Job Number: 505918
Locations: Africa: Tanzania,United Republic
Work Type : Consultancy
If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about making a lasting difference for children, the world's leading children's rights organization would like to hear from you.
For 70 years, UNICEF has been working on the ground in 190 countries and territories to promote children's survival, protection and development. The world's largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
Purpose
The objective is to assess the financing structure of Social Protection and Labour programs (SPL) in Zanzibar and provide recommendations to improve the efficiency of spending and fiscal sustainability of the SPL system.
Background and Rationale
Tanzania is a low income country of 51 million people, with a GDP per capita of USD 1,723 (at PPP). About 28 percent of the population is poor. Over the last decade, Tanzania’s GDP has grown by an impressive 7 percent per annum. However, more than 28 percent of the population live in poverty, while almost 10 percent (4 million) live in extreme poverty.
Social protection programs that provide regular and reliable support to poor households are an important tool in speeding up poverty reduction and contributing to shared growth. Tanzania Mainland has developed a National Social Protection Framework that will serve as a foundation on which effective and efficient safety nets can be built. Similarly, in Zanzibar a Social Protection Policy was approved in 2014 and an implementation plan for 2017-2022 has been developed. To support policy implementation, the Government is interested in deepening its understanding of the structure and financing of the social protection sector as a whole i.e. covering social assistance, labour market programs, social insurance, and general subsidies. In a context of limited fiscal space, improved understanding of the financing structure of social protection becomes a priority to improve efficiency of existing spending (allocative and administrative) and fiscal sustainability of the social protection system.
Specifically, the Government, in partnership with Development Partners both multilateral and bilateral, has decided to carry out a study – “Diagnostics of Structure and Fiscal Sustainability of Social Protection and Labour in Tanzania”. The outcome of the study will provide an important input for policy dialogue on fiscal sustainability of social protection programs such as the Productive Social Safety Net (PSSN) and different scenarios for increasing Government budget allocations for such programs from domestic sources. The study will have two main components:
Diagnostic of structure and fiscal sustainability of Social Protection and Labour (SPL);
Engagement with stakeholders for capacity building on diagnostic of SPL systems.
Data collection under the diagnostic component has been completed for Tanzania Mainland and for Zanzibar. Analysis has started for the Tanzania Mainland component of the work.
The current terms of reference have been developed to identify an individual international consultant to support data analysis and deliver on the two components outlined above for Zanzibar.
Working conditions
For the purpose of this contract, the consultant will report to UNICEF Tanzania’s Social and Economic Analysis Specialist. The consultant will also work closely with colleagues at the World Bank, both in Dar es Salaam and in Washington. The consultant will work remotely from own office and will be available for meetings with the World Bank, UNICEF Tanzania, and Government of Zanzibar as required.
Consultant to supply own computer and any other equipment required to carry out the consultancy.
UNICEF will cover the cost of consultant travel to Zanzibar, including daily subsistence allowance at UN standard rates.
Scope of work:
The activity will aim to achieve its objectives by means of two interrelated components: (i) Diagnostics of Structure and Fiscal Sustainability of SPL in Zanzibar; and (ii) Engagement with Stakeholders for Capacity Building on Diagnostics of SPL System in Zanzibar.
Component 1. The consultant will carry out analytical work to undertake diagnostics of the structure and fiscal sustainability of the SPL system, which will be summarized into a single report for Zanzibar. A social protection programs dataset is available for the diagnostic, which will further build on existing reports. The consultant will coordinate closely with the team carrying out the SPL diagnostics for Tanzania mainland. The diagnostics will include:
A context and literature review of socioeconomic conditions of poor and vulnerable households in Zanzibar. The review will draw from existing resources and analytical work and where needed, will be complemented by household survey analyses.
A review of main SPL interventions in Zanzibar, with a focus on financing and assessment of fiscal sustainability. The review will draw from the available data set that contains design, coverage and budget/expenditure information for social protection programs in Zanzibar and Tanzania Mainland. Programs are classified using the ASPIRE classification of Social Assistance; Social Insurance; Labour Market Programs; Subsidies; and Social Care Services. Apart from the analytical work, the consultant will work with authorities in Zanzibar to develop sound recommendations to improve the efficiency and sustainability of SPL systems and financing.
Component 2. The consultant will identify counterparts in the Zanzibar Government (including TASAF, ZSSF, OCGS, and MOF) with whom to collaborate closely, to enhance ownership of the final product and to build capacity to perform diagnostics of SPL systems. The analysis will be conducted in close consultation with the selected counterparts and other stakeholders, who will be asked to review and comment on intermediate and final outputs. The process will be tailored to ensure capacity building for core government agencies and will promote government ownership and lead role.
Prior to finalizing the diagnostics document, a technical workshop will be organized to review chapters, gather feedback, and go over the methodology and taxonomy that has been used. The consultant will then incorporate comments received and finalize the document to be formally delivered to Government.
Deliverables
A diagnostic report of the SPL programs in Zanzibar, and a related policy brief summarizing key findings and recommendations. The report will contain: a context and literature review of socioeconomic conditions of poor and vulnerable households, review of main SPL interventions in Zanzibar and their financing structure, and assessment of the fiscal sustainability of the SPL system. The report will also include recommendations to improve the efficiency of spending and fiscal sustainability of the SPL system
One consultation workshop and one dissemination workshop to be held in Zanzibar.
Qualifications, skills and experience
A PhD’s or Master’s level degree(s) or equivalent in relevant field, such as economics or social sciences;
A minimum five years of experience analysing and synthesizing quantitative and qualitative data;
Previous experience with social protection programming, financing and public expenditure review desirable;
Fluency in English; and
Exceptional organizational skills, ability to facilitate communication between various levels of management and work independently in order to meet deadlines.
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.
Opening Date Fri Jul 14 2017 09:00:00 GMT+0300 (E. Africa Standard Time) E. Africa Standard Time
Closing Date Sat Jul 29 2017 23:55:00 GMT+0300 (E. Africa Standard Time)