Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

The United Nations Children’s Fund in Belarus (UNICEF) partners with the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus (Belstat) to develop a procedure for structuring microdata and guidelines on microdata dissemination in the framework of the joint project of international technical assistance “Support to the Efforts of the Republic of Belarus in Nationalization and Localization of the Sustainable Development Goals” (Project).

Belstat is a republican governmental agency in the area of the state statistics which manages, regulates and coordinates activities of other governmental agencies and organizations in this area.

The major goal of Belstat is to meet the needs of the society, the government and the international community in high quality official statistics.

Belstat is interested to develop a procedure for structuring microdata and guidelines on microdata dissemination as part of its activities to enhance the national statistics and extend access of the public and the state to quality statistical data. UNICEF supports Belstat’s efforts in the framework of the Project aimed to enhance monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals in Belarus.

Scope of Work:

UNICEF in partnership with Belstat is looking for an international consultant to develop a procedure for structuring microdata and guidelines on microdata dissemination in line with the priorities of the development of the national statistics, requirements of the national legislation, international recommendations, and best international practices.

The documents to be developed should include the following:

1. Requirements to the microdata structure
2. Guidelines on microdata dissemination including definition of user categories, procedure of requesting data and providing access to it to users
3. Criteria of microdata sufficiency (set of data to be included in a microfile to have analytical value) for providing to external users
4. Procedure for structuring microfiles, including structure and format of a microfile, metadata, data format, etc.
5. Recommendations on protection and ensuring confidentiality of data
6. Recommendations on developing/enhancing software on structuring microfiles;
7. Other recommendations identified in consultations with Belstat and in line with best international practices.

The international consultant will also conduct two trainings for Belstat on approaches to work with microdata.

The first training will be conducted at the start of delivering services to ensure Belstat’s specialists are better aware of the modern approaches to structuring and disseminating microdata and to better identify Belstat’s needs to be addressed by the procedure for structuring microdata and guidelines on microdata dissemination to be developed under the contract.

Content and scope of the training will be identified by the international consultant in cooperation with Belstat and UNICEF. The training is to be conducted along with consultations with Belstat during the visit (at least three days) of the international consultant to the Republic of Belarus (Minsk).

The second training will be conducted at the final stage of delivering the requested services to train Belstat’s specialists in applying the developed procedure for structuring microdata and guidelines on microdata dissemination along with discussing the remaining questions/challenges and providing recommendations.

The training is to be conducted along with consultations with Belstat during the visit (at least three days) of the international consultant to the Republic of Belarus (Minsk).

The final dates of the visits to the Republic of Belarus (Minsk) are to be agreed by the international consultant, Belstat and UNICEF when signing the contract with the selected candidate.

UNICEF and Belstat can attract a national consultant on legal issues of protection and ensuring confidentiality of data to work jointly with the international consultant to complete respective sections of the documents to be developed if necessary.

Supervision of the consultancy and coordination of parties:

Requested services to develop the procedure for structuring microdata and guidelines on microdata dissemination will be delivered in close cooperation with Belstat and UNICEF including regular consultations and approval of completed and planned deliverables at each stage of the implementation.

Belstat will provide the international consultant all necessary information to deliver requested services. Belstat will also participate in expert consultations and exchange of experience in line with the schedule to be agreed by the parties for tailoring tasks, discussing proposed approaches and ensuring appropriate consideration of specifics and requirements to managing state statistics in the Republic of Belarus. Belstat will assign a focal point for coordinating the service delivery with the Provider and UNICEF.

The UNICEF Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist will be the contract manager and major focal point responsible for coordinating the performance of the tasks, providing necessary documents, arranging consultations and other steps necessary to complete planned deliverables.

Deliverables completed under the consultancy are to be approved by Belstat and UNICEF.

Terms of Reference / Key Deliverables / Delivery Deadline:

NOTE: The above timeline is tentative, with some flexibility for potential fluctuations preserved for negotiations with the selected consultant.

The final timeframe is to be discussed and finalized in consultations between the international consultant, Belstat and UNICEF based on the needs and opportunities of the parties to ensure the most effective service delivery.

Travel (if required as per TOR):

Two visits to the Republic of Belarus (Minsk) in line with agreed schedule (within this TOR)

Qualifications

 Education:

• A bachelors degree (university degree) in one of the following areas: statistics, social and economic statistics, social sciences, economy, other areas relevant to the requested services.

Work experience/Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Employment experience – a minimum of 5 (five) years of practical experience of work in the area of statistics, including development of methodologies and guidelines for disseminating statistics and research in the area of statistics
• Experience of work in governmental statistical agencies and institutes is an asset
• Experience of work with international organizations and regulating bodies in the area of developing international and national statistics is an asset
• Experience of developing procedures/methodologies of structuring and disseminating microdata is an asset
• Fluency in English
• Fair knowledge of Russian is an asset

Competencies:

• Strong communication skills
• Strong skills in coordinating group work and coordinating work with different agencies and specialist
• Strong skills in planning and independent research and methodological work
• Strong skills in conducting trainings for specialists in statistics