National Consultant - Municipality Mapping Assessment

Result of ServiceThe consultant will report to the Head of Resident Coordinator’s Office and day-day tasks, managed by the Development Economist with the following tasks and responsibilities: 1. Develop a data entry mapping assessment tool to take account of 2 below. 2. Undertake a detailed review of the data of 13 Municipalities on development projects – names of projects; focus of projects(i) thematic and ii) disaggregated into specific interventions (capacity building/training/skill development; policy change; knowledge generation, service provision); target beneficiaries; Sucos/Aldeia/Municipality where the projects are located; implementing organization; donors including ministries; levels of funding; partners – if projects are being implemented by more than 1 donor/organization; involvement of Municipality Authority in the planning of the projects; timeframe of completion; sustainability plans to integrate into national/Municipality Plans. This task to be done in collaboration with the Ministry of State Administration and Presidents of Municipality Authorities. 3. Develop an accessible map of the information using AI tools, to cluster all interventions in each Municipality along the 6 SDG Transitions (Food Systems Transformation; Energy Access and affordability; Digital connectivity; Transforming Education; Jobs and Social protection; climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution) and further mapped under the 4 pillars of the National Strategic Development Plan (Social Capital; Infrastructure Development; Economic Development and Institutional Framework). 4. Document the lessons learned, and challenges throughout the project stages to be shared with the Ministry of State Administration and President of Municipal Authorities. 5. Participate in relevant meetings, workshops, and consultations to gather feedback, address concerns, and foster positive relationships. Work LocationDili, Timor-Leste Expected duration5 May - 27 June Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground Information The UN and development partners in Timor-Leste are working towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 17 interconnected and ambitious Goals which address the major development challenges faced by people in Timor-Leste and around the world. With barely 5 years to go until 2030, and globally SDGs indicators off target, investing more in human capital is seen as a priority for sustainable development and economic growth. Timor-Leste, with a population of over 1.3 million and a diverse topography, is characterized by six agroclimatic zones. While the Human Development Index (HDI) has improved since 2000, inequality remains significant, with a 28.1% reduction in HDI when adjusted for inequality. The 2022 census shows a youthful population, with 64.6% under 30 years of age, and an average household size of 5.4 people. Urbanization is limited, with only 28.6% living in urban areas. Economically, Timor-Leste relies heavily on petroleum revenues, which contribute over 80% of public spending. Efforts to diversify the economy include investments in agriculture, infrastructure, and tourism. Agriculture employs 64% of the labor force but contributes only 16.3% to GDP due to low productivity. Public debt and trade deficits are growing concerns, highlighting the need for fiscal reforms and private sector development. Environmental challenges, such as climate change and natural disasters, exacerbate socio-economic vulnerabilities. Chronic food insecurity affects 36% of the population, and climate-induced hazards, including floods and droughts, pose significant risks. Investments in climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, and environmental conservation are critical to mitigating these impacts. Multidimensional poverty disproportionately affects rural areas, with 58.9% of rural residents living in poverty compared to 19.3% in urban areas. The key contributors to poverty are health (29.3%), education (23.1%), and living standards (47.6%). Social protection programs cover only 30.6% of the population, with elderly pensions achieving nearly universal coverage. Structural causes of poverty, including limited access to education and healthcare, must be addressed alongside expanding social protection coverage to vulnerable groups. Education outcomes reveal significant challenges. Preschool enrollment remains low at 27.87% in 2020, while primary education enrollment has declined to 87.2% in 2021. Only 45.1% of students aged 15-17 are in secondary education. Rural-urban disparities persist, with literacy rates in urban areas at 85.7%, compared to 64.6% in rural areas. Youth literacy (ages 15-24) is 87.3%, but older women show significant disadvantages compared to men, with literacy rates of 45.2% for men aged 60-65 and 21.0% for women in the same age group. Linguistic diversity poses additional barriers, with Tetum and Portuguese as official languages but limited English proficiency, which is crucial for ASEAN integration. Increased preschool enrollment, reduction of gender disparities, and addressing linguistic challenges are critical priorities. Maternal mortality remains high at 413 per 100,000 live births (2022), and infant mortality is 42.4 per 1,000 live births, with rural areas faring worse. Physician density is low at 7.67 per 10,000 population, contributing to limited healthcare access. Geographic disparities are evident, with urban areas like Dili showing higher life expectancy for women (69.2 years) but lower for men (65.3 years), likely due to occupational risks and urban stresses. Approximately half of all villages lack health posts, relying instead on mobile clinics and community health initiatives. Improving rural healthcare infrastructure and addressing workforce shortages are essential to enhance healthcare access. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) access remains uneven. Nationally, 85% of the population has access to basic water, but rural areas lag behind at 80% compared to 96% in urban areas. Sanitation coverage is 57%, with urban areas at 74% and rural areas at 49%. Only 28% of rural households use appropriate hand-washing facilities, highlighting gaps in hygiene practices. Poor sanitation is estimated to cost the economy approximately 2% of GDP. Increased investment in WASH infrastructure is critical, as every $1 spent on sanitation could yield a $2 return through reduced healthcare costs and increased productivity. Nutrition challenges are severe, with 47.1% of children under five experiencing stunting and 19% of women of reproductive age being underweight. Anemia affects 38% of pregnant women, and rural areas face greater challenges due to limited food access. Poor storage and transportation infrastructure lead to significant food losses, exacerbating malnutrition. Stunting and malnutrition not only jeopardize public health but also hinder human capital development. Problem Statement From the above socio-indicators of the country, the biggest disparity in access to services and achieving the SDGs is between rural and urban areas – primarily Dili Municipality representing the ‘urban’ population and the other 12 Municipalities representing the ‘rural’. To address this disparity, the government has made several attempts at decentralization. This was first through the territorial division law in 2009 (Decree Law No.11/2009), and then the implementation of its territorial divisions with administrative decentralization reforms in 2016 (guided by Decree Law No. 03/2016 on the status of municipal administrations, municipal authorities and interministerial technical group for administrative decentralization) and Decree Law No.84/2023, which makes the 5th amendment to the decree law No.03/2016 has brought considerable changes to municipalities. With the Decree Law No.84/2023 marked the beginning of the second phase of the implementation of the administrative decentralization policy, which seek to overcome some of the obstacles faced during the first phase such as the regulation of powers to be exercised by local administrative bodies, filling the staffing and the provision of directors of municipal authorities, and provide solution to some regulatory inconsistency protected in Decree Law No. 3/2016 such as financial management and public procurement. Thus, the status of municipal administration was restructured with the President of the Municipal Authority appointed and dismissed by the Prime Minister, upon proposal by the Minister of State Administration and for the first time since independence, funds were allocated directly to municipal administrations with direct execution power of expense not exceeded US$500,000 and anything above that will need Minister of State Administration Approval Although central line ministries continue to be responsible for provision of public services, municipalities are allowed under the Decree Law No.84/2023, to implement local programs in functional areas that include among others, education, health, agriculture, public works, and water and sanitation, and permanent Government program like Merenda Escolar (school feeding program), Bolsa de Mae and PNDS. This enables municipalities to undertake very basic services including maintenance of ambulances and fuel for vehicles in the health sector, implement school feeding programs under their jurisdiction and implement school infrastructure improvement projects as municipalities can implement infrastructure projects up to half a million dollars. The Municipal Authorities, however, have limited autonomy as their budgets are integrated into the central government through the Ministry of State Administration and this enables central control of municipality social-economic issues prioritization and planning in their domains. There continues to be insufficient funding and haphazard allocations to the Municipal Authorities, with Atauro and the enclave of Oecusse getting almost twice as much as all other Municipalities combined. This limits the ability of Municipal Authorities to effectively coordinate, plan, drive investments, monitor needs and implement programs to benefit local communities. Even though there are clear responsibilities defined by law, there continues to be lack of coordination of activities, duplication of activities between national and Municipal Authorities. This is partly because development projects are planned independently by individual ministries at the national level for municipalities and not often aligned with Municipal needs based on assessments and analysis of the Municipal Authorities. There is also a lack of coordination between development partners, NGOs, UN agencies with central government and Municipal Authorities to adequately plan for Municipality interventions based on needs and evidence, making it difficult to scale, to attract investments and demonstrate the results of financial commitments from government and development partners to the achievement of the SDGs. There is also no evidence of strong community engagement in planning, in determining priorities within the communities and allocation of resources. To support government in strengthening the decentralization process beyond just a political process, but as an engine of delivery of services (health, education, nutrition), of creating sustainable and climate resilient communities and reduce rural – urban migration, including supporting food systems transformation to transform economic and job opportunities, and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs, there must be support to customizing the planning of each Municipality to respond to the needs of communities, using evidence based data – looking at gender and other LNOB characteristics. It will require as a first step, supporting capacities of Municipality Authorities to coordinate, plan, use evidence-based data to develop area-based plans and coordinate all development initiatives to ensure scale of interventions, investments and impact that would lead to achieving the SDGs. Purpose and Scope of Assignment: The purpose of this consultancy is to support the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office and in partnership with the Ministry of State Administration, to document and map all ongoing development initiatives (by government, UN agencies, development partners and NGOs) in the 13 Municipalities of Timor-Leste and through the use of mapping tools, including AI, to cluster the interventions around the SDG Transitions (Food Systems Transformation; Energy Access and affordability; Digital connectivity; Transforming Education; Jobs and Social protection; climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution) and further mapped under the 4 pillars of the National Strategic Development Plan (Social Capital; Infrastructure Development; Economic Development and Institutional Framework). The mapping is to understand where investments are going and if they reflect the social economic challenges, including opportunities of each Municipality, understand what are being funded and if aligned to the National Development Strategic Plan, understand planning mechanisms with partners in each Municipality, identify opportunities for strengthened joint work and scale and importantly, provide a framework for Municipal Authorities to strengthen their planning with government ministries and development partners, monitoring and developing more impactful area plans that can be invested in using blended finance modalities. Qualifications/special skillsBachelor’s in Statistics, Social Sciences, data management or relevant academic qualifications. An advanced degree in data management and analytics is desirable. 1. Experience in data management tools, data visualization tools and spreadsheet, research and ability to interpret and analyze information. 2. Experience in working with Timor-Leste government agencies, including previous experience in working in Municipalities. international organizations, and other stakeholders involved in infrastructure projects is an asset. 3. A minimum of 3 (Three) years of relevant professional experience in data analytics. 4. Proficiency in using computer-aided design (CAD) software and other software tools including GIS and AI is desired. LanguagesProficiency in English and Tetum are required, knowledge Portuguese will be an advantage. Additional InformationLocal travel to up to 6 municipalities will be required. Deliverables: 1. A mapping tool on the data entry and database developed for the scope of work as indicated in the tasks. 2. An inception plan on how the assignment will be carried out and needs during the period of assignment in consultation with the Ministry of State Administration. 3. Final mapping of all information collected in user/interactive model that shows the analysis in a visual way of the SDG transitions, funding and other. 4. Present report/assessment in a series of knowledge sharing events to the key government policy makers, Development Partner and UN agencies. No FeeTHE 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.