Enhancing Fiscal Resilience and Sustainable Finance in Africa (Individual Contractor)

Result of ServiceThe Individual Contractor will deliver and ensure: • Timely and high-quality research contributions aligned with project goals. • Successful coordination of meetings and events. • Mission reports and official communication documents. • An organized and updated project documentation system. Work LocationRabat Expected duration6 Months Duties and ResponsibilitiesECA's mission is to deliver ideas and actions for an empowered and transformed Africa; informed by the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063. The mission will be guided by ECA's five new strategic directions which are: Advancing ECA's position as a premier knowledge institution that builds on its unique position and privilege to bring global solutions to the continent's problems and take local solution to the continent; Developing macroeconomic and structural policy options to accelerate economic diversification and job creation; Designing and implementing innovative financing models for infrastructure, and for human, physical and social assets for a transforming Africa; Contributing solutions to regional and transboundary challenges, with a focus on peace security and social inclusion as an important development nexus; Advocating Africa's position at the global level and developing regional responses as a contribution to global governance issues. The Sub-regional Office for North Africa of the ECA (ECA SRO-NA) is located in Rabat (Morocco), and serves seven member states: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia. The main objective is to contribute to achieving structural transformation and balanced development through implementation of an environment conducive to the creation of employment for women and young people in North Africa. Its core functions are: Strengthening the capacity of member states in the sub-region to design and implement national policies and strategies for sustainable employment creation; Contributing to the implementation of sub-regional development priorities in line with the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063 with due consideration for youth and gender perspectives; Improving macroeconomic and fiscal policies, and to ensure sustainable growth; Providing relevant technical assistance to member states and to regional economic communities and intergovernmental organizations in building their capacities to sustain economic, social and political transformation, with a particular focus on employment, skills and balanced development, with the aim of ensuring inclusive growth, taking into consideration access to equal opportunities for women and young people. Background and rationale for support In this context, ECA SRO-NA is implementing a project titled “Enhancing Fiscal Resilience and Sustainable Finance in Africa”. The initiative aims to help African governments address the growing debt burden and unlock new opportunities for sustainable, low-carbon economic development. The project will build the capacity of national debt management offices (DMOs), develop sustainable finance mechanisms, and help ensure macroeconomic stability in line with SDG and climate objectives. To support this initiative, ECA SRO-NA is seeking a qualified Individual Contractor to assist in research, coordination, and documentation. Scope and tasks of work Under the direct supervision of the Chief of the Sub-Regional Initiatives Section and the overall supervision of the Director of ECA SRO-NA, the Individual Contractor will be responsible for the following duties: A. Research and Analytical Support • Conduct literature reviews, data collection, and analysis related to debt sustainability, public finance, and sustainable financing strategies. • Prepare research summaries, policy briefs, and technical reports. • Identify trends and noteworthy issues for review and discussion by project management. B. Project Management and Implementation Support • Provide full-range support for project management and implementation throughout all phases of the project cycle. • Research, compile, analyze, and summarize basic project data; highlight issues and trends for the supervisor's consideration. • Assist in the drafting of project budgets and forecasts in alignment with the programme of work. • Work with the manager on financing arrangements, obtain necessary clearances, and ensuring effective monitoring systems through regular reporting, review meetings, and missions. • Ensure compliance with project guidelines and objectives, identify issues, seek clarifications, assess replies, and prepare summaries with actionable suggestions. C. Coordination Tasks • Provide secretariat support to technical/steering committees and ad hoc task forces: circulate agendas, prepare background documents, draft meeting minutes, and monitor follow-up actions. • Support the coordination and scheduling of internal and external meetings. • Prepare official documents and briefing materials for project coordination purposes. • Maintain and update internal databases for tracking project correspondence, deliverables, and contacts. • Manage storage and filing of data, reports, and other project-related information to ensure easy access and version control. D. Communication and Reporting • Assist in drafting mission reports, formal correspondence, and stakeholder communications. • Support the development of clear and structured communication material for external dissemination. E. Other Duties • Perform any other duties as required for the successful implementation of the project. Qualifications/special skillsHigh school diploma or equivalent is required. A first level University Degree in economics, business administration, or related fields is desirable. A Bachelor's Degree in the same fields is an advantage A minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in economic research, project management, and/or document management is required Experience working with multilateral or regional development institutions is an advantage LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the UN Secretariat. For this post, Fluency in English is required. Working Knowledge of French is desirable 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.