Result of Service

To support GWOPA in knowledge management deliverables and development of advocacy material on Water Operators’ Partnerships (WOPs). As part of its 15 year anniversary, GWOPA is taking stock and consolidating evidence to show case outputs and results of these partnerships, and ways in which they address main utility challenges.

Work Location

HOME BASED

Expected duration

4 months

Duties and Responsibilities

BACKGROUND The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the agency for human settlements mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. Together with governments, the agency is responsible for promoting and consolidating collaboration with all partners, including local authorities, private and non-governmental organizations in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Global Water Operators’ Partnerships Alliance (GWOPA) helps water and sanitation operators help one another. Led by UN-Habitat, it is an international network created in 2009 to support operators through Water Operator’s Partnerships (WOPs) – not-for-profit peer support partnerships between water and sanitation operators aimed at enhancing their capacity and performance to provide a better service to more people in support of the SDGs. The GWOPA Secretariat translates GWOPA’s mandate into strategies and programs. It implements, through collaboration with a range of partners, annual alliance work plans to help ensure WOPs are scaled up and are contributing to water and sanitation service providers’ improved capacity and performance. The GWOPA Secretariat is currently hosted by the Government of Germany. The Consultant reports to GWOPA’s Knowledge Management focal point, within the Urban Basic Services Section/Urban Practices Branch/Global Division. OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES The objective of this consultancy is to support GWOPA in knowledge management deliverables and development of advocacy material on Water Operators’ Partnerships (WOPs). As part of its 15 year anniversary, GWOPA is taking stock and consolidating evidence to show case outputs and results of these partnerships, and ways in which they address main utility challenges. MAIN ACTIVITIES With guidance from the GWOPA Secretariat and members, the consultant will: 1. Develop an analysis of the most common thematic WOP practices that address (but are not limited to) the following indicative themes, and which may be clustered into further working areas: i. Addressing climate change: Water resource resilience, climate adaptation and mitigation, water scarcity, re-use; ii. Urban sanitation; iii. Serving the poor: more inclusive access for the poor, low-income customers services, energy efficiency; iv. Making infrastructure last – asset management, operations and maintenance; v. Financial sustainability – commercial operations, tariffs, customer care, financial planning; vi. Making utilities more gender sensitive and inclusive; vii. Growing a future workforce – human resources policies, capacity development, career development opportunities, and engaging young professionals; viii. Efficient utilities: Water distribution and non-revenue water; and ix. Water quality. 2. Review existing documentation and literature on WOPs projects (including case studies, narrative reports, and Performance Management Platform reports), and undertake online interviews of WOP practitioners (list of interviewees to be agreed upon with GWOPA). The WOPs envisaged for the review should reflect the current geography of the WOPs as indicated in GWOPA’s database (South-South, North South and triangular partnerships, short term and long term, and across a representative set of regions). 3. Draft recommendations and short term action plans based on the most common ways identified for which utilities tackle each type of working areas. The recommendations for will draw on what the WOPs are addressing (in terms of thematic areas and KPIs) and the types of actions that can be taken (such as learning approaches, including benchmarking, exposure, training -of different types-, joint planning, and implementation). 4. Where available, cite data on quantifiable outcomes resulting from the actions and measures implemented for those working areas, i.e. key performance indicators or others. DELIVERABLES Deliverable 1: Inception report, including: Identification and selection of approximately 6 main themes on the basis of the proposed list; list of the documentation reviewed and selection of the WOP case studies with justification. Deliverables 2: Six short background paper (approximately 5-6 pages) on each of the theme identifying common approaches (working areas pursued and learning approaches applied) and types of actions, improvements and main achievements (results, in capacity and performance) that are supported through a Water Operators’ Partnership. Deliverable 3: Selection and drafting of one or two WOP examples on each theme. Deliverables 4: A set of PowerPoint slides for advocacy use, with key messages covering each theme, including example and main achievements.

Qualifications/special skills

An advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent degree) is required, in Water Services or a related field. • At least 5 years of experience working in the field of urban water and sanitation services, international cooperation, environmental project management or similar is required. • Experience working with water utilities and/or capacity development projects considered is required. • Excellent writing skills – drafting reports, proposals, concepts or guidance material is required. • Experience in monitoring, reporting and evaluation of development, especially capacity-related, projects is considered an advantage. • Previous experience working with the UN or other international/multilateral organizations is an asset. • Experience with partnerships and knowledge management is desirable.

Languages

Fluency in spoken and written English is required; knowledge of other UN languages will be considered an asset.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

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.