Result of Service

The incumbent is expected to work in coordination with UN RCO Partnerships and Development Finance Officer (PDFO) under the overall guidance of the UN Strategic Planning Officer / RCO Head of Office. S/he shall regularly update the UN RCO on the progress of implementation of the assignment. All organizational and informational support for the expert will be facilitated by the UN RCO. The consultant, with the support of PDFO, will maintain coordination with UNCT members while working on deliverables related to UNCT engagement with private businesses. The consultant will document learning products related to the topic and conduct a capacity development workshop for RCO and UNCT programme staff. Key deliverables will be validated with RCO PDFO and HoRCO, with final outputs and presentations planned for December 2025. 1. A comprehensive overview (mapping) of current UN-private sector collaborations and partnerships in Turkmenistan, a paper of up to 20 pages + Annexes, October-November 2025 2. ToR for the UN-Private Sector Partnerships Platform Secretariat, including a set of key guidelines, November 2025 3. UN-Private Sector Partnerships Platform Workplan for 2026-2027,November 2025 4. Concept Note and Agenda for the next Platform meeting,December 2025 5. Presentation of the results of the Mapping exercise, the Secretariat ToRs and guidelines, as well as the Workplan, at the next Platform meeting, December 2025 6. Capacity-building workshop for the UN staff,December 2025

Work Location

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

Expected duration

October-Dec 2025

Duties and Responsibilities

The importance of having a private business on board while implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its set of universal and transformative Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the Sevilla Commitment of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, Pact for the Future and other global agreements and frameworks, was stressed and continuously reiterated at different levels and in many intergovernmental fora, UN flagship reports, research papers, and speeches by high-level speakers all over the world. The UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (UN RCO) and the UN Country Team in Turkmenistan (UNCT) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan (MFA), and the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Turkmenistan (UIET), conducted a series of consultative meetings to identify priority areas of cooperation and building partnerships between the UN and the private business in the country, aiming to unleash the power of the private companies and entrepreneurs towards implementation of the national development priorities, aligned with the Agenda 2030 and SDGs. These consultations resulted in signing the Memorandum of Understanding between the UIET and the UN in Turkmenistan on Cooperation in Implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SDGs. The UIET and the UN adopted a two-year Action Plan to implement the MoU, and established a UN-Private Sector Partnerships Platform as the operational arm of the partnership and execution mechanism for the MoU. Several meetings of the platform have been held, and study visits to the private companies' facilities have been conducted. Further steps for the UN in Turkmenistan will be to establish a secretariat function for the Platform, ensure sustainability of its operation along the priority areas of the MoU, and continue engaging the private sector of Turkmenistan in implementing Agenda 2030 and SDGs. The consultant will deliver a short-term assignment (40 working days), structured around the following tasks: Task 1 (50% of the assignment workload): Develop a comprehensive overview (mapping) of current UN-private sector collaborations in Turkmenistan, incorporating recommendations to enhance existing initiatives as well as strategies for establishing new potential partnerships. • Draft a methodology for the mapping, outlining its key components and expected outcomes. • Develop a mapping of the current UN-private sector collaborations in Turkmenistan, indicating areas/sectors of the economy • Conduct interviews with UN programme staff and private sector members to collect necessary inputs for the mapping. Develop draft questionnaires and survey templates. Consider using the MoU between the UN and UIET and its two-year Action Plan, UN Country Analysis findings and prioritized SDG transitions, new UNSDCF 2026-2030, World Bank Enterprise Survey results as a reference during the interview, and use the responses to track the progress of APs implementation. • Compile and organize responses, review and analyse key trends, incentives to partner from both the UN and private sector sides, impacts and outcomes achieved. • Identify gaps and provide recommendations to the UN on increasing the quality and impact of partnerships with the private sector. • Suggest strategies for increasing the UN engagement with the private sector, particularly in SDGs implementation in Turkmenistan. Recommendations should be aligned with the country context. Task 2 (30% of the assignment workload): Develop a ToR for the UN-Private Sector Partnerships Platform Secretariat, including a set of key guidelines. Develop a Platform’s Workplan. • Develop a ToR for the UN-Private Sector Partnerships Platform Secretariat, outlining its key responsibilities, structure, organization of work, technical capacities, etc. Refer to the Platform’s ToR, MoU between the UN and UIET, and UN-Private Sector Engagement Concept Note. • Develop a set of guidelines (standard procedures) for the Secretariat to effectively organize the work of the Platform, including recommendations on resource mobilization. • In consultation with RCO, UIET, and key development partners, draft the Platform’s Workplan for the next two years, anchoring it to the new UNSDCF, national commitments to SDG transformation, Awaza Programme of Action and Pact for the Future implementation. Draft the Concept Note and the Agenda for the next Platform meeting in December. Task 3 (20% of the assignment workload): Present the results and conduct a workshop for UN staff and partners • Present the results of the Mapping exercise, the Secretariat ToRs and guidelines, as well as the Workplan at the next Platform meeting. Collect comments and suggestions from participants to update the mapping as needed. • Deliver a capacity-building workshop for the UN staff built on the recommendations from the mapping. Suggest key UN and third-party reference and learning materials for building partnerships with the private sector. Use examples of high-impact partnerships in SDGs implementation, including PPPs.

Qualifications/special skills

A first-level university degree (Bachelor Degree) in development studies, economics, finance, management, international relations, law, or other related fields is required. Master's Degree in development studies, economics, finance, management, international relations, law, or other related fields is desirable. A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience such as sustainable development and partnerships building is required. Advanced expertise in private sector engagement and partnership development is required. Proven experience in the development of analytical papers such as reports, surveys, mappings, and drafting development-related documents is required. Familiarity with the Agenda 2030 and SDGs, roles of the UN and private sector in implementing SDGs is desirable. Experience of working with the UN is diserable. Prior experience in developing UN and private sector-related analytical pieces, stakeholder engagement strategies is desirable Knowledge of the private sector of Turkmenistan, government policies, and international frameworks related to the private sector development is desirable

Languages

Fluency in Russian and Turkmen is required. Knowledge of English is desirable.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.