UNICEF Madagascar
TERMS of REFERENCES
§ Title: International consultant to advise on child sensitive fuel subsidy reform
§ Type of contract: SSA International (Individual Consultant)
§ Period of consultancy: 50 working days (spread out over 11 months)
§ Section: Politique Sociale et Evaluation
§ Duty Station : Antananarivo and home based
§ Advertising Date : 06 Novembre 2014 Closing Date : 23 Novembre 2014
- Background
UNICEF’s central mission has always been to reach the most deprived and most vulnerable children. Such a focus on equity rests on the normative and moral justifications of the Convention on the Rights of the Child but is also a necessary condition for ensuring long-term growth prospects, which hinge on today’s children being the economic and social engine of future prosperity and well-being.
Evidence of a growing inequity alongside growth in inequality exists across a wide range of countries, despite positive economic growth and progress against targets for many child-related MDGs. Inequality can be captured by disparities in income, health, education and other outcomes, whereas inequity suggests that there is some structural ‘unfairness’: either today’s income inequality is reducing opportunities to become more equal, or there are cultural, political or other reasons for unfairness based on discrimination or other factors. UNICEF’s recent analysis in 2011 found wide differentials in children’s access to basic needs and resources such as health, education, clean water and that these deprivations are disproportionately concentrated among the poorest and most marginalized populations within countries.
Across the world, many Governments are now reconsidering existing systems of fuel subsidies in the light of their fiscal expense, their generally regressive incidence and there effects on carbon emissions. Such reform provides opportunities to improve fiscal and policy outcomes alongside reducing the threat of climate change. However, reform can also threaten the living standards of low and moderate income households and for the children who reside there. UNICEF wish to influence the design and implementation of such reforms to ensure that they are done in a child sensitive manner that protects and bolsters child rights and, in particular, for the most disadvantaged children.
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- Purpose
UNICEF Social Inclusion Policy and Budgeting (SIPB) Section, based in the Division of Policy and Strategy in UNICEF Headquarters helps to frame and co-ordinate a range of social policy work at HQ, Regional and Country Offices on cross-cutting issues around social inclusion. The Child Poverty and Social Protection team within SIPB has identified fuel subsidy reform as a key area for work on social protection and child poverty. The UNICEF HQ team have joined with the Regional UNICEF Social Policy team in Eastern and Southern Africa and with the Madagascar Country Office to work on a
‘case study’ of fuel subsidy reform that can identify policy inputs and key analytical tools and advocacy materials that can be taken forward in wider work across the region and in other UNICEF contexts. The opportunity offered by the situation in Madagascar stems from the very early stage of reform discussions and the ability to be involved from the first point in overall analysis and policy discussion.
- Targets
The consultant will act as a reviewer and adviser on the evolving policy work being undertaken by Madagascar UNICEF Country Office Social Policy team and to the HQ team as they draw out country level lessons to add to their existing portfolio of material on fuel subsidy reform from other UNICEF field level work.
The consultant will advise and review the work of different stakeholders and partners on 3 specific themes: benefit incidence, effects on inflation and prices of the proposed fuel subsidy reform and fiscal consequences of the reform.
- Methodology
The consultant will be based home and will have to travel to Madagascar at least once.
The first area of work for the international consultant will be to advise on and review the ‘benefit incidence’ profiling work undertaken by a local consultant working alongside the Social Policy team in the Madagascar and guided by the Regional and HQ team. This benefit incidence work will consider micro-data from the full consumption module in the ENSOMD Household Survey undertaken in 2012. This identifies household expenditure on electricity, butane gas, charcoal, wood, petrol, diesel, oil, and ‘other’ fuels. The incidence of subsidies for these different types of fuel will be estimated using both relative profiles of the consumption distribution alongside ‘child sensitive’ approaches based on the presence of children, poverty status, and evidence of key deprivations in nutrition, water and sanitation, and alongside spending on essential services for children – such as spending on primary education and primary healthcare. This work begins in December 2014 and the results of main analysis of ENSOMD survey micro-data will occur in May 2015.
The second area of work will be to advise and review the work of national partners (World Bank, IMF and Government of Madagascar) on the second order effects on inflation and prices of the proposed fuel subsidy reform – for example, on the general equilibrium modelled effects on prices in general, the prices of essential services and transport in particular, and also on employment. The exact timetable for these analyses is uncertain and the consultant will be asked to advise on the framing and conduct of such studies as well as their results, as the process developed throughout 2015.
The third area of work will be to review the fiscal consequences of reform and assist the HQ, Regional and Country level team assess the potential for child sensitive social protection that arise from the fiscal changes and mitigation proposals to compensate households for price effects of reform. It is expected that these services will be needed in late 2015.
- Deliverables
The international consultant is expected to provide the following results:
a) Review of proposed ‘Child Sensitive’ Analysis of Benefit Incidence of fuel subsidies in Madagascar.
b) Review of draft results from ‘Child Sensitive’ Analysis of Benefit Incidence of fuel subsidies. Written report on suggestions for amended or additional analysis.
c) Review of analysis of macro-economic effects of fuel subsidy reform and production of written report on implications for child poverty and essential services for children
d) Review of fiscal consequence of reforms on Government budgets and on ‘fiscal space’. Advice on optimising budgets and resulting fiscal space for child sensitive social protection. Written report of options- 10 pages maximum.
e) Participation in conference calls, provision of ad-hoc advice to the team and review of TORs and other documents pertaining to fuel subsidy reform in Madagascar.
f) Mission to Madagascar
- Organization / Duration.
- He or she will report to the PSE chief of section.
- Consultancy services will be based on short periods of days of desk review of documents, attendance and participation in telephone and Skype conference calls with the teams. In addition, the consultant will be expected to join one mission to Madagascar during 2015. Specific deadlines for each tasks are above-mentioned
- The proposed contract will start on December 1st, 2014. It will be for 50 working days, spread out over 11 months, meaning until Oct. 31st, 2015.
- Costs
The consultant will be categorized in P4 and the budget will be taken from OR provided by HQ.
The contract starts December 1st, 2014 for 50 working days spread out over 11 months. Payment of fees will be done in instalments based on a short activity report and the following deliverables:
- 50% after receipt of deliverables a), b) and e)
- 50% after receipt of deliverables c), d) and f)
Costs of one one-week mission to Madagascar should be included in the financial proposal submitted by the consultant
- Qualifications
· Advanced university degree (Masters, ABD or PhD) in economics, public policy is required
· At least five years of experience in empirical economic and policy research is required
· Demonstrated previous research and consultancy experience on fuel subsidy reform is required;
· Previous experience on child poverty and social protection is required;
· Extensive experience using household survey data is required
· Advanced experience with STATA;
· Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required and in French is preferred
· Ability to work independently and respond to feedback in a timely and professional manner;
· Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to contribute to a team research process.
- Works Conditions
The consultant will be based home and will have to undertake desk review of documents, as well as attend and participate in telephone and Skype conference calls with the teams. In addition, the consultant will be expected to join one mission to Madagascar during 2015
HOW TO APPLY:
Application
Candidates are requested to send their offer by email only; this should comprise the following:
· A Financial offer clearly and separately indicating fees and costs (including rates and days, travel, living allowance). Costs to be provided in US Dollar.
· A completed United Nations P11 form/s (available at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc).
· A CV of the consultant
· A copy of the certificate of the highest degree of the consultant.
· A copy of an identity document (passport or national i.d. card) for the consultant.
Applicants must quote the vacancy number and post title in the subject line of the application.
§ “14 –SSA PSE International consultant to advise on child sensitive fuel subsidy reform
Email to: hrantananarivo@unicef.org
Deadline: 23 November 2014
Only short-listed applicants will be contacted
UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of our organisation.
