| Overview : A. ADMINISTRATION To apply, interested persons should upload the combined* Technical Proposal/Methodology (if applicable), CV and Offeror’s Letter to “UNDP Jobs” by navigating to the link below and clicking “APPLY NOW”, no later than the date indicated on the “UNDP Jobs” website. Applications submitted via email will not be accepted**: - UNDP Job Site – https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_job.cfm?cur_job_id=100798 (cut and paste into browser address bar if the link does not work) * PLEASE NOTE: The system allows the upload of one (1) document ONLY – if you are required to submit a Technical Proposal/Methodology, this document along with your CV/P11 and Offeror’s Letter, MUST be combined and uploaded as one. NOTE: The Financial Proposal should not be uploaded to “UNDP Jobs”**. <IMPORTANT> **Please email the password-protected Financial Proposal to procurement.bb@undp.org. The subject line of your email must contain the following: “BBRSO150136 Financial Proposal – Your Name” If the password for your Financial Proposal is required, it will be requested by the Procurement Unit. Any request for clarification must be sent in writing to procurement.bb@undp.org within three (3) days of the publication of this notice, ensuring that the reference number above is included in the subject line. The UNDP Barbados & the OECS Procurement Unit will post the responses*** two (2) days later, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to: - http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=81348 (cut and paste into browser address bar if the link does not work) A detailed Procurement Notice, TOR, and all annexes can be found by clicking the above link. *** UNDP shall endeavour to provide such responses to clarifications in an expeditious manner, but any delay in such response shall not cause an obligation on the part of UNDP to extend the submission date of the Proposals, unless UNDP deems that such an extension is justified and necessary B. BACKGROUND Even before COVID-19 pandemic the Eastern Caribbean States (EC) region was among the most heavily-indebted in the world . Governments’ responses to the emergency, which focused on public health and social spending measures, in combination with the drastic fall in tax revenues, has increased fiscal deficits and exacerbated debt burdens, especially in smaller economies, including in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Challenges facing the region before COVID-19 were identified as slow productivity, stagnant economic growth, high debt, rising inequality, socioeconomic vulnerability, limited institutional capacity to effectively respond to strategic development challenges, the need for disaster prevention and preparedness and reconstruction relief and rehabilitation efforts due to climate change. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Caribbean region exposed the need for policy actions for effective support to protect the most vulnerable and ensure participatory growth. Further, long-term growth has been depressed for over a decade and the current COVID-19 crisis has worsened this situation. High debt service payments limit fiscal space for investing in development projects with regional linkages and multiplier effect, and forecast for potential improvement in the rate of economic growth is restrained by the need for structural changes, including economic diversification, the pursue of further economic integration, debt restructure, innovative tax reform to generate greater levels of revenue, and the expansion of concessional financing based on the vulnerability condition of SIDS. As the economic repercussions of the pandemic are worsening debt levels, announced austerity measures risk to severely inhibit states’ capacity to respond to growing needs in protecting access to economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR) of its populations. Previous experience in the Caribbean has shown that private-public partnership mechanisms are critical in driving political will to mitigate the social and economic impacts of restructuring programs. Today, although debt servicing was suspended with the onset of the pandemic, the ongoing fiscal consolidation is expected to resume shortly in order enable debt servicing. Over the next three years, for example, Grenada is expected to slash expenditures by the equivalent to 3.1 times its public health care budget, which will limit the capacity of the government to meet its minimum core obligations with respect to ESCR . Official Development Assistance (ODA) has been on the decline because of the high-income and upper middle-income status of the Caribbean countries. In addition, there is a need for structural improvements to boost economic growth and further economic integration through solutions to the various challenges in logistics, transportation and supply chains need to be incorporated into efforts at strengthening intra-regional (and extra-regional) trade and economic integration to address issues of economies of scale and competitiveness. The violence and high incidence of crime across the subregion has reduced foreign direct investments, increased the cost of doing business and diverted resources from the social sector (health and education, particularly) to crime control and the administration of justice. OHCHR monitoring in the region indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing risks in accessing ESCR. These are linked to structural challenges faced by all of the seven countries, including high inequalities , poverty and unemployment levels , weak health infrastructure as well as high vulnerability and low resilience to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change. The economies of the EC countries are characterized by energy dependence, financial insecurity and strong economic dependence on the tourism industry. Previous Caribbean stabilisation and adjustment programmes have resulted in reduction in spending in public sectors, such as health and education, negatively affecting vulnerable persons such as those living in poverty, women, children, persons living with disabilities, and the elderly, placing them at risk of being further left behind. Socio-economic vulnerabilities intersect with high levels of violent crimes, including by organized crime groups and one of the highest migration rates in the world. In recent years, the flow of migrants and refugees from Venezuela and Haiti to countries in the region has also been on the rise and shed light on a lack of institutional preparedness to respond to increased vulnerabilities of these populations. Sexual and gender-based violence, discrimination affecting in particular LGBTI persons, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, and indigenous peoples, as well as little progress in the administration of justice, underpin the growing concerns regarding access to economic, social and cultural rights, particularly in the context of future austerity measures. | 
