, inequitably distributed local service delivery and local development
• Weak top-down and bottom-up accountability and limited engagement and participation of citizens, especially the youth, women, and vulnerable groups. Issuance of the policy blueprint on participatory planning by SIG in 2020 paves the way for actions to change the situation. The World Bank project entitled Integrated Economic Development and Resilience Community (IEDRC) among other projects will have an important role to play in the improvement of the issue.
• Insufficient data to support planning, budgeting and decision making for social service provision/ delivery.

As evidenced through the National Development Strategy (NDS) of 2016-2035, Solomon Islands Government (SIG) recognizes good governance, credible and stable policies fundamental to growth and improved public service delivery. NDS puts strong emphasis on access to quality education and health services as a foundation for growth and improved livelihood. NDS calls for decentralization of decision-making and continued support to PG for effective service delivery.

Since 2008, SIG has been implementing the Provincial Government Strengthening Programme (PGSP) and transferred a significant amount of funds to PGs known as Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF). As a result, PGs have acquired remarkable knowledge and skills and developed capacity in key areas of planning, budgeting, project implementation, procurement, and public expenditure management (PEM) etc. This is evident through the highest rate of budget execution by PGs which currently stands at around 80% – the rate that is higher than those of line ministries and other funds released for local/ rural development through other channels.

How can you make a difference?

The purpose of this assignment is to support provincial government with coordination and implementation of planned activities under the Provincial Government Services Delivery Project. The major activities includes organizing provincial capacity building training, provincial forums and national forum on social services decentralization in Solomon Islands.

The national consultant will be responsible and accountable for providing technical support and assistance in all stages of implementation of provincial government services delivery project, planning, reporting and related advocacy.

The consultant will work under direct supervision of Social Policy Specialist to: 

• Support with coordinating, planning and timely implementation of the provincial government service delivery project in collaboration with all key stakeholders.
• Support with collection information and drafting of key documents such as concept notes, capacity building plans, communication, and visibility materials.
• Support the provincial and national government with planning and organizing provincial social services delivery forums including managing logistical and operational issues.
• Support the provincial and national government with planning and organizing national social services delivery forums including managing logistical and operational issues.
• Support with coordination and organize stakeholder meeting for assessment on decentralization and financing analysis.
• The consultant will be required to travel to all nine provinces to plan and organize above activities.
• Support UNICEF Programme Management and coordinate technical support and dialogue around social policy programme on decentralization ensuring it is well planned, monitored, and implemented in a timely fashion
• Supports and contributes to effective and efficient planning, management, coordination, monitoring and evaluation of the EU funded programme on decentralization.

The expected outputs of the consultancy:

• Inception meeting to finalize Letter of Agreement, Concept Note for Capacity Building, Provincial Forums and National Forum
• Finalized Letter of Agreement, Concept Note for Capacity Building, Provincial Forums and National Forum
• Completion of capacity building training in all nine provinces
• Completion of nine Provincial Forums including nine provincial forum report
• Completion of national forum on decentralization including final report
• Developed communication and visibility materials for the project such as press release, social media post, design of banners, brochures and any other products.

Please refer to the ToR ( TOR for National Consultant_Decentralization Solomon Islands.pdf) for further information on the deliverables and the timelines.

GUIDANCE FOR APPLICANTS 

A Technical proposal should be provided which includes references or links to two of the most recent projects completed. Please submit a separate financial offer along with your application and CV. The financial proposal should be a lump sum amount for all the deliverables and should show a break down for the following:

• Monthly / Daily fees – based on the deliverables in the Terms of Reference above,
• Travel (economy air ticket where applicable to take up assignment and field mission travel), if applicable,
• Living allowance where travel is required, and
• Miscellaneous – to cover visa, health insurance (including medical evacuation for international consultants), communications, and other costs, if applicable.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

EDUCATION 

• An undergraduate University degree (Bachelors) in Communication, Public Relations, Project Management, Social Sciences, or any other related technical field.

EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES 

• A minimum of at least two (2) years of relevant professional experience is required.
• Previous experience working with national and provincial governments in Solomon Islands
• Good understanding of decentralization mechanism, policies, and stakeholders
• Good networking and coordination skills and time management
• Willing to travel to provinces and remote location within Solomon Islands
• Ability to communicate and coordinate with range of stakeholder at all levels.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge of the latest developments and issues related to public finance particularly in the Pacific, are essential.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication in English, or other Pacific language, would be an advantage,
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and to establish harmonious and effective relationships both within and outside the organisation,

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit here

Remarks:

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for this consultancy.