Duties and Responsibilities
Background: The Country Analysis (CA), formerly Common Country Analysis – CCA, is a joint exercise of the UN System that provides a contextual, causal, and forward-looking reading of Morocco’s socio-economic situation, to inform strategic choices, accelerate progress toward development objectives, and guide future cooperation frameworks. The CA is a concise, systemic, and prescriptive document. It aims to (1) identify catalytic pathways to accelerate the SDGs and (2) integrate a foresight dimension to anticipate risks and opportunities. 1. Overall Objective of the Assignment Support the design, analytical coordination, and drafting of the Morocco 2025 Country Analysis (CA), covering the main elements below. In this role, the consultant will carry out the required tasks (literature review, detailed outline, successive drafts), integrate feedback from UN agencies and other stakeholders in a structured manner, and contribute to the facilitation of thematic working groups and validation workshops with management bodies. Main elements: • Causal and systemic approach: highlight the structural drivers of key challenges by reasoning in terms of systems (food, education, energy, health, etc.) rather than isolated sectors; identify catalytic pathways to accelerate the SDGs, aligned with the major global transitions noted above as well as national priorities. • Foresight and risk management: conduct horizon scanning to identify emerging risks. • People-centered focus: consider concrete implications for people’s lives and incorporate the voices of vulnerable and marginalized groups (through qualitative methods, surveys, or interviews). • Data and analysis: use disaggregated data and analytical/visualization methods that better reflect inequalities and structural dynamics. • Human rights and Gender inclusion: integrate Morocco’s international obligations (ratified treaties, recommendations from Geneva-based mechanisms, UPR, etc.) and track their implementation. Integrate Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) and Leave No One Behind (LNOB) analysis into the CA. Relying on recently produced diagnostic and analysis on the question (human right analysis, gender profile, etc) 2. Duties and Responsibilities: The Country Analysis remains an internally led UN product under the responsibility of the RCO Economist, agency focal points, and designated penholders. The consultant may provide technical and process support, including background inputs and assistance in consolidating contributions and preliminary versions, but the substantive drafting and validation of the Country Analysis, remain with the internal UN team. In this context, the tasks and responsibilities outlined below should be understood as indicative and may be further adjusted as needed to reflect the division of roles and the evolving needs of the process. A – Preparation and Evidence Mapping • Hold a kick-off meeting with the UN Resident Coordinator Office (RCO) and agree on scope and coordination arrangements. • Produce a methodological note for the production of the CA– to be validated by the UN RCO – Including a methodological proposal for the foresight exercise and horizon-scanning process, combining a desk review of emerging signals, consultations and internal/external working groups, as well as the related logistical arrangements. • Coordinate with and build on the work carried out by other UN agencies (UNFPA, UNESCO) on foresight and horizon scanning. B – Thematic Working Groups and Drafting • Support the horizon scanning to inform the foresight exercise, in line with the methodology previously proposed by the consultant. The exercise should include, at a minimum, a desk review—covering international and national partner publications, official diagnostics, sector notes, previous versions of the CCA, recent laws and reforms, the latest statistics, as well as relevant UN agency work and publications—and a workshop with relevant UN agencies and other stakeholders. It may also draw, as appropriate, on additional methods set out in the approved methodological approach, such as stakeholder outreach, consultations, discussion sessions, key informant interviews, working groups, and, where relevant, targeted surveys. The horizon-scanning exercise should identify emerging signals, trends, and risks relevant to the foresight exercise and the country analysis. • Support the preparation of a report on the results of the horizon-scanning exercise. The report should present the methodology used, summarize the main findings, highlight key emerging issues and signals, and identify their implications for the country analysis and broader foresight exercise. • Develop a first draft outline of the country analysis CA (Version 1) based on the results of the horizon-scanning exercise. This should identify the main proposed areas of analysis, key thematic priorities, and a structure for the document. • Facilitate a workshop with UN agencies to refine and complement the draft outline of the Country Analysis (CA) and establish thematic working groups to support the further development and definition of the CA. Expected outcome: revised outline of the CA (Version 2).Prepare the First Draft of the Country Analysis (Version 1), ensuring cross-axis coherence, alignment with causal/systemic and foresight approaches And including main elements listed before. • Share Country Analysis (Version 1) and consolidate inputs from UN agencies. C – Finalization and Validation • Integrate final comments; prepare Country Analysis (Version 2), including executive summary, key messages, recommendations. • Present Country Analysis (Version 2) at Validation Workshop; capture decisions and final inputs. • Produce Final version of the CA and disseminate the document and slide deck. Indicative Timeline • April/May 2026: Kick-off/methodological note; Foresight/Horizon Scanning (HS) → HS results report →Detailed Outline V1 → Validation Workshop → Outline V2. • June 2026: Thematic working groups (with Share templates and facilitate Workshop/consolidation of inputs for CA V1. • September 2026: Integration of final inputs; CA Version 2/Validation workshop with UN agencies; Final draft of CA and presentation materials. 3. Assignment Oversight The assignment will be carried out under the overall supervision of the UN Resident Coordinator and under direct supervision from the Economist of the Resident Coordination Office in Rabat - Morocco, in coordination with the UN agencies (focal points to be designated).
Qualifications/special skills
• Master’s degree in social sciences, development, economics, or a related field is required. • At least 5 years’ experience in strategic economic analysis, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and analytical writing (notes/syntheses/briefs), with a solid understanding of macro- and micro-economic issues and proven knowledge of the Moroccan context is required. • Demonstrated knowledge of Morocco’s socio-political - economic context is required. • Working experience with Academia, International Organizations; Government and related institutions is desirable. • Experience in facilitating workshops and thematic sessions, with the ability to lead and energize discussions involving multiple stakeholders is desirable. • Experience in data visualization and synthesis for decision-making purposes, including advanced use of Excel, Power BI, Tableau, Python, STATA, or similar tools is desirable. • Experience in, or at least familiarity with, foresight and horizon-scanning methodologies is desirable.
