Date of last update: 18/04/2024 (Expiry date: 17/05/2024)
UNDP is the UN Development Programme and works in some 170 countries and territories, helping to achieve the eradication of poverty, and the reduction of inequalities and exclusion. UNDP helps countries to develop policies, leadership skills, partnering abilities, institutional capabilities and build resilience in order to sustain development results. UNDP supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as they help shape global sustainable development for the next 10 years.
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Duty Station: Multiple
Successful applicants should:
Additionally, specific preferences include:
UNDP seeks applicants under the following sub-profile areas of expertise and should refer to the additional qualifications noted below:
1. Human Development Report Lead Author
Masters' degree in statistics, econometrics, economics, development, public policy, sociology, or other related areas with a focus on quantitative analysis.
2. Human Development Report Project Manager
Masters' degree in statistics, econometrics, economics, development, public policy, sociology, or other related areas with a focus on quantitative analysis.
3. Human Development Report Statistical researcher
Masters' degree in statistics, econometrics, economics, development, public policy, sociology, or other related areas with a focus on quantitative analysis.
WHAT IS HUMAN DEVELOPMENT?
UNDP released the first global Human Development Report (HDR) in 1990, and the reports very quickly became one of the highest profile publications across the UN (United Nations) system. Global reports have been released most years since then, along with more than 800 national and regional human development reports from around 150 countries. These national and regional reports typically take one or more development themes and use the human development approach to delve into the issues in detail at a national, sub-national or regional level.
These independent reports are intended to challenge policies, practices and approaches that constrain human development, promote innovative concepts, and advocate practical policy changes. Each report examines in detail a different development theme using available data and information relevant to the chosen topic resulting in both an assessment of status as well as a series of policy recommendations for the future.
The Human Development Index, which appeared in the first report, has been successful in providing a single number measure of development progress as an alternative to broad aggregate measure of economic activity, such as GDP, which are often seen as synonymous with development. The HDRs now contain a suite of composite indices that allow international comparison of different facets of a country's development, including assessing the impacts of inequality and planetary pressures, and comparing levels of gender empowerment and multi-dimensional poverty.
The human development approach, developed by the economist Mahbub Ul Haq, is anchored in the Nobel prize laureate Amartya Sen's work on human capabilities, often framed in terms of whether people can "be" and "do" desirable things in life. Examples include:
Freedom of choice is central to the approach: someone choosing to be hungry (during a religious fast say) is quite different to someone who is hungry because they cannot afford to buy food.
Ideas on the links between economic growth and development during the second half of the 20th Century also had a formative influence. Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and other aggregate measures of economic growth, emerged as leading indicators of national progress in many countries. Yet GDP was never intended to be used as a measure of wellbeing. In the 1970s and 1980s, development debate considered using alternative focuses to go beyond GDP, including putting greater emphasis on employment, followed by redistribution with growth, and then whether people had their basic needs met. These ideas helped pave the way for the human development approach and its measurement.
In 1990 the first Human Development Report introduced a new approach for advancing human wellbeing. Human Development – or the Human Development Approach – is about expanding the richness of human life, rather than simply the richness of the economy in which human beings live. It is an approach that is focused on people and their opportunities and choices.
People: human development focuses on improving the lives people rather than assuming economic growth will lead, automatically, to greater wellbeing for all. Income growth is understood to be a means to development, rather than an end in itself.
Opportunities: human development is about giving people more freedom to live lives they value. In effect, this means developing people's abilities and giving them a chance to use them. For example, educating a girl would build her skills, but it is of little use if she is denied access to jobs, or does not have the right skills for the local labour market. Three foundations for human development are to live a long, healthy, and creative life, to be knowledgeable, and to have access to resources needed for a decent standard of living. Many other things are important too, especially in helping to create the right conditions for human development, but once the basics of human development are achieved, they open-up opportunities for progress in other aspects of life.
Choice: human development is, fundamentally, about more choice. It is about providing people with opportunities, not insisting that they make use of them. No one can guarantee human happiness, and the choices people make are their own concern. The process of development – human development - should at least create an environment for people, individually and collectively, to develop to their full potential and to have a reasonable chance of leading productive and creative lives that they value.
SCOPE OF WORK, RESPONSIBILITIES AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PROPOSED WORK
1. Human Development Report Lead Author
The role of the Lead Author will include, but not limited to the following:
2. Human Development Report Project Manager
The role of the Project Manager will include, but not limited to the following:
3. Human Development Report Statistical researcher
The role of the Statistical researcher will include, but not limited to the following:
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION:
At UNDP, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UNDP recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.
UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNDP, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UNDP's policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UNDP personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference checks.
Requirements and skills
Global Call
-Human Development
This is how cinfo can support you in the application process for this specific position:
Working hours (%): 80-100%
80-100%Macro-area: Multiple
Level of experience: Senior Professional, more than 5 years
Area of work Definition: Social Development and Social Protection
Type of organisation: Multilateral Organisations