Back A review of the status of institutional infrastructures and their impact on integrated decision making in the Caribbean, Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Posting Title: A review of the status of institutional infrastructures and their impact on integrated decision making in the Caribbean

Department/Office: Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Duty Station: PORT OF SPAIN

Posting Period: 16 March 2021 - 23 March 2021

Job Opening Number: 21-Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean-152060-Consultant

United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity

Result of Service

The study will cover all Member and Associate Member Countries of ECLAC's Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC). The mapping and data collection on the status of institutional infrastructures that support the 17 SDGs in Caribbean countries will be conducted in all Caribbean countries which are members and associated members of the CDCC . The detailed institutional analysis will be conducted in the following selected country cases that have benefitted from the GIZ and DA projects mentioned earlier: Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, and Trinidad and Tobago.

The consultant will be required to: 1. With input and overall guidance from the UNECLAC team, conduct preparatory work and prepare a work plan that includes:

• list of relevant documents to be reviewed for the analysis of the institutional arrangements and ongoing policy related to integrated decision-making for Agenda 2030 implementation in Caribbean countries;
• list of stakeholders to be interviewed for the institutional analysis;
• semi-structured interview guide for the stakeholder interviews.

2. Participate in stakeholder meetings and engagements that include:

• leading a community of practice platform (to be developed in the web platform "communities" (https://comunidades.cepal.org/) which will allow countries, the research team and interested experts to exchange and systemize experiences), highlighting the importance of the national development planning processes. This will include one introductory webinar, presenting the proposed methodology and key steps of the research process and a series of webinar country-led presentations, which will feed into the research and provide the necessary background to understanding the coordination mechanisms in Caribbean countries for national development planning.
• attendance at and contribution to an expert group meeting (EGM), tentatively scheduled to take place in September 2021, during which the results of the institutional analysis, as well as good practice on sectoral integration related to the Agenda 2030 process will be presented. The EGM will include representatives from the national ministries, subregional representatives, NGOs and other non-state actors.

3. Design and conduct the mapping and data collection on integrated decision-making processes in the Caribbean, by identifying:

• 17 SDGs institutional frameworks and coordination mechanisms in place in Caribbean countries to implement the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, including past CCA and VNRs; and
• cost-effective, affordable and evidence-based interventions and good practices (including innovation in e-governance) at the national and/or sub-national level that could be scaled up at the national level or replicated across the Caribbean to improve cross-sectoral coordination.

Conducting stakeholder interviews in support of this process. This includes creating/adapting/updating assessment tools (matrix for mapping, questionnaires, key informant interviews, etc.).

4. Prepare the first draft report focusing on the institutional analysis which should include the following key areas of information:

• overview of the current institutional arrangements and ongoing policy processes related to 17 SDGs institutional frameworks and coordination mechanisms in place in Caribbean countries to implement the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development; with a special focus on the national development planning process;
• institutional analysis of the existing and potential mechanisms and channels (entry points) for promoting strategic integration into different sectors at the national level;
• feasibility assessment of entry points that could be used for information, capacity and resource-sharing to mainstream resilience building into national and sectoral planning processes and to enable the implementation of priority actions;
• recommendations on how existing mechanisms/entry points could be used strategically for channelling financial resources, information and capacity to mainstream resilience and how to enable use of climate information by key actors;
• examples of good practice from other countries related to sectoral integration of resilience building efforts.

5. Prepare a revised report incorporating comments from ECLAC and member States including aims, analysis, conclusions and recommendations. Recommendations, based on the analysis and consultative process, should be on how to improve integrated decision-making and how countries could adapt policies and practices related to sectoral integration. Strategies must include institutional strengthening and national development planning opportunities. Policy recommendations should also specifically consider the strategic integration and coordination mechanisms towards the decade of action. The report should include clear identification on sources utilised, data collection methods (e.g. survey, routine data, and surveillance), definitions used, level and frequency of collection, data quality assurance procedures, ownership/management of data, etc.

Work Location

Home-based

Expected duration

It is anticipated that this consultancy assignment will require a 3-month effort over a period of 5 months. The assignment should be completed between 15 April and 14 September 2021.

Duties and

Responsibilities

i. Background

The countries of the Caribbean are facing important challenges in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a context of poor economic growth, high unemployment (particularly among women and youth) and growing exposure to climate change impacts. These challenges are now further exacerbated by the unprecedented socioeconomic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, the subregion's public debt burden and the associated focus on fiscal consolidation have limited governments' capacity to sustain investments in social development, raising concerns on how the Caribbean will advance in the promise to leave no one behind in what has been coined the 'decade of action' to deliver the Global Goals.

Following the massive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is now a greater agreement on the critical role of institutions and on the value of public policies to ensure adequate supply of public goods, boost growth, encourage development of technological capacities, intervene in territorial development and promote egalitarian policies to expand rights. For the Caribbean, institutional strengthening is seen as key to addressing resilience building and it will be decisive to build institutional capacities and reinforce integrated response to act in emergency situations.

Progress has been recorded in the region in the formalization of institutional arrangements for SDG implementation, mainstreaming of the SDGs, and in building national ownership of the global agenda. In the Caribbean, this was largely facilitated by a German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) funded project on "Planning for the Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean" and an ongoing Development Account project on "Strengthening institutional frameworks in the Caribbean for an integrative approach to implement the 2030 Agenda and the SIDS Sustainable Development Agenda". Through these projects, beneficiary countries received technical assistance in the establishment of an institutional framework for SDG implementation, the integration of the SDGs in their national development planning processes and strengthening of institutional capacities for national development planning which integrates the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SIDS agenda in the subregion.

Therefore, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Caribbean countries have a unique opportunity to address institutional deficiencies that cause or accentuate structural imbalances by implementing recovery strategies that are just, human-centred, and inclusive, and which promote green growth. Efforts to promote sustainable development should also address equality, entailed in new strategic alliances that tackle poverty and address longstanding discriminatory practices in access to resources (such as land, natural, and financial resources), housing, infrastructure and services (such as education, health and basic urban services). These subregional priorities are and will remain critical in the recovery context, and in addressing the growing needs of its populations. Integrating these priorities and managing any resulting trade-offs thus require a sound national institutional infrastructure for policy making.

To this end, ECLAC subregional headquarters for the Caribbean seeks the services of a consultant to conduct research and produce a paper that will contribute to an ECLAC study on the status of institutional infrastructures and their impact on integrated decision making in the Caribbean.

ii. Objective

This consultancy assignment is aimed at performing a subregional review of the status of institutional infrastructures and their impact on integrated decision making in the Caribbean, benefitting from shared experiences and lessons learned on institutional arrangements for integrated policy and decision-making.

The review should identify innovative and cost-effective good practices, scalable at the subregional level, designed to support integrated decision making and coordinated implementation and follow-up of national and international development frameworks at all levels. The review should also identify the methodologies employed in formulating these practices, including in the context of the elaboration of the common country assessment (CCA) and the monitoring and evaluation of national development plans or strategies, including the Voluntary National Review (VNR) on the status of progress in implementing the SDGs.

iii. Methodology

Institutional change for sustainable development requires a new understanding of the multiple dimensions of development, and should be based on a flexible, accessible, yet robust conceptual framework for analysis of institutional dimensions of sustainability, emphasizing the complexity of institutional systems, and highlighting the links between policy learning and institutional change. This framework will be applied and developed through the analysis of four significant areas of institutional and policy change: legal and regulatory frameworks, organizational structures, technical-operational management tools, and fiscal resources mobilized.

From this analysis, key elements for institutional change will be identified, including the institutional coordination mechanisms in support of integrated decision making; reiteration and learning; integration in policy and practice; subsidiarity; and legal change.

The analysis is based on a perspective of the comprehensive dimension of the Sustainable Development Agenda, which should promote coordination between institutions, levels of government, with multiple actors and between different public management instruments. SDGs 16 (strong institutions) and 17 (means of implementation) are therefore fundamental components of the analysis, highlighting the cross-cutting institutional perspective of Agenda 2030.

iv. Work assignment

The consultant will conduct a comprehensive assessment of institutional infrastructures and their impact on integrated decision-making in the Caribbean. To achieve this, the consultant will perform the following tasks: 1. Review of current coordination mechanisms in Caribbean countries for national development planning, integrated policies and decision-making, and implementation of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, including the CCA and VNRs.

2. A subregional review of the status of institutional infrastructures that support the 17 SDGs in Caribbean countries and their impact on integrated decision-making. This will include:

• Mapping of 17 SDGs institutional frameworks and coordination mechanisms in place.
• Identification of cost-effective, affordable and evidence-based interventions and good practices (including innovation in e-governance) at the national and/or sub-national level that could be scaled up at the national level or replicated across the Caribbean to improve cross-sectoral coordination.

3. Based on the preliminary mapping, the review of the status of institutional infrastructures that support the 17 SDGs in Caribbean countries, and detailed analysis of the coordination mechanisms established, conduct an informed assessment of the progress being made by CDCC countries to establish strategies for coordinated implementation of Agenda 2030, including an evaluation of progress in meeting the following specific related targets:

• 16.6 ("Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels")
• 16.7 ("Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels")
• 17.14 ("Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development")
• 17.16 ("Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the sustainable development goals in all countries, in particular developing countries")

This assessment should include an identification of key challenges to meeting these targets in countries where progress is lagging and a discussion of the enabling factors that have contributed to early successes in countries that are making good progress. Additionally, the assessment should contain recommendations on how Caribbean countries can promote integrated decision in the context of the SDGs and other small island developing States (SIDS) priorities.

4. Conduct institutional analysis (IA) to identify entry points, existing channels and mechanisms that could be used to promote integrated decision making, ensuring that resilience building efforts are reflected in sector strategies and enabling the implementation of national development planning priorities at the sectoral level (with a strong focus on Disaster Risk Reduction and other SIDS priorities). Specific attention will be paid to which role the national development planning process and Agenda 2030 coordination mechanisms can play in creating the conditions for sector-related resilience building and climate-related emergency action to be implemented. The analysis will identify other practical and good practice examples of sectoral integration from other countries and provide specific recommendations for Caribbean Governments for the strategic integration of resilience building considerations into national and sector planning based on the analysis.

The IA methodology will be designed in collaboration with ECLAC's Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES) and will examine the performance of institutions, supporting the identification of gaps and challenges in the institutional frameworks, policy mandates and service delivery. Other important enabling factors for integrated national development planning should also be considered in the analysis, including access to climate-information, financial resources and capacity building opportunities.

IA will include the following specific key tasks: ï½¥ review of and recommendation on proposed framework for IA;

ï½¥ review of the IA data collection instrument in consultation with the individual Member States and provision of recommendations on country specific adjustments, if required;

ï½¥ data compilation and analysis, as required, including an evaluation of progress in meeting specific related SDG targets;

ï½¥ analysis and verification of the accuracy of the data compiled by the countries;

ï½¥ review of the indicators compiled by the Member States to identify any gaps and or limitations and recommendations on alternative or proxy indicator(s) in the cases where data is unavailable from national, regional or international official sources;

ï½¥ advise and provide inputs for the institutional gap analysis exercise;

ï½¥ review and provide inputs and advise on policy analyses.

5. Prepare a report that contains findings from the review and assessment conducted, including practical recommendations on how to strengthen institutional infrastructures and their contribution to integrated decision making in the Caribbean. These recommendations should take into consideration the financial and technical constraints facing many Caribbean countries.

Qualifications/special skills

Skills: Strong research skills and demonstrated experience preparing technical and analytical reports; Strong interpersonal skills (communication, feedback, collaboration); Strong written and oral communication skills; Collaborate effectively with subject matter experts; Ability to take initiative and organize oneself. Knowledge of development planning and the political system in the Caribbean context preferred.

Academic Qualifications: The consultant should have a master's degree in planning, development studies, social sciences, economics or another relevant technical field from an accredited academic institution or university. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience: The consultant should have demonstrated experience in undertaking related or similar qualitative research, including in regions similar to the Caribbean region. Demonstrated expertise in policy analysis, social research, institutional analysis and/or integrated development planning processes, and the ability to identify key sectorial and institutional linkages. Demonstrated thorough knowledge understanding issues of global, regional, national and sub-national context.

Language: Fluency in oral and written English is required. Working knowledge in French or Spanish is an advantage.

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.

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