UNDP Jobs - 59380- Mid-Term Review for the Low Emission Climate Resil

Mid-Term Review for the Low Emission Climate Resilient Development (LECReD) Programme

Location :

Home Based with Travel to Sites, MALDIVES

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

27-Sep-2015

Application Deadline :

03-Sep-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Twenty Five working days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Twenty Five working days

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Organizational Context

The Republic of Maldives is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its low-lying geography that makes it susceptible to flooding and inundation, and its dependence on economic activities that are sensitive to climate change, such as fishing and tourism. It is also highly dependent on imported fossil fuels for its energy supply and this represents a major source of greenhouse gas emissions for the country. Consequently, the Maldives has made significant commitments to the pursuit of a low emission climate resilient development agenda. However, ongoing decentralization reforms, fiscal crisis and low capacity at the sub-national level, mean that local planning is not reflective of national level commitments.

The 3-year United Nations (UN) Joint Programme, "Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development" (LECReD) funded by the Government of Denmark, responds to the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) Outcome 9: “Enhanced capacities at national and local levels to support low carbon life-styles, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction” and builds on the comparative strengths of United Nations Organizations including UNDP, UNICEF, UNOPS, UNFPA, UN WOMEN, WHO and FAO. The programme is innovative and represents a pioneering initiative of bringing together the wealth of diverse development-oriented expertise from these United Nations Organizations (UNOs) with equally diverse national and local partners to address this multi-faceted development challenge.

The programme is assisting Laamu Atoll and its islands to realize low emission and climate resilient development (LECReD). The programme seeks to mainstream LECReD issues into local level development planning and service delivery for greater community-level ownership and sustainability of programme benefits. Towards this objective, the programme is assisting local councils, civil society, private sector and other local stakeholders to establish platforms for stronger partnerships, improved coordination, and enhanced participation in local planning for LECReD; it is strengthening data and knowledge systems for LECReD; it will improve local level LECReD development planning and management of service delivery; and through a learning-by-doing approach will establish early lessons and build demand for LECReD planning and management for replication and scaling-up.

The aim is that the local development plans (at atoll and individual island levels) will evolve from stand-alone action plans into more strategic and evidence-based instruments, which are climate smart and able to mobilize public and private investment. This programme will be closely linked to the existing national development planning cycle and will build capacity of local and national partners engaged in these local processes. The rationale being that lessons learned will be used to inform replication throughout the country and directly support the national agenda.

In pursuit of the core objective, the programme will achieve the following outputs:

Output 1: Partnership, coordination and participation platform for local LECReD planning and action is strengthened;
Output 2: Data and knowledge systems established or identified to support evidence-based planning and policy development for LECReD at the local level;
Output 3: Improved Local Level Planning and Management for LECReD;
Output 4: Practical local experience in LECReDs interventions leads to learning and promotes replication.

As per the programme document, “given the importance of identifying early lessons and closely engaging with local planning, an independent mid-term evaluation will be undertaken in mid-2015. The mid-term evaluation will focus on reviewing performance and guiding the second half of the programme to ensure delivery of results. This will include a detailed review of the risks and assumptions and indicators identified in the Results Framework.”

The planned mid-term evaluation/review of the LECReD programme will assess the relevance of activities to the current situation on the field, effectiveness and efficiency of delivery and the operational and coordination structures of the programme. Despite the programme’s slow start-up, delays and lack of tangible results it is important to implement Mid-Term Evaluation/Review on time and as planned in order to analyse the reasons for slow initiation and improve overall programme performance. This aims at promoting earlier course corrections that may potentially result in better implementation and greater outcome progress. Preparatory work for this review has been undertaken by LECReD’s Programme Coordination Unit (PCU), the United Nations Technical Group (UNTG) and a participatory review meeting has been promoted with the Programme Technical Committee (PTC), composed of agency and Maldives government representatives.

Objectives

The incumbent is to undertake the mid-term review of the programme, working closely with all Participating UN Organization (PUNOs), the Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) as well as the Programme Manager/Chief Technical Adviser (PM/CTA) towards achieving the objectives of this TOR. The international consultant will assess progress towards the achievement of LECReD Programme’s outcomes and outputs, as specified in the Programme Document, and assess early signs of programme success or failure with the goal of identifying the necessary changes to be made in order to set the programme on track to achieve its intended results. The MTR will also review the programme’s strategy, and its risks to sustainability.

The review ultimately seeks to a) analyse the overall set-up and preliminary results of the efforts invested in the whole Programme, and particularly in the four outputs, and in the cross cutting / integrated activities in order to achieve the UNDAF Outcome 9: Enhanced capacities at national and local levels to support low carbon life-styles, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk reduction and to b) propose a set of recommendations for the way forward.

The specific objectives of this mid-term review are to:

Analyse the current monitoring process and evaluate results and impacts;
Provide a basis for decision making on necessary amendments and improvements;
Promote accountability for resource use; and
Document, provide feedback on, and disseminate lessons learned.

Duties and Responsibilities

The international Consultant will assess the following four categories of programme progress: 1) Programme strategy; 2) Progress towards results (including smart output review); 3) Agency-specific project implementation and adaptive project management; and 4) Programme sustainability and risk analysis.

The consultant will be home-based with travel to Male’ and Laamu during the period of the assignment and is expected to conduct her/his assignment in a participatory manner, involving LECReD staff and stakeholders to ensure full ownership of the process and its results.

She/he will consult all key documentation, including programmatic and management related documents. In that regard, the consultant will:

Review key documentation as suggested by the PM/CTA and other that the consultant may deem important;
Conduct individual interviews with LECReD team to have their perceptions of the current management structures and ideas on the possible changes to be introduced;
Conduct working sessions with all stakeholders as deemed relevant to discuss findings;
Regularly brief senior management on all steps and findings on the process.

Main Tasks:

Under the overall supervision of the Programme Manager/Chief Technical Advisor, and in close cooperation with the LECReD team, and with the support of the Programme Coordination Unit, the International Consultant for MTR will be responsible for the following main tasks:

Review of LECReD Programme Strategic approach:

Programme design and relevance

Review the problem addressed by the programme and the underlying assumptions. Review the effect of any incorrect assumptions or changes to the context to achieving the programme results as outlined in the Programme Document;
Review the relevance of the programme strategy and assess whether it provides the most effective route towards expected/intended results. Were lessons from other relevant projects properly incorporated into the design of the Programme?;
Review how the programme addresses country priorities. Review country ownership. Was the programme concept in line with the national sector development priorities and plans of the country?;
Review decision-making processes: were perspectives of those who would be affected by programme decisions, those who could affect the outcomes, and those who could contribute information or other resources to the process, taken into account during programmedesign processes?;
Review the extent to which relevant gender issues were raised in the programme design; If there are major areas of concern, recommend areas for improvement;
Review the effectiveness/ineffectiveness of Agency based implementation of the Programme within the overall One UN concept where Programme Management is given the role of overall coordination of the programme.

Stakeholder Engagement:

Programme management:

Has LECReD developed and leveraged the necessary and appropriate partnerships with direct and tangential stakeholders?

Participation processes:

Do local and national government stakeholders support the objectives of the programme?
Do they continue to have an active role in programme decision-making that supports efficient and effective implementation?

Participation and public awareness:

To what extent has stakeholder involvement and public awareness contributed to the progress towards achievement of programme objectives?

Evaluate Progress Towards Results:

Analyse Progress towards outcomes and outputs

Compare and analyse the current Results Framework with the one completed before the Mid-term Review;
Analyse smart outputs progress, identify barriers to effective implementation of activities;
Analyse remaining barriers to achieving the programme objective in the remainder of the programme;
By reviewing the aspects of the programme that have already been successful, identify ways in which the programme can further expand these benefits.

Analyse Monitoring process:

Undertake a critical analysis of the programme’s logframe indicators and targets, assess how “SMART” the midterm and end-of-project targets are (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound), and suggest specific amendments/revisions to the targets and indicators as necessary;
Are the programme’s objectives and outputs clear, practical, and feasible within its time frame?;
Examine if progress so far has led to, or could in the future catalyse beneficial development effects (i.e. income generation, green growth, gender equality and women’s empowerment, improved governance etc...) that are clearly included in the programme results framework and monitored on an annual basis;
Ensure broader development and gender aspects of the programme are being monitored effectively. Develop and recommend SMART ‘development’ indicators, including sex-disaggregated indicators and indicators that capture development benefits;
Examine the monitoring process, including monitoring trips, regularity and analysis of data resulting from the regular trips and propose any eventual specific measures to improve the process;
Review the monitoring tools currently being used: Do they provide the necessary information to drive the evaluation of Programme results? Do they involve key partners? Are they aligned or mainstreamed with national systems? Do they use existing information? Are they efficient? Are they cost-effective? Are additional tools required? How could they be made more participatory and inclusive?;
Review the logframe indicators and JAWP; colour code progress in a “traffic light system” based on the level of progress achieved; assign a rating on progress for each outcome; make recommendations from the areas marked as “Not on target to be achieved” (red);
Examine the financial management of the project monitoring and evaluation budget. Are sufficient resources being allocated to monitoring and evaluation? Are these resources being allocated effectively?

Review Project Implementation and Project Management practices:

Management Arrangements

Review the quality of support provided by the Programme Coordination Unit to PUNOs/project managers. Is coordination between PUNOs effective? Recommend areas for improvement;
Review overall effectiveness of project management as currently undertaken at agency level. Have changes been made and are they effective? Are responsibilities and reporting lines clear? Is decision-making transparent and undertaken in a timely manner? Recommend areas for improvement;
Review the quality of execution of the PUNOs/Implementing Partners and recommend areas for improvement.

Joint Annual Work Plan:

Review delays in LECReD activities start-up and implementation, identify the causes and examine if they have been resolved;
Are work-planning processes results-based? If not, suggest ways to re-orientate work planning to focus on results;
Examine the use of the JAWP and results framework/ logframe as management tools, review any changes made to it since programme start and recommend areas for improvement.

Finance and co-finance:

Consider the financial management of the programme, with specific reference to the cost-effectiveness of activities;
Review the changes to fund allocations as a result of budget revisions and assess the appropriateness and relevance of such revisions;
Does the programme have the appropriate financial controls, including reporting and planning, that allow management to make informed decisions regarding the budget and allow for timely flow of funds?;
Is OneUN Joint Programming methodology being used strategically to help the objectives of the programme? Is LECReD Programme Team meeting with all partners regularly in order to align financing priorities and annual work plans?

Reporting:

Assess how progress has been reported by the programme management and shared with the Programme Board;
Assess how the PUNOs and partners participate in the process and fulfil MPTF and Programme reporting requirements;
Assess how lessons derived from the LECReD process have been documented, shared with key partners and internalized by partners.

Communications:

Review internal programme communication with stakeholders: Is communication regular and effective?
Are there key stakeholders left out of communication? Are there feedback mechanisms when communication is received?
Does this communication with stakeholders contribute to their awareness of project outcomes and activities and investment in the sustainability of project results?
Review Communications and Stakeholder Engagement Strategy (CSES) and Knowledge Management Strategy (KMS);
Are proper means of communication being established to express the project progress and intended impact to the public?

Analyse Programme sustainability and risks to effective implementation

Validate whether the risks identified in the Programme Document, Risk analysis matrix and Annual and half-year Programme Reports are the most important and whether the risk ratings applied are appropriate and up to date. If not, explain why;

In addition, assess the following risks to sustainability:

Financial risks to sustainability;
What is the likelihood of financial and economic resources not being available once the LECReD assistance ends?
Are there any social or political risks that may jeopardize sustainability of programme outcomes?
What is the risk that the level of stakeholder ownership (including ownership by governments and other key stakeholders) will be insufficient to allow for the programme outcomes/benefits to be sustained?
Do the various key stakeholders see that it is in their interest that the programme benefits continue to flow?
Is there sufficient public / stakeholder awareness in support of the long term objectives of LECReD?
Are lessons learned being documented by the PCU on a continual basis and shared/ transferred to appropriate parties who could learn from the project and potentially replicate and/or scale it in the future?
Do the legal frameworks, policies, governance structures and processes pose risks that may jeopardize sustenance of programme benefits?
While assessing this parameter, also consider if the required systems/ mechanisms for accountability, transparency, and technical knowledge transfer are in place.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Treats all people fairly without favoritism;
Fulfills all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Functional Competencies:

Inter-personal skills;
Exceptional analytical skills, solution oriented program design skills;
Research and evaluation skills including ability to synthesize information;
Excellent oral, and effective presentation and report-writing skills;
Ability to work under with minimum supervision, while meeting deadlines;
Demonstrated ability of timely completion of assignments;
Excellent social and communication skills;
Strong facilitation skills;
Ability to work in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural settings;
Excellent computers skills required.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree or its equivalent in the field of Urban and Regional Planning, Development Studies, Local Governance, natural resource management, social sciences or other relevant discipline.

Experience:

A minimum of 10 years accumulated and recognized professional experience in related fields is required;
In-depth understanding of spatial planning, climate change and the associated responsibilities at local and national level;
Documented experience in monitoring and evaluation of projects/development programmes;
Excellent knowledge of Institutional change review and human resource development and/or spatial planning, sustainable development, and local governance, preferably with previous experience in an international organization;
Excellent report writing skills;
Excellent analytical, solution defining and creative skills;
Experience in SIDS and/or South Asia is desirable;
It is essential that the candidate be able to meet deadlines for reporting;
The candidate should preferably be specialized in the field of capacity building and institutional change management.

Language:

Excellent written and communications skills in English.

Location and Duration

Under the supervision of the Programme Manager/Chief Technical Adviser, the Consultant is expected to work on the deliverables presented below:

MTR Inception Report: clarifies objectives and methods of Mid-term Review;
Presentation on Initial Findings;
Draft Report (using structure as outlined in Annex 2);
Final Report addressing all received comments.

The MTR report should include recommendations for critical intervention that are specific, measurable, achievable, and relevant. A recommendation table should be put in the report’s executive summary. The MTR should make no more than 15 recommendations total.

The MTR will include its ratings of the programme’s results and brief descriptions of the associated achievements in a MTR Ratings & Achievement Summary Table in the Executive Summary of the MTR report.

The assignment is expected to be completed in 25 working days. The consultancy will include work from home office (15 working days) and one (1) mission to the Maldives (10 working days, excluding travel and weekend days).

Payment Schedule:

10% on submission of inception plan;
30% on submission and approval of the 1st draft MTR report;
60% on submission and approval of the final MTR report.

Application Documents:

The application must include a letter of interest to undertake this task, the CV, proposed time-line, P-11, and a financial proposal for the assignment. To download P11, kindly please visit the link: http://www.mv.undp.org/content/maldives/en/home/operations/jobs
Please combine all the documents into one single file, as the system will allow for only one document to be uploaded.