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Consultancy

Parliamentary Development Senior Technical Advisor

1. Background

The Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (the Constitution) came into force in 2008. Chapter 4 of the Constitution establishes the Union Legislature or the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw comprising two Hluttaws, Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives) and Amyotha Hluttaw (House of Nationalities), that are generally equal in status. The term of the Union Hluttaw is 5 years from the day of the first session of the Pyithu Hluttaw. Following the Myanmar election held on 8 November 2015, newly elected MPs were sworn in as MPs of the Pyithu Hluttaw on Monday 1 February 2016, and of the Amyotha Hluttaw on Wednesday 3 February 2016. The Constitution has also established sub-national parliaments comprising one parliament for each of the fourteen states/regions. The Union and Region/State Parliaments are independent institutions with different political compositions and mandate, but their administrative support is provided by union civil service staff, under the guidance of the Permanent Secretary of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw.

Cooperating in Myanmar since 2013, UNDP/IPU’s parliamentary strengthening programme supported the institutional development of the Union Legislature by supporting the formulation of the Hluttaw strategic plan, Committee strengthening, establishment of the Hluttaw Learning Centre through which capacity building programmes are delivered for Committees, Member of Parliaments (MPs) and staff, ICT, information and knowledge management system development, design of orientation and induction programmes, and institutional change management capacity at Executive and Middle management levels. An MP Survey was completed prior to the end of the first Hluttaw with a second survey due for completion in 2018.  IPU’s partner UNDP also provides coordinated support to all sub-national parliaments across the areas of strategic development and leadership, Committee development, MP induction and online learning.

Recently a vision has been developed for more integrated support of Union-level and Region and State Hluttaws – as expressed in the new draft Union-level Hluttaw Strategic Plan and in the revision of the Law on the Myanmar Parliamentary Union. Aligning with this vision, UNDP/IPU’s programme puts integration at the center of project design and implementation, the programme deepen its engagements with the parliaments by strengthening vertical and horizontal linkages, namely the township, region/state, and union level, as well as the three branches of the government.

UNDP/IPU’s parliamentary support programme will continue to provide holistic support to the Union-level and Region and State Hluttaws, as part of UNDP Myanmar’s Country Programme UNDP/IPU’s programme is implemented in close coordination with Myanmar Hluttaw’s Joint Coordination Committee (JCC), which coordinates implementation of the Myanmar Hluttaw Strategic Plan and development partner support.

The COVID-19 pandemic that emerged with startling speed in early 2020 has served to underline the essential role of parliaments in holding the government to account and ensuring that human rights are not undermined during times of crisis.  The Myanmar parliament and the parliamentary support project are operating in limited ways while being innovative in using technology to continue their work.

Against the above background, UNDP/IPU is seeking to engage a Parliamentary Development Senior Technical   Advisor to provide strategic and technical advice on the design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of UNDP/IPU’s programme interventions.  Initially until circumstances allow and travel restrictions are lifted the position will be home based.

2. Objectives of the assignment

The aim of the assignment is to provide strategic and technical advice on the design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of UNDP/IPU’s programme interventions supporting the development of the Union-level and Region and State Parliaments in line with the approved Annual Work Plan (AWP) and covid 19 business continuity plans. The assignment will include the provision of quality technical advice to the Hluttaws, and contribute to meeting the objectives of the Myanmar Union Hluttaw Strategic Plan for the period 2019-2022.

3. Scope of work

In all areas of the assignment, the Parliamentary Development Advisor is expected to perform the below tasks:

  • Develop concept notes, briefings, terms of references, and supporting documents for design and implementation of activities, ensuring close coordination with UNDP and IPU responsible counterparts;
  • Provide advice on behalf of UNDP/IPUs parliamentary strengthening programme to the leadership and committees of the Union-level Hluttaws;
  • Guide from a technical perspective the implementation of UNDP/IPU parliamentary strengthening activities at the Union-level Hluttaws; 
  • Provide technical inputs into UNDP/IPU’s annual work plans,  covid19 business continuity plans, draft inputs into UNDP/IPU’s corporate and donor reports;
  • Ensure that gender, inclusiveness  and environmental sustainability considerations are mainstreamed into implementation of parliamentary strengthening activities in the AWP;
  • Support knowledge management, documenting UNDP/IPU assistance and ensure information and materials are made available for use through the Learning Centre.
  • Support strengthening team cohesion; guide and assist individual team members to lead in their areas of work.

4. Duration of assignment and duty situation

The assignment will include 5 months to be carried out in the period of 31 July – 31 December 2020. National holidays observed by the UN in Myanmar will be non-working days. The primary duty station will be Naypyitaw – once in situ -, where the Advisor will perform at least 90% of his/her time at the Myanmar Hluttaw Learning Centre, with travel to Yangon and Regions and States to support coordination of Union and Region and State Hluttaw work as required.  The work from home component of the assignment will be determined in consultation with the successful candidate, the Myanmar parliament and taking into consideration the evolution of covid19 and travel/work related restrictions.

5. Institutional arrangements

Reporting line

The Contractor will report to the programme manager IPU on performance and to the project manager of UNDP’s SERIP project on technical matters.

6. Deliverables

A report including:

  • Progress made towards the objectives of the assignment;
  • Attachments including all written background papers, concept notes, briefings and training material to support activities undertaken
  • A timesheet of days worked, identifying duty stations

7. Qualifications

Education:

Master’s degree in public policy, law, development studies or a related area.

Experience:

  • Minimum 8 years of professional experience in strengthening parliamentary institutions in a technical and advisory role;
  • Experience serving parliament as an MP or parliamentary staff member is highly desirable
  • Experience working on parliament institutional development and designing & delivering professional development for MPs and parliamentary staff;
  • Experience of parliamentary development in South East Asia;
  • Knowledge of the Common Principles for Support to Parliaments.

Language requirements:

Excellent command of written and spoken English

8. Evaluation criteria

  • Offers received will be evaluated using a Combined Scoring method, where the qualifications of the Offeror will be weighted 70% (i.e. technical evaluation), and combined with the price offer, which will be weighted 30% (i.e. financial evaluation).
  • Technical Evaluation will be conducted based on a review of the applicant’s qualifications (30 points) and an interview (40 points). Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% of the possible score in the Technical Evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Criteria

Points (total: 30 points)

Master’s degree in public policy, law, development studies or a related area.

5

Minimum 8 years of professional experience in strengthening parliamentary institutions in a technical and advisory role

10

Experience designing & delivering professional development for MPs and parliamentary staff

5

Experience serving parliament as an MP or parliamentary staff member is highly desirable

5

Experience of parliamentary development in South East Asia.

5

  • Financial evaluation: All technically qualified proposals will be scored out of 30. The maximum points (30) will be assigned to the lowest financial proposal.

9. Working hours

8:30am-5:30pm with one-hour lunch break; or as agreed with line manager (eight-hour working day).

How to apply

Qualified candidates may submit their application, including a complete Curriculum Vitae and a motivational letter.  Deadline for applications: 24 July 2020.

Only those candidates that are short-listed for interviews will be notified.

Applications or queries should be addressed to the IPU as follows: [email protected], Inter-Parliamentary Union.

Naypyitaw,
Myanmar (Burma)

Deadline: