Antecedentes

UN Women is dedicated to advancing gender equality and women’s human rights in Afghanistan. Staff and consultants of UN Women are expected to contribute to a professional working environment in which the strengthening of national capacities and human potential is prioritized.  Respect for diversity and human dignity is required, as is the active pursuit of a collaborative and inclusive approach to both internal and external stakeholders, including colleagues and partners.

UN Women’s existing country strategy for Afghanistan (signed 11 March 2009) was developed three years ago and the external and internal context under which it is being implemented is increasingly different from that of its inception. With the evolving reconciliation and peace process; ISAF’s planned withdrawal in 2014; UNAMA’s newly adopted mandate; the UN’s Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) scheduled to begin roll out in 2013/2014;, the external environment, and the expectations and needs of national and local partners and that of the UN, is also changing.

 Of equal importance is the fact that the country strategy was developed under former UNIFEM, and as per the requirements of the establishment of UN Women, it is essential that UN Women’s programming in Afghanistan align with the Entity’s first Global Strategic Plan (2012-2013). This alignment of programmes is in the context of both the emerging external environment in which the Entity operates in Afghanistan; as well as with UN Women’s newly established mandate and role in support to Member States, which covers four main areas:

·         Policies and Programmes: Supporting development and implementation of evidence-based laws, plans, policies and budgets, including in post-conflict and humanitarian contexts, in line with international and national commitments on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls;

·         Advocacy and Voice: Supporting gender equality advocates, both within government and non-governmental organizations, to have a stronger voice in decision-making processes that shape the lives of women, including those relating to post-conflict and humanitarian context, while adding UN Women’s advocacy and voice to their efforts;

·         Improved nationally owned Knowledge; Supporting the development and strengthening of knowledge and expertise on gender equality and the status of women and girls, including through South-South learning and exchange; and,

·         UN System: Leading coordination, within the RC system, to promote enhanced coherence and accountability within the UN Country Team (UNCT) in providing effective support to countries in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women.

 In light of the above, and as per the agreements under the Multi-programme Proposals supported by the Governments of Sweden and Norway, UN Women, in close cooperation with the Governments of Norway and Sweden; national partners; international partners; and the UN System in Afghanistan, will conduct a mid-term review of the Country Strategy and the Multi-programme Proposals with a view to assessing the progress of UN Women’s commitments under the country strategy. In accordance with UN Women policies and procedures, the Mid-Term review will look at the progress around the outcomes within the agreed upon programme frameworks; as well as provide recommendations on how to strengthen the evaluability and monitoring/evaluation frameworks of the country strategy reviewed.  

 The MTR will be overseen by an ad hoc working group made up of representatives from the Embassies of Norway and Sweden, Ministry of Women’s Affairs, AWN and UN Women.  The working group will meet immediately on inception of the MTR team to interact and provide guidance to the team.  It will also meet as and when needed, at least twice prior to the finalization of the report.

Objectives of the review:

The process of conducting the mid-term evaluation will ensure greater national ownership and voice over UN Women’s future programming, and will be carried out in a manner that strengthens UN Coordination around gender equality.

 The main objectives of the proposed review are to: (i) take stock of current project achievements, problems and opportunities; (ii) verify the continued relevance and pertinence of the project as well as the related sustainability; (iv) identify the necessary adjustments, if any, in project design, objectives, strategies and implementation arrangement in light of changes in the environment; (v) make recommendations on how to improve the performance of the project; (vi) identify areas which project promoters and management should pay specific attention in order to achieve project objectives.

Scope and Elements of the Review:

Scope of the Mid-Term Review.  The review will cover the following: (i) design of the Project; (ii) implementation of all project outputs and activities (quantity, quality and utility); (vi) project outcomes, effects and impact on the provincial workshops (vii) project sustainability.

 The Design of the Project. Using all relevant documents, the mid-term review team will assess the validity of the assumptions and premises that formed the basis for the design and implementation of the project to determine their correctness and continued relevance. The project’s enabling environment will also be assessed to determine project ownership and support by its promoters and beneficiaries.

 Project Governance and Management.  The mid-term review Team will first assess the governance structure, its functions and performance of the project in order to determine its adequacy and effectiveness. Project management will also be assessed especially as its relates to the leadership of project activities, administration of personnel, financial management, accounting, procurement of goods and services, monitoring and reporting systems, etc., so as to determine their relevance and compatibility with project premises, objectives and activities as designed.

 Project Implementation.  The implementation of the project components and activities will be reviewed in order to take stock of the quantity and quality of achievements, compare them with what was planned and ascertain the likelihood of the project achieving its objectives in the remaining time left on the grant given the way activities are being implemented and outputs produced.

 The review will examine the project’s instruments for planning activities and monitoring implementation and their adequacy.  These will include annual work programs and budgets, quarterly and special reports on progress, audit reports. 

 The review will examine the adequacy of inputs for the delivery of project outputs and the timeliness of the delivery of such inputs. The inputs will include selection criteria of consultants, service providers, equipment and other material inputs.

 As regards financing, the mid-term review will compare the proposed annual budgets with actual disbursements, timeliness of disbursement of funds, and absorptive capacity of project.

 Project Outputs, Impact and Sustainability.  The mid-term review will assess the project overall outputs. The consultants will compare quantity and quality of the outputs produced with what was planned. He/she will determine whether the outputs produced are of value to the beneficiaries. Based on these assessments, the team will identify specific constraints and opportunities and make specific recommendations on how to improve the performance of the project and consider its future expansion and sustainability.

 Conclusions and Recommendations. The review will be based on its findings and observations draw conclusions and recommendations that will guide the project to the end of its implementation.

Deberes y responsabilidades

The main objectives of the assignment are (i) to assess the implementation of the “UN Women ACO Strategic Plan and Support from Sida/Norway entitled “Assistance to the UN Women Afghanistan Country Programme in the Planned Period 2010-2013”.   and  (ii) to prepare a report on the mid-term review to be submitted to the UN WOMEN.

The following tasks will be undertaken by the consultants in order to reach the main objectives of the assignment:

(i)                  Meeting with Unit Managers/OICs/Specialists, Staff, and Management of UN WOMEN and the MTR Committee to discuss the review exercise, the methodology and approaches to be used;

(ii)                Review all documentation related to the project (project document, work plans and budgets, progress reports, minutes, concept papers etc.);

(iii)               Discussions with the beneficiaries of the Project on the relevance of the project, its design, its operations, management and governance structure, administrative and financial procedures, usefulness, impact, challenges and long-term sustainability;

(iv)              Discussions with representatives of the donors based in Afghanistan on the relevance of the project, its design, its effectiveness and impact, long-term sustainability and co-funding possibilities;

(v)                Discussions with the relevant project stakeholders, on relationship with the Strategic Plan and the project, on its design, its operations, its management and governance structure, administrative and financial procedures, its usefulness, impact, challenges and long-term sustainability;

(vi)              Review of the project management arrangements to assess effectiveness in the implementation of the Strategic Plan and the Sida/Norway project;

(vii)             Preparation by the Consultants of preliminary and final reports on the mid-term review of the “UN Women ACO Strategic Plan and Support from Sida/Norway entitled “Assistance to the UN Women Afghanistan Country Programme in the Planned Period 2010-2013”. With conclusions and recommendations. The preliminary report should be submitted to UN Women as per the below schedule. The final report Executive Summary and Recommendations must be in English.

Competencias

Core Values and Ethics

·         Demonstrate cultural sensitivity and able to work in a multi-national environment

·         Support the Organization’s corporate goal

·         Comply with UN WOMEN rules, regulations and code of conduct

·         Demonstrate integrity

Teamwork

·         Build effective client relationships and partnerships

·         Interact with all levels of staff in the organization

·         Excellent interpersonal skills

·         Build and share knowledge

·         Provide guidance and support to others

·         Apply existing knowledge to work

·         Make valuable practice contributions

Communication

·         Excellent oral and written skills

·         Listen actively and respond effectively

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

(i)                  Master degree in Human Rights, Gender, Management or relevant Social Sciences with minimum 5 years of  proven experience in carrying out project review assessment or/and similar analytical exercises; experience in preparation of reports for similar assignments; or Bachelor degree in above mentioned fields with minimum 7 years of relevant experience

(ii)              Knowledge of  Human Rights and Gender programming in Afghanistan and of the main structures supporting ;

Language Requirements:

(i)                  Fluent in English language. Strong, confident command of both written and oral English.

(ii)                Knowledge of local languages, Dari and/or Pashto

Computer Skills:

High level of proficiency in computer systems, internet navigation and various office applications.