OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS)

Duty Station: Paris

Job Family: Social and Human Sciences

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 25-MARS-2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

Greece is committed to improving the lives of persons with disabilities through national policies and international agreements. Following the successful implementation of the National Action Plan for the Rights of People with Disability 2020-2023, Greece will implement the National Strategy for the Rights of People with Disability 2024-2030 (the National Strategy).

To deliver on such commitments and to operationalise the National Strategy across different administrative levels, Greece has instituted through Law 4488/2017 a Coordinating Mechanism on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
To date, this Coordinating Mechanism shows a number of limitations with its operating model, chief amongst which are (i) lower levels of inter-agency coordination due to institution-specific mandates, priorities and procedures across the concerned agencies and levels of administration; (ii) capacity constraints within the decentralised governance operating model pertaining to data collection, management and analysis on disability issues; and (iii) ambiguities in the legal and policy framework concerning policies targeted towards persons with disabilities.

In this context, Greece has requested support from the European Commission in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the Coordinating Mechanism with a view to backing the Government’s full and adequate implementation of the National Strategy.
To this end, UNESCO is looking for an expert to support the program specialist in conjunction with the central Project team at UNESCO Headquarters and the team of consultants.

Long Description

Under the overall authority of the UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences (ADG/SHS) and the Director for Social Policies, as well as direct supervision of the Programme Specialist in charge of the project, the incumbent will report and work in close collaboration with the program specialist by completing the following set of tasks:

Tasks

• Identify and analyze EU good practices in disability rights coordination across multiple levels of governance.
• Facilitate knowledge exchange between Greek authorities and EU counterparts through online seminars and study visits.
• Develop practical recommendations to inform the structure and functioning of the Greek Coordinating Mechanism.
• Strengthen the engagement of Reference Points at municipal, regional, and ministerial levels in Greece.

Activities

Activity 1: Conduct Desk Review and Draft Notes Highlighting Good Practice Examples. The consultant will conduct a comprehensive desk review to collect and analyze existing policies and best practices across EU Member States concerning disability policy coordination. This review will focus on:

• Policy documents, research papers, case studies, official reports, and stakeholder submissions.
• Identifying at least one good practice example from an EU Member State with a less centralized governance model.
• Producing a preliminary draft report describing selected examples and presenting relevant lessons for Greece’s policy reforms.

Activity 2: Organize Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Exchanges. The consultant will identify key counterparts in EU Member States exemplifying effective disability rights coordination and facilitate peer-to-peer exchanges for Greek authorities. This activity includes:

• Organizing two online seminars featuring EU governance experiences, challenges, and solutions.
• Preparing an agenda in consultation with the Advisory Group (AG) and managing correspondence with invited experts and Greek national authorities.
• Updating the preliminary draft report to summarize findings and lessons from these seminars.

Long Description

Activity 3: Carry Out Study Visits. The consultant, in coordination with the program specialist, will organize study visit(s) for Greek administration representatives, including regional representatives, to one or two EU Member States identified during the desk review and knowledge exchanges. This activity entails:

• Selecting host countries based on the applicability of their good practices to the Greek context.
• Organizing up to two study visits with a maximum of five Greek participants per visit.
• Facilitating direct observation of operational aspects, stakeholder engagement processes, and implementation strategies.
• Integrating insights from the visits into the report with recommendations and action plan.

Activity 4: Compile Findings into a Good Practices Report.The final stage involves:

• Consolidating knowledge gained from the desk review, peer exchanges, and study visits.
• Finalizing the preliminary draft report by incorporating feedback and key takeaways from all activities.
• Producing a comprehensive report that will serve as a reference for enhancing Greece’s disability policy coordination framework.

Deliverables:

• Desk review report summarizing key findings from EU Member States.
• Two online peer-to-peer knowledge exchange seminars with supporting documentation.
• One or two study visits for Greek representatives to EU Member States.
• Final good practices report incorporating insights from all activities.

Timeline :

• Activity 1: Desk review – April to August
• Activity 2: Online seminars – June
• Activity 3: Study visits – TBD
• Activity 4: Final report – August

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• A master’s degree (or equivalent) in Public Policy, Social Sciences, Law, Disability Studies, Human Rights, Political Science, or a related field.
• At least 7 years of relevant senior-level experience in disability rights, social policy, public administration, governance, or EU-funded technical assistance projects.
• Demonstratable track record in conducting policy analysis, stakeholder mapping, and research on disability-related governance frameworks.
• Prior experience working with or within international organizations (e.g., UNESCO, EU, UN bodies) or government institutions.
• Experience in drafting high-level reports, policy recommendations, and action plans.
• Knowledge of EU good practices related to disability policy coordination
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to evaluate the impact of government investments in analytical frameworks and capacity building.

Languages : Proficiency in English (oral and written) is essential.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested candidates should submit their applications to [email protected] with copy to [email protected]

The application should consist of:

i. Personal CV;
ii. A cover letter/statement indicating how their qualifications and experiences make them suitable for the assignment; and
iii. A written technical and financial proposal comprising: 1) the proposed approach for the undertaken of the assignment in line with the terms of reference; and 2) the amount to be charged for the assignment, which should be quoted in EUR.

Long Description

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please note that all candidates must complete an on-line application and provide complete and accurate information. To apply, please visit the UNESCO careers website. No modifications can be made to the application submitted.

The evaluation of candidates is based on the criteria in the vacancy notice, and may include tests and/or assessments, as well as an interview.

UNESCO uses communication technologies such as video or teleconference, e-mail correspondence, etc. for the assessment and evaluation of candidates.

Please note that only selected candidates will be further contacted and candidates in the final selection step will be subject to reference checks based on the information provided.

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