The overall objective of the Equanomics initiative is to contribute to strengthened public financial management and ensure fiscal policy coherence in relation to gender equality goals in Bhutan. Specifically, the National Consultant will be responsible to:
1. Support the assessment and diagnosis of fiscal policy coherence gaps, institutional challenges, and reform opportunities under Phase I (Scoping and Problem Specification) of the FPC approach;
2. Strengthen implementation of the GRPB that is fully embedded within the FPC diagnostic and reform pathway.
3. Enhance capacities of finance, planning and relevant officials on gender responsive public financial management.
1. Component I – Fiscal Policy Coherence (Phase 1 – Scoping and Problem Specification)
2. Component II – Strengthening Gender-Responsive Public Budgeting (GRPB)
The National Consultant will serve as the national focal point for all technical and stakeholder engagements, ensuring the quality, consistency, and timely delivery of analytical outputs.
The National Consultant will lead the analytical and coordination work under both the components: -Phase 1 – Scoping and Problem Specification of the Fiscal Policy Coherence (FPC) and the GRPB reform process.
Expected Output and Deliverables
The Consultant is expected to deliver the following:
Component 1 : Lead analytical and coordination work under Phase 1 of PFC approach: Under this output the consultant will lead national-level analytical and coordination work supporting the FPC Phase I process, ensuring that development dimensions such as gender, health, climate, social equity are systematically integrated into the fiscal coherence assessment.
A. Pre-Mission Support, the consultant will:
• Conduct desk research on national fiscal instruments, budget laws, SDG/NDC policies, and data sources.
• Collect and organize key fiscal (revenue, budget, expenditure, debt, subsidies) and socio-economic data.
• Develop data collection instruments, including an “interview guide” to be used with key actors for understanding fiscal practices and institutional capacities and challenges that is informed and aligned with UNDP’s FPC approach. Ensure information already acquired in strategic documents outlined above is not replicated but built upon in this guide.
• Support and ensure completion of Pre-Mission Guiding Questions and assist in adapting Mission Interview Guiding Questions.
• Support coordination and logistical arrangements for meetings and interviews.
• Identify institutional, regulatory, and operational gaps affecting coherence.
• Draft short analytical notes summarizing key cross-cutting fiscal challenges (Gender, Health, Climate, Social Equity, Governance etc).
B. On-Site Mission support