Job Description

Purpose of consultancy:          

Technical support to the Sports and Youth Affairs Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on its Youth Policy

Scope of work:

Background:

Pakistan is currently one of the youngest countries in the world. While the population below the age of 30 makes up nearly two-thirds of Pakistan’s 207.8 million population, young people (15-29 years) account for about 29% of the country’s total population.  In other words, there are approximately 60 million young people in Pakistan. The share of young people in the population is likely to increase further in the coming years. This large cohort of youth is seen as the beacon of prosperity capturing the demographic dividend in Pakistan . Pakistan’s large youth bulge represents both an opportunity and a risk for the socio-economic development of the country. On the one hand, it means a rise in the proportion of the working age population and entry of a large number of youth into the labour market. If these new entrants to the labour market can be absorbed into productive activities, it will boost the income per capita and result in a demographic dividend. On the other hand, if these entrants can’t find decent work opportunities, then the youth bulge is likely to become a demographic time bomb. In short, the youth bulge is bound to affect the country’s socio-economic development one or the other way.

The window of opportunity presented by the youth bulge will not be available forever. Therefore, it is vital for the local and provincial governments as well as the federal government to take all possible steps to tap the potential of the youth within the limited time window. Most importantly, governments will need to invest in young people to enable them to lead active and fulfilling lives.

Pakistan has, in recent years, shown its resolute commitment to youth development, evident from the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as various youth initiatives that acknowledges the need for positive youth development and empowerment. Pursuant to this, UNFPA has been actively working with the Provincial Youth Departments and recently with the Prime Minister’s Office – Youth Secretariat, advocating for increased investment in young people’s development and active engagement while creating leadership opportunities for them. 

Provincially, UNFPA has and continues to support youth departments for the inclusion of reproductive health and rights of young people in programming and policies, including advocacy towards Life Skills Based Education. Youth Policies play a pivotal role in guaranteeing the rights and needs of young people. This consultancy proposes to support the Balochistan Sports and Youth Affairs Department on the approval of its draft youth policy.

 Duration and working schedule:         

This consultancy is spread over the period of five (05) months, with a working week of five (5) days, following the working hours of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Youth Affairs department.

Place where services are to be delivered:     

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Youth Affairs Department

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.):

The key tasks of the consultant will include:

●            Based on the officially notified Youth Policy in 2016, the consultant will work with the government department to revise the policy in alignment with the current needs.

●            Develop a five- year strategic Youth Action Plan 2025 – 2030 along with a budgetary framework in terms of a costed implementation plan.

●            Devise a monitoring and evaluation framework for the revised Youth Policy.

●            Organise and conduct consultative meetings with government stakeholders, civil society and youth groups under the leadership of the youth affairs department;

●            Incorporate any feedback on the revised policy documents and costed implementation plan as received through the consultative process;

●            Conduct a validation workshop under the leadership of the youth affairs department for the final revised policy document and costed implementation plan.

Key deliverables

1.                          Inception Report

Roadmap of the technical support to be extended to the department including timelines.            

2.                          Draft structure/outline of the proposed revisions in the youth policy, strategic youth action plan 2025 – 2030

Report of meetings conducted with the department and stakeholders for the preparation of the revision and action plan, providing meeting minutes and any correspondence from the department. 

3.                          Draft of the revised youth policy

4.                          Draft of the five-year strategic Youth Action Plan 2025 - 2030

Draft of the costed implementation plan

Draft Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

5.                          Report on the consultative meeting with stakeholders and the department on the revised youth policy, strategic Youth Action Plan 2025 – 2030 and costed implementation plan recording the feedback received on the drafts. 

Report on the final validation workshop conducted with the department and other stakeholders for the final implementation plan and other documents as listed in the assignment.     

6.                          Approval letter from the youth department on the final revised policy, strategic Youth Action Plan and costed implementation plan.               

Note: Payment of the assignment is deliverable based and will ONLY be processed on receipt of satisfactory documents as stipulated above.

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline: 

During the course of the assignment, the consultant will work in close collaboration with the appointed focal person of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Youth Affairs.

Supervisory arrangements:

For timely submission of deliverables and quality control measures, the candidate will work under the immediate supervision of UNFPA’s Provincial Coordinator for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and overall guidance of the UNFPA Programme Analyst (AY - SRH). 

Expected travel:           

No travel is required. All meetings are to be conducted in Peshawar.

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:               Knowledge and Experience:

●            Advanced university degree in public or social policy, social sciences or other relevant studies,

●            At least 7 years of experience of working in public or social policy sector,

●            Hands-on experience in public policy formulation, implementation and preparing policy/project implementation plans,

●            Demonstrable understanding of results based management and project planning,

●            Demonstrable linkages with the relevant Government departments and policy makers in the province,

●            Exceptional verbal, written and presentation skills,

●            Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team,

●            Previous demonstrable experience of working with UN agencies,

●            Ability to work on tight deadlines,

●            Strong knowledge of contemporary development issues nationally and globally on adolescents and youth meaningful engagement, educational attainment, health and wellbeing, community engagement, participation in civic issues, livelihoods and employment, entrepreneurship and national and global planning frameworks,

●            Strong knowledge of SDGs and Pakistan’s commitments to the goals,

●            Excellent networks/linkages with government and civil society partners,

Functional competencies:

●            Advocacy/Advancing a policy-oriented agenda

●            Innovation and adopting new approaches

●            Adolescents and youth development and engagement

 Core Competencies:

●            Values: Integrity/Commitment to mandate, Knowledge sharing/Continuous learning, Valuing diversity

●            Managing Relationships: Working in teams, Communicating information and ideas, Conflict and self-management

●            Working with people: Empowerment/Developing people/Performance management

●            Personal Leadership and Effectiveness: Strategic and analytical thinking, Results orientation/Commitment to excellence, Appropriate and transparent decision making

Languages:

Written/ verbal competency in English and Urdu is required. Any regional language is desirable.

Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment), if applicable:         

The consultant will be expected to have his/her own computer and other equipment needed for this assignment and is expected to follow the working modality of UNFPA. The consultant will be based at the KP Youth Affairs Department.