UNICEF recrute un consultant international en analyse multidimensionnelle de la pauvreté, Bissau, Guinée-Bissau

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Background :

The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is a small, low lying country in West Africa with a land mass area of just 36,125 square kilometers. Population growth has been permanent feature of demographics in Guinea-Bissau since independence.  From 1975 to 2005, the population grew by three per cent annually.  The last population census in Guinea Bissau was conducted in 2009, (INE, 2009). In that year there were 1.4 million inhabitants. Projections since then suggest that the population reached 1.5 million in 2013 and would increase to 1.6 million by 2020 (AFRISTAT/INE, 2013). These projections are now widely believed to underestimate the population and UN agencies consider the actual population in 2019 to be 1.9 million.

Economic growth has remained high in recent years, averaging 6 percent over the period 2015 to 2017, largely reflecting strong global cashew prices.  However, adverse rainfall combined with a declining international price for cashew led to a growth rate of under 5 per cent in the last two years.  This mixed economic performance has hampered progress towards the SDGs and the vision of a politically stable and developed country. Cashew cultivation benefits 85 per cent of the population and accounts for over 90 per cent of country’s export earnings.  Guinea-Bissau is currently the world’s sixth largest producer. Therefore, losses in its production affect employment, incomes, and food consumption, and thereby negatively impact households and their children.  Other agricultural production items include rice, peanuts, and fruit.  Fishing and the export of fish and shellfish make a further modest contribution to the economy.  The small but growing service sector is concentrated in urban areas, especially in the capital, and it is predominantly informal and largely unregulated.

This erratic economic evolution is coupled with significant social deprivations. Guinea-Bissau is one of the worst performing  countries in the world according to most development indicators.  The country has been on the list of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) since 1981, (UN/CDP, 2019).  It remains within the group that the World Bank designates as Low Income Countries (LICs), with a Gross National Income per capita of US$1,025 or less in 2018.  Guinea-Bissau ranked 178th out of 189 countries in the United Nations Human Development Index in 2019, (UNDP, 2019).  It also has a high level of income inequality measured by a GINI coefficient of 50.7 and by 42 per cent of income being held by the richest 10 per cent of the population, (WBG, 2019).  This puts inequality in Guinea-Bissau well above most of its structural peers.

Guinea Bissau therefore requires unrelenting efforts to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of ending poverty in all its forms. Specifically, concerted efforts from all development stakeholders would be required to meet by 2030 the targets of eradicating extreme poverty and reducing at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions.

While the very low human development and the precarious socio-economic conditions are indicative of pervasive poverty, this later remains insufficiently apprehended in Guinea Bissau. The latest household income survey, which led to a poverty assessment, dates back to 2010. This assessment mainly focused on the monetary dimension. It did not take into account other well-being dimensions which are not sufficiently captured by income or consumption indicators. In addition, the SDG requirement of taking equity into account in the fight against poverty requires a better understanding of the particularities and idiosyncrasies of some specific groups such as children. It is known that children experience poverty differently than adults do since child poverty results in violations of their rights with lasting effects on their lives. A better understanding of the phenomenon of poverty, through its routine measure, is therefore needed to inform public policies aiming at combating poverty and inequality and their effectiveness.

The Government of Guinea Bissau, with the UNICEF support conducted the MICS 6 in 2018/19 and the findings were disseminated in 2020. UNICEF is supporting the Government to make the best use of these data by conducting a multidimensional poverty analysis that will inform well targeted public policies. Nonetheless, the data will also provide a baseline to monitor SDG 1, especially the target of reducing by half poverty in all its forms by 2030.

The measurement process is being conducted in a participatory way to ensure national ownership. National and decentralized consultations have been conducted to involve various stakeholders in identifying relevant dimensions, indicators and thresholds. These consultations resulted in the adoption of various dimensions as the most appropriate in the context of Guinea Bissau. The measurement will therefore also serve for confronting the perceptions of populations in defining poverty markers with quantitative data collected through household surveys.

This consultancy is thus envisaged to complete the measurement process with the preparation of the national multidimensional poverty report.

Objective :

The overall objective of this study is to provide new insights into the well-being and living conditions of the populations, while emphasizing the idiosyncrasies of the situation of children rights enforcement in Guinea Bissau. Specifically, the study aims to :

• Determine the profile of multidimensional poverty in Guinea Bissau ;
• Determine the profile of multidimensional child poverty in Guinea Bissau ;
• Analyze the evolution of multidimensional poverty between 2014 and 2018/19.

Scope of assignment :

The study will cover an overall multidimensional poverty analysis as well as a specific multidimensional poverty analysis for children. It is therefore expected that the consultant provides two distinct multidimensional poverty profiles: one that encompasses all individuals and a second that focuses on children deprivations. These profiles should be done for 2014 and 2018/19 (based on MICS5 and MICS6) and include an analysis of the evolution between the two periods. The multidimensional poverty analysis will incorporate various social dimensions based on existing data. The child poverty profile should be guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) to elucidate the extent to which children rights are fulfilled in Guinea Bissau. It is also expected that the study result in technical knowledge and expertise transfer. Therefore, a four day intensive training of selected government officers and UNICEF/UNDP staffs will be delivered/facilitated by the consultant at the beginning of the assignment. This training will be computer-based and will focus on elaboration of multidimensional poverty profiles. It should provide government officers with technical knowledge on how to conduct statistical treatments and compute multidimensional poverty rate/index. UNICEF and the Government will identify officers who have the basic requirements to absorb the technical knowledge. The consultant will closely with selected technical staff members in UNDP and UNICEF to Link the MPI and child poverty analysis to the overall growth, socioeconomic and macroeconomic situation, and evolution in GB. He will also Deeper analysis of the various dimensions in the MPI/MODA as well as disparities based on gender, and/or geographic location or any other basis and Analyze social services delivery and link them to the MPI/MODA. As the World Bank is also working on the monetary poverty during the same period, it is expected that the consultant interacts with the WB team in order to cross reference data from multidimensional poverty and those of monetary poverty in order to identify the interactions between the two.

Methodology :

The methodology will consist of adapting and implementing the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) approach used by UNDP and the Multiple Overlapping Deprivation Analysis (MODA) tool used by UNICEF. MICS 5 and 6 will be utilized to establish Guinea-Bissau’s child poverty. MPI will be used to develop the overall multidimensional poverty profile for 2014 and 2018/2019. To ensure a national ownership of the measurement, an adaptation of the original approach will be performed by considering the specific dimensions that have been identified through consultations. MODA will serve for measuring multidimensional child poverty. In addition, the life-cycle approach will be combined to differentiate dimensions and the corresponding child poverty level by age groups. While the age groups will be further discussed and adopted, it is of primary importance that the early childhood and adolescence, that are deemed crucial moments in children’s development, be clearly specified. The consultant is expected to rely mainly on descriptive statistics and appropriate data analysis tools. Appropriate statistical tests and controls should be considered especially when comparing 2014 and 2018/2019 data. Required statistical treatments should also be performed to ensure valid and reliable measurements.

How can you make a difference?

ACTIVITIES, TASKS, DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINES :

The following activities and tasks are expected to be undertaken :

• Develop training materials and train selected government officers and UNICEF, UNDP staffs ;
• Data treatment and tabulations based on MICS 5 and MICS 6 ;
• Computation of various MPI indexes (Multidimensional Poverty Index, population in multidimensional poverty, population in severe multidimensional poverty, Contribution of deprivation in dimension to overall poverty) and elaboration of poverty profiles based on MPI ;
• Cross-checking/integration of data with WB monetary assessment, also considering their HIES approach and the data assessed in surveys ;
• Computation of various MODA indexes (number of deprivations, single deprivation incidence, Multidimensional deprivation ratio, deprivation intensity, adjusted deprivation and decomposition) ;
• Elaboration of the National (based on MPI) and Child Poverty profiles (based on MODA) ;
• Preparation of a report on multidimensional poverty ;
• Propose a summarized version of figures and graphics for infographics.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have

Education : Tertiary education degree in statistics, demography, economy, econometrics or other related disciplines; Specialized training in social statistics or household surveys

Working experience : Mastery of quantitative tools for multidimensional poverty analysis; Solid experience in the processing of databases and use of software such as SPSS or Stata; Knowledge of household surveys such as MICS or DHS ; Experience in training on statistics and data analysis; Strong theoretical and practical knowledge in social policy and poverty analysis; Excellent written and verbal communication skills and relevant computer software skills with proficiency in data management systems;

Language : Fluent in Portuguese and English or French. Tertiary education degree in statistics, demography, economy, econometrics or other related disciplines; Specialized training in social statistics or household surveys Tertiary education degree in statistics, demography, economy, econometrics or other related disciplines; Tertiary education degree in statistics, demography, economy, econometrics or other related disciplines;

Conditions of work :

• All documents, including data and reports, developed during this mission are the intellectual property of UNICEF and UNDP. The consultant should not share these products without the express permission of UNICEF and UNDP. The consultant process should support and respect the rights of women and children ;

• The consultancy will be on an SSA type contract at P4/P5 level. This consultancy will last over 34 days including 09 days in Bissau and 25 days on remote works ;
• As a general principle, the fees payable to a consultant shall follow the best value for money principle (achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee) ;
• The consultant will work in UNICEF Guinea-Bissau office and will be based in Bissau to work with Country Office staff and INE using UNICEF transport in accordance with the regulations of the Organization.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

The functional competencies required for this post are…

View our competency framework at : UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks :

Mobility is a condition of international professional employment with UNICEF and an underlying premise of the international civil service.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.