WMO Review Consultant

Result of Service1. Produce interview questionnaires for governing body members and senior staff The consultant will review information gathered by the JIU on WMO’s governance structures and prepare tailored draft questionnaires for Executive Council officers, representatives of regional associations, technical experts on relevant technical commissions, representatives from select bodies and committees and senior staff of WMO, including the Secretary-General, Deputy S-G, ASG and staff associated with directly supporting governance activities, as relevant. The list of interviewees will be provided by the JIU by 15 September 2025. Approximately 20 individual interview guides are expected to be developed by the consultant. Each interview guide should demonstrate specificity to the entity and position of the interviewee. Depending on their availability, the consultant is expected to participate to at least 10 online and/or onsite (in Geneva, Switzerland) interviews conducted by the JIU (throughout October 2025) by 30 September 2025. 2. Produce comprehensive governance benchmarks – technical guidance Using preliminary benchmarks developed by the JIU, the consultant should develop a comprehensive governance and oversight benchmarking framework by leveraging existing technical guidance (which should be identified by the consultant) that is 1. Produce comprehensive governance benchmarks – technical guidance Using preliminary benchmarks developed by the JIU, the consultant should develop a comprehensive governance and oversight benchmarking framework by leveraging existing technical guidance (which should be identified by the consultant) that is applicable to United Nations Specialized Agencies and applicable to WMO. The work on the benchmarks will be informed by the analysis and proposals put forward in JIU/REP/2023/7 – Review of governance and oversight of the Executive Boards of the United Nations Development Programme/United Nations Population Fund/United Nations Office for Project Services, the United Nations Children’s Fund and the United Nations Entity. At a minimum the benchmarks should address the different levels of constituent and non-constituent bodies and components, specific to the WMO governance framework, regarding their structure, membership, strategic relevance to the overarching objectives of the organization, operating arrangements, performance framework and oversight and accountability roles and responsibilities by 15 October 2025. 3. Produce a survey instrument for governing body members The consultant will work with JIU to develop a survey (which may use the Verint survey application) for governing body members to measure their views on the efficiency, effectiveness and fit-for-purpose of WMO’s governance structures. The survey will build on and expand the previous JIU survey administered to representatives of WMO governing bodies for the 2021 management and administration review of the organization by 1 November 2025. 4. Use governance benchmarks as produced and agreed under #2 to provide written comparative analysis and gap analysis against WMO Building on the information gathered by the JIU on WMO and 8-10 UN specialized agencies and the second deliverable of the assignment, the consultant should update the benchmarking framework and populate it with information from WMO and 8-10 specialized agencies. Among the UN specialized agencies to be comprised by the benchmark are as a minimum: FAO, ICAO, IMO, ITU, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO. The consultant will review all the evidence gathered by the JIU and a) adjust the benchmark if necessary to reflect the specificities WMO; b) highlight good practices in other UN Specialized Agencies; c) clearly identify the gaps between current practices and the benchmark; d) propose relevant recommendations to address the gaps. Above items b, c and d should be in writing with quality comparable with a final JIU report by 15 December 2025. 5. 5. Produce an analysis of the evolution of resource allocation for the operation of WMO governing bodies and their secretariat The consultant should provide a written comparative analysis of the financial and human resources engaged before and after the reform of WMO governing bodies for the preparation and organization of their meetings and for the follow-up mechanisms. The consultant should also integrate in this analysis the evolution of the KPIs relevant to the activity of governing bodies which are listed in the last three available WMO performance reports. The written analysis should provide indications of areas of further efficiencies that could be considered by WMO by 15 January 2026. 6. Drafting of the report Starting from the content of the deliverables previously issued complemented by additional analysis as requested below, the consultant will produce written text for the draft report, including: 1) An analysis of the previous and current WMO governance structure with an indication of the major changes brough by the reform process started in 2018, as well as the roles of each constituent and non-constituent body, highlighting potential overlaps and opportunities for enhancing coordination. This chapter will also include an analysis of the inclusivity and Regional Representation within the WMO governance structure, with a focus on gender and regional balance in decision-making and expert participation, for ensuring alignment with the WMO strategic commitments. Lines of inquiry may include: i. How is the composition of the various governance bodies determined? ii. How well does the WMO governance structure ensure balanced representation and inclusivity in decision-making, particularly regarding regional, generational and gender representation? iii. How transparent and accessible are decision-making processes to all Members? iv. How are Members consulted during reforms or major decisions and how are their inputs considered? In addition, the chapter will include an assessment of the progress of WMO in implementing recommendations from JIU (2007 and 2021) and EY (2022) evaluations, particularly regarding role clarity, budget flexibility, streamlined processes, and inclusivity in governance structure as well as from other internal reviews and assessments. Lines of inquiry may include: ix. What has been the progress on implementation of accepted recommendations from independent and external reviews? How are these tracked and reported on in the various WMO governance bodies? What are the remaining challenges for implementing these recommendations? x. What have been the measurable outcomes as a result of the recent governance reforms? 2) An analysis of WMO governing bodies and their secretariat, including the resource allocation for their operation. This chapter will also include an analysis of the structure and function of core WMO bodies, respectively an assessment of Congress, the Executive Council, Regional Associations, Technical Commissions, the Financial Advisory Committee (FINAC), the Audit and Oversight Committee (AOC), and the Secretariat, with a focus on nature and size of membership, selection procedures, clarity of roles, decision-making coherence, and strategic alignment. Lines of inquiry may include: i. Is the current WMO governance structure effective, adequate and aligned to respond to strategic objectives of the Organization? ii. How are decisions made in the various governing bodies? Are decision-making processes timely and coherent with the needs of Members and responsive to the recommendations from past reviews? How agile is the governance structure for swiftly responding to emerging needs or crisis situations? iii. What checks and balances are in place to support a governance structure represented by technical expertise? What are the risks in this arrangement? What are the views of Member States on this structure and where are their views taken into consideration for budget and oversight matters? iv. How effectively is the Executive Council in exercising its oversight and accountability function for the organization? How is this evident within the various committees that provide such advice, such as FINAC and the AOC? v. How are decisions monitored for completion and follow-up by the various governing bodies? In addition, an analysis should be made regarding the role of the secretariat of the governing bodies in WMO. This analysis should assess the effectiveness of the secretariat’s support to WMO governing bodies, including efforts to enhance efficiency and provide equitable regional support. Lines of inquiry may include: vi. How aligned are the secretariat resources to meet the needs of the organization’s governance arrangements? vii. What administrative processes could be used to improve the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the governance structure? viii. What mechanisms are in place in the secretariat for continuous improvement and alignment with reforms? 3) JIU governance and oversight benchmarking framework, which will describe the framework and describe the links to existing technical guidance and good practices from a selected sample of other organizations. This chapter will also include an analysis of the implementation of past recommendations on governance issues for WMO and more specifically, an assessment of the progress of WMO in implementing recommendations from JIU (2007 and 2021) and EY (2022) evaluations, particularly regarding role clarity, budget flexibility, streamlined processes, and inclusivity in governance structure as well as from other internal reviews and assessments. Lines of inquiry may include: i. What has been the progress on implementation of accepted recommendations from independent and external reviews? How are these tracked and reported on in the various WMO governance bodies? What are the remaining challenges for implementing these recommendations? ii. What have been the measurable outcomes as a result of the recent governance reforms? 4) A gap analysis between JIU benchmarks and existing practices in WMO 5) Recommendations emerging from the gap analysis. This chapter will also include an analysis of the alignment of WMO with wider United Nations reforms and governance trends based on an examination of linkages with wider United Nations reform initiatives and governance trends, ensuring alignment where appropriate and good practices and lessons learned. Lines of inquiry may include: i. How does WMO’s governance structure compare and contrast to similar United Nations specialized agencies? What could be done differently for efficiency and effectiveness gains? ii. What are the good practices and lessons learned from other specialized agencies’ reform efforts? The consultant will reflect in the draft report the comments received from the JIU Inspector and project team on the previous outputs. Deadline for submission: by 10 February 2026.. 7. Finalization of draft report The consultant will work with JIU team to incorporate comments and feedback and finalize a report as well as relevant annexes and appendices to support conclusions and recommendations. Deadlline for submission: to be discussed. 8. Produce slides for presentation to the Executive Council and contribution to other activities, as requested by the JIU team The consultant will work with JIU team on a presentation of the findings and recommendations of the report to the Executive Council. The consultant will also contribute and provide feedback throughout the project on specific outputs produced by the JIU team (for example the corporate questionnaire, the outline of the draft report, an analysis of the uptake of recommendations from oversight bodies, etc.) The consultant is expected to participate in online team meetings with the JIU team. Presentations should be done in MSPowerPoint using JIU logos and formats. Work LocationHome country Expected duration11 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesBackground and objectives of the project The Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) of the United Nations (UN) is conducting a review of the governing body structures of WMO. The objectives of the review are: i. To determine the current state of the governance reforms in WMO and how its governance compares to other UN organizations. ii. To analyze the alignment of the functioning of WMO governance structure with their strategic objectives , focusing on flexibility, transparency and responsiveness. iii. To assess the progress made in implementing the relevant recommendations from previous reviews as well as good practices and lessons learned from the JIU MARs of WMO, the 2022 external evaluation of the governance framework in WMO as well as pertinent recommendations in other JIU system-wide reviews. This review will also aim to pinpoint any remaining challenges and risks in this regard, as relevant. iv. To examine the functioning of the WMO governing bodies and their secretariat, from an effectiveness and efficiency perspective, with a view to identify areas for cost and time savings and reduce redundancies. v. To analyze WMO efforts to achieve equitable generational, gender and regional representation in its governance structure, ensuring inclusivity in decision-making and alignment with WMO commitments. The primary audience of the review is the Executive Council of the WMO. Qualifications/special skillsAdvanced university degree in law, finance, public or business administration, or related fields. At least 10 years of relevant experience in internal audit. governance and risk management roles as senior level, with direct interactions with Legislative Organs and Governing Bodies is required. Accredited experience and knowledge of the United Nations system is desirable. Knowledge and understanding of global best practices and trends in governance of organizations is desirable. Prior experience as staff or consultant of the JIU and experience with governance arrangements in UN system organizations is desirable. LanguagesFluency in English, oral and written is required. Good writing skills in English is required. Additional InformationNot available. 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.