United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
UNDP
Closing date: 09 Nov 2008
Location: Tajikistan - Dushanbe
VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT
Programme Title: UNDP Project ?Enhancing Peace and Promoting Human Rights/ Promoting Transparency and Accountability?.
Post Title: International Consultant for conduction of Functional Review of Agency on State Financial Control and Fight against Corruption of Republic of Tajikistan
Duty Station: Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Type of appointment: Special Service Agreement
Duration: 2 months
Deadline for submission: November 9th, 2008
Instruction for submission of applications: Please fill out an Application form for SC/SSA positions posted on www.undp.tj by following the job vacancies link from this webpage. Please note that no other type of application form will be considered for such positions, other than the one found at the link specified above.
I. BACKGROUND
Anti-corruption as a focal activity of the Government of Tajikistan has been ongoing since 1999 with UNDP as a key partner. By enacting laws and presidential decrees to address corruption the Government has shown a level of commitment to improving the governance of the country. One of the first steps was the adoption in 2003 of the OECD?s Anti-Corruption Plan in Istanbul in September 2003. In particular, the Istanbul Action Plan of the ACN creates a peer review mechanism for a group of ex-Soviet countries including Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and several others. In January 2004, Tajikistan made its first status report to the group, and committed to implement the resulting 21 recommendations .
On January 10th, 2007 President Emomali Rakhmon signed a decree to establish an anti-corruption agency, and at the end of 2007 the Government developed a nationwide anti-corruption plan through their National Anti-corruption Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan for 2008-2012 which was facilitated through the UNP Promoting Transparency and Accountability. This was followed up with the Law of the Agency of State Financial Control and Fight against Corruption signed by the President on 24th of January 2008. The new functions were delivered for the Agency as the implementation of corruption prevention measures and monitoring of the National Anti-corruption Strategy. Also another important step within the legislative framework for combating corruption in the country was the ratification on the 24th of April, 2008 by the Majlisi Oli Majlisi Namoyandagon of the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC).
Experience in many countries of the world has shown that the greatest effect on re-structuring the administration can be achieved by conducting both horizontal and vertical functional reviews. the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan conducted a horizontal functional analysis of over 40 central state executive agencies of the Republic of Tajikistan (October 2006 - January 2007) and made parallel changes in the structure of the Governments through the Decree of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan (No. 9 as of November 30, 2006). It is currently planning to undertake vertical functional reviews of seven Ministries/departments under the auspices of Public Sector Reform Project (IDA H 245) of the World Bank to start in mid-2009.
In order to assist the Agency of State Financial Control and Fight against Corruption in implementing its obligations as laid in National Anti-Corruption Strategy and the UNCAC, the Agency will conduct a Functional Review (facilitated by UNDP?s Promoting Transparency and Accountability PTA project) that would outline its allocated functions to their strategic objectives and resources. The result of the review should be clarification of roles and functions (possibly also structural changes) of the Agency in fulfilling its duties and multiple mandates.
II. OBJECTIVES
The overall objective of the Consultant is to conduct a Functional Review of the Agency and to present detailed recommendations to the Government of Tajikistan concerning improvement of institutional organization of the respective ministries. The recommendations should be clearly based on the analysis, should provide the information necessary for future reorganization of the Agency in order to more effectively fulfil its multiple mandates.
Specific goals for conducting the Functional Review of the State Financial Control and Fight against Corruption are the following:
1. Agreement/Coordination of functions, roles and responsibility of the Agency of State Financial Control and Fight against Corruption with the goals and principles stated in the National Anti-Corruption Strategy of Tajikistan, and also according to the provisions of the Law of the Agency of State Financial Control and Fight against Corruption;
2. Elimination of duplicated functions and clear delineation of functions within the departments;
3. Development of proposals on modification of organizational structures and procedures allowing more effective implementation of its functions and mandates;
4. Identifying functions which are not in the sphere of state responsibility, and accordingly, should not be carried out by the state agencies;
5. Review/estimation of the personnel capacity of the Agency and development of recommendations for strengthening the personnel?s capacity and organizational capacity;
6. Development of plans of institutional optimization, including their influence (financial consequences) on the state budget.
III. TASKS
The selected Consultant will work in coordination with the Chief Technical Adviser of the UNDP PTA project and will be accountable to the Program Manager of the PTA.
The Consultant?s tasks will be:
a. Development/Adaptation of an appropriate Functional Review methodology to the objectives of Functional Review of the Agency of State Financial Control and Fight against Corruption of Tajikistan;
b. Agreement on the methodology with the Chief Technical Adviser (CTA) and Programme Manger of the UNDP PTA project;
c. Preparation of a detailed work-plan for the conduct of the Functional Review;
d. Coordination and agreement of the detailed plan of functional review with the Agency;
e. Organization of data collection and analysis of sectors, and also conducting of seminars with the management of the Agency on agreement and development of uniform understanding of strategic goals of the Agency which will define indicators for estimation of functions and organizational structures in the future reformed system.
f. Collection and analysis of the information about:
- Agency legislative mandate; regulations and standing orders
- Financing
- Staff/personnel
- Functional duties
- Internal structure
- Business processes
- Mechanisms of decision-making, coordination and accountability
- Options to obtain the planned results.
g. Management and coordination of the process for conducting the Functional Review of the Agency in conjunction with the UNDP CTA and PTA Program Manager;
h. Discussion of the initial conclusions and recommendations with the key decision-makers in the Agency and related Government departments with the purpose to have their vision and comments;
i. Organization of a Study Tour for studying successful experience and functions of such agencies in other countries;
j. Preparation of a Final Report with the focus on the following aspects:
- Specification of the mandate, functions and potential operational tasks for the Agency captured by the review and reduction of the internal structure of each of them in conformity with current mandates, functions and tasks;
- Definition of new functions and responsibility based on the strategic targets and priorities of the Government;
- Definition of the future hierarchical structure of the Agency (ornigram) (including proposals on accountability);
- Elimination of duplication of functions and rationalization of services/functions of the Agency;
- Definition of functions which could be delegated to other agencies or structures;
- Elimination of ?the internal conflict of interests? inside the various departments of the Agency in fulfilling its functions;
- Definition of spheres of potential economy of resources;
- Formulation of general recommendations for further reforms which are obtained on the basis of the analysis.
k. Discussion of the Final Report with relevant stakeholders;
l. Development and presentation of the Final report on the Functional Review to relevant stakeholders.
IV. RESULTS/OUTPUTS
The required outputs to be submitted:
- An inception report containing the Methodology for conducting of the Functional Review, and also the specified Work plan of the review and action plan of the consultants agreed with the Agency- within 5 days from the beginning of implementation of the assignment;
- Participatory seminars with the departments of the Agency and other relevant stakeholders to establish a dialogue on needs and capacity to fulfil its mandates;
- Development Plan for the Agency based on its obligations and duties in context of its budget constraints outlining short, medium and long-term objectives;
- A Final Report with recommendations as outlined in Tasks.
V. QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
The international consultant should provide the following qualifications:
- Significant experience in consultation of the governments of the countries with transition economy in questions of the public administration (not fewer than 5 years at the level of the central government);
- Successful practical experience in functional reviews/analyses of the ministries and state agencies (ideally with experience with oversight/anti-corruption bodies);
- Good understanding of specific issues related to the reviews in oversight/anti-corruption bodies;
- Successful experience in the countries of the former Soviet Union;
- Excellent analytical abilities and skills of writing of reports;
- Skills to submit the material and to conduct short-term trainings;
- Good knowledge of English required; good knowledge of Russian or Tajik would be a strong advantage.
Since UNDP Tajikistan currently has a majority of male employees, we strongly encourage qualified female applicants for this position. UNDP seeks to ensure that male and female employees are given equal career opportunities and that staff members are able to keep an appropriate balance between work and private life.
How to apply
Instruction for submission of applications: Please fill out an Application form for SC/SSA positions posted on www.undp.tj by following the job vacancies link from this webpage. Please note that no other type of application form will be considered for such positions, other than the one found at the link specified above.
Reference Code: RW_7KUFLX-84
Source: Reliefweb
Tags: Conflict of Interests; Data Collection; Government Departments; Human Rights; Organizational Structure; Public Administration; Public Sector; State Responsibility; Tajik