United Nations Development Programme
Terms of Reference
Services on conducting the research on Human Development & Capability Development in
Kazakhstan’s regions
Location:
Post title:
Expected
deliverable:
Post Level:
Languages
required:
Duration of Initial
Contract:
Expected
Duration of
Assignment:
Application
Deadline:
Home-based with mission to Astana
Human Development & Capability Development in Kazakhstan’s regions
Report on Human & Capability based development in Kazakhstan covering four
chapters including an overview, 2 case studies and one conclusion with key
recommendations. The report may include references and data from past reports.
International/National Consultant
English, other languages used in the region is an asset
Estimated April – July 2016
Approximately 51 working days
2 weeks since announcement
Please note that UNDP will not accept incomplete applications. Please make sure that your application
contains all details as specified below.
1.
Background
In 2014, three regions of Kazakhstan out of sixteen account for more than 50 per cent of gross regional
product (GRP) and foreign direct investment (FDI). To address this imbalance, government’s 2020development programme aims at boosting regional economies through support to development of
small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and selected sectors. However, practical instruments under
the programme are yet to be developed, and strategies of regional development should leverage
existing regional capabilities. Approaches may differ based on the type of regions e.g. resource
dependent or developing regions (e.g. Mangystau or Kyzylorda) or industrialized regions (Aktobe).
Achieving balanced regional development and reducing regional disparities is the core content of
contemporary regional policy of Kazakhstan and important prerequisite for sustainable and inclusive
human development of the country. The diverse natural conditions, inherited social, economic and
spatial structures and the dynamics of development over the last decade had led to significant
disparities in economic and infrastructure development, employment, incomes and quality of life among
regions in the country. In light of this, overcoming disparities by optimal utilization of local resources
became a difficult task for the government. Tremendous reforms of the national scale in recent years
affect regions differently and, as a trend, lead to increased regional disparities and deepening of centerperiphery inequality and problems due to different adaptation capabilities of regions in Kazakhstan.
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United Nations Development Programme
This situation requires a “the balanced regional development” policy in Kazakhstan, including objectives
and strategy formulation, regional allocation of funds etc. There is an urgent need to address the issue
how to measure, interpret and apply the information on regional disparities in Kazakhstan to decrease
inequalities.
The UNDP in Kazakhstan implements local development programmes along with other UN Agencies and
the Government of Kazakhstan in a number of regions of the country to improve the quality of life of the
population and advance progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goals. The local
development programmes are based on the priorities of the United Nations Development Assistance
Framework (UNDAF) for the Republic of Kazakhstan 2010-2015, as well as on priorities laid down in the
Strategic Development Plan ‘Kazakhstan-2050’ and other national programme documents. The activities
within these programmes aim to reduce inequalities in material well-being and access to social services,
and to reduce the urban/rural and gender disparities within the population.
Despite the recent overall progress in Kazakhstan, the socio-economic disparities are still high between
regions, and between urban and rural areas, in terms of access to and quality of public services and
economic opportunities. Existing mechanism of local governance still require a comprehensive and
flexible approach as well as capacity and institution development to close the gap and cope with
locality-specific needs. Thus, the Programme envisages specific areas of cooperation:
 increase efficiency of planning and state resources usage in socio-economic programmes at the
local level for more efficient protection of vulnerable people;
 capacity development of the population to scale up their wellbeing and to further develop local
governance;
 enhancing access to quality social and economic services for vulnerable groups of population,
including women and children;
 providing the population with the quality information on wellbeing and health and goals and
objectives of this programme;
In this context, the UNDP will commission a research on human and capability based development in
Kazakhstan covering four chapters including an overview, two case studies and one conclusion with key
recommendations. The report may include references and data from past reports based on a specific
case on inequalities selected in Kazakhstan. The UNDP envisages that this work will serve as a vehicle for
generating human and capability development perspectives on various dimensions of inequality as well
as a platform for partnerships with the policy and advocacy community and the general public at large.
As such, the UNDP will use different means of communication for outreach to various audiences as part
of the preparations for the Regional Human Development Report on inequalities in Europe and Central
Asia.
2.
Description of duties and responsibilities
The Consultant will work closely with its peer specialist engaged in the development of the study of
regional disparity and capability inequality in Kazakhstan. The content, design and presentation of the
case study will be led by the Consultant with the support of UNDP’s CO in Kazakhstan, Regional
Sustainable Development cluster. The scope of work under present assignment is to produce a report,
which will complement the forthcoming Regional Human Development Report on Inequalities. The
selected Consultant will produce a report covering four chapters that will include:
 A background review of the human and capability-based development of the regions of Kazakhstan
including references to past studies. The introduction will refer to the case of Aktobe.
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United Nations Development Programme



A focused case study on the Kyzylorda region including the region economic and capabilities
overview, challenges and opportunities, product space, future products to targets and key
recommendations.
A focused case study on the Mangystau region including the region economic and capabilities
overview, challenges and opportunities, product space, future products to targets and key
recommendations.
Policy learning and a road map to improve regional capabilities building on the two cases.
The case study will, to the greatest possible extent, be participatory but seek to be independent,
credible and useful and adhere to the highest possible professional standards. It will be responsive to
the needs and priorities of the UNDP CO and serve as a mechanism for learning. Moreover, the case
study will be consultative and engage the participation of a broad range of stakeholders.
The Consultant will be expected to work independently on the case study although some organizational
support will be available from the UNDP CO. The final decisions about the specific design and methods
for the case study should emerge from consultations about what is appropriate and feasible to meet the
case study purpose, objectives and answers to research questions. The basic methodological issues
related to the measurement and interpretation of regional development could be systematized as
follows:
 adequate concrete indicators reflecting the development level in the most adequate way;
 appropriate spatial level for measurement of disparities;
 optimal approach to study regional disparities, respective selection of target regions;
The choice of concrete approaches, methods, levels and indicators for measuring and assessment of the
regional development is closely related to the purpose of the relevant inquiries. The duty of the
Consultant is not to limit possibilities for decision-making choice, but to show the opportunities with
their results and impacts. Having in mind the specific conditions in Kazakhstan, measuring and
assessment of the regional disparities should always be carried out at more levels with particular
attention to the municipal one, where extremely differences in most of the indicators appear. The
current state of the regional statistics and, in particular the quality of the information and the level at
which it is published set some limits to following this approach. However, the lack of easy accessible
data for the lower spatial levels could not justify refusal of their measuring in terms of regional
development.
This is important not only for the formulation of goals, for the selection of relevant measures and for
their implementation, but also for the monitoring of the implementation progress. The assignment aims
to understand the level of actual regional development in Kazakhstan, validate regional development
trends to complement the findings of official statistics, with a primary focus on analysis of factors
contributing to regional development and the level of influence of the regional disparity to inequality
patterns in Kazakhstan. The questions below may guide analytical products:
Based on the methodological issues, context and main focus of the case study mentioned above, the
Consultant will elaborate a methodology and plan, which will be approved by UNDP. The case study will
use available data: statistical data, various studies and surveys, including those conducted by the UN
agencies. This approach will help address the possible shortage of data and reveal gaps that should be
corrected as the result of the case study.
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United Nations Development Programme
3.
Deliverables
Provide a well-written substantive report in English, that:
1. Include the following components:
a. An overview of the Kazakhstan capability disparities with references to the demographic
disparities and past literature.
b. A quantification and modeling of the patterns over time to identify sources of capability and
disparities between regions.
c. Examples of regions and concrete cases supporting the identified pattern and capability
development models including regarding gender and demographic characteristics.
d. Future trends discussing possible developments in regional disparity and capability inequalities.
e. Conclusions and recommendations;
2. Provide a data appendix in Excel format, which should include data collected and updated for study
3. Draft three blog posts for dissemination on UNDP website reflecting key discussion points and
conclusions from the paper.
4. Virtually participate (as needed) in meetings and consultations during the work on the RHDR.
4.
Timeline
The time required will vary depending on the questions the case is attempting to answer, the human
and financial resources available, and other external factors. It is important to think through timing
issues to ensure that the proposed case studies are feasible and will provide accurate, reliable, and
useful information. The assignment will begin in April 2016 and is expected to be completed over a
period of four months. It is estimated that the work on the above deliverables will take up to 51 working
days.
Working days
Conducting a desk review
8
Preparing the detailed inception report ( to finalize study design and methods)
5
In-country field mission (site-visits, interviews, questionnaires)
15
Preparing the draft report
12
Finalizing the report (incorporate comments provided)
8
Follow up support to UNDP CO in knowledge sharing and dissemination
3
(e.g. 51 working days in total over a period of three months)
Due to the nature of the project, there will be periods of time when no actual research will occur, as the
writer will be waiting for text clearances from UNDP.
5.
Assignment team composition and required competencies
Assignment team of selected consultancy service organization must comprise of at least two members:
• An international consultant (team leader) with relevant experience in assessing the regional
development, expertise in economics including developing complex algorithms.
• A national consultant who is well-familiar with the regional development challenges of
Kazakhstan, who will assist the team leader with the review of the documents in local language,
field missions, data collection and interpreting and other activities as required.
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United Nations Development Programme
Eligibility and requirements for the evaluation teams:
• An organization (public, private, or nonprofit), academic/research institution;
• Work experience in conducting similar research,
• Experience in public policy, economics, development studies at least 5 years;
• Experience in cooperation with international experts / organizations is an advantage;
• Ability to travel in the regions.
Required functional competencies for team members:
 Possess strong analytical skills and the ability to conceptualize, articulate and debate about
regional development with a positive and forward-looking attitude;
 Advanced mathematics and economics skills;
 Understand human rights-based approaches and gender mainstreaming in programming;
 Understand results-based management principles, logic modeling/logical framework analysis;
 Demonstrate ability to communicate effectively with various partners including government,
civil society, private sector, UN Agencies and other development donors;
 Excellent organizational and time management skills;
 Strong analytical skills and experience in undertaking of similar assignments;
 Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work with people from different backgrounds to deliver
quality products within a short timeframe;
 Excellent report writing skills as well as communication and interviewing skills;
 Be flexible and responsive to changes and demands;
 Be client oriented and open to feedback.
Required corporate competencies for team members:
 Sound knowledge of the UN programming principles and procedures; the UN system and
common country programming processes; the UN evaluation framework, norms and
standards; human rights based approach (HRBA);
 Demonstrate integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
 Promote the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
 Display cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
 Fulfill all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.
Education of team members:
 MA or PhD in economics, business administration, political science, public policy, development
studies, or a related social science.
Experience of team members:
 5 or more years of relevant professional experience is required, including previous substantive
research experience and involvement in regional development, strategic planning, result-based
management (preferably in local development and governance, social protection, welfare, and
population reproduction);
 Experience with quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis; participatory
approaches;
 Prior research experience in Kazakhstan or CIS region (especially Central Asian countries) is an
asset.
 Knowledge of the social and political situation and regional development trends in CIS countries
is an advantage;
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United Nations Development Programme
Language Requirements for evaluation team members:
 Proficiency in English language and proven report writing skills, knowledge of Russian and
Kazakh is an asset.
It is demanded by UNDP that assignment team is independent from any organizations that have been
involved in designing, executing or advising any aspect of the intervention that is the subject of the
evaluation1.
Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested
materials.
*Please note that the financial proposal is all inclusive and shall take into account various expenses
incurred by the Consultant during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any
other relevant expenses related to the performance of services).
Payments will be made upon confirmation by UNDP of satisfactory delivery of the contract obligations.
Payment modalities and specifications
%
20%
50%
30%
Milestone
At contract signing
Following submission and approval of the draft report
Following submission and approval (by the Participating UN Agencies) of the final report
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For this reason, staff members of UNDP based in other country offices, the regional centers and Headquarters
units should not be part of the evaluation team.
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