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The candidates can refer to this link for the Description of Assignment in Russian language.

Кандидаты могут воспользоваться этой ссылкой для ознакомления с Описанием задания на русском языке.

Background
The social protection system requires comprehensive reform, as highlighted by the 2023 assessment using the international Core Diagnostic Instrument (CODI) methodology. Key findings include:
Limited coverage and inadequate benefit levels for children, maternity, and unemployment assistance, compounded by restrictive eligibility criteria. Insufficient qualified social workers at the municipal level, particularly for children and families in difficult life situations and victims of domestic violence. Unclear staff roles and responsibilities, leading to duplication of functions and inefficiencies in service delivery. Absence of a comprehensive national social protection strategy, resulting in fragmented policies and weak alignment with economic, labour market, and related sectors. Fragmentation of databases concerning vulnerable groups, hindering effective targeting and coordination. Reduced contribution rates to the contributory pension scheme, threatening its long-term sustainability. Disconnect between national social protection priorities and budget planning, limiting the system’s responsiveness and impact.

In 2024 the government of the Kyrgyz Republic requested UNICEF to conduct a social sector spending analysis of the three social sector ministries (health, education and social protection) to support development of the national development programme 2030. Overall, the analysis found that in general all three sectors receive an adequate amount of budget, but the challenge is in the choices they are making on how to spend it and the results for children being achieved from those choices. In health only 4% of the budget goes to prevention at the PHC level. In education foundational skills in learning and maths remains well below what they should be and in social protection child poverty remains high and there are insufficient social workers to address child protection issues with 7% of all social protection spending going to children, compared to 11-12% in other countries.

In recent years, with UNICEF support the Government of Kyrgyzstan launched several important initiatives to support vulnerable children, including those with developmental delays and disabilities in regular and emergency situations. These include:

• Implementation of Trans-Disciplinary Teams (TDT) to support Early Identification and Early Interventions (EIEI) and support families with a child with a disability. Implementation of the government accelerator programme on voucher financing of preschool education for 1,000 poor children. This initiative aims to expand access to preschool education for 1,000 children from poor families through a voucher-based financing model. It is a locally driven, multi-stakeholder effort that brings together line ministries, other central and local government bodies, and women entrepreneurs. The programme seeks to improve children's access to social support services while simultaneously promoting women's employment. It serves as a prototype for developing family-friendly services through coordinated and inclusive action.

UNICEF also provides support in developing knowledge products and tools to inform and support planning and budgeting processes over the short and medium term. These include:

• Generation 2050 which will provide an analysis of demographic projections for children, adolescents, and youth in the five Central Asia countries over the coming 25 years and explore implications for the necessary investments in core services for children to leverage the demographic potential of the region and provide opportunities for children and youth.
• A spending analysis of the three social sectors which provided a set of recommendations on flagship programmes to achieve key child-related targets which now need changes in budget planning and estimated costs to inform government’s decisions in addressing child vulnerability.
• Introduction of programme-based budgeting (PBB) to the MLSWM to use for the 2027 budget cycle and ensure key flagship programme(s) are included to address key child vulnerability.

In order to ensure the long-term sustainability of intervention to support the most vulnerable children as mentioned above, the line ministries will review, with the Ministry of Finance, the financial resources required to deliver the mentioned initiatives; data to conduct a realistic fiscal space analysis for Generation 2025, costing of proposed flagship programmes and support to introduce PBB.

Thus, UNICEF is looking for consultant to assist UNICEF in providing technical assistance to relevant stakeholders in budget planning and costing of key child focused initiatives and programmes, develop costing knowledge products and support introduction of programme-based budgeting (PBB).

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:
To assist UNICEF in providing technical assistance to relevant stakeholders in budget planning and costing of key child focused initiatives and programmes, develop costing knowledge products and support introduction of programme-based budgeting (PBB).

Scope of Work:

1. Identify potential financial resources from the government and non-government entities, including private sector, that could finance government-led hCTs. Review normative frameworks which govern PFM to identify the optimal choices to pre-position and disburse hCTs in order to support the roll out of the  Emergency Situations Regulation and Standard Operating procedures (SOPs) on hCTs.
2. Support UNICEF in mapping the financial resources of the Republican Budget of the MoE for the preschool voucher for poor children; in tracking financial resources to district education departments and how this is disbursed to children from poor families as part of our support towards pro-poor family friendly policies. Document barriers and concrete recommendations for way forward.   
3. Conduct costing of transdisciplinary teams providing early identification and early intervention (EIEI) services to support scale up by the government.
4. Contribute data and technical input on the financing options for country-specific fiscal space analysis within the Generation 2050: Central Asia.
5. Support UNICEF in identifying flagship recommendations for MLSWM from the spending analysis, planning and costing the preferred options to address child vulnerability and child protection.
6. Provide expert support to MLSWM to prepare a programme-based budget submission for 2027. This should use the flagship programme(s) identified from the social protection spending performance analysis. Contribute to the financial data update for the Genesis Analytics spending analysis of the social protection sector

Travel Local: One 4-day travel to Suzak district would be required.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… 

Minimum Qualification requirements:

Ms in Economics, Finance, Public Policy or related spheres (10 points)

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:
1. Proven ability to access financial data and the Republican budget (15 points)
2. ≥ 7 years of professional experience in Public Finance Management (PFM) including Programme-based Budgeting (15 points)
3. Knowledge of the national financial framework and hands-on experience on the government planning, costing, budgeting, monitoring and accountability (20 points)
4. Analytical, writing and presentation skills (10 points)
5. Fluency in Kyrgyz and Russian (5 points)

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS). 

To view our competency framework, please visit  here. 

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Remarks:  

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. 

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. 

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.