JUNIOR EXPERT TO ENHANCE CAPACITY OF COORD MECHANISM ON RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS)

Duty Station: Greece

Job Family: Social and Human Sciences

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 7 to 11 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 16-Sep-2024

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

BACKGROUND

Greece is committed to improving the lives of persons with disabilities through national policies and international agreements. Following the successful implementation of the National Action Plan for the Rights of People with Disability 2020-2023, Greece will implement the National Strategy for the Rights of People with Disability 2024-2030 (the National Strategy). To deliver on such commitments and to operationalise the the National Strategy across different administrative levels, Greece has instituted through Law 4488/2017 a Coordinating Mechanism on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. To date, this Coordinating Mechanism shows a number of limitations with its operating model, chief amongst which are (i) lower levels of inter-agency coordination due to institution-specific mandates, priorities and procedures across the concerned agencies and levels of administration; (ii) capacity constraints within the decentralised governance operating model pertaining to data collection, management and analysis on disability issues; and (iii) ambiguities in the legal and policy framework concerning policies targeted towards persons with disabilities.

In this context, Greece has requested support from the European Commission in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Coordinating Mechanism with a view to backing the Government’s full and adequate implementation of the National Strategy.

Funded through the EU’s Technical Support Instrument, the ensuing Project will be implemented by UNESCO, in cooperation with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM), with the aim of achieving the following outcomes:

i.    The Greek authorities are equipped with a clear overview of the institutional state of play of the Coordinating Mechanism and with recommendations for improvement based on EU good practice; 
ii.    The Greek authorities are equipped with the necessary tools and strategies for the enhancement of the Coordinating Mechanism; and 
iii.    The Greek authorities have an increased knowledge and capacity to implement the proposed improvements of the Coordinating Mechanism.  

To this end, UNESCO is organising an on-site team of a senior and junior expert to support, in conjunction with the central Project team at UNESCO Headquarters, country-specific delivery in Greece.

Long Description

SCOPE OF WORK
Under the overall guidance of the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences (ADG/SHS) and the Director for Social Policies, supervision by the Head of the Capacity Building and Inclusive Growth Unit and in close collaboration with the senior expert, the junior expert will complete the following set of tasks in Greece:

Task 1: Assist the preparation of a national-kick off meeting and inception report, which will entail supporting the Project team at UNESCO Headquarters and the senior expert by:
•    Conducting background analysis pertinent to disability policy coordination in Greece and supporting the development of a detailed stakeholder mapping and preliminary issue tree;
•    Contributing to the organization of a national kick-off meeting and fact-finding mission in Athens, Greece;
•    Drafting and revising the inception report according to feedback received.
 
Task 2: Contribute to the delivery of an analysis report on the Operation of the Coordinating Mechanism, which will entail supporting the Project team at UNESCO Headquarters and the senior expert by:
•    Conducting background research and collecting data pertinent to the analysis report;
•    Assisting in the administrative processes for the facilitation of online surveys to collect input from relevant parties and stakeholders; 
•    Assisting in the organization of a series of survey discussion and validation sessions with selected respondents; and
•    Drafting and revising the report, incorporating pertinent background research, input and feedback received.

Long Description

Task 3: Contribute to the preparation of a report with EU good practices on coordination across levels of public administration in support of the rights of persons with disabilities, which will entail supporting the Project team at UNESCO Headquarters and the senior expert by:
•    Conducting desk research on existing policies and good practices across the EU relevant to disability policy coordination;
•    Assisting in the organisation of two online knowledge exchanges between the Greek authorities and select EU Member States;
•    Assisting in the organisation of one to two study visit(s) to one to two EU Member State(s) identified; and
•    Drafting and revising the report according to feedback received.

Task 4:  Contribute to the preparation of a report with recommendations and action plan to improve the governance operating model of the Coordinating Mechanism, which will entail supporting the Project team at UNESCO Headquarters and the senior expert by:         
•    Conducting background analysis and contributing to the development of recommendations drawing on insights generated through the analysis report (Task 2) and good practices report (Task 3);
•    Assisting in the organisation of consultation dialogues to gather additional insights on the draft recommendations; and
•    Assisting in the development and revision of an action plan to implement the recommendations, including the definition of a vision and goals for multi-level governance of the Coordinating Mechanism, minimum requirements for the operating model and key phases for implementation. 

Task 5: Assisting the preparation of Frequently Asked Questions on disability-related legislation and ensuing rights, which will entail supporting the Project team at UNESCO Headquarters and the senior expert by:
•    Facilitating the administrative processes to collect stakeholder feedback aiming to identify common questions and concerns regarding disability-related legislation in Greece; and
•    Contributing to the drafting and revision of a user-friendly and accurate FAQ section based on feedback received, to be published on the corresponding government website.

Long Description

Task 6: Contribute to the preparation of a proposal for the reporting framework within the Coordinating Mechanism, which will entail supporting the Project team at UNESCO Headquarters and the senior expert by:
•    Assisting in the development of reporting templates catered to different levels of the Greek public administration and revising according to feedback received;
•    Assisting in the review of business, functional and technical specifications for a corresponding IT system; and
•    Drafting a report consolidating the templates and specifications, providing detailed sections on each category of reporting actors.

Task 7: Contribute to capacity building for the operating model of Coordinating Mechanism, which will entail supporting the Project team at UNESCO Headquarters and the senior expert by:                                
•    Providing support in the organization of a webinar with relevant stakeholders in Greece on disability mainstreaming;
•    Contributing to the development of a toolkit and training materials covering disability mainstreaming and the facilitation of the proposed new operations of the Coordinating Mechanism as per Task 4; and
•    Providing support in the organization of an online instructional session on the effective use of the toolkit in daily operations.

Task 8: Contribute to the preparation of a stakeholder engagement strategy report, which will entail supporting the Project team at UNESCO Headquarters and the senior expert by:
•    Assisting in the development of a report targeting relevant Project stakeholders, focusing on methods to improve collaboration, information sharing and mutual support between these stakeholders and the Coordinating Mechanism; and
•    Advancing the organization of a final dissemination event to key stakeholders within the Greek public administration.

Task 9: Assist in the regular liaison with the Project team at UNESCO Headquarters for optimal reporting on and coordination of the Project work in Greece, which will entail supporting the Project team at UNESCO Headquarters and the senior expert by:
•    Providing administrative support and reporting on in-country operations and activities, feeding into Project-wide monitoring and reporting;
•    Contributing to the coordination in Greece, including with the Project Advisory Group to guide the work of the Project;
•    Participating in and contributing to the regular calls, exchanges and reporting with DG REFORM and the Greek beneficiary authorities; and
•    Facilitating translation and communication in Greek, especially with stakeholders at sub-national levels, when required.

Task 10: Contribute to overall administrative operations in Greece, feeding into the work of the Project team at UNESCO Headquarters, which will entail:
•    Supporting administrative documentation for Greece;
•    Managing day-to-day work and communications on the Project; 
•    Conducting informal translation and interpretation between English and Greek as required; and
•    Undertaking additional administrative operations in/for Greece as needed.

Outputs should be delivered in English and/or Greek

DELIVERABLES

The junior expert will be required to submit the following deliverables over a period of 19 months.

Month 1 - National kick-off meeting in English
Month 1.5 - Inception report in English
Month 3 -  Disability mainstreaming webinar and training materials in English/ Greek
Month 6 -  Analysis report in English
Month 9 -  EU good practices report in English/ Greek
Month 11 - Report with recommendations in English/ Greek 
Month 13 - Roadmap/ action plan in English/ Greek
Month 15 - FAQ section in English/ Greek
Month 16 - Reporting framework proposal in English/ Greek
Month 18 - Toolkit and instructional session in English/Greek
Month 19 - Stakeholder engagement strategy report and Dissemination of the event in English/ Greek

Throughout the project there will be Cross-Project exchanges and coordination in English and Greek

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Academic Qualifications

•    Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in public policy, social policy, public administration and/or governance; specialisation in disability is desirable.
 
Professional Experience

•    Track record, with minimum 3 years of experience, in disability policy, governance, policy cohesion and capacity building or similar areas.
•    Demonstrated experience in conducting stakeholder analysis and consultations.
•    Experience working with or within the Greek public administration is an asset.

Competencies and skills

•    Excellent research, writing and analytical skills.
•    Familiarity with EU-funded projects, including multi-country technical support, considered an advantage.
•    Strong interpersonal skills, including interacting with various actors and working effectively and respectfully in a complex environment on sensitive issues.
•    Understanding and adherence to the UN principles.

 
Language

•    Excellent knowledge of English and very high knowledge of Greek, with strong verbal and written skills at technical levels.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

Specialisation in the area of disability

APPLICATION PROCESS

This call is open to individuals. 

The contract is structured by deliverables; the junior expert is expected to be under contract for the duration of the Project  ( 11 months initially, up to a total of 19 months )

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should submit their applications to most@unesco.org with copy to c.hathaway@unesco.org, with a subject line ‘Junior expert in Greece application: [Candidate surname]’.
 
The application should include:

i.     Personal CV.
ii.    A cover letter/statement indicating how their qualifications and experiences make them suitable for the assignment.
iii.   A written technical and financial proposal comprising: 1) the proposed approach for the undertaking of the assignment in line with the terms of reference; and 2) the amount to be charged for the assignment deliverables, which should be quoted in EUR.
 

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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