Inclusive Youth Economic Self-Reliance Expert

UNDP supports strategic capacity development initiatives to promote inclusive growth and sustainable human development. Together with national, regional and local authorities, civil societies, private sector, UNDP strives to support Ukraine in its efforts to eliminate poverty, develop people’s capacity, achieve equitable results, sustain the environment, and advance democratic governance. UNDP is in line with 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to achieve national strategic capacity development.

After more than three years of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation (RF), the War is entering a new phase, marked by intensified mass attacks with drones and missiles on people and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Such massive and indiscriminate strikes on residential houses, health facilities, schools, and the energy sector across Ukraine inflict increasingly severe hardships on civilians, making Ukraine even more dependent on external support and undermining ongoing and future recovery efforts. The country is now facing an entirely new set of challenges requiring urgent and adaptive recovery measures.

Building on Japan’s extensive expertise and the strong Japan-UNDP partnership in advancing recovery and the HDP nexus in complex crisis contexts such as Ukraine, the provision of urgent, integrated, and multi-sectoral support is critical to address the cumulative damage from the protracted war and the imminent challenges resulting from intensified mass attacks on civilians in 2025.

This project aims to catalyse urgent recovery and strengthen resilience in response to the surge in deaths, destruction, displacement by recent intensified mass attacks and cumulative suffering caused by the war in Ukraine. It seeks to promote Human Security by implementing immediate and coordinated responses to the interconnected and multidimensional threats that the country is currently facing, while strategically leveraging Japan’s experience, technologies, and expertise to address challenges in recovery in Ukraine.

The complex and compounded crises in Ukraine call for a holistic, multi-sectoral approach that transcends sectoral boundaries and prioritizes the needs of the most affected populations, requiring tailored and integrated forms of support with three strategic focuses on:
i) Essential Basic Services and a Safe Living Environment;
ii) Socio-Economic Resilience; and
iii) Transparent and Accountable Recovery Process.

The project intends to demonstrate a proof of concept for the 'Co-Creation' cooperation approach by strategically leveraging Japan’s knowledge, technologies, and expertise to address urgent recovery needs in Ukraine and creating an enabling environment where the private sector, either domestic or international, including Japanese, can engage and take part in bringing and accelerating Ukraine’s build-back-better recovery, particularly through public-private partnerships (PPPs) recovery.

The youth of Ukraine should become active drivers of this process. Strengthening youth economic participation and promoting economic self-reliance needs improving coordination between youth policy, social protection, education, employment services, disability inclusion mechanisms, and labour market actors. Within this context, UNDP seeks to support the development of a comprehensive model of youth economic self-reliance, with particular attention to young persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups. The model will promote inclusive pathways from education and skills development to employment, entrepreneurship, and sustainable economic participation, while addressing systemic barriers and strengthening cooperation among public institutions, employers, educational institutions, civil society organizations, and development partners.

Under the supervision of the Project Coordinator, the Inclusive Youth Economic Self-Reliance Expert will perform the following tasks:

A. Research and Analysis for the Development of the Model on Economic Self-Reliance of Youth
•Analyze the socio-economic situation, needs, challenges, and opportunities affecting youth, including young persons with disabilities.
•Analyse national legislation, policies, programmes, and institutional frameworks related to youth development, employment, social protection, disability inclusion, and economic participation.
•Identify barriers and enabling factors influencing youth economic self-reliance and labour market inclusion.
•Map existing services, programmes, stakeholders, and support mechanisms available to young people.
•Analyse international and national good practices, lessons learned, and innovative approaches relevant to youth economic inclusion.
•Assess potential implementation risks, assumptions, and sustainability factors related to the proposed model.

B. Development of the Model on Economic Self-Reliance of Youth
•Conceptual design and methodological development of a comprehensive model on economic self-reliance of youth, including young persons with disabilities and other vulnerable youth groups.
•Develop the overall structure, methodology, implementation framework, and supporting documentation for the model.
•Define the concept and key components of youth economic self-reliance in line with human rights-based, disability-inclusive, and barrier-free approaches.
•Develop evidence-based pathways supporting youth transition from career guidance and education to employment, entrepreneurship, and sustainable economic self-reliance.
•Formulate practical mechanisms promoting inclusive labour market participation and economic inclusion of young persons with disabilities.
•Develop recommendations promoting economic barrier-free approaches and equal economic participation opportunities for young persons with disabilities and other vulnerable youth groups.

C. Design of Operational Components and Coordination Mechanisms
•Develop recommendations on financial, institutional, and resource arrangements required for implementation of the model.
•Develop recommendations on inter-institutional cooperation mechanisms among government institutions, employment services, educational institutions, employers, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders.
•Develop mechanisms for case management, youth support services, career guidance, employment support, and post-employment follow-up.
•Formulate approaches to entrepreneurship development, financial literacy, skills development, and labour market readiness.
•Develop recommendations on inclusive labour market practices and workplace inclusion of young persons with disabilities.
•Contribute to the development of implementation protocols, guidance materials, and operational tools supporting model implementation.

D. Monitoring, Evaluation, and Knowledge Products
•Develop a system of indicators, monitoring tools, and performance measurement approaches for assessing implementation and effectiveness of the model.
•Develop evaluation criteria and results frameworks supporting evidence-based policy implementation.
•Prepare analytical reports, concept papers, presentations, methodological guidance, and knowledge products related to the assignment.
•Present findings, recommendations, and draft products during consultations, workshops, technical meetings, and stakeholder discussions.

E. Stakeholder Engagement and Technical Consultation
•Facilitate consultations and technical discussions with relevant government institutions, youth representatives, organizations of persons with disabilities, employers, educational institutions, civil society organizations, and development partners.
•Provide high-level technical advice and expert recommendations related to youth economic inclusion, employment, disability inclusion, and self-reliance approaches.
•Support validation and refinement of the developed model through stakeholder engagement processes.

Perform other related tasks as may be required or assigned by the supervisor.