Position
Title:International
consultancy – Public Financing for Children
Level:Middle Level (P3/P4/P5)
Location:Kigali
Duration:5 months – with possibility
of extension
Reporting
to:Chief
of Social Policy and Research (SPR)
1.
Background and Purpose
Public Finance for
Children is one of the priority and emerging areas of UNICEF’s global Social
Policy agenda. Economic development and investment in children through
commitment of governments has been identified as one of the key determinants of
child development and well-being.
The extent to which
public investments are appropriately targeted toward children makes a
difference in fulfillment of the goals for children. The recently endorsed
Financing for Development agenda and the ambition of the Sustainable
Development Goals makes the understanding of the investments in children in
country context increasingly relevant for UNICEF work globally.
From a child rights
perspective, social budget work focuses on building long-term institutions for
child-friendly policies, as reflected in public sector budgets. Among the outcomes
of social budget work are more—and more effectively channeled—resources for
children, women and poor families.
Maximizing resources for children, including improving the use of domestic
resources and the ways they are spent, requires support to the governments in
identifying funding sources, creating consensus around the need to invest more
in children, and using public finance policies to achieve sustainable progress
in the fulfillment of children’s rights.
Rwanda has made
exemplary progress in achieving a number of MDGs and is again at the forefront
of promoting the new SDGs. The Government of Rwanda (GoR) investment in
development and supporting foundational sectors has been gradually increasing
over years, enabled by the success of its fiscal policies boosting domestic
revenues as well as consistency of in-flow of external resources. This
increasing investment had a commensurate impact on improving key child
indicators. GoR’s investment in social sectors is governed by the country’s
Vision 2020, its Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy 2013-2018
(EDSPR) II and corresponding policy and strategic framework characterized by
cross-sector integration of results. GoR’s budget planning and execution in
social sectors is implemented in the context of decentralization, with specific
roles assigned to Central and District authorities. The complexity of the
budgeting and budget execution processes against increasingly integrated social
sector policies, particularly in areas of highest relevance for children, as
well as variations in funding sources and investments at decentralized levels,
poses challenges in monitoring the status of the sectoral, as well as
cross-sectoral and results-based investments for children in Rwanda’s social
sectors.
For this reason,
UNICEF is seeking an international consultant to develop a baseline study on
public investment for children by social sectors in Rwanda.
2.
Justification
The financing sector
in the country is complex and characterized by decentralization. In order to
ensure availability of baseline data on public financing for children in
Rwanda, UNICEF seeks to recruit an international consultant to develop a
baseline study on public finance and investment in social sectors in Rwanda,
with particular focus on public finance for children; to develop adequate
monitoring tools to enable budget monitoring at decentralized levels, and;
develop costing and budget analysis tools to fill in the identified information
gaps.
3.
Objectives
The main objective
and responsibility of this consultancy is to:
- Develop
a baseline study on public financing for children – investment in social
sectors in Rwanda. The study is to include description of the budget
systems and processes; - Collect
and analyse the budget planning and execution data in 30 Districts in
Rwanda; Develop a monitoring tool to track central and District-level
budget data in sectors of relevance to children - Develop
a methodology for a costing analysis of the Child-sensitive Social
Protection (CSSP) modelling exercise/pilot implemented in two Districts in
Rwanda
4.
Methodological Approach & Expected Output
The consultant will
work in close collaboration with UNICEF Social Policy and Research Section, as
well as other sections as relevant. The consultancy is to produce the
deliverables that will be internal to UNICEF. Cooperation with sector
Ministries and CARE International, as well as other relevant stakeholders will
be required.
The consultant will
use a combination of desk review of existing studies/analysis/data and review
of raw financial data where required. Given potential data gaps, each
deliverable will be carefully reviewed where necessary and the requirements of
the TOR adjusted based on availability of data. Consultant will ensure that the
information gaps are filled where possible or otherwise identified, documented
and recommendations provided on manners in which these gaps can be potentially
filled. Consultant may also draw on the relevant studies and materials on
public finance for children in refining the structure and contents of the study
in the initial phase of the consultancy.
In developing the
costing methodology for the CSSP pilot, consultant will draw on the existing
methodologies applied for costing exercises in Rwanda to develop a simple costing
tool to be used during the life-cycle of the pilot.
The key
responsibilities and expected outputs of the consultancy are outlined below.
- Develop
a baseline study on public finance for children – investment in social
sectors
The study is provide
the basis for periodic update and development of budget briefs on social
sectors and children in Rwanda. As a minimum, the Study is to include the
following elements:
· Overview of the
Rwanda Fiscal Space – macroeconomic and structural determinants of public financing
for children (relevant fiscal/macroeconomic policies and their impact on
economic and social development – indicate trends and status of social sectors
over time);
· Analysis of the
structure and dynamics of public expenditures by main social sectors of
relevance to children (health and nutrition, education, water and sanitation
and social protection) at central and decentralized levels, including trends in
investment. The data will be analysed and presented as available, and
recommendations to fill in data gaps will be developed where gaps identified.
The trends in investment will be, as much as possible, presented relative to
economic growth and investment in other sectors.
· The investment
trends will be analysed and presented against selected main child indicators,
including sex-disaggregated ones, relevant for each sector using data available
in the main national surveys (Integrated Household Living Conditions Survey
(EICV), DHS, select administrative data).
· Overview of the
public expenditures against programming/policy areas such as Social Protection,
Child Protection or Early Childhood Development where results from multiple
social sectors are integrated and budget inputs drawn from multiple sectors.
This analysis will be implemented at central level and taking into
consideration availability of data. Information and data gaps will be
identified. The overview will, as a minimum, include data available in existing
studies and analysis, including the government Joint Sector Review (JSR)
documents;
· Overview of the
Budget planning and execution system in Rwanda, including description of
aspects of the budgeting processes specific to Rwanda (e.g. district budgeting
process, participatory mechanisms and Imihigo[1]), using available
documentation.
· Brief literature
review of the child friendly budgeting initiatives in other countries
(specifically in the region).
The study outline
will be further refined by the Consultant in cooperation with UNICEF at the
beginning of the consultancy.
2.Collect and analyse
the budget planning and execution data in 30 Districts in Rwanda; Develop a
monitoring tool to track central and District-level budget data in sectors of
relevance to children
The consultant will
develop a report on the budget allocations and budget execution in 30 Districts
in Rwanda in 5 key child sectors (health, nutrition, education, water and
sanitation and social protection). The report will include:
· Review and
analysis of the budget planning and execution (where possible) data from 30
Districts in Rwanda covering main social sectors relevant for children. Data to
include the budget cycles beginning with 2013/2014 (following the changes in
the budget presentation categories). Data from 2012/2013 should be included
where possible.
· Highlight regional
disparities against investment, poverty and selected basic child indicators by
sector, including sex-disaggregation to the extent possible. Due to possible
data gaps, this will be done where data on child main indicators at District
level available;
· Identify existing
information gaps and recommend action for information gaps to be filled;
· The development of
the report is to result in the design of a simple budget monitoring/tracking
tool at District (and central) level to facilitate periodic updates of the data
for UNICEF internal use. The tool is to include basic child (sex-disaggregated)
and economic indicators as available.
3.Develop a
methodology for a costing analysis of the child-sensitive social protection
modelling exercise/pilots implemented in two Districts in Rwanda.
The consultant will
provide support to CARE International in developing a methodology to
cost-analyse the child-sensitive social protection expanded public works and
two types of child care modelled in two Districts/Sectors, for potential
replication by the government:
· Proposed
methodology will help establish costs along the main inputs (e.g. human
resources, supply, capacity development/skills building, coordination,
administration) necessary to implement the programme and achieve desired
outcomes.
· In addition, the
framework will, for replication purposes, propose adequate approach to
analysing economic efficiencies within the framework of the allocated resources
(and combination of different resources) to help understand how these can be
maximized to achieve maximum benefit (e.g. understanding minimum requirements
related to programme delivery and their costs as opposed to maximum standard
established within pilot) and address challenges faced by population groups
falling below the poverty line (e.g. female-headed households; PLWD, especially
women and children, etc.).
· Finally, the
methodology will allow for costing the scale up of the piloted activities at
national level.
5. Major
Tasks, Deliverables & Timeframe
The major
deliverables and timeframe of this consultancy are outlined below:
· Review of
available reports, analysis, data and existing studies on PMF for children and
submit draft detailed outline of the Baseline Study on Public Financing for
Children- Timeframe: December 2015
· Review of
available data and submit draft of the budget analysis tool to capture and
analyse District- level data- Timeframe: December 2015
· Submit the first
draft of the agreed upon priority chapters of the Baseline Study on Public
Financing for Children- February/March 2016
· Submit budget data
report for 30 Districts – February/March 2016
· Submit complete
draft of the Baseline Study on Public Financing for Children – April 2016
· Develop and submit
the draft costing methodology for CSSP pilots – March 2016
· Submit final
Baseline Study – · May 2016
6.
Stakeholder Participation
The consultant will
work primarily with UNICEF SPR Section, and other UNICEF sections as relevant.
Due to the fact that the consultancy focuses on development of baselines and
tools intended initially for the internal purposes, the coordination with
stakeholders will be limited and implemented in close cooperation with UNICEF,
including information sharing with Development Partners, the Ministry of Local
Government (MINALOC) and other sector ministries as relevant. In development of
the costing tool under Deliverable 3, close collaboration will be established
with CARE International and the Local Administrative Entities Development Agency
(LODA).
The incumbent will
work under the supervision of the Chief of Social Policy and Research and in
close collaboration with the Social Policy Specialists in the section.
7.
Qualifications and Requirements
The International
Consultant should have:
· MA degree or PhD
in Public Policy, Economics, Gender and Development Studies, Social
Development, Sociology or other relevant fields
· At least 4 years
with proven experience of field programme coordination, research and analysis
· Good understanding
of Rwandan context an asset, in particular Public Finance Management (PFM) in
Rwanda
· Strong analytical
and writing skills
· Ability to produce
deliverables in due time and with quality standards
· Fluency in written
and oral English, French will be an added asset
· Strong
interpersonal and communication skills
8.
Supervision
The international
consultant will report to the Chief of Social Policy and Research, and will be
based in-country for the full period of consultancy.
9. Terms and
conditions:
· Period: December 1st 2015 – May 30th
2016
· Travel
arrangements: if the consultant not based in Rwanda, UNICEF will provide
airfare ticket by the most direct flight in economy class
· On-field
(in-country) transport: UNICEF will provide on-field (in-country) transport
· Payment conditions
and currency: Payments will be made monthly upon satisfactory performance and
deliverables (in $USD)
· UNICEF reserves
the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is
unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to
meet deadlines
· All materials
developed by the consultant will remain the copyright of UNICEF and UNICEF will
be free to adapt and modify them in future.
[1] “Vow to
deliver”, performance appraisal system of Rwandan civil servants.
Qualified
individuals are requested to submit their cover letter, CV and P11 form (which
can be downloaded from: http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc),
and proposed daily rate to Human Resources at: rwajobs@unicef.org by
11/11/2015, with subject: International
consultant – Public Financing for Children
You may also submit
to: Human Resources Specialist, UNICEF Rwanda, and P.O. Box 381, Kigali,
Rwanda.
Submissions without
Daily rates and P11 will not be accepted.
