Call for Applications: Individual Consultant to Support Implementation of the UN Partnership on the Rights of Person with Disabilities (UNPRPD) Eswatini Project

 

Call for Applications: Individual Consultant to Support Implementation of the UN Partnership on the Rights of Person with Disabilities (UNPRPD) Eswatini Project

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Assignment Information

Assignment Title	Individual Consultant to Support Reviewing the National Disability Plan of Action of Eswatini
Project	UNPRPD Round 4 in Eswatini
Contract Type	Individual Consultant
Location	Remote and in Person in Mbabane
Duration	Approximately 45 Working Days
Deadline for Submission CV	13th June 2023

 

Background

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) Regional Office for Southern Africa (ROSA), in partnership with the Government of Eswatini, under the UNPRPD Round 4 project in Eswatini, is seeking an international or national consultant to review, popularise and disseminate the National Disability Plan of Action (NDPA) (2018-2022) as well as assess the relevance of the United Nations Sustainable Dvelopment Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) documents to the Organisations of Persons with Disabilities. 

Eswatini has made some progress in addressing issues that pertain to persons with disabilities. The Kingdom of Eswatini ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2012. The main aim of the convention is to protect, promote and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all Persons with Disabilities and promote their inherent dignity. Subsequent to ratification, a National Policy on Disability was developed, aimed at promoting the mainstreaming of disability issues across all development programmes of government. The policy also seeks to implement the provision of the Constitution of Eswatini which recognises and articulates the rights of persons with disabilities. The constitution states that Parliament shall enact laws that protect persons with disabilities and also take appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities realise their full mental and physical potential.

The United Nations (UN) in Eswatini have applied for and been granted funding from the UN Partnership on the Rights of Person with Disabilities (UNPRPD) to support Eswatini Government, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities and Civil Society Organizations in advancing the CRPD through strengthening disability inclusiveness, accountability and governance, advancement of equality and non-discrimination and CRPD-compliant budgeting and financial management approaches. Through the grant received, the country will ensure operationalization of the National Disability Plan of Action, Persons with Disability Act of 2018 and strengthen disability coordination systems. Three UN agencies, namely UNFPA, UNICEF and UNESCO are working jointly on the implementation of the program.

 

The purpose of developing the National Disability Plan of Action of 2018 -2022 was to ensure that national policies and development programmes mainstream disability in all stages such as planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. It is a national framework that provides a strategic direction and indicative roadmap in the medium term for promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in Eswatini.

The NDPA was prepared, with the active involvement of all key stakeholders including persons with disabilities, organisations representing persons with disabilities, civil society, international donors, local municipalities and the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini. A key element of the NDPA was improving access for persons with disabilities to all public and community services and facilities. This strategy, commonly called “Mainstreaming”, has the capacity to significantly improve the quality of life of all persons with disabilities, with little or no cost to the rest of the community.

The NDPA is structured into seven main themes, each targeting the achievement of specified results through the delivery of a range of activities, which collectively impact on all Line-Ministries and local government authorities. These themes are:

1. National Coordination and Mainstreaming Mechanism for Disability;
2. Advocacy and Awareness Raising;
3. Social Protection;
4. Education and Training;
5. Health;
6. Skills Development and the Labour Market;
7. Infrastructure and the Environment:

The NDPA is now due for review and renewal to take into account the different changes that have occurred at a national, regional and global level as far as disability issues are concerned. UNESCO ROSA therefore seeks a consultant with the requisite skills to facilitate the reviewing and validation of the NDPA for the next five years, and to popularise and disseminate it in accessible formats. The Consultant is also expected to review the relevance of the UNSDCF to disability inclusiveness.

 

Scope of Work

Under the guidance of the Social and Human Sciences Programme Specialist of UNESCO ROSA, supported by the local office and in consultation with the Deputy Prime Minister Office (DPMO) and the UNPRPD Project Coordinator, the consultant will organise relevant stakeholders to review, validate and disseminate the National Disability Plan of Action for the next five-year period (2024-2028) and review the relevance of the UNSDCF to disability inclusiveness.

 

The specific activities and tasks will include:

1. Review, popularize and disseminate the National Disability Plan of Action (2018-2022)
   1. Conduct rapid assessment of the implementation level of the NDPA, with recommendations on the low hanging fruits for acceleration
   2. Conduct workshop(s) on reviewing the NDPA
   3. Facilitate meeting(s) on validating the NDPA
   4. Facilitate meeting(s) on disseminating the renewed National Disability Plan of Action
2. Produce UNSDCF in accessible disability formats
   1. Conduct a rapid review of the UNSDCF document to assess its relevance to the OPDs, as well as formats need for accessibility
   2. Facilitate meeting(s) on validating the UNSDCF
   3. Facilitate meeting(s) on disseminating the UNSDCF

 

The consultant will report to UNESCO and work closely with the Project Technical Working Group. The Consultancy is for a period of approximately 45 days over 4 months to allow for feedback, progress on preparations and adjustments. The tasks and deliverables are as follows:

 

Stage	Main Activity	Deliverables	Days
1	Develop an inception report with methodology; work schedule, and data collection plan including tools.	Inception report with clear methodology schedule of work, and draft data collection plan and tools.	5
2	Conduct rapid assessment of the implementation level of the NDPA	Assessment report	20
3	Capacity building on reviewing the NDPA	Training report	1
4	Meeting on validating the NDPA	Meeting report and validated NDPA	1
5	Meeting on disseminating the NDPA	Distribution of NDPA (2024-2028)	1
6	Assessing the relevance of the UNSDCF to the OPDs	Assessment report	10
7	Workshop on translating the UNSDCF	Workshop report	2
8	Validation meeting	Meeting report and translated UNSDCF	1
9	Dissemination meeting	Translated UNSDCF distributed to the 4 regions of the country	4

 

Qualifications:

The consultant is expected to meet the following requirements of skills and experience:

Education:

• Relevant academic background and training in Social Work, Disability Inclusion, Leadership and Change Management, Development Studies, or in any other relevant discipline related to human rights and social sciences.
• Strong knowledge of contemporary development issues nationally, regionally and globally especially on disability rights, gender equality, social inclusion, access to justice, and national and global planning frameworks.
• Knowledge of UNPRPD and UNCRPD.

 

Professional Experience:

• Previous work experience with persons with disabilities is essential, an experience in Eswatini setup will be an advantage.
• Experience in developing and implementing global, regional and national policies and guidance on disability inclusion, including collaboration with organizations of persons with disabilities is an asset.
• Experience in qualitative and quantitative research methods is desirable.
• Experience in facilitating meetings, consultations, training with diverse and multisectoral teams intended to achieve specific outcome is an advantage.
• Previous experience working with UNESCO and/or any other UN agencies is an asset.

 

Skills:

• Ability to work under pressure, prioritize tasks and meet deadlines.
• Capacity to take initiative and to develop participative teamwork.
• Sensitivity for cultural diversity and gender equality.

 

Persons with any form of disability are equally encouraged to apply.

 

Application Procedure:

Interested candidates should submit their applications in English with a detailed curriculum vitae and a motivation letter to yuan.liu@unesco.org and phumzile_hlophe@yahoo.com by end of day of 13th June, 2023.