Consultancy, Enhancing the engagement and contribution of parliaments to effective development cooperation

Terms of Reference for update of a guidance note

Background

In 2010, the IPU and UNDP produced a Guidance Note that sought to provide parliamentarians and those who work with them with a common understanding and clear guidance on what they can do to promote more effective and accountable use of aid in particular and of development resources in general. The note was especially relevant for countries in which aid formed a significant share of total development resources, and where parliaments and parliamentarians had to be involved in the discussion of aid resources. The IPU and UNDP have now agreed to update this Guidance Note so that it reflects the direction of development cooperation today. The updated note will be relevant to all countries and it will look at development cooperation in the light of the Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted in September 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly to replace the Millennium Development Goals when they expired at the end of 2015[1]. It will also take into consideration important shifts in the approach to development cooperation marked by the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC) and the conclusions of its two High-Level Meetings in Mexico City (2014) and Nairobi (2016).

Aid funds and debt relief were in many countries key for implementation of the MDGs and will continue to be important in some countries for the implementation of the SDG. Today, it is widely recognized that other resources from both public and private sectors will be needed to implement the SDGs. Parliaments have a key role in working with development partners and ensuring adequate financial resources for the implementation of national SDG strategies and plans. They also have a crucial role to play in ensuring that governments are accountable for the decisions that they make about how resources are spent and that those resources make a change in the lives of the people, including the most marginalized.

Through the IPU, the global organization of parliaments, parliaments have committed to taking the necessary action to adapt the global goals to each country’s context, including by working with constituents to identify country-specific goals and targets.  This also means translating the SDGs into enforceable domestic laws, holding governments to account and aligning budgets with national sustainable development plans. As the world’s largest provider of parliamentary development assistance, the UNDP supports approximately one out of three parliaments around the world to be fit for purpose to play their envisaged role in promoting and monitoring the implementation of SDG. In 2017, IPU and UNDP published Parliaments and the Sustainable Development Goals: A self-assessment toolkit and they are working together to facilitate its use in several parliaments.

Objective

The updated Guidance Note will address the following key questions:

• What is the relevance for Members of Parliament of the effective development corporation, Agenda 2030/SDGs and the GPEDC?
• What are the links between development cooperation and the SDGs? What is meant by development cooperation today in the era of Agenda 2030 and by the partnership that is embodied by the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation?
• What are the main processes that govern the various aspects of development cooperation today, in both developed and developing countries, as well as nationally and globally?
• What are the main commitments on development cooperation globally, including commitments to and by the parliaments?
• How can parliaments help advance those commitments?
• What key opportunities exist to mainstream gender equality into these efforts?

The note will also quote examples from parliaments that have managed to effectively contribute to development cooperation.

Methodology, scope and format

Update of the Guidance Note will involve mapping and a desk review by a consultant of the existing political pronouncements, policy documents, tools and other material already developed through the IPU, UNDP, GPEDC, and other fora, to identify key issues that need to be considered by parliaments to effectively contribute to development cooperation processes and mechanisms. These documents will deal with but not be limited to the following areas: parliamentary contribution to the High Level Meetings of the GPEDC; parliamentary engagement in the SDGs including in resource mobilization; equality; and gender sensitivity. Interviews with relevant IPU and UNDP staff will be conducted to inform the update.

The updated Guidance Note will be a practical information tool written in accessible language. The updated note should not be longer than the original. Its main purpose will be to strengthen interest among parliamentarians to engage and contribute to development cooperation. The note will be used through seminars, workshops and other activities with parliamentarians.

Implementing arrangements

The project will be managed by the IPU with support from UNDP. In consultation with UNDP, the IPU will be responsible for recruitment, management and payment of a consultant. The IPU and UNDP will aim to ensure the availability of the updated Guidance Note in English and French. Other language versions would depend of availability of funding.

The updated Guidance Note will be made available electronically and it will be jointly published by the IPU and UNDP. The IPU will ensure distribution of the note to all parliaments while UNDP will disseminate the note to UNDP parliamentary focal points around the world.

Deliverables and Timeline

• Thorough knowledge of key concepts of effective development cooperation.
• Knowledge of relevant international development frameworks and processes, especially the SDGs.
• Knowledge of national planning processes for sustainable development.
• ​Excellent writing and presentation skills in English.
• Excellent time management and attention to detail.
• Knowledge of the functioning of national parliaments is desirable.

Location

The consultant will work based from home, maintaining regular communication with the IPU and UNDP by phone or Skype and e-mail.

Workload and remuneration

The total amount of work on the project is estimated at 8 to 10 days of work. Upon successful completion of the project, the consultant will receive a lump sum of CHF 4,500.