Consultant: Development of the "Effective Training for Sustainable Urban Development Practice Note" (Home base), Nairobi

Consultant: Development of the "Effective Training for Sustainable Urban Development Practice Note" (Home base), Nairobi
Closing Date: Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Consultant: Development of the "Effective Training for Sustainable Urban Development Practice Note" (Home base)
United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT)
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT
Closing date: 20 Oct 2010
Location: Kenya - Nairobi
ORGANIZATIONAL LOCATION:UN-HABITAT
DUTY STATION:Home base (with one mission to Nairobi)
FUNCTIONAL TITLE:Consultant: Development of the “Effective Training for Sustainable Urban Development Practice Note”
POST DURATION:1 November 2010 to 31 March 2011 (35 days work within this timeframe)
BACKGROUND
Training is a frequent activity within the realm of development assistance and within the broader discussions on capacity development. At an international level, Berlin Statement on International Development Training, studies by the OECD and World Bank Independent Evaluation Group and many others have examined how training of individuals can contribute to capacity development of organizations and institutions. There is a consensus that training is more effective when combined with other organizational - and ideally - enabling environment (policy, legislation) reforms. Thus training should not be seen as an end, but a means to achieving change in organizational capacity. The challenge is thus how to shift from the focus of acquiring new skills to a change of workplace behavior and attitudes that welcomes the application of the new skills, and then subsequently to ensuring that the organizational behavior change leads in improved institutional performance. UN Habitat itself has opened discussions on training in the 1996 Istanbul Conference, and revisited the same topics during a learning event at the 2006 World Urban Forum entitled “Building Capacity for Better Cities: What have we learned?” The conclusion of the 2006 event was that many of the recommendations on how to improve the effectiveness of training from Istanbul in 1996 were still relevant, and many of the challenges being faced in the area of training and capacity building were still the same. This implies that a new approach is needed towards the provision of training that takes stock past lessons learned and best practice and reconfigure an approach to training so as to better enable training activities to contribute to sustainable capacity development of urban institutions.

UN Habitat undertakes a significant number of training activities each year. It is however less the quantity of training, but rather the complexity of the overall training agenda that is of note. Firstly, training activities cut across numerous sectors and themes (including urban energy, water and sanitation, waste management, urban transport, urban governance, urban planning and policy, building materials and technology, low-income housing, housing policy, housing rights, land and tenure, slum/human settlements upgrading, housing finance, urban Finance, environmental sustainability, environmental planning and management, climate change and cities, natural and man-made disasters, Post conflict assessment and reconstruction, and safe cities. Secondly, training is offered in a wide array of development contexts ranging from middle income to least developed countries, to conflict affected ones, and those recovering from natural disasters, and combinations of these. Lastly, the target beneficiaries of the training also differ greatly and can be national or local government counterparts, civil society organizations, university professors, private sector, or other international development agency counterparts.

Within UN Habitat, the Training and Capacity Building Branch (TCBB) has the responsibility for working with Habitat Agenda Partners and other Divisions and Branches within the organization to develop the normative guidelines, methodologies and tools for capacity development of urban institutions. Under UN Habitat's Mid-Term Strategic and Institutional Plan, Focus Area 2: Planning, Management and Governance, TCBB is the custodian for expected accomplishment 2: strengthened institutions. As part of an effort to develop corporate guidance on a range of subjects concerning capacity development of institutions, that is derived from practice of UN Habitat and its partners, TCBB has embarked on a process of formulating several such inter-related documents - one of which will address how to make training more effective for the capacity development of local and national authorities, regional and national training centers, and other urban institutions. Training is thus seen in the light of strengthening institutions, and not a standalone activity itself. This consultancy will assist in the development of a working draft of the practice note which will be subsequently refined through rounds of dialogue.

RESPONSIBILITIES
Research past and current training approaches and technical cooperation to discern which one (or combination thereof) would be most suitable for the urban environment and the operational modalities utilized by UN Habitat and the diverse range of development contexts in which it operates (development, post disaster, post conflict, and others).

Review case evidence, evaluations, best practice and lesson learned documents, case studies and other materials provided by UN Habitat to distill elements of past initiatives that can represent good practice for effective training and can inform the practice note.

Analyze the broader urban aspect through review of the State of the World's Cities Reports, State of the Urban Youth Report, Urban World: Ten Years Into the Future and other relevant documents that will be provided by UN Habitat to analyze the benefits and constraints the urban environment offers vis-à-vis effective training for capacity development.

In consultation with the UN Habitat focal point, develop a draft outline of the practice note that will include major chapter or section headings, sub section headings, and short explanations in bullet points to describe the underpinning logic.

Based on the feedback of the UN Habitat focal point, revise the outline

Elaborate upon the agreed outline by composing the sections with special emphasis on deriving theory from the practice of UN Habitat and Habitat Agenda Partners.

Lead a discussion session within UN Habitat in Nairobi for interested staff presenting the draft practice note so as to ensure a broad participation and voice in the development of the document, and revise based on staff input.

REPORTING
The Consultant will be reporting on at minimum every second week to Joe Hooper, Training Officer, Training and Capacity Building Branch, Global Division, UN-HABITAT.

OUTPUTS/DELIVERABLES
ITEM
ACTIVITY
TIMEFRAME
(tentative)
OUTPUT

Research past and current training approaches to discern which one (or combination thereof) would be most suitable for the urban environment and the operational modalities utilized by UN Habitat and the diverse range of development contexts in which it operates (development, post disaster, post conflict, and others).

Beginning to Mid November 2010
Short (1 to 2 pages bullet points) document produced outlining the key findings of the research and elements of the training approach to be utilized

Analyze the broader urban context and trends through review of the State of the World's Cities Reports, State of the Urban Youth Report, Urban World: Ten Years Into the Future and other relevant documents that will be provided by UN Habitat to analyze the benefits and constraints the urban environment offers vis-à-vis effective training for capacity development.

Mid November to end November 2010

Maximum 5 page summary produced highlighting benefits and constraints of the urban environment offers vis-à-vis effective training for capacity development
Develop a draft outline of the practice note and revise based on feedback from the UN Habitat focal point
Draft outline produced with relevant sections, subsections and bullet points to provide the underlying logic and arguments.
Develop the full draft of the practice note based on the agreed outline
December 2010 to end January 2011
Draft practice note produced.

Lead a discussion session within UN Habitat in Nairobi for interested staff presenting the draft practice note so as to ensure a broad participation and voice in the development of the document (expected 4 day mission to Nairobi, Kenya.

March 2011
Learning session hosted in Nairobi and draft methodology revised and submitted to UN Habitat.

COMPETENCIES
Professionalism: Knowledge of concepts and approaches relevant to the training and capacity development r and ability to conduct independent analysis, identifying issues, formulating options and making conclusions and recommendations.
Communication: Excellent written and oral communication skills and ability to articulate ideas in a clear and accurate manner including the ability to prepare and edit a variety of written documents, reports and briefs.
Planning and organising: ability to work under pressure, establish priorities and plan, coordinate own work plan, use time efficiently and apply judgment in the context of competing deadlines.
Teamwork: Good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

QUALIFICATIONS
Education
Advanced University degree (masters or similar) in a field deemed relevant to the subject areas covered by these Terms of Reference such as political science, international development, education, or similar.

Work Experience
A minimum of 20 years experience in the field of international development, at least 15 of which must be focused on training and capacity development issues

Advanced knowledge of both training in international development contexts and capacity development theory and practice is required

Team working ability;
Previous working experience with international development assistance agencies is required

Demonstrated ability to write advanced conceptual documents such as practice notes, position papers, policies, or research papers

Independent research ability is required

Language
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For the post advertised, excellent proficiency in spoken and written English is required.

Other skills
Excellent English writing skills (writing sample required) as well as presentation abilities

Very good computer skills, including Word Processing and PowerPoint

Ability to work under pressure and in an ethnically diverse and political setting.

Ability to be flexible with changes in timelines

Remuneration
Payments will be based on deliverables over the consultancy period. There are set remuneration rates for consultancies. The rate is determined by functions performed and experience of the consultant. The fees will be paid in installments as follows: 50% upon provision of outputs 1, 2, and 3, and 50% upon completion of outputs 4 and 5. DSA and flight by most direct economy class will also be paid for the consultant's trip to Nairobi, Kenya.

How to apply
Application
Interested applicants should send by email: CV (please use the United Nations standard personal history form available upon request or via: http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?typeid=24&catid=435&id=3867 )

Financial proposal (e.g. proposed daily fees, travel, subsistence allowance, miscellaneous expenses etc.).

Proof of relevant written work (writing sample, one document, to provide evidence of strong writing skills).

To:

Mr. Joe Hooper
UN-HABITAT
P.O. Box 30030, 00100 Nairobi, Kenya

Email: : joe.hooper@unhabitat.org

Please be advised that since April 15th 2010, applicants for consultancies must be part of the UN-HABITAT e-Roster in order for their application to be considered. You can reach the e-Roster through the following link: http://e-roster.unhabitat.org
Deadline for applications: 20 October 2010

UN-HABITAT does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process. If you have any questions concerning persons or companies claiming to be recruiting on behalf of these offices and requesting the payment of a fee, please contact: recruitment@unon.org

Reference Code: RW_89JSCV-80