Conduct Peer Review on Electoral Research Documents

The UN Development Programme is the lead UN agency fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in more than 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. In the Pacific, UNDP provides regional and country support to ten countries (Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu) and regional support to five countries (Cook Islands, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tokelau), together with a total population of 2.4 million. UNDP is guided by a Sub-regional Programme Document for the Pacific Island Countries and Territories 2018-2022, which in turn contributes to the achievement of an overarching UN system-wide Pacific Strategy. The Programme is shaped to assist countries to advance the global 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda tailored to each country's priorities, through focus on data, policy prioritization, participatory planning, and budgeting and monitoring - and with accelerated action to meet the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP seeks to target the most vulnerable i.e. people experiencing hardship, the marginalized living in remote rural areas, those who are vulnerable to climate and disaster risks, as well as women and youth excluded from socio-political and economic participation. UNDP adheres to an inclusive, pro-poor and human rights-based approaches that leverage cross-practice, multi-disciplinary expertise of UNDP.

The Pacific Elections Assistance Program (PEAP) has been designed to maximize the utility of UNDP's global elections experience by developing a dedicated office and focal point for UNDP electoral assistance in the Pacific. In support of Pacific Electoral Management Bodies (EMBs) and the political and voting rights of all Pacific islanders, the Program will contribute to the enhancement of knowledge, capacity, and regional cooperation among Pacific electoral stakeholders. As part of UNDP Pacific Multi-Country Office Effective Governance Team, the PEAP project will bring focused, efficient, continuous, elections support to Pacific Island Countries. The program focuses on three Pacific regional-specific outputs: (1) EMBs deliver effective, efficient, and inclusive elections with increased capacity and resources. (2) EMBs make robust and informed decisions, safeguarding the integrity of elections with improved independence and stronger mandates. (3) Citizens actively engage, understand, and are committed to protecting democratic rights and values. Over the last year, PEAP has engaged various consultants to study and develop research documents on the following topics: 1. Electoral Dispute Resolution - A Guide for Understanding Legal Frameworks in the Pacific 2. Electoral Dispute Resolution Frameworks by Jurisdiction 3. Electoral Harassment and Candidates Safety in the Pacific Islands 4. Disability Inclusive Electoral Processes 5. Equity in Pacific Elections: Including People with Intellectual and Psychosocial Disabilities 6. Temporary Special Measures Promote Gender Balance in Pacific Legislatures: Options for Stakeholders To ensure the technical quality, clarity, coherence, and policy relevance of these documents, UNDP seeks to engage an Online Volunteer to provide independent peer review, quality assurance, and substantive editorial input to strengthen the final outputs prior to validation and publication.

Under the supervision of the PEAP Programme Team, the Online Volunteer will: - Review a set of research and analytical documents produced under the PEAP project (approx. 40 pages a document). - Assess the documents for overall technical quality, structure, clarity, and policy relevance; - Provide detailed written comments, track changes, and recommendations for improvement; - Identify gaps, redundancies, and areas requiring clarification or strengthening; - Support the UNDP team in refining and revising sections following review; - Ensure documents meet UNDP publication-quality standards; - Continuously communicate with PEAP Programme Team on progress.