Consultant on financing landscape and private partnership, UNFPA Viet Nam

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is the United Nations' sexual and reproductive health agency. Our mission is to “deliver a world where every pregnancy is intended, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled”. In 2018, UNFPA launched strategic efforts to achieve three transformative results, ambitions that promise to change the world for every woman, man and young person: zero preventable maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violence (GBV) and harmful practices, such as child marriage and gender-based sex selection.

UNFPA has been active in Viet Nam since 1977, when it established the first Joint Cooperative Programme with the Government, providing a total of over USD 200 million in assistance so far. UNFPA’s mission in Viet Nam is to help the country achieve the three transformative results within the context of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and to deliver the UNFPA Country Programme Document as the agreed strategy with the government, including to accelerate progress towards the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action and other international commitments and frameworks as ratified by the Government.

UNFPA works closely with the Government and key national stakeholders to improve access to quality sexual and reproductive health services, promote reproductive rights, reduce maternal mortality, collect and analyse high-quality population data, address gender equality and gender-based violence, take stock of the demographic window of opportunities, promote youth development, and prepare for demographic shifts including population ageing. UNFPA Viet Nam is implementing its 10th Country Programme (CP10) for the period 2022-2026 with a total budget of USD26.5 million. The country programme was designed in line with government priorities, UNFPA’s strategic plans (2022-2025, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for the period 2022- 2026.

UNFPA Viet Nam is developing the new 11th Country Programme (CPD11) for the period 2027-2031. The programme supports a proactive response to demographic transitions to ensure no one is left behind, promoting integrated, evidence-based, rights-based approaches that address the interlinkages between SRHR, population ageing, GBV prevention and response, and the needs of marginalised groups. It integrates disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, anticipatory action and humanitarian preparedness across all interventions to reduce vulnerability, strengthen resilience, and ensure continuity of essential services across the humanitarian–development–peace continuum. In the context of declining ODA and Viet Nam’s continued growth, the programme will shift from direct service  delivery to upstream, evidence-based advocacy and policy institutionalisation, working through implementing partners. It supports quality evidence generation that leverages digital transformation and innovative financing to advance the unfinished ICPD agenda, and promotes the institutionalisation of best practices  to sustain long-term development gains. To this end, resource mobilisation from the private sector has been identified as a strategic target approach for the new cycle. Therefore, UNFPA Viet Nam is seeking a consultant to carry out a market analysis and propose workable entry points to convert private sector, IFI and philanthropic opportunities into financing UNFPA’s mandate and mission in Viet Nam.

1.1. Internal scoping: Desk review of UNFPA Viet Nam’s strategic documents (CPD11 and 2026 workplans / ongoing initiatives (Population, Data, Ageing, SRHR, maternal health, GBV, TFGBV, Youth) / CP10 Evaluation recommendations to identify areas where private sector engagement has potential and adds value.

1.2. Market mapping: Identify viable private sector partners relevant to advancing UNFPA’s priorities and mandate in Viet Nam in relation to 2026 workplans and the draft CPD11 (the internal scoping work), with initial entry points including:

1.3. Analyse companies and assess their potential to support UNFPA’s mandate and/or the potential to convert opportunities to financing key areas of CPD11 within a 24-month timeframe. Group mapped companies according to their functional roles and potential areas of contribution to UNFPA programmes including filtering irrelevant actors and prioritising those with higher potential. Categorise based on the type of partnership they could offer (e.g. financial, brain power, advocacy, reach, in-kind), rather than profiling individual companies at this stage. Document high-level observations on relevance, feasibility and sensitivity to inform subsequent risk analysis.

Deliverable: A comprehensive Market Mapping and Analysis Report that identifies, categorises, and prioritises high-potential private sector partners aligned with UNFPA Viet Nam's strategic priorities.

2.1. Analyse key opportunities and "grey areas" of interacting with businesses in Viet Nam, including identifying high-risk categories (e.g. sanctioned entities, military-linked businesses and politically sensitive actors) and potential reputational or ethical sensitivities; consider legal/regulatory, ethical and policy considerations relating to private sector engagement; consider indirect linkages and sector-level sensitivities or perceptions; and existing examples of collaboration with UN/multilateral organisations and/or working with Official Development Assistance (ODA).

2.2. Refine the initial mapping, based on opportunities and risks, to narrow the focus to realistic and mandate-aligned areas for potential private sector engagement. Consolidate findings into a concise market mapping summary to inform phase 4.

2.3. Identify high-level mitigation principles for refined, mapped companies based on risk assessment. 

Deliverable: A Risk Assessment Report that evaluates potential ethical, legal and reputational risks to refine the initial partner map and establish high-level mitigation principles for safe, mandate-aligned engagement.

3.1. Strategy design value proposition: Articulate why the private sector in Viet Nam should partner with UNFPA, including where UNFPA’s comparative advantage is critical for the private sector business. For each category or grouping, identify existing coordination platforms, umbrella bodies or convening mechanisms through which UNFPA could engage with multiple private sector actors in a structured and low-exposure manner.

3.2. Engagement models: For key private sector companies – those with the highest potential - provide recommendations on ‘where and how’ UNFPA in Viet Nam can engage or broker new relations including methods of outreach and targeting (such as key positions or opportunities). This could include ‘Shared Value partnerships’, Technical Assistance or Public-Private Partnerships. Apply a structured prioritisation model such as:

Deliverable: A Strategic Recommendations Document that articulates UNFPA's value proposition and outlines prioritised, tailored engagement models and outreach platforms for high-potential partners.

Final Package of Phases 1-3: A Private Sector Engagement strategy that includes a multi-phase i) market mapping and analysis, ii) risk assessment and iii) strategic recommendations to identify and prioritise high-probability strategic financing pathways with clear entry points that can be converted to opportunities within 12-24 months.

The consultancy will be from

- The contract is results-based in accordance with deliverables/payment milestones specified in this ToR. The number of days counted for each key step here is for contract planning and progress monitoring purposes only by UNFPA Viet Nam. 

- Depending on the actual time required for each step, there may be some shift of working days between steps, following consultation with UNFPA Viet Nam.

 This position offers an attractive consultant fees, payment made against deliverables-based. 

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here [link removed] to learn more.

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. 

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.