Hardship Level (not applicable for home-based)H (no hardship)
Family Type (not applicable for home-based)
Family
Staff Member / Affiliate TypeCONS Local
Target Start Date2024-06-01
Job Posting End DateMay 28, 2024
Terms of ReferenceProject Details:
Project aims to strengthen the UNHCR’s fundraising activities with the Government of Japan by exploring potential new funding schemes beyond the traditional ODA. Under this project, the consultant will conduct desk review and interviews in order to identify new government donors and funding schemes that UNHCR can utilise. The consultant further formulates a strategy for selected funding schemes on how to access those fundings and will link UNHCR to the concerned government offices for funding discussion. The project duration is from June to September.
Locations: Home-based with some face-to-face meetings in Tokyo
Background:
UNHCR Japan’s Multiyear strategy 2022-2024 is designed to achieve its vision that refugees and stateless persons globally and inside Japan benefit from increased leadership, commitment and support from the people and the Government of Japan (GoJ). To achieve this vision, it formulates critical set of results and one of the outcomes is “GoJ provides financial and other contributions to UNHCR which match its political role in the international arena of protection/ humanitarian assistance.” Under this outcome, UNHCR is aiming to achieve 5 per cent increase of GOJ funding every year. In the new multi-year plan for the period between 2025 and 2029, the target is not set yet. However, we already anticipate a challenging environment for the fiscal space for GoJ.
Core funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to UNHCR through the Official Development Assistance significantly decreased over the last 10 years, and UNHCR has been trying to fill the gap with MOFA’s Hosei, Emergency Grant Aid and then with Partnership Grant Aid. However, Hosei 2023 saw a significant decrease compared to the previous year, and reduction is reportedly caused mainly by the shrinking overall ODA budget as well as the continued unfavourable exchange rate against the Japanese yen. In view of such circumstances, there is a need to identify new funding schemes as well as new government donors while UNHCR continues to strive to fundraise effectively through the traditional ODA schemes.
The findings of the review will inform the detailed planning and implementation of the next multi-year strategy of the UNHCR Japan.
Overall Purpose and Scope of Assignment:
Overall Purpose:
As explained above, there is a need to explore various funding schemes beyond the traditional funding sources and government offices. The project aims to identify new government funding schemes, and to set the grounds for UNHCR to access the funding.
Scope of Assignment:
The assignment for the consultancy is to identify new government funding sources for UNHCR Japan (BOT). The consultant will propose two prioritized fundings with action plans to apply for them and link UNHCR staff to the ministry officials, where possible.
The consultant is expected to conduct desk review on existing funding schemes of various ministries in order to make a list of available funding sources of various offices of GoJ that UNHCR can utilize. In doing so, the consultant will pay particular attention to fundings available for public health, climate change, and Women Peace and Security (WPS). This information will be cross checked with the results of interviews conducted with key informants such as UN agencies in Japan. The list of potential funding schemes should contain at least 5 funding schemes that BOT is not currently benefitting from but has some potentials. For each funding scheme, name of the scheme, the ministry as well as the division in charge of the scheme, application process, usual recipients of the funds, focus and nature of the fund should be mentioned. Further, relevance to UNHCR’s work and possibility of getting the funding should be evaluated closely, based on which priorities should be decided.
For the two most prioritized funding sources, the research should suggest strategies to access those fundings. It should include further details of those selected funding schemes and the structure of the relevant government office, detailed application process, and suggest plans of initial actions on how to access the fundings. Further, as part of the action plan, the consultant will link UNHCR staff members to relevant ministry officials, as appropriate.
Apart from the above which is to research on funding schemes that BOT can apply, the consultant will identify and make a list of multilateral funds to which GOJ is a major contributor, and refugees and stateless people can benefit from, but schemes which BOT will not seek for funding. This for example includes but not limited to pooled funds that UNHCR field operations can apply or financing that countries which are receiving refugees can benefit from.
Required level, qualifications and work experience:
Essential
- Bachelor’s degree in political science, public administration, management, or any other social science field.
- At least 7 years of experience in public fundraising, partnership building, ODA project making, policy advocacy, planning, monitoring and evaluation, and other relevant fields.
- Good research, policy and report writing skills.
- Good communication skills to build relationships with relevant actors.
- Fluency in oral and written English language and Japanese language.
Desirable
- Working experience at relevant Ministries.
- Working experience at UNHCR.
- Good understanding of government structures, perspectives, requirements and standards.
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Skills
EducationBachelor of Arts (BA) (Required)
Certifications
Work ExperienceExternal Relations
Other informationThis position doesn't require a functional clearance
Home-BasedYes