Background

Nepal has been in a critical  transition phase  after  a decade  long  internal  conflict  claiming  more than  16,000  lives. Although   the  signing  of the  Comprehensive    Peace  Agreement   (CPA)  in November   2006  brought  a sharp decline  in virtually  all forms of conflict-related   violence,  there  are  still many  issues that  need to be resolved as Nepal  proceeds  towards  consolidating its peace  process.  At the national level, politics is characterized by regular stalemates with main parties having difficulty agreeing constructive outcome to negotiations   around key peace    process   issues.  At  the sub-national    levels,   ethnic  and  political   tensions   and  rising levels   of criminal  violence   are  evident  in many  parts  of the  country.

 Research/human rights watchdog institutions had documented a deteriorating security situation between 2010 and 2011. Specifically, the Informal Sector Service Centre's (INSEC) Surveillance System- an event-based  monitoring system that tracks fatal (homicides), non-fatal (intentional injuries) and sexual violence on a monthly   basis  across  75  districts -had confirmed a  gradual rise in violence and  victimization in those two years.  Whilst  a conservative   estimate,  a total  of 850 casualties were  reported   in 2011  as  compared  to  670  in 2010.  Just  over  three  quarters  (78 per  cent)  of all  reported victims of fatal  and  non-fatal  violence  were  male.  What  is more,  85 per cent  of them  were  between   18-40 years of age,  and almost  all of them came  from  poorer  segments  of the population,  though  there  are cases  of middle-  and upper-class   households  also being  targeted.'

 In this backdrop, the AVRSCS Project had been initiated in the context of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and Country Program Action Plan (CPAP) 2013-2017 in partnership with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA). The project design phase has benefitted from intense consultations with MoHA, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and NID while drawing on lessons learnt from international best practices on armed violence prevention and reduction.

 The Armed Violence Reduction and Strengthening Community Security Project (AVRSCS) jointly developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) aims to contribute to measurable reduction in the incidences of armed violence through support to strengthening national capacities to monitor and analyze crime and violence, strengthen small arms control mechanisms and enhance GoN led coordination on AVRSCS.

 The AVR project in Nepal seeks to reinforce promising government practice at the national and district-levels, enhance intra-government communication and response, and promote targeted gender-responsive interventions in selected “hot spots” (i.e. localities experiencing relatively high levels of violence) to address the drivers of violence and to enhance community security in cooperation with government and civil society actors.  Additionally specific violence prevention activities targeting at risk youth and support for and prevention and response to Gender Based Violence forms a critical part of the project strategy.

 The five project outputs/pillars are as below:

1. National capacities enhanced to monitor and analyse the incidence and distribution of armed violence to inform strategy development  and planning;
2. Capacities of the MoHA strengthened to control small arms and enhance community security
3. Government-led coordination  mechanisms strengthened  to reduce armed violence
4. Community safety and security enhanced in priority districts
5. Public awareness of armed violence and preventive strategies increased

 Whilst the AVRSCS project was designed in 2012 when drafting of constitution through the Constituent Assembly was in limbo and armed violence (proliferation of small arms and light weapons) was a pertinent security issue in the country with a large number of armed groups active in Nepal. After the second Constitution Assembly Election held in Nov 2013 there has been a significant change in security situation. Therefore, the mid-term review is envisioned with the aim to assess the relevance of the initial project design and approach particularly in the context of armed violence being a lesser of a security challenge and the recent disaster for the more effective and contextualized project implementation in the days to come.

Duties and Responsibilities

The specific objectives of the mid-term review will be to:

• Assess the progress of the project against the objectives and indicators set in the project’s results framework.
• Assess the need for any refinement of the programs priorities, strategy, implementation approaches including key planned activities and provide recommendation for program implementation in the changed context?
• Draw key lessons learned and recommend strategies to improve effectiveness and performance of project for better results.

Scope of work:

The purpose of the midterm review is to capture and assess the progress of interventions for the period January 2014-June 2015 towards achievement of the outcome of project’s overall objective. The mid-term review will include aspects such as project management capacity and coordination among UN agency and projects.  It will also identify factors that are impeding or facilitating the delivery of outcomes, including actions taken and resolutions made should be highlighted. It will also assess the project performance in terms of progress towards achievement of results and factors affecting successful implementation and achievement of results.

The overall scope National consultant is to support to Lead International consultant which comprises as below but not limited to:

• Support International lead consultant to assessment of the relevance and appropriateness of project priorities, strategy and approach to the changing political context.
• Support International lead consultant to assessment of the results and the progress of the project in terms of the effectiveness (achieved outputs versus planned outputs) and the efficiency of implementation (output results achieved against inputs )
• Support International lead consultant to assessment of the feasibility in terms of design, implementation, management, with conclusions on the likelihood that the project will have the expected effects at the end of the planned project duration given the current project design and implementation experience.
• Assessment of the prospects of the sustainability of the project outcomes and benefits and recommend measures for its further improvement;
• Analyse the lessons learned of the project, evaluate reasons for success, and shortfall if any, in project activities and its implementation;
• Support International lead consultant to recommend strategies needed in order to further strengthen the efficiency, effectiveness, management and sustainability of the project.
• Conduct field visit of the project districts (4 days:2 days in Mid and Far western Region and 2 days in Central region)
• Analyse the project resources; financial, HR and other resources

Methodology: The methodology used should look at comparing actual progress against targets based on the findings and factual statements identified from review of relevant documents i.e. project proposal, Results Framework, M&E plan, Results Tracker, Indicator protocol sheets, baseline results, Annual/quarterly Work plan, Quarterly and Annual Progress Report and other documents and reports reviewed and produced by the project. The review team will also meet with officials of MoHA and its agencies as well as at the central and local levels (Police headquarter, district police office, CDO, Armed Police Force, National Intelligence Department, Project focal officers etc) beneficiaries, stakeholders and UNDP/Project staff.

Expected Results/Deliverables/Final Products Expected: The Consultant will work under the overall guidance and supervision of National Project Manager and work closely with Project Team members of AVRSCS/UNDP, engaging relevant officials from GoN, MoHA and Nepal Police apart from UNDP’s Governance and Rule of Law unit as well as Strategic Planning and Development Effectiveness Unit (SPDEU).  The Consultants will work from home and will require physical presence in the project location and at AVRSCS/UNDP project Office over the assignment period.

ETHICAL CODE OF CONDUCT: The review shall be conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in both United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation in the UN system and UNEG “Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation”.  A consultant is required to read the Norms and Standards and the guidelines and ensure a strict adherence to it, including establishing protocols to safeguard confidentiality of information obtained during the review. The UNEG Ethical Guidelines can be found here: http://uneval.org/papersandpubs/documentdetail.jsp?doc_id=102.

The UNEG Code of Conduct for Evaluation in the UN system can be found here: http://uneval.org/papersandpubs/documentdetail.jsp?doc_id=100.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

The review will be based on the standard OECD DAC evaluation criteria and UNEG HR/GE guidance (http://www.uneval.org/papersandpubs/documentdetail). The mid-term review will be based on four evaluation criteria—relevance, effectiveness and efficiency, sustainability. The review questions are intended to make the criteria more precise and accessible, thus optimizing the focus of the review. The choice of review questions determines the subsequent phases of information and data collection, methods of analysis, and derivation of final judgements discussed in the following sections.

The review questions and their rationale will be refined by the consultant in consultation with AVRSCS/UNDP project team.

Executive Summary: A description of the project that was reviewed

• A description of the purpose of the mid-term review and the objectives
•  A short description of methodology
• Short summary of key findings, conclusions and recommendations

 Introduction: A description of the project reviewed and why the review was conducted (purpose)

• Information about the project (Project Objectives, Outcomes), scale of intervention, key partners, context (socio-economic, political, institutional), and implementation arrangements

 Evaluation Methodology: Evaluation Scope, Data Sources, Type of data and information collected

 Key Findings: In this section the evaluation questions and purpose must be answered and the data gathered.

• Any overarching lessons learned strengths and weakness of the intervention, implementation arrangements.

Recommendations: Practical, feasible recommendations for the intended users (program staff, implementation partners, and donor) should be included.

Recommendations should be supported by evidence gathered and linked to conclusions related to key evaluation objectives.

Competencies

• Promotes sharing of knowledge and experience, and actively works towards continued personal learning and development;
• Good practical knowledge of inter-disciplinary development issues;
• Ability to go beyond established procedures and models, propose new approaches which expand the range of projects;
• Builds  strong relationships  with all partner, focuses on impact and results and responds positively to critical feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Remains  calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
• Proven networking, team building, organizational and communication skills;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment;
• Data analysis skills;
• Process management skills such as facilitation skills;
• Excellent analytical skills and communication skills;
• Demonstrated excellent report writing skills in English

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s Degree in Public Administration, Sociology, Anthropology, Conflict and Peace Studies, Development Studies, political science or other related fields.

Experience:

• 7-10 years of work experience in the area of strategic planning and programming, programme management, monitoring and evaluation, especially in the area of community security and peace building
• Strong background in Monitoring and Evaluation and  Results Based Management
• Experience on qualitative research methods, for example:  document reviews, in-depth interviews, focus groups, direct and participatory community-based observation experience with participative evaluation techniques,
• A strong record in designing and leading reviews and evaluations
• Knowledge of the role of the UN and its programming is desirable

Language:

• Nepali and English