Background

Organizational Context:

Over the last two years, the Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) and its partners have established a number of structures and instruments aimed at implementing the Somali Compact, developed and agreed in September 2013 and in line with the New Deal framework.

As part of the Compact, the FGS and development partners agreed to establish the Somalia Development and Reconstruction Facility (SDRF) as a centerpiece of the effort to enhance the delivery of effective assistance to all Somalis. Closely aligned with the Somalia Compact principles, the SDRF serves as a mechanism for the FGS and partners to oversee and guide the implementation of priorities across all five Peace and Stater Building Goals (PSGs), as defined and coordinated through PSG Working Groups.

The Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation through the Aid Coordination Unit is leading and coordinating the work on monitoring progress on Compact implementation in close cooperation with other key government stakeholders at federal and sub-federal level.

The Steering Committee of the Somalia Development and Reconstruction Facility (SDRF SC) has endorsed a Monitoring Framework for the Somali Compact, which includes four main elements:

  • PSG Outcomes – these will draw on a condensed set of indicators derived from the common indicators from the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding, MDG frameworks and other internationally agreed indicators. These will be complemented by context-specific indicators, as required. Indicators will combine objective indicator (e.g. based on administrative data) and subjective indicators (e.g. based on perceptions or experiences, for example collected through a regular survey).
  • PSG Milestones – these will be monitored through a qualitative assessment based on information prepared by the PSG working groups. The agreement on a set of 2014 milestones by PSG working groups and the SDRF Steering Committee is a critical pre-requisite for monitoring this dimension of Compact implementation.
  • Partnership Principles – these will be monitored through a mixed-method approach, combining both a qualitative assessment and a simple set of indicators. Qualitative assessments will assess to what extent the Compact partnership principles are being followed. This assessment will be informed through facilitated consultations/workshops with key stakeholders (FGS, donors, local civil society, and Somali academia). A simple set of indicators based on globally-recognized aid effectiveness indicators (e.g. Paris/Busan/New Deal Trust indicators) will complement the qualitative assessment.
  • Aid Flows – this will draw on aid data collected through a regular survey by the ACU and a revised AIMS to provide a transparent picture of financing flows. Specific provisions will be made to track aid flows against the PSGs and to disaggregate data by region and instruments.

Milestones are developed by the PSG Working Groups for each year based on a review of progress made and ongoing and planned support by all partners. However, reporting of progress agains these milestones has been weak and unsystematic. as a result, the Annual Progress Report for 2014 was developed on anecdotal evidence rather than a systematic review of progress made against agreed milestones. And it remains unclear how programme and project level reporting/monitoring feeds into the assessment of progress against the PSG milestones.

Against this background the consultant will support the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation in developing a tool to facilitate reporting of progress against PSG milestones. The development of the short-term M&E framework for the remainder of the Compact should be based on existing data and also feed into the development of a longer-term national M&E framework and national capacities.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

The National M&E Advisor will support the MoPIC in the design and implementation of a robust M&E system for national planning. Specifically, the Advisor will:

  • Establish an overview of existing M&E frameworks and mechanisms and available data that can be built on;
  • Review and identify gaps between existing reporting of programme activities and planned milestones;
  • Develop a proposal how to aggregate reporting at programme/project-level to measure progress against PSG milestones;
  • Provide advice and support to PSG WG to facilitate progress reporting against PSG milestones and develop milestones for 2016;
  • Support ACU  / MoPIC efforts in data collection, statistics, and other information management initiatives to support the design and implementation of a robust M&E system for national planning;
  • Support the alignment of M&E frameworks between the Compact and international strategies (e.g. ISF for the UN).

In all of these tasks, the National M&E Advisor will work closely with a number of actors currently supporting the Government in the development of an M&E framework for national planning and the implementation of the Compact, including the World Bank, the UNDP, and the New Deal team (UNSOM).

The consultant will be based in Mogadishu with travel as needed throughout Somalia and to Nairobi. The consultant will report directly to MoPIC, with a second reporting line to the RC through the Head of the RC Office for work planning, reporting and administrative requirements.  

Key Results Expected:

  • Milestones level M&E framework, including reporting mechanisms (templates, processes, etc.) developed and implemented, across all five PSGs;
  • Strategy, with roles/responsibilities and resource requirements, developed for sustainable roll out of the Milestone level M&E framework;
  • National M&E systems and capacities strengthened.

To deliver these results, the National M&E Advisor will develop a work plan, in consultation with the MoPIC/ACU and the RCO, with specific deliverables and timetables, in line with these Terms of Reference:

  • On the basis of the work plan, the National M&E Advisor will provide bi-monthly progress reports to MoPIC and the RC, through the RCO, and for onward submission to the UNDP New Deal Facility (as funder of this consultancy);
  • The reports will, inter alia, provide:
    • Status reports on deliverables, with supporting evidence;
    • Analysis of progress made, obstacles, and other issues for senior leadership consideration;
    • Timelines for upcoming deliverables.

Impact of Results:

  • Sustainable, Somalia led M&E systems that inform and support national planning efforts;
  • Increased donor confidence in -  and funding to - Somali plans, programs and activities;
  • Enhanced alignment of international assistance plans behind national plans, and harmonization of M&E efforts;
  • Increased national ME capacity.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
  • Advocates and promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN;
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
  • Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional Competencies:

Planning:

  • Ability to lead the design and implementation of M&E systems and approaches;
  • Knowledge of Results Based Management concepts and tools;
  • Experience in data collection, analysis, and management (including relevant softwares).

Knowledge and Learning Management:

  • Shares knowledge and experience across partners;
  • Encourages colleagues to share knowledge;
  • Understanding of national and UN planning tools and the New Deal.

Coordination Effectiveness:

  • Ability to build and sustain effective partnerships within Government entities, UN Agencies and main constituents
  • Ability to advocate effectively, communicate sensitively across different constituencies.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:          

  • An under graduate degree in project management, international affairs, politics, economics, management and other social science or related field.

Experience:       

  • A minimum of 5 years of M&E / planning related work experience;
  • Knowledge of the UN preferable.

Language requirements:

  • Fluency in English and advanced communication skills and are essential;
  • Fluency in Somali.

Application Procedures:

Note:

  • UNDP will only be able to respond to those applications in which there is further interest.