Result of Service
A concise, high-quality Leave No One Behind and human rights analysis that strengthens the United Nations’ evidence base on patterns of inclusion and exclusion in Guyana, and provides a shared analytical foundation to inform priority setting, collective programming and policy dialogue. The analysis will support the alignment of UN system-wide programming and advocacy with national development priorities, plans and ambitions, and contribute to the effective preparation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2027–2031).
Expected duration
5 months
Duties and Responsibilities
Guyana is undergoing a period of profound economic and social transformation, driven by rapid economic expansion following the discovery of offshore oil resources. This expansion has positioned the country among the world’s fastest-growing economies and contributed to its transition to high-income status. Against this backdrop, the Government is seeking to leverage this window of opportunity through an ambitious policy reform and public investment program to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and improve development outcomes. At the same time, development outcomes and access to opportunities remain uneven across the population. Certain population groups and geographic areas face differentiated challenges and vulnerabilities and are at risk of being left behind. While Guyana’s economic transformation offers strong potential to advance multiple SDGs, fostering social cohesion and inclusive development requires continued efforts to strengthen citizen-centric governance grounded in human rights principles and core elements of good governance, including transparency, accountability and participation. The United Nations in Guyana is preparing a new Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (MSDCF) for the period 2027–2031. In this context, the Resident Coordinator Office (RCO) seeks to strengthen its evidence base through a focused Leave No One Behind (LNOB) and human rights analysis to better understand patterns of inclusion and exclusion, equality and access to services and opportunities, as well as the structural and institutional factors shaping these outcomes. The analysis will complement other ongoing analytical work of the United Nations in Guyana, including the most recent Common Country Analysis (CCA). This assignment will be led by the RCO and will serve as a targeted analytical input to the preparation of the next Cooperation Framework, as well as to inform country program documents and interventions of UN agencies, funds and programs operating in Guyana. The analysis will be concise and policy-oriented, supporting UN system-wide prioritization, programming choices and constructive policy dialogue and advocacy with national counterparts within prevailing data and information constraints. The consultant will apply a mixed-methods analytical approach proportionate to the scope and resources of the assignment. The methodology will be refined and confirmed in an inception note. The methodological approach is expected to include: • Design a context-sensitive research, validation and dissemination approach that explicitly accounts for political, social and institutional sensitivities related to LNOB and human rights, including ethical considerations, do-no-harm principles and risk mitigation measures. • Comprehensive desk review of relevant national and international sources, including UN human rights mechanisms, national laws, policies and strategies, statistical reports, population census data and existing analytical work from the UN system, national institutions, academia, and other credible sources. • Systematic review, harmonization and synthesis of available quantitative data, with attention to disaggregation by sex, age, geography, ethnicity, disability status and other relevant characteristics, and transparent treatment of data gaps and limitations. • Advanced quantitative analysis of existing data, including the application of modern econometric and statistical techniques where appropriate, complemented by advanced and innovative data visualization to support interpretability. • Qualitative analysis drawing on selected key informant inputs from UN entities and national stakeholders, applying appropriate analytical frameworks to capture perceptions, institutional dynamics and contextual factors influencing exclusion and inequality. • Robust triangulation of quantitative and qualitative evidence to generate analytically sound findings in a data-constrained environment, including the use of proxy indicators, inferential reasoning and structured judgement where direct data are limited. Stakeholder engagement will be proportionate and targeted and may include consultations with Government entities, civil society organizations, representative groups, academia and UN agencies, as appropriate. Primary data collection will be limited and selective. The analysis will prioritize the use and synthesis of existing data and evidence from national and official sources, taking into account prevailing data availability and quality constraints.
Qualifications/special skills
An advanced University degree (at least master) in development studies, human rights, economics, social sciences, public health or a related field, with a strong foundation in applied policy analysis is required. At least ten years of professional experience in LNOB analysis, human rights-based analysis, or comparable analytical work in a development context, including experience leading or contributing to complex, multi-dimensional analytical assignments is required. Demonstrated understanding of the Guyanese development and human rights context, including familiarity with national institutions, policies, key development challenges, governance arrangements and relevant statistical and administrative data sources is required. Demonstrated experience applying both quantitative and qualitative analytical approaches, including the ability to work with disaggregated data, assess data gaps and limitations, and generate analytically sound findings in data-constrained environments is required. Demonstrated experience engaging with marginalized groups and communities, including sensitivity to political, social and cultural contexts, and the ability to translate analytical findings into programmatic and policy-relevant insights, is desirable. Demonstrated familiarity and experience with UN programming processes, including analytical work, Cooperation Frameworks or similar strategic planning and programming processes at the UN agency or UN Country Team level, is desirable.
Languages
For this position, fluency in English, with excellent drafting and communication skills, is required.
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.
