UNDP Jobs - 67756- International Outcome Evaluation Consultant

International Outcome Evaluation Consultant

Location :

home-based with one mission to Dushanbe, TAJIKISTAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

11-Aug-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

30 working days (20 working days for desk-work and 10 working days of of in-country mission

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

September - October 2016

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

The UNDP Country Programme Document (CPD) for the period of 2010-2015 aimed to achieve the objectives set out in the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan for the period up to 2015 (NDS), in accordance with the UN Millennium Development Goals. Building on its comparative advantages, programme strengths and lessons learned from previous interventions, CPD (2010-2015) focused its interventions on:

Poverty Reduction and Achievement of MDGs,
Reducing burden of HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis,
Good Governance,
Crisis Prevention and Recovery, and
Environment and Sustainable Development.

CPD (2010-2015) gave particular attention to the scaling up of proven successful initiatives, utilizing best practices and lessons learned to inform policy reform, and promoting gender equality as a cross-cutting issue.

According to the CPD (2010-2015), Good Governance area in the country is described as: “The capacity to develop and implement sound public policy based on good governance principles and respect for human rights is considerably limited, both at the national and sub-national levels. Despite improvements, vertical (between various levels of government) and horizontal (between line ministries) division of responsibilities remain unclear, leading to uncoordinated development initiatives, poor public finance management, and weak delivery of core public services. Planning and decision-making of public policy and financing continues to be highly centralized. Since the Government of Tajikistan adopted a Public Administration Reform Strategy in 2006, reform implementation has been slow.”

In response to the above situation, the CPD (2010-2015) aimed to promote the principles of good governance, including respect for human rights, the rule of law, and accountable public institutions at the national and sub-national levels and by partnering directly with key national government institutions and line ministries as well as sub-national authorities. UNDP will also promote and enhance the role of civil society, with a particular focus on women, and their participation in decision-making and advocacy through various capacity building initiatives.

Country background and context

Tajikistan is a landlocked and mountainous country in Central Asia, with a population of 8.3 million and a GNI per capita of US$990 in 2013. Tajikistan is the only Low Income Country in the Europe and CIS Region. The country borders on Afghanistan in the South, China in the East, Kyrgyzstan in the North, and Uzbekistan in the West. Barely 7 percent of the country’s land is arable. Tajikistan possesses vast water resources stored in glaciers, lakes and underground sources. Recovery from the devastating social and economic consequences of civil war and the start of reforms led to steady though unequal growth over the past decade averaging 8 percent annually. Poverty declined from 81% in 1999 to approximately 32% in 2014 reaching the MDG-1 target; enrolment and completion of primary education is near universal with good gender parity; maternal mortality rate has halved between 2000-2013. Tajikistan is now among the top 10 economies that improved the most in 2013-2014 making it easier to do business. Despite these impressive results, Tajikistan continues to face a number of key challenges:

Tajikistan is particularly vulnerable to external shocks and regional economic crisis, being dependent on remittances more than any other country in the world with remittances representing 42% of GDP in 2014. Tajikistan’s Migration Service reported that in 2014, 834,000 Tajiks left Tajikistan, of whom 106,400 women, in search of employment mostly in the Russian Federation. However, the most recent data indicate declining trend in remittance inflow and a potential wave of returning migrants triggered by the current economic crises in Russia and other countries in the region. As a result, poverty, unemployment and vulnerability are expected to rise. In addition, Tajikistan is susceptible to a diverse range of challenges posed by its unique landlocked geography and potential instability in Afghanistan.

Many people face different types of vulnerabilities and social exclusion requiring particular attention: women and girls in rural areas, unemployed young people, and people with disability. Gender inequality is pervasive despite a legal framework that protects women’s rights. Violence against women and girls is widespread. Women’s rights awareness and participation in decision making are low. Persons with disabilities often face stigma and discrimination and suffer from negative perceptions, lack of legal and appropriate social protection. Young people often are not ‘heard’ in decision-making.

In response to these challenges, the Government of Tajikistan (GoT) has undertaken a number of strategic measures to establish effective legal and institutional frameworks for an effective and efficient governance system. Public Administration, rule of law and access to justice, civil registration and border management remain a high priority for the country. The main developments during 2010-2015 in this regard include, but are not limited to:

Public Administration: With the view of promoting reform in local governance system, coordination of activities of local governments and local self-governing bodies as well as to support a balanced development of the regions, the Local Development Committee under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan was established (LDC) as a result of Presidential elections in November 2013. The most notable outcome of LDC’s work to date is the adoption of the Concept on Local Development Management in July 2015.
Rule of Law and Access to Justice: The Government has adopted two consecutive Judicial and Legal Reform Programme (2012-2014; 2015-2017) with a special focus on creating a state run legal aid system in the country. The most notable achievement is the adoption of the Concept on State Guaranteed Legal Aid in July 2015.
Civil Registration: civil registration remain high on the Government’s agenda. In 2014, the State Programme on development of civil registration offices was adopted by the Government.
Border management: given the current instabilities in Afghanistan, issues of border management are constantly emphasized at the highest levels of Government’s decision making.

During the CPD (2010-2015) cycle, UNDP has provided comprehensive technical and financial support to the Government in line with the above priorities.

Evaluation team

The evaluation team will comprise of one International and one National evaluation experts - development consultants at no point directly associated with the design and implementation of any of the activities associated with the outcome. The evaluation experts should have knowledge and experience in governance and public administration, rule of law and human rights as well as local development issues.

Duties and Responsibilities

Goals and objectives

The main objectives of the outcome evaluation are:

To assess progress towards or achievement of the Outcome 3, CPAP 2010-2015;
Take stock of key lessons learnt and experience accumulated as result of CPAP 2010-2015 and provide recommendations for more effective programming within new Country Programme Document cycle (2016-2020);
Identify emerging governance, rule of law and human rights focused areas for future programming of UNDP;
Identify potential scaling up pathways and provide recommendations for resource mobilization.

Scope of the evaluation

The scope of the evaluation is expected to include lessons learned, findings and recommendations in the following areas:

Were stated outcomes or outputs achieved?
What progress toward the outcomes has been made?
What factors have contributed to achieving or not achieving intended outcomes?
To what extent have UNDP outputs and assistance contributed to outcomes?
Has the UNDP partnership strategy been appropriate and effective?
What factors contributed to effectiveness or ineffectiveness?
Analysis of the range and robustness of partnerships established/maintained with the Government, civil society, UN Agencies and other key stakeholders;
UNDP’s contribution to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment;
Assessment of scaling up pathways explored and employed by UNDP to achieve the stated outcomes.

The evaluation should be based on the following criteria:

Relevance: concerns the consistency of activities and targets with national and local development programmes and national development challenges, and the needs of intended beneficiaries. It also relates to the relevance to UNDP’s corporate and human development priorities, as well as the UNDAF and UNDP country programme.

Effectiveness: refers to the manner in which the intended outcome targets were achieved. Measuring effectiveness will involve - to the extent possible - an assessment of cause and effect, and judging the extent to which observable changes be attributed to project activities.

Efficiency: refers to how economically resources (funds, expertise and time) were used to achieve results.

Sustainability: refers to the extent to which the benefits of the results will continue beyond the support provided. Assessing sustainability involves evaluating to what extent capacity can be maintained.

Impact: from UNDP’s perspective, this measures, to the extent possible, the changes in human development that are caused by the projects activities.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
Exerts strict adherence to corporate rules, regulations and procedures.Familiarity with the internal control framework and results-based management tools is a must;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Ensures that programmes and projects are consistent with UN/UNDP values;
Treats peers fairly by maintaining consistent values inspiring trust and confidence through personal credibility;
Accepts responsibility and accountability for the quality of the outcome of his/her decisions.

Functional Competencies:

Good knowledge and understanding of the UN system, familiarity with UNDP mandate an asset;
Knowledge of issues concerning access to justice in developing countries, with particular reference to women's rights and gender equality;
Specific knowledge in the subject area (e.g. rule of law, access to justice, and GBV);
Thorough knowledge of results-based management and strategic planning processes;
Excellent facilitation and communication skills;
Ability to deal with multi-stakeholder groups;
Ability to write focused evaluation reports;
Willingness and ability to travel to the different project sites in the country.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

University degree in social sciences, management and other related areas;

Experience:

At least 10 years of technical background in good governance, public administration, and/or local development issues;
Experience and expertise in project design, management, and monitoring and evaluation;
Proven experience in evaluating programmes/projects;
Knowledge of UNDP procedures and programme implementation strategies will be additional asset;
Good report writing skills, advanced computer literacy and the ability to effectively communicate and work with high-level government officials;
Ability to make recommendations focused on results and impact, with a strong understanding of value for money concepts;
Knowledge of CIS context, preferably Central Asia region.

Language:

Excellent knowledge of English with proven writing skills; knowledge of Russian language would be an asset.

Application Procedure:

Please follow the link to the Individual Consultant Procurement Notice:

http://www.undp.tj/va/upload/va/ICPN%20International%20Outcome%20Evaluation%20Consultant.docx