Call for Expressions of Interest – NGO

The Living Heritage Entity of the UNESCO Culture Sector is looking for a non-governmental organisation (NGO) to carry out the mapping of the domain of competencies of the accredited NGOs under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
The deadline for submitting expressions of interest is 30 July 2021 (the expected starting date for the work is 15 August 2021, with all the tasks to be completed by 30 November 2021).

Context

In the framework of the implementation of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (hereinafter ‘the 2003 Convention’),

In the context of the decisions of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, in particular Decisions 12.COM 17 and 14.COM 15, the Secretariat of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage is tasked to carry out a mapping of the domain of competencies of the accredited non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under the 2003 Convention. The need for identifying such competencies was brought to the fore during the Committee reflection on the definition of the advisory functions that accredited NGOs can fulfil and on the relevance of the accreditation system for the work of the Committee and the implementation of the Convention.

Work Assignment

In close consultation with the Programme Management Unit of the Living Heritage Entity, the contractor shall:

1.1. Review relevant documents related to the reflection on the participation of NGOs in the implementation of the Convention, including statutory documents, decisions of the Governing Bodies of the 2003 Convention as well as Form ICH-09 for accreditation request and Form ICH-08 for reporting (to be provided by the Secretariat of the 2003 Convention);

1.2. Design an online survey targeting accredit NGOs in order to gather data on the scope of their work, skills, expertise, experiences, and involvement in the implementation of the 2003 Convention. The data arising from the survey will be submitted to the Secretariat of the 2003 Convention in raw format (.xls);

1.3. Conduct one-on-one interviews with the accredited NGOs (target 64 NGOs) to verify and consolidate the outcomes of the survey. All NGOs located in under-represented regions shall be included. The number of NGOs located in Group I shall be reduced to fit within the above-mentioned ceiling and allow for a balanced geographical identification of expertise;

1.4. Define, in close consultation with the Living Heritage Entity, vocabularies (lists of concepts) to be used in the indexation of accredited NGOs under the 2003 Convention. The vocabularies should be defined taking into account the data arising from the survey and interviews, and should define the information pertaining to the accredited NGOs in relation to the following aspects:
i. Human and institutional capacities (working languages, geographical expertise, budget and human resources, methodological approach, etc);
ii. Expertise in domains of the intangible cultural heritage;
iii. Expertise in safeguarding measures (with in mind that such vocabulary would also be used at a later stage in a broader context, for instance the indexation of international assistance projects or good safeguarding practices of the Register);
iv. Expertise in ‘thematic’ issues, such as intangible cultural heritage safeguarding related to emergencies, climate adaptations, gender equality, environmental sustainability, indigenous people, cities, etc;
v. Participation in international cooperation mechanisms (periodic reporting, nominations to the Lists, International Assistance, patronage requests, etc.);
vi. Relation to other international frameworks (considering those included in a vocabulary provided by the Secretariat);
vii. Any other relevant information;

1.5. Draft, on the basis of the proposed vocabularies (lists of concepts), a two-page guideline to implement the relations between each accredited NGOs and concepts (indexation). This will ensure that the indexation will be undertaken in a coherent manner over a period of time;

1.6. Undertake the indexation of accredited NGOs according to the guideline (as proposed in 1.5. and agreed upon with the Living Heritage Entity). The association of concepts to each NGO will be undertaken within the database or an excel file provided by the Living Heritage Entity;

1.7. Design illustrated schematic texts (in English and French and based on the template to be agreed with the Living Heritage Entity) for each accredited NGO interviewed, showcasing key and substantial information related to their expertise in safeguarding, in order to highlight their potentials in providing advisory services to the Committee;

1.8. Draft an analytical report (in English and of a maximum of 20 pages plus annexes: presentations, list of interviews, support material, etc.) highlighting the results of the mapping and aiming at providing a detailed appraisal of the potentials of the accredited NGOs. The report should identify common areas of expertise and competencies in order to allow for the creation of thematic networks among NGOs. Disaggregated data according to types, domains of competencies, expertise, geographical distribution, etc. should be included. Tables, graphs and figures shall be used to present data, whenever possible;

1.9. Propose, on the basis of the results of the activities, a review of Form ICH-09 for accreditation request and Form ICH-08 for reporting;

Qualifications required

The applicant shall have the following qualifications:

• Excellent knowledge about the 2003 Convention and its accreditation system;
• Demonstrated strong research experience in the field of intangible cultural heritage, including knowledge of research methodologies, data analysis, report writing and data visualization (basic tables, graphs and charts);
• Excellent writing and communication skills in English, French (additionally Spanish would be an asset);

How to apply?

Interested candidates should send their expression of interest to carry out these tasks, including the following information:

• A brief letter of intention referred to the above-mentioned activity, with a description of the team environment relevant for undertaking the work;
• An indication of expectations regarding the fees to carry out the work ;

All documents have to be sent with the institution’s heading letter.

Expressions of interest should reach UNESCO by 30 July 2021.

Please send your proposals to ich-ngo@unesco.org, with a copy to Mr Leandro Peredo (l.peredo@unesco.org), UNESCO Living Heritage Entity.