Result of Service

Under the direct supervision of the Programme/Project Officer and general supervision of the Chief of the Population and Social Statistics Section (PSS), Statistics Division, the national consultant will also be responsible for organizing: 1.) A 0.5-1 day project inception workshop in close collaboration with BPS, World Health Organization (WHO) and ESCAP. The workshop will invite all relevant national stakeholders and partner agencies. 2.) A 3-5 day workshop will focus on capacity building in demographic skills with a focus on completeness estimation within the national statistical system to ensure sustainability; and 3.) One 1-2 day national closing workshop will present and discuss the results of inequality assessment and the policy implications by engaging policymakers and other relevant stakeholders. The national consultant should be based in Indonesia and work closely with BPS. CRVS inequality assessments should be an iterative and collaborative process. Although BPS will take the lead in the implementation of the project at the national level, extensive support will be provided by the ESCAP Statistics Division, WHO, and the national consultant engaged by ESCAP under the project.

Work Location

Based in Indonesia

Expected duration

1 May -1 Dec 2024

Duties and Responsibilities

A well-functioning Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system helps ensure that every person has a legal identity, facilitating access to the benefits and protections of the State. It is also the preferred data source for many demographic statistics with numerous indicators of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) directly related to mortality and fertility, while others rely on population data as the denominator. To know who is being left behind, the relevant disaggregated population data needs to be available. Many countries experience lower civil registration completeness rates among certain marginalized and hard-to-reach population groups or geographic areas. Despite these inequalities and their negative impact, this problem often remains a blind spot. The groups affected remain largely invisible if the matter is not specifically investigated. In Asia-Pacific, the lack of information on hard-to-reach and marginalized groups and their exclusion hinders countries from developing efficient policies. Inequality assessments are, therefore, critical to ensure full inclusion, and these disparities need to be specifically and thoroughly examined. To ensure progress in registration is truly universal and fully inclusive, the Ministerial Declaration to “Get Every One in The Picture” in Asia and the Pacific recognized the need to address disparities in civil registration completeness and coverage of these groups. Hence, the Regional Action Framework (RAF) for the Asia-Pacific CRVS Decade 2015-2024 (ESCAP resolution 71/14) calls upon countries to assess any CRVS-related inequalities experienced by population subgroups. Doing so is an essential step to getting every one in the picture. This step is also a key to the realization of the 2030 Agenda in terms of both data and social protection. It is also critical from a gender perspective as it is essential to know how and why there are differences in civil registration by sex and any gender-related barriers to registration, especially for different sub-groups in the population. Implementing inequality assessments, including for death registration, can be challenging. This can, in turn, impact our understanding, for instance, of COVID-19 in countries with the weakest systems and among the most vulnerable population groups. It is, therefore, imperative that related systems are strengthened and improved in countries. Against this backdrop, ESCAP and Bloomberg Philanthropies Data 4 Health initiative have collaborated and implemented the project entitled “Getting everyone in the picture: strengthening civil registration and vital statistics systems in Asia and the Pacific”. The work supports the implementation of the Regional Action Framework on CRVS in Asia and the Pacific and the further commitments made in the Ministerial Declaration on Building a More Resilient Future with Inclusive Civil Registration and Vital Statistics. More specifically, the project aims to develop statistical capacity and demographic skills within National Statistics Offices (NSOs) and other line Ministries/organizations involved in CRVS systems for the implementation of quantitative CRVS inequality assessments using secondary data sources. This involves capacity building for demographic analysis to undertake inequality assessments in the future as well as dialogue with policy-makers to ensure the results are used for policy formulation. In this connection, ESCAP is seeking a national consultant to assess inequalities in CRVS in Indonesia and identify those groups with lower registration rates and the magnitude of the gap with the rest of population. To render an objective overview of the situation, a triangulation of data from the best sources is needed, and several options may need to be explored. For instance, census data is one of the best data sources if it addresses the question of civil registration, as it is relatively comprehensive. Household surveys such as Demographic and Health Surveys can also give insights into some of the gaps in universal registration. However, irrespective of the data source used, the most marginalized groups are often still excluded as they may be out of households or in geographic areas not fully enumerated. Analysis of various data sources, including through indirect demographic methods to estimate overall deaths and births, will be beneficial to assess these gaps. In light of the above, ESCAP is seeking to hire a national consultant to support the Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS-Statistics Indonesia). The BPS and relevant stakeholders to identify secondary data available for inequality assessments; identify the capacity gaps in the national statistical system with regards to demographic estimation and methods; and prepare an inequality assessment based on secondary data sources including a section on gender-related issues.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced degree in Statistics or related fields Work Experience – At least 5 years of work experience related to national CRVS systems – At least 3 years in the area of official statistics, especially population and social statistics – Understanding of official statistics in the Asia-Pacific region – Work experience with a National Statistical Office (NSO) in the Asia-Pacific region is desirable – Experience working in demography or related areas is desirable Skills: – Strong understanding of Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) systems and other data sources for estimating vital statistics – Demographic modelling and estimation skills – Strong drafting skills, including the ability to summarize technical materials. – Excellent coordination, planning, communication and organizational skills – Ability to collate a vast array of information and ideas, use critical thinking, conceptualize ideas, and articulate relevant subject matter in a clear and concise way – Ability to provide advice and recommendations to other project consultants in different areas of work – Ability to support and organize virtual and face-to-face workshops.

Languages

Fluency in English, including written and oral is required. Fluency is Bahasa is desirable.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE 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.