Dear DFGGers:
Last year the Bank launched a major program (PECSA) to strengthen civil
society's ability to contribute to improving governance in Cambodia. A key
emphasis is transferring skills and experience from countries (especially in
Asia) where civil society make strong contributions to governance reform to
counterparts in Asia - through a combination of training, exchange visits and
coaching/mentoring arrangements.
We were fortunate to have Dinky Soliman as the founding coordinator, who is now
returning to Philippines - to resume both her NGO and her political work there.
We therefore need to recruit a successor to provide the needed leadership and
management to the program, working with a Deputy Coordinator and small staff,
based in the World Bank's Phnom Penh office.
Attached are the detailed TORs. We would be grateful if you could forward to
your social accountability networks or to any individual who you think might be
interested - or perhaps you may be interested yourself. The deadline for
applications is Aug 11.
If additional information is required, please get in touch with me directly.
Thanks
Bhuvan
(See attached file: PECSA ToR JSSCBB July 16.doc)
CAMBODIA: Program to Enhance Capacity in Social Accountability (PECSA)
Terms of Reference for Program Coordinator (Consultant)
Introduction
Cambodia’s development stands at a crossroads. It has emerged from several decades of conflict and chaos and is now consolidating a framework of law and order and democracy; it is also largely enjoying peace – save for local conflicts over resources. Its economy is growing strongly and the recent discovery of sizeable oil, gas and mineral deposits offers major new potential. On the other hand there are very serious concerns about corruption (Transparency International lists Cambodia as 151 out of 163 countries in its Corruption Perception Index), lack of transparency, inefficiency of public services and a range of other governance problems. These have been the central topics of government-donor dialogue and the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) has responded by declaring that fostering good governance is now its top development priority.
The problems of governance are deep-rooted, however, and although there are many sincere reformers at all levels in government, there are many others who benefit greatly from the current order and will resist change. Promoting reform through government initiatives alone is therefore likely to achieve little. There must be complementary efforts on the part of parliamentarians, journalists, business-people, civil society and others to promote reforms and make them work, and to advocate for and identify further reforms needed. An array of tools and approaches has evolved to maximize the effectiveness of their efforts, and are known collectively as the Demand–side of Good Governance or Social Accountability (SA).
In Cambodia, however, there is little experience of such SA approaches. At the same time there is widespread interest and an acknowledged need among various non-state actors to learn about the experiences of other countries in using such approaches and to adapt and pilot SA tools in the Cambodian context. This gap between need and capacity provides the rationale for the Program to Enhance Capacity in Social Accountability (PECSA) that was launched in 2007 by the World Bank.
About the PECSA Program
PECSA is a $1,995,000 grant program funded from the LICUS (Low Income Countries Under Stress) Trust Fund that aims to provide broad-based capacity building in the field of SA via training, mentoring, seed-funding and other kinds of help to civil society organizations, parliamentarians, journalists and other non-state actors in an effort to enhance their contribution to the process of governance reform in Cambodia. It is scheduled to close towards the end of 2009.
PECSA is also designed as a critical preparatory capacity building program for non-state actors to enable them to participate effectively in the larger Demand for Good Governance (DFGG) project that the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) and the Bank are currently designing, which aims to provide funding to both state and non-state institutions working on promoting, mediating, responding to, or monitoring demand for good governance. If approved, the DFGG project would become operational in the last quarter of 2008.
Program Components: A wide range of capacity building support services are provided to non-state actors through PECSA’s different components1. These include training and on-the-job-mentoring by leading global social accountability institutions; exchange visits to learn from other social accountability experiences in the Asia region; as well as scholarships for further learning. To facilitate action learning and piloting of tools there is a grants mechanism comprising a small grants program and a pilot ‘development marketplace’ competition that will provide larger grants. The grants mechanism is administered by the Asia Foundation (TAF) and grants are awarded by a specially-constituted Grant-Making Committee; the PECSA Coordinator will liaise closely with TAF in this activity but will not have management responsibility for it. PECSA is also establishing a mutual support network of Cambodian civil society organizations working on SA to share ideas and experiences and pursue programs collectively, and establish a network of resource centers to house information and data on SA tools, case studies, and contacts both within Cambodia and internationally. Special programs will be run on themes related to the DFGG project supported state institutions such as training for journalists/media, parliamentarians, labor unions, civic educators and NGO leaders, since these will pave the way to better partnerships under the project once operational. Additionally, PECSA will support internal accountability and integrity systems of NGOs as this too is crucial to promoting capacity and credibility for undertaking SA work effectively.
Process Design Approach: To ensure ownership, sustainability and feasibility in the management and administration of PECSA, a “process design” approach is being used to determine the structure and details of the program. Hence, the exact program design, and detailed description and distribution between the various components and activities was purposely left open in the original project proposal, with the understanding that this will be adjusted collaboratively with key stakeholders, in light of systematic consultations with Cambodian CSOs, and a Civil Society Assessment (that is now almost finished). Such an approach helps the program to be flexible and responsive to the needs of Cambodian CSOs both in terms of (a) areas for support (e.g. participatory budgeting, performance monitoring, EITI…) and (b) form of support (training workshops, on-the-job mentoring, piloting grants, etc).
Institutional Arrangements: The central, but small, PECSA Coordination Unit (PCU), is the hub of the program and serves a two-way function. It provides services to clients by connecting users and providers, linking practitioners with common interests, developing granting mechanisms, etc. It also ensures that programs are carefully monitored, experience is gathered and documented, and that lessons learned are fed back both into strengthening PECSA itself and into the design of the DFGG Project. For these dual functions to be effective and for benefits to be sustainable, the PCU acts essentially as a “wholesaler”, rather than a direct service provider. It identifies and recruits the partners needed (in Cambodia and elsewhere) who provide the services, and concentrates instead on strategy, quality management, coordination and learning.
Staffing: A highly experienced coordinator was hired as a short-term consultant to take the original concept, as approved by the Bank, to its detailed design and launch (in December 2007) and to its initial set of activities – especially the first round of intensive training programs in March-April 2008. A Deputy Coordinator and Program Assistant have been recruited for the duration of the program. The supplementary material provided (Implementation Plan, latest Progress Report, description of the training and coaching component etc) describe the PECSA program in more detail and its activities to date.
PECSA Coordinator
With the departure of the founding PECSA Coordinator (Corazon “Dinky” Juliano- Soliman; former Minister of Social Development and NGO leader from the Philippines), the Bank now needs to recruit a successor for the period up to end 2009. The Coordinator is responsible for ensuring effective implementation of the detailed PECSA plan and leadership of the PCU including overall management and administration of the program. The Coordinator will be responsible for maintaining close interaction with RGC officials, Cambodian CSOs, NGOs, parliamentarians, journalists, bilateral and multilateral donors, professional associations, academic institutions, international non-government organizations, other non-state actors and SA capacity building service providers in other countries. S/he will also maintain close engagement with Bank staff and managers working on social accountability and governance issues in Cambodia.
The three main objectives of this assignment are:
1. Strategic leadership and planning of PECSA, including preparation and oversight of detailed budget break-down, risk management arrangements and results framework,
2. Coordination of the management and administration of different PECSA components, including leadership of the PCU, and
3. Providing management reports to, and liaising with, World Bank management, especially to ensure fulfillment of fiduciary requirements and a close link with, and a smooth transition into, the implementation of the DFGG Project.
Scope of Services
A. For Strategic Leadership and Planning of PECSA, tasks include:
* Continuing to refine the design of PECSA, including program development objectives, rationale, detailed program description (major components and other elements), detailed estimates of project cost (including operating costs), financing plan, time-line of key project activities with key milestones, institutional arrangements, results framework, and risk management measures;
* In support of the above, undertaking the following:
- maintaining multistakeholder dialogue on PECSA priorities, demands for training on social accountability and other forms of capacity building needs in the country;
- keeping all partner organizations fully informed about the PECSA long-term strategy and objectives;
- ensure that PECSA’s work program remains tied to sectoral themes from the DFGG project (natural resource management, public finance management, private sector development, decentralization and independent media);
- maintaining and strengthening PECSA’s outreach activities and communication strategy;
- identifying further resources and centers of SA excellence, especially in Asia that can be drawn upon for Cambodian audiences;
- interacting closely with key donor agencies that have programs and activities in SA field in Cambodia (e.g., DFID-DANIDA, UNDP, ADB, USAID, AusAid, PACT, EWMI, Oxfam, SIDA-Diakonia, Asia Foundation);
- based on these consultations and expressed needs, developing the framework of program activities under each component of the PECSA program;
- revising as needed the budget for PECSA, with break-downs for the different components, activities and expenditure categories;
- adapting as needed the selection criteria for institutions and individuals participating in PECSA; and
- implementing the anti-corruption plan to ensure tight fiduciary oversight of PECSA activities; and
B. For the Management and Administration of PECSA, tasks include:
* Overall coordination of PECSA;
* Heading the PCU, under the guidance of the Bank’s Task Team Leader (TTL) for PECSA (Mr. Bhuvan Bhatnagar), and supervising the Deputy PECSA Coordinator and support staff in the PCU;
* Carrying out oversight and monitoring of the detailed results framework for PECSA;
* Ensuring and monitoring adherence to PECSA’s Implementation Plan;
* Catalyzing and steering partnerships with non-state actors and networks required for both PECSA and the DFGG Project;
* Representing PECSA to key government, donor and other audiences;
* Providing expert advice and guidance on demand-side approaches to governance to CSOs and other stakeholders, as well as first-line oversight and quality assurance;
* Recruiting an M&E specialist to lead PECSA’s monitoring, impact evaluation and learning;
* Identifying, in consultation with the TTL, topics that merit further study for the purpose of expanding SA practice in Cambodia; and
* Implementing the PECSA with the highest fiduciary standards and safeguards.
C. For contributing to and engaging in World Bank Management, tasks include:
* Providing reports on the financial management, procurement, audits, and other fiduciary aspects of PECSA, with minimal support, and ensuring fiduciary concerns are rigorously addressed;
* Linking up PECSA activities with the preparation and implementation of the DFGG Project, and other Bank activities in support of social accountability and good governance in Cambodia;
* Submitting quarterly progress reports on PECSA implementation.; and
* Undertaking other activities and tasks as requested by the Bank Task Team Leader.
Institutional Arrangements
The Consultant is required for up to 16 months, until end-2009 – starting as soon as feasible. A part-time arrangement may be negotiable providing the Consultant will largely be available for PECSA work. The Consultant will be based in the Bank’s facilities in Cambodia. The Consultant will report to the Bank’s TTL for PECSA.
Profile of Consultant
The Consultant must have knowledge and preferably practical experience of undertaking SA and governance activities. S/he must have considerable program coordination and management experience with a proven track record of dealing with senior government officials, civil society organizations and other non-state actors. Experience managing training and capacity building programs and/or major civil society-focused development programs (especially with respect to capacity building and networking) would be a strong advantage. Knowledge and experience of World Bank operational practices and procedures (including fiduciary ones) is preferred. Proven skills in report writing, running consultations, overseeing M&E, and planning/sequencing program activities is required. Excellent communication skills in English will be required. S/he should have a Masters degree in a relevant subject. Country experience in the Asian region is required, and in Cambodia will be a plus.
Please send your application, with detailed CV, to Kol Preap and copy Nona Sachdeva: emails: kpreap@worldbank.org, asachdeva@worldbank.org
