Terms of Reference Consultant, COAR Editing 2013 for Global Broadcasting *. Background:
The 2012 Country Office Annual Reports (COARs) will be completed on the web-portal and available on a standardized format and rigorous word-limits by end of January 2013. Consistent with the Information Disclosure Policy, all Annual Reports from Country Offices, Regional Offices and Headquarters Divisions will be in the public domain (www.unicef.org). The review of the annual reports during the process of preparing the Executive Director’s Annual Report to the Executive Board, suggest that the COARs would require a ‘light-edit’ before they are published in the internet. The light edit will be mainly focusing on correcting any minor language/grammar issues and also identify issues that may require further discussion and editing from a reputational risk perspective. These draft revisions/edits will be shared with the country offices and finalized before the annual reports are eventually transferred to the public domain.
*. Purpose and Key Objectives:
Review 126 Country Office Annual Reports, 7 Regional Office Analysis reports and over 13 Headquarter (HQ) divisional annual report of 2012; suggest changes and correct minor language/grammar issues and identify areas in the annual report that require further revision/clarity from a ‘reputational risk’ perspective. The changes carried out on ‘track changes’ will form the basis to consult Representatives of Country offices, before the changes are finalized and agreed prior to the publication of Annual Reports in the public domain (bids may also be received for part quantities of reports to be reviewed).
*. Expected results: (Measurable results)
- Read Country office Annual Reports which will be formatted on ‘MS Word’.
- Carry out on track changes, light editing to assure reasonably good quality in terms of language and grammar without changing in any way the substance of the entities reported.
- Identify content that may be sensitive from a reputational risk perspective and make suggestions for changes to enable the supervisor to discuss them with the country office prior to publication.
- Assure consistency and quality in the annual reports for final publication.
*. Estimated duration and start date: A thorough reading and review of one Annual Report usually takes between 5 to 7 hours to assure good quality editing. This assignment has to be carried out between beginning February and end March 2013 with bulk of the work, including the confirmation of the editing or changes by Representatives to be completed by 15 April 2012. The finalized annual reports will be posted on the internet from early May.
*. Duty Station: Consultant will work remotely
*. Key competences, technical background, and experience required:
a) Advanced university degree in social sciences. b) Excellent English writing and editing skills. c) At least 5 years of experience in professional editing in English with prior experience in writing/editing development literature. d) Previous experience of editing UNICEF documents and publication products an asset e) A good background knowledge of UNICEF mandate and mission as well as programmes an asset f) Proven computer literacy in using MS Word and its edit features.
The following conditions of service apply to all individual consultants: 1. LEGAL STATUS Individuals engaged under a consultant contract serve in a personal capacity and not as representatives of a Government or of any other authority external to the United Nations. They are neither “staff members” under the Staff Regulations of the United Nations and UNICEF policies and procedures nor “officials” for the purpose of the Convention of 13 February 1946 on the privileges and immunities of the United Nations. Consultants may, however, be given the status of “experts on mission” in the sense of Section 22 of Article VI of the Convention. If they are required to travel on behalf of the United Nations, they may be given a United Nations certification in accordance with Section 26 of Article VII of the Convention.
- OBLIGATIONS Consultants shall have the duty to respect the impartiality and independence of the United Nations and shall neither seek nor accept instructions regarding the services to be performed for UNICEF from any Government or from any authority external to the United Nations. During their period of service for UNICEF, consultants shall refrain from any conduct that would adversely reflect on the United Nations or UNICEF and shall not engage in any activity that is incompatible with the discharge of their duties with the Organization. Consultants are required to exercise the utmost discretion in all matters of official business of the Organization. In particular, but without limiting the foregoing, consultants are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the Standards of Conduct in the International Civil Service. Consultants are to comply with the UNICEF Standards of Electronic Conduct and the requirements set forth in the Secretary General’s Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, both of which are incorporated by reference into the contract between the consultants and UNICEF. Unless otherwise authorized by the appropriate official in the office concerned, consultants shall not communicate at any time to the media or to any institution, person, Government or other authority external to UNICEF any information that has not been made public and which has become known to them by reason of their association with the United Nations. The consultant may not use such information without the written authorization of UNICEF. Nor shall the consultant use such information for private advantage. These obligations do not lapse upon cessation of service with UNICEF.
- TITLE RIGHTS UNICEF shall be entitled to all property rights, including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, with regard to material which bears a direct relation to, or is made in consequence of, the services provided to the Organization by the consultant. At the request of UNICEF, the consultant shall assist in securing such property rights and transferring them to the Organization in compliance with the requirements of the applicable law.
- TRAVEL If consultants are required by UNICEF to travel beyond commuting distance from their usual place of residence, such travel at the expense of UNICEF shall be governed by conditions equivalent to the relevant provisions of the 100 series of the United Nations Staff Rules (Chapter VII) and relevant UNICEF policies and procedures. Travel by air by the most direct and economical route is the normal mode for travel at the expense of UNICEF. Such travel will be by business class if the journey is nine hours or longer, and by economy class if the journey is less than nine hours, and first class by rail.
- MEDICAL CLEARANCE Consultants expected to work in any office of the Organization shall be required to submit a statement of good health prior to commencement of work and to take full responsibility for the accuracy of that statement, including confirmation that they have been fully informed regarding inoculations required for the country or countries to which travel is authorized.
- INSURANCE Consultants are fully responsible for arranging, at their own expense, such life, health and other forms of insurance covering the period of their services on behalf of UNICEF as they consider appropriate. Consultants are not eligible to participate in the life or health insurance schemes available to United Nations staff members. The responsibility of the United Nations and UNICEF is limited solely to the payment of compensation under the conditions described in paragraph 7 below.
- SERVICE INCURRED DEATH, INJURY OR ILLNESS Consultants who are authorized to travel at UNICEF’s expense or who are required under the contract to perform their services in a United Nations or UNICEF office, or their dependants as appropriate, shall be entitled in the event of death, injury or illness attributable to the performance of services on behalf of UNICEF while in travel status or while working in an office of the Organization on official UNICEF business to compensation equivalent to the compensation which, under Appendix D to the United Nations Staff Rules (ST/SGB/Staff Rules/Appendix D/Rev.1 and Amend.1), would be payable to a staff member at step V of the First Officer (P-4) level of the Professional category.
- ARBITRATION Any dispute arising out of or, in connexion with, this contract shall, if attempts at settlement by negotiation have failed, be submitted to arbitration in New York by a single arbitrator agreed to by both parties. Should the parties be unable to agree on a single arbitrator within thirty days of the request for arbitration, then each party shall proceed to appoint one arbitrator and the two arbitrators thus appointed shall agree on a third. Failing such agreement, either party may request the appointment of the third arbitrator by the President of the United Nations Administrative Tribunal. The decision rendered in the arbitration shall constitute final adjudication of the dispute.
- TERMINATION OF CONTRACT This contract may be terminated by either party before the expiry date of the contract by giving notice in writing to the other party. The period of notice shall be five days in the case of contracts for a total period of less than two months and fourteen days in the case of contracts for a longer period; provided however that in the event of termination on the grounds of misconduct by the consultant, UNICEF shall be entitled to terminate the contract without notice. In the event of the contract being terminated prior to its due expiry date in this way, the consultant shall be compensated on a pro rata basis for no more than the actual amount of work performed to the satisfaction of UNICEF. Additional costs incurred by the United Nations resulting from the termination of the contract by the consultant may be withheld from any amount otherwise due to the consultant from UNICEF.
- TAXATION The United Nations and UNICEF undertake no liability for taxes, duty or other contribution payable by the consultant on payments made under this contract. No statement of earnings will be issued by the United Nations or UNICEF to the consultant.
How to apply:
Qualified candidates are requested to submit a cover letter, CV and P-11 form (which can be downloaded from our website at http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/index_53129.html) together with a sample of their edited piece to pdconsultants@unicef.org with subject line “Consultant, COAR Editing 2013 for Global Broadcasting” by 29 January 2013. Please indicate your rates on per Report basis (each report will be between 30 to 50 pages) and availability to undertake the terms of reference above. It is also possible that several consultancies are established with part of the 127 reports to each consultant to allow speedier completion of the task.
