YEMEN - TEAM LEADER - DIAGNOSTIC TRADE INTEGRATION STUDY UPDATE

Location :     Home based with travel required to Yemen
Application Deadline :    24-Mar-13
Type of Contract :    Individual Contract
Post Level :    International Consultant
Languages Required :
    English 
Duration of Initial Contract :    12 months
Expected Duration of Assignment :    3 months
Background
Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the world and faces numerous economic and development challenge, including a decline of oil revenue (75 percent decline between the first quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009). To counter this situation the government embarked on the Third Five Year Development Plan for Poverty Reduction 2006-2010 (DPPR), the Fourth Five Year Plan 2011-2015 and more recently the Transition Program for Stabilization and Development 2012-2014. All these plans recognize a number of critical problems facing the country including declining incomes and weak prospects for economic growth. Yemen also embarked since 1995 on comprehensive economic, administrative and financial reforms which are still ongoing.

Yemen’s economy was characterized as one with little integration economic integration. Since 2000 Yemen has sought to integrate into the global economy by making a bid to join the WTO. The EIF program is one of the programs designed to help Yemen further integrate and benefit from the multi-trading system.

Since the first Diagnostic Trade Integration Study (DTIS) in 2002, many developments have occurred in the economy and the trade-related sectors of Yemen. This leads to an urgent need for a DTIS update in order to reflect a more accurate picture of the current needs and priorities on the trade-related sectors.

The objective of the DTIS update is to provide a renewed perspective of trade priorities in Yemen taking into account the changes in the national and international environment intervening since the DTIS 2002.

More concretely, the study aims at the following specific objectives:

    Provide an analysis of the current macroeconomic situation and perspectives to serve as background to the trade-specific policy environment;
    Assess institutional capacities and structures required for supporting enhanced integration of Yemen’s economy into the global economy ;
    Deepen analysis on particular sectors with export potential as a means to easing supply side constraints; promote export expansion; job creation and poverty reduction;
    Identify synergies across sectors/products to promote complementarities.
    Produce an analytical report with an executive summary and an action matrix identifying priority measures for action easily translated into Tier 2 project proposals.

UNDP has been requested to support the Government of Yemen in conducting the DTIS, in coordination with the EIF agencies and interested donors. Funding is provided by the EIF Trust Fund managed by UNOPS on behalf of contributing donors. The study will be prepared by a team of national and international experts working under the direction of a Team Leader.

The team of experts in charge of the report will review the existing DTIS and determine what needs to be updated and what should be added in close consultation with relevant stakeholders. The team will also coordinate with the group of experts working on the National Export Strategy (NES) to ensure complementarities and coherence.

Duties and Responsibilities
The Team Leader will be responsible for managing and coordinating all stages of the DTIS process; ensuring its overall quality and coherence; and alignment with established DTIS guidelines adopted by the EIF Board. The Team Leader will supervise and coordinate inputs from DTIS consultants, and work in close cooperation with Yemen’s EIF Focal Point for the organization of consultations with a broad range of stakeholders whose inputs will inform the preparations of the study. The Team Leader will be in regular contact with UNDP Yemen and UNDP Geneva Trade and Human Development Unit (GTHDU) for sharing drafts and ensuring that the process is on track.

The Team Leader will be responsible for the completion of the following activities or key deliverables:

Preliminary DTIS mission
The purpose of this mission is to lay the ground work for the main mission. This will involve providing the Team Leader with access to national stakeholders, including the EIF Focal Point. The preliminary mission will be scheduled well in advance to allow adequate notification to the EIF Executive Secretariat and the EIF Board (at least 10 working days).

The preliminary mission will:

    Discuss the scope and content of the proposed study with the government authorities, agencies, donors, private sector and civil society.
    Establish a clear work plan to include timing of main mission, national workshop and the domestic review process, and timing/objectives with respect to existing poverty reduction strategic documents or reports and Consultative Group/Roundtable meetings.
    Establish close contact with the EIF Focal Point. Ensure that ministries in charge of key portfolios such as finance and planning, and other relevant ministries, internalize and own the country EIF process and objectives, including the purpose and importance of the DTIS. Discussions on the DTIS can be guided by the DTIS template.
    Initiate relationships with the private sector, research partners and other stakeholders and create mechanisms for keeping partners in the field informed. Engage key research institutions and Think tanks to explore possibilities for collaboration during the EIF exercise.
    Engage with the IMF and World Bank and any other EIF core agency representatives that have operations in Yemen and other interested donors. Arrange a briefing to the local UN Heads of Agencies during the preliminary and main missions. While there may not be representatives from ITC, UNCTAD or WTO on the ground, any project managers of on-going projects being implemented by these agencies as well as FAO and UNIDO should be visited. Assistance for coordination of agencies’ inputs may be facilitated by the CEB Inter-agency cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity.
    Engage with the Donor Facilitator (EU) in the preparation of the DTIS.
    Assess existing work on trade and TRTA in the country and gather trade-related research and related materials on technical assistance. Ensure that previous work is not duplicated. An inventory of studies and key policy documents will be provided by the EIF Focal point, and the report should build as much as possible on existing work.
    Initiate the process of identification of appropriate national and international consultants for the DTIS study as appropriate according to UNDP rules and regulations.

Concept note
The Team Leader will draft a concept note immediately following the preliminary DTIS mission with the inputs drawn from discussions in the field. The concept note will be discussed and agreed to with the Government and UNDP for inputs and clearance. The document will be shared with the EIF Board which may provide comments (at least 10 working days for comments should be allowed).

The Concept note should specify the following:

    The issues to be discussed in the DTIS and their rationale, including a tentative outline of the report.
    Working arrangements agreed to between the EIF Focal Point, UNDP office, and EIF Donor facilitator.
    Working arrangements with government, private sector and possible civil society stakeholders including through the existing national implementation arrangements in place (main mission counterparts for each area to be covered by the DTIS, consultative processes, etc.).
    Proposed timing of main mission and detailed schedule of other EIF related activities, including the national validation workshop.
    EIF Donor facilitator.
    Detailed budget for the study.

The Team leader in coordination with UNDP and the Government of Yemen will also identify in the course of the pre-DTIS mission:

    Any immediate assistance required to help authorities engage in the DTIS and DTIS follow-up process.
    National consultants /local counterparts (research institutions and Think tanks) who could participate in the work. Government counterparts should be identified for all sectors/themes of the DTIS.
    Draft TORs for national and international consultants to participate in the DTIS preparation.

Main mission
A mission comprising the Team Leader and the experts/consultants involved in the DTIS will be organized by the Team Leader and UNDP. Two general meetings with all stakeholders will be organized at the beginning and at the end of the mission with a view to: i) inform stakeholders of planned activities and seek collaboration; and ii) convey preliminary findings and conclusions of the mission and seek feedback.

These sessions will be additional to the specific meetings that the DTIS team will hold with relevant stakeholders to gather necessary information to draft the report and address more in depth particular topics. The Team Leader and UNDP will work closely with the EIF Focal Point to schedule meetings and facilitate access to existing analytical work, data, etc.
At the end of the main mission, a note summarizing discussions held with the government and stakeholders and sketching out the DTIS report outline will be shared with the RSS and UNDP.

Drafting of the DTIS
The Team Leader will coordinate the production of the DTIS chapters by all team members in line with the DTIS report outline. The Team Leader will also assume responsibility for drafting specific chapters, the Executive Summary and Action Matrix.

Validation process
The Team Leader will ensure that regular consultations with stakeholders are held to seek feedback and validation of the various chapters of the report. Specific meetings, videoconferencing, etc. can be used to ensure regular and consistent participation of stakeholders. In addition, a national workshop involving key stakeholders will be organized to validate the report and the Action Matrix. Careful preparation will be necessary to allow a focused discussion during the workshop, on the prioritization of actions reflected in the Action Matrix. The Team Leader will revise the study based on inputs received during the national workshop and submit a final DTIS to the Government and UNDP.

Travel
The Team leader is expected to travel to Yemen at least three times during the course of the assignment: in the context of the pre-DTIS and main missions, and to facilitate the validation workshop.

Implementation and monitoring arrangement

UNDP Yemen through its office in Sanaa will be responsible for supervising, facilitating and monitoring the work of the Team Leader. UNDP Yemen country office, the GTHDU and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce will also review the draft reports, provide comments, and prepare the Consultative and Validation Workshop in the country.


Competencies

    Effective communication skills and proven leadership capacity;
    Ability to work in multi-cultural, post-conflict and multi-disciplinary environments;
    Demonstrated project management skills and ability to coordinate and manage cooperative research undertakings;
    Strong analytical skills;
    Ability to work under tight deadlines;
    Sound negotiation and representational skills.
    Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
    Advocates and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the UN
    Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

Required Skills and Experience
Education:

    Appropriate post-graduate qualifications in any of the following areas: economics, business management, international economics, development, or other relevant field.

Experience:

    At least 10 years of relevant working experience;
    Research experience and publication record of high professional standards in the fields of trade and development;
    Good understanding of WTO disciplines and processes, including related to WTO accession negotiations;
    Strong analytical skills;
    Ability to interpret results and make recommendations;
    Strong understanding of the trade-related development challenges and relevant sectoral issues, especially in the context of LDCs;
    Ample experience on trade and development issues including in a post-conflict setting will be an added advantage;
    Experience on trade-related international cooperation, including the EIF is an asset.

Language Requirements:

    Excellent written and oral competency in English. Knowledge of Arabic will be an added advantage.

Fund code: 30000

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

To apply follow this link