Background

UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. It works with individual countries on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. UNDP Lesotho supports Lesotho’s development priorities laid out in the National Strategic Development Plan and through that, the achievement of the MDGs. The main focus areas of the UNDP Country Programme are Democratic Governance; Environment and Energy; Poverty Reduction and Economic Growth, with Gender Mainstreaming and HIV/AIDS as crosscutting areas.

The integral functioning of Lesotho’s mountainous ecosystems is vital not only to the livelihoods and welfare of its people, but for the delivery of ecosystem services and global environmental benefits to a large part of Southern Africa. The mountainous Kingdom is the source of rivers that reach the Atlantic Ocean in the west and supply an increasing proportion of the water consumed in South Africa’s industrial heartland. SLM in Lesotho is therefore a vital ingredient of broader environmental wellbeing. Unfortunately, the Kingdom is largely characterized by inhospitable terrain, harsh climate, dense populations and intensively utilized and highly degraded natural resources. Despite numerous attempts and extensive but fragmented technical knowledge, barriers in capacity, knowledge and SLM models continue to obstruct efforts to adopt effective sustainable land management practices and action. As a result, land degradation continues to impoverish local livelihoods and to impose broader environmental costs on the region beyond Lesotho’s borders.

Capacity Building & Knowledge Management for Sustainable Land Management in Lesotho is nationally implemented by the Ministry of Forestry and Land Reclamation (MFLR) and funded by Global Environment Facility (GEF) through United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project aims to address land degradations, management of natural resources through the existing local structure at community level for the improvement of livelihoods, poverty alleviation and food security. The premise is that sustainable land management provides a strong base for sustainable development in Lesotho while providing a range of global benefits to the region. In order to overcome these barriers and address the corresponding programmatic gaps, the specific objective of this project is that, supported by a knowledge management network, Lesotho is equipped at local and national levels with the techniques, approaches, capacity and strategy for upscaling successful SLM in support of national biodiversity conservation, food security and poverty reduction strategies. Three project outcomes are intended to achieve this objective:

  • Proven, strengthened, participatory, replicable models and techniques that successfully overcome current institutional and governance barriers to SLM are ready for national implementation;
  • Adequate local and national capacity for adapting and scaling up proven SLM models and techniques in place;
  • SLM Policy Enabling Environment - Enhanced awareness, dialogue, understanding and analysis of SLM best practice at resource user, community, local government, NGO and national government levels across the country, reflected in the relevant policies, strategies and programmes.

By building a proven, replicable SLM model for Lesotho and strengthening the capacity and knowledge needed for its subsequent use across the country, implementation of this project will make a direct contribution to the kingdom’s Poverty Reduction Strategy, to its Food Security Policy and to the fulfillment of its National Action Programme in response to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.

In accordance with UNDP and GEF Monitoring & Evaluation policies and procedures, all full and medium-sized UNDP supported GEF financed projects are required to undergo a Terminal Evaluation (TE) upon completion of implementation. An  international consultants is sought to undertake terminal evaluation for the SLM project in October 2014.The TE will be conducted according to the guidance, rules and procedures established by UNDP and GEF as reflected in the UNDP Evaluation Guidance for GEF Financed Projects.  The objectives of the evaluation are to assess the achievement of project results, and to draw lessons that can both improve the sustainability of benefits from this project, and aid in the overall enhancement of UNDP programming.

Duties and Responsibilities

The evaluator is expected to frame the evaluation effort using the criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact, as defined and explained in the UNDP Guidance for Conducting Terminal Evaluations of  UNDP-supported, GEF-financed Projects.    A  set of questions covering each of these criteria have been drafted and are included the TOR (please see detailed TOR at www.ls.undp.org).  The evaluator is expected to amend, complete and submit this matrix as part of  an evaluation inception report, and shall include it as an annex to the final report.

  • The evaluation must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful;
  • The evaluator will review all relevant sources of information, such as the project document, project reports – including Annual APR/PIR, project budget revisions, midterm review, progress reports, GEF focal area tracking tools, project files, national strategic and legal documents, and any other materials that the evaluator considers useful for this evidence-based assessment;
  • The evaluator is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach ensuring close engagement with government counterparts, in particular the GEF operational focal point, UNDP Country Office, project team, UNDP GEF Technical Adviser based in the region and key stakeholders;
  • The evaluator will hold interviews with key stakeholders ((please see detailed TOR at www.ls.undp.org for list of stakeholders).
  • The evaluator is expected to conduct a field mission to the project site in Semonkong, Makhoalipane Community Council (please see detailed TOR at www.ls.undp.org for list of villages to be visited);
  • The evaluator will assess the key financial aspects of the project, including the extent of co-financing planned and realized. Project cost and funding data will be required, including annual expenditures.  Variances between planned and actual expenditures will need to be assessed and explained.  Results from recent financial audits, as available, should be taken into consideration. The evaluator(s) will receive assistance from the Country Office (CO) and Project Team to obtain financial data in order to complete the co-financing table below, which will be included in the terminal evaluation report;
  • UNDP supported GEF financed projects are key components in UNDP country programming, as well as regional and global programmes. The evaluator will assess the extent to which the project was successfully mainstreamed with other UNDP priorities, including poverty alleviation, improved governance, the prevention and recovery from natural disasters, and gender;
  • The evaluators will assess the extent to which the project is achieving impacts or progressing towards the achievement of impacts. Key findings that should be brought out in the evaluations include whether the project has demonstrated: a) verifiable improvements in ecological status, b) verifiable reductions in stress on ecological systems, and/or c) demonstrated progress towards these impact achievements;
  • The evaluation report must include a chapter providing a set of conclusions, recommendations and lessons. When submitting the final evaluation report, the evaluator is required also to provide an 'audit trail', detailing how all received comments have (and have not) been addressed in the final evaluation report;
  • The evaluation team will be composed of a national and international consultants. The international consultant will be designated as the team leader and will be responsible for finalizing the report.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

  • Ability to work with tact and diplomacy, primarily as an enabler of constructive actors and processes.
  • Shows pride in work and in achievements;
  • Demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter;
  • Is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
  • Is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns;
  • Shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges;
  • Remains calm in stressful situations;
  • Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Knowledge and Learning Management:

  • Shares knowledge and experience from within and outside the UN Country Team.
  • Encourages UN staff to share knowledge Develops deep understanding in UNDAF, UN System reform and MDGs Coordination Effectiveness;
  • Strong writing / analysis abilities;
  • Ability to lead the implementation of UN programme activities, strengthening of strategic partnerships for UNDAF implementation. Ability to build and sustain effective partnerships with UN Agencies and main constituents, advocate effectively, communicate sensitively across different constituencies.

Management and Leadership:

  • Focuses on impact and result for the client Leads teams effectively and shows conflict resolution skills;
  • Establishes priorities for self and other members of the RC office; schedules activities to ensure optimum use of time and resources;
  • Monitors performance against development and other objectives and corrects deviations from the course In providing advice to the RC, has the capacity to gather comprehensive information on complex problems or situations;
  • Evaluates information accurately and identifies key issues required to resolve problems;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills;
  • Builds strong relationships with clients and external actors Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
  • Responds positively to critical feedback and differing points of view Solicits feedback from staff about the impact of his/her own behavior.

Communication:

  • Demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed.

Planning & Organizing:

  • Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies;identifies priority activities and assignments;adjusts priorities as required;allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work.

Core Competences:

  • Promoting ethics and integrity, creating organizational precedents;
  • Building support and political acumen;
  • Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation;
  • Building and promoting effective teams;
  • Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication;
  • Creating an emotionally intelligent organization;
  • Leveraging conflict in the interests of UNDP & setting standards;
  • Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning. Promoting learning and knowledge management/sharing is the responsibility of each staff member;
  • Fair and transparent decision making; calculated risk-taking.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Masters or Ph.D. degree in social sciences related to international development, i.e. economics, international relations, public and business administration or equivalent;

Experience:

  • Extensive (at least 10-year) experience and proven track record with land degradation and/or     natural resource management, policy advice, development and implementation;
  • Highly knowledgeable of participatory monitoring and evaluation processes, and experience in       evaluation of at least 3 projects with a major donor agencies;
  • Familiar with sustainable land management techniques and models in Africa either through management and/or        implementation or through consultancies in analysis and evaluation of sustainable land management projects;
  • Demonstrated ability to assess complex situations, succinctly distills critical issues, and draw forward-looking conclusions and recommendations;
  • Recent experience with result-based management evaluation methodologies;
  • Experience applying participatory monitoring approaches;
  • Experience applying SMART indicators and reconstructing or validating baseline scenarios;
  • Prior experience in evaluating similar projects;
  • Experience with GEF financed projects is an advantage;
  • Ability and experience to lead multi- disciplinary and national teams, and deliver quality reports within the given time.

Language:

  • Fluency in English;
  • Knowledge of one other UN language would be an asset;
  • Writing and communication will be in English, and must have excellent communication skills in English.

Note: