About Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacificis part of the United Nations system, working to promote international cooperation and address global challenges. As a UN entity, it contributes to the organization’s mission of maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, and promoting international cooperation in solving international problems and encouraging respect for human rights.

Job Summary

This consultancy provides an opportunity to contribute specialized expertise to Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific’s mission in international cooperation and sustainable development. Working in Thailand, you will apply your professional skills to address complex challenges in international cooperation and sustainable development and support the organization’s programmatic objectives. This role offers the flexibility of consultancy work while contributing to meaningful international development outcomes with global impact.

Key Details

• Job Title:Consultant on Thailand Social Procurement in Agrifood Sector
• Grade:CON
• Location:Bangkok, Thailand
• Department:Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
• Contract Type:Consultancy
• Salary Range:$50,000.0 – $120,000.0 USD annually

Qualifications

• Academic Qualifications: Advanced university Degree in Economics, International development, Management, Public Policy, Innovation policy or related field. – A minimum of five years of progressive experience in promoting social and economic development through research and analysis, policy formulation and application. – Experience in the promotion of inclusive businesses, social enterprises or impact investment in ASEAN.
• Language: Proficiency in English is required..

Skills

• Background: To meet the ambitions of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the private sector will need to play a greater role in supporting development objectives.
• Inclusive businesses offer the opportunity to address development challenges and leave no one behind.
• Inclusive businesses are companies that: provide goods, services, and livelihoods on a commercially viable basis, either at scale or scalable, to people living at the base of the economic pyramid making them part of the value chain of companies core business as suppliers, distributors, retailers, or customers. Inclusive businesses provide triple wins.
• They provide market opportunities to enterprises; they provide above market-rate income opportunities and access to affordable essential goods and services for low income and marginalised groups; and they help governments deliver affordable goods and services and lift people out of poverty at scale.
• Procurement is getting equipped to measure and evaluate suppliers on their environmental and social performance because of regulations.
• The rate of corporate executives mentioning that corporate sustainability goals are top priority increased from 25% to 63% in between 2019 to 2021.
• Every purchasing decision has an economic, social and environmental impact.
• Supply chains represent a huge impact lever since >60% of an average company’s ESG footprint lies with the suppliers.
• For every $1 spent on CSR, $400 is spent on indirect goods and services to run operations.
• Social Procurement is the strategic use of purchasing power to generate social value beyond the traditional value of goods and services.
• It involves creating partnerships across sectors to achieve economic, social, and environmental benefits for communities.
• This approach considers factors such as supplier diversity, employment opportunities for disadvantaged groups, fair labour practices, and environmental sustainability.

Benefits

• To gain visibility of potential buyers who are and/or want to engage with social enterprise suppliers in Thailand
• s agrifood sector.
• To analyse and understand the needs of procurement teams in regard to partnering with social enterprises.
• To connect potential social enterprise suppliers and corporate buyers in Thailand
• Develop value proposition and communication materials to engage key stakeholders.
• Conduct outreach, initiate mapping exercise and engage strategic advisors and dissemination partners to support mapping efforts.
• Agree with ESCAP to finalize and launch the mapping methodology.
• Conduct scouting and outreach to procurement teams of agrifood sector companies in Thailand.
• Disseminate the survey through various channels and leverage partners for outreach.
• Review and validate companies that align with the project
• s scope and criteria.
• Analyze and evaluate the social procurement readiness levels of identified companies.
• Develop an analysis of social procurement in the agrifood sector companies in Thailand with guidance from strategic advisors.
• Engage at least 50 companies, securing responses from a minimum of 30 companies.
• Synthesize findings and prepare a summary brief on the analysis and market assessment.
• Ensure engagement of 30-50 representatives from procurement teams, inclusive businesses and social enterprises.
• Deliver a final list of at least 30 mapped agrifood sector and agrifood buying companies implementing or interested in social procurement.
• BANK ACCOUNTS.