Consultant on financing landscape and private partnership, UNFPA Viet Nam

Hiring Office: UNFPA Viet Nam Country Office

Purpose of consultancy:

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.

Scope of work (Description of services, activities, or outputs):

Phase 1: Market Mapping and Analysis

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:

• National and international (with a presence in Viet Nam) large and medium companies (e.g. VinGroup, Sun Group, Samsung, LG, Sumitomo, Mitsubishi, Microsoft, Nvidia etc) in particular their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes
• International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and the banking sector (e.g. Techcombank etc)
• Philanthropic organisations and social enterprises with a financing interest in Viet Nam specifically or wider south-east asia
• Trade associations and chambers of commerce (e.g., VCCI, EuroCham)
• Other partners who are explicitly interested in social impact and megatrends (ageing, care economy, silver economy, digital transformation) or blended finance.

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.

Phase 2: Risk Assessment and Refinement

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.

Phase 3: Recommendations for 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:

• Strategic alignment with UNFPA’s mandate
• Financial capacity and likelihood to invest
• Ease of engagement and access
• Reputational and political risk
• Time to conversion (e.g. 12-24 months)

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.

Duration and working schedule:

The consultancy will be from 1 July to 30 September 2026. The maximum working days for this assignment are 40 days in total, covering:

* Note: 

- 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.

Place where services are to be delivered: The consultant will conduct most of their work remotely with requirements to connect for meetings with the UNFPA Country Office in Hanoi and/or relevant stakeholders as required to fulfill the assignment (either in person at UNFPA offices or virtually). Applicants who are not Vietnamese citizens must have a valid visa to travel to Viet Nam.

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.): The consultant will submit all deliverables and related documents/materials in English, via email to the Assistant Representative (with a copy stored on Google Drive for future access) by the deadlines highlighted in the ‘Duration and Working Schedule’ above.

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity, format and deadline: The Assistant Representative will be responsible for monitoring the consultant’s work and its progress, acting as the main focal point, supported by the Evaluation Officer. These two focal points will work closely with and support the consultant to ensure quality of work and that deadlines are met as outlined in this TOR.

The UNFPA Country Officer senior management and team leaders will review deliverables, provide comments and submit feedback to the consultant. Communication will primarily be via email, telephone and Google Meet.

Supervisory arrangements: The consultant will report to the Assistant Representative, and consultancy payments will be released upon satisfactory acceptance of the deliverables by the Assistant Representative.

Expected travel: Travel is not required for the consultancy.

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:

• Advanced university degree (Master's or PhD) in Business Administration, Finance, Economics, Public Policy, Social Sciences, or a related field relevant to financing and private sector engagement.  
• Minimum 10 years of experience in conducting market analysis, private sector engagement, corporate social responsibility (CSR) mapping, or resource mobilization. Experience in blended finance or impact investing models is an advantage.
• Experience in drafting high-level strategic documents (in english), engagement recommendations, and policy documents for international organisations or development agencies is a strong advantage.  
• Detailed knowledge of the Vietnamese corporate context with a strong understanding of its business ecosystem, including large national and multinational companies, International Financial Institutions (IFIs), philanthropic organisations, and trade associations (e.g., VCCI, EuroCham).  
• Proven expertise in conducting risk assessments, specifically identifying reputational, ethical, legal, and regulatory sensitivities related to private sector and Official Development Assistance (ODA) partnerships.  
• Specific experience or strong familiarity with UNFPA's mandate and mission, including sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), maternal health, gender-based violence (GBV), population data, youth, and ageing is an advantage in order to ensure engagement areas are realistically aligned with the agency's priorities.  
• Excellent analytical and strategic design skills, combined with outstanding English writing and editing skills to produce comprehensive market mapping reports and strategic recommendation documents.  
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to clearly articulate value propositions and engage with diverse institutional and corporate stakeholders.

Inputs/services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment), if applicable:

UNFPA will:

• Coordinate to organise induction meetings for the selected consultant
• Provide inputs and/or support in sharing documents and materials prepared by the consultant for comments
• Facilitate and support logistics for technical meetings with partners (online or at UNFPA premises upon request)
• Share with the consultant relevant documents and support access to available sources of information during data collection
• Provide administrative support for travel if necessary

Other relevant information or special conditions, if any: 

• An individual consultant contract (ICC) will be signed with the selected consultant and will cover all costs related to the implementation of the ICC. UNFPA Policy on Individual Consultants can be found at https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/admin-resource/DHR_Individual_Consultant.pdf
• Interested consultants are requested to register in the UNFPA global consultancy roster by visiting https://www.unfpa.org/unfpa-consultant-roster and https://consultantroster.unfpa.org/web/consultant-roster/faqs
• The consultant is requested to complete the following online training courses and submit the certificates to UNFPA before signing the ICC:

1. BSAFE, (https://training.dss.un.org/course/category/6) 
2. Fraud and Corruption Awareness and Prevention (https://extranet.unfpa.org/Apps/Antifraud/English/story_html5.html) 
3. PSEA (Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse) (https://extranet.unfpa.org/Apps/PSEA2017/story_html5.html?lms=1) 

• The consultancy payment will be made in  installment upon satisfactory submission of the deliverables and acceptance by UNFPA.
  • First installment: equivalent to 15 working days, upon completion of Deliverable 1.
  • Second installment: equivalent to 10 working days, upon completion of Deliverable 2. 
  • Final installment: equivalent to 15 days, upon completion of Deliverables 3 and 4.

Compensation and Benefits:

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

UNFPA Work Environment:

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 to learn more.

Disclaimer:

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.