Background

This is the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Interim  Evaluation (IE) of the United Nations Development  Programme (UNDP) - supported Green Climate Fund (GCF) financed project titled  Building Resilient Communities, Wetland Ecosystems And Associated Catchments In Uganda Project (PIMS 5711) implemented through the Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) and Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA) which is to be undertaken in 2021. The project is implemented in 24 districts including Kabale, Kisoro, Kanungu, Ntungamo, Bushenyi, Buhweju, Mitooma, Rubirizi, Sheema, Rukungiri, Rubanda, Rukiga, Budaka, Pallisa, Ngora, Bukedea, Mbale, Kaliro, Namutumba, Kibuku, Butebo, Tororo, Butaleja and Kumi; The project is supported by GCF, UNDP and Government of Uganda (GoU). The project was started on 30th June 2017, though full implementation commenced in November 2017 and is currently in its fourth year of implementation. This ToR sets out the expectations for this Interim Evaluation (IE).

Project Background:

The impact of climate change, coupled with other human and environmental stressors, is increasing degradation of wetlands and their associated ecosystem services in Uganda. This is negatively affecting the livelihoods of approximately 4 million people living in and around wetland areas. In fact, over 80% of the people living adjacent to wetland areas in Uganda directly use wetland resources for their household food security needs.  Given that wetlands are highly vulnerable to changes in the quantity and quality of their water supply, climate change will most likely substantially alter ecologically important attributes of wetlands and will exacerbate the impacts from human activity.  The loss of wetlands could exacerbate the impact of climate change as they provide fundamental services that contribute to mitigation of such impacts. This project seeks to support the Government of Uganda to take climate change issues into account when managing critical wetland areas. Project activities were developed to specifically respond to and take into account specific climate-related impacts and vulnerabilities of wetland ecosystems.

This  project is  restoring  wetlands  and  their  eco-system  services,  based  on  wise-use  principles  and guidelines as outlined by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, with sustainable land management practices and  reforestation,  is  supporting  resilient  agricultural  practices  and  alternative  livelihoods  for  communities living  in  these  areas  to  reduce  the  pressures  on  the  wetlands,  and  finally  is  strengthening  the  climate information and early warning systems to support these communities to make climate-resilient decisions.   The project targets two regions –  12 districts in South Western Uganda including; Kabale, Kisoro, Kanungu, Ntungamo, Bushenyi, Buhweju, Mitooma, Rubirizi, Sheema, Rukungiri, Rubanda and Rukiga  and  12 districts in Eastern Uganda including; Budaka, Pallisa, Ngora, Bukedea, Mbale, Kaliro, Namutumba, Kibuku, Butebo, Tororo, Butaleja and Kumi;.  With a total population of 3,946,366 people and land areas of 13,000Km2       

At least 800,000 people in and around the wetlands will directly benefit from this investment. This initiative will improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in Uganda, dependent on subsistence agriculture and wetlands for their livelihoods.  The project set out to achieve its intended Outcome of ‘Restore and sustainably mange wetlands and support target communities in wetland areas of Uganda to reduce the risks of climate change posed to agriculturally based livelihoods’ through three outputs. Output 1 focuses on restoration and management of wetland hydrology and associated forests. Output 2 focuses on Improved agricultural practices and alternative livelihood options in the wetland catchment. Finally Output 3 focuses on strengthening access to climate and early warning information to farmers and other targets communities to support wetland management.

Since November  2017, the Government of Uganda through MWE in close collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) and Uganda National Meteorological Authority (UNMA) with support from UNDP/GCF has implemented the project  demonstrating the direct link between the benefits of wetland conservation and people’s livelihood with a specific focus on climate change risks and adaptation opportunities of these restored wetlands.   The project is to be implemented in a period of 8 years (2017-2025) with a total project cost of USD 44,262,160 including ((grant) of USD 24,140,160, UNDP co-financing of USD 2,000,000) and Government co-financing of USD 18,122,000)

Being half –way the project life, this IE will assess progress towards and likelihood of achievement of outcomes and impacts and recommend strategies that will enhance delivery of intended project results commensurate with the investments made.

Duties and Responsibilities

The IE will assess implementation of the project progress towards the achievement of the project objectives and outcomes as specified in the UNDP Project Document and GCF Funded Activity Agreement (FAA), and assess early signs of project success, or failure  with the  goal of  identifying the  necessary changes  to be made  in order to set the project on-track to achieve its intended results The IE will also review the project’s strategy  and its  risks to sustainability.

The IE will take into consideration assessment of the project in line with the following evaluation criteria from the GCF IEU TOR (GCF/B.06/06) and draft GCF Evaluation Policy, along with guidance provided by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC). Additional evaluation criteria can be assessed, as applicable.  The IE must assess the following:

• Implementation and adaptive management – seek to identify challenges and propose additional measures to support more efficient and effective implementation. The following aspects of project implementation and adaptive management will be assessed: management arrangements, work planning, finance and co-finance, project-level monitoring and evaluation systems, stakeholder engagement, reporting, and communications.
• Risks to sustainability – seeks to assess the likelihood of continued benefits after the project ends. The assessment of sustainability at the IE stage considers the risks that are likely to affect the continuation of project outcomes. The IE should validate the risks identified in the Project Document, Annual Project Reports, and the ATLAS Risk Management Module and whether the risk ratings applied are appropriate and up to date.
• Relevance, effectiveness and efficiency - seeks to assess the appropriateness in terms of selection, implementation and achievement of FAA and project document results framework activities and expected results (outputs, outcomes and impacts).
• Coherence in climate finance delivery with other multilateral entities - looks at how GCF financing is additional and able to amplify other investments or de-risk and crowd-in further climate investment.
• Gender equity - ensures integration of understanding on how the impacts of climate change are differentiated by gender, the ways that behavioural changes and gender can play in delivering paradigm shift, and the role that women play in responding to climate change challenges both as agents but also for accountability and decision-making.
• Country ownership of projects and programmes - examines the extent of the emphasis on sustainability post project through country ownership; on ensuring the responsiveness of the GCF investment to country needs and priorities including through the roles that countries play in projects and programmes.
• Innovativeness in results areas - focuses on identification of innovations (proof of concept, multiplication effects, new models of finance, technologies, etc.) and the extent to which the project interventions may lead to a paradigm shift towards low-emission and climate-resilient development pathways.
• Replication and scalability – the extent to which the activities can be scaled up in other locations within the country or replicated in other countries (this criterion, which is considered in document GCF/B.05/03 in the context of measuring performance could also be incorporate d in independent evaluations).
• Unexpected results, both positive and negative - identifies the challenges and the learning, both positive and negative, that can be used by all parties (governments, stakeholders, civil society, AE, GCF, and others) to inform further implementation and future investment decision-making.

Competencies

• Demonstrated understanding of issues related to gender and Climate change, environment conservation, biodiversity, Livelihood, ecosystem management or food security experience in gender sensitive evaluation and analysis;
• Excellent communication skills; 
• Demonstrable analytical skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

Advanced University Degree (Masters or equivalent) in natural sciences; with a specialization in environment, biodiversity, climate change or any other closely related field.

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of relevant professional experience in natural resource management and climate change;
• Minimum of 4 years proven track record of application of results-based approaches to evaluation of projects focusing on Conservation Science, Natural Resource Management and Climate Change;
• Recent experience with result-based management evaluation methodologies: 
• Experience applying SMART indicators and reconstructing or validating baseline scenarios; 
• Competence in adaptive management, as applied to GCF Climate Change focal areas;
• Experience working with project evaluations; 
• Experience working in East Africa; 
• Highly knowledgeable of participatory monitoring and evaluation processes;
• Familiarity with Uganda’s development, environment, climate change and other relevant policy frameworks;
• Experience of conducting Project evaluations within the United Nations system will be considered an asset.

Language and other skills:   

• Proficiency in both spoken and written English.

Project Strategy:

Project design:

• Review the problem addressed by the project and the underlying assumptions.  Review the effect of any incorrect assumptions or changes to the context to achieving the project results as outlined in the Project Document;
• Review the relevance of the project strategy and assess whether it provides the most effective route towards expected/intended results.  Were lessons from other relevant projects properly incorporated into the project design?;
• Review how the project addresses country priorities. Review country ownership. Was the project concept in line with the national sector development priorities and plans of the country (or of participating countries in the case of multi-country projects)?;
• Review decision-making processes: were perspectives of those who would be affected by project decisions, those who could affect the outcomes, and those who could contribute information or other resources to the process, taken into account during project design processes?;
• Review the extent to which relevant gender issues were raised in the project design. See Annex 9 of Guidance for Conducting Midterm Reviews of UNDP-Supported, GEF-Financed Projects for further guidelines;
• If there are major areas of concern, recommend areas for improvement.

Results Framework/Log frame:

• Undertake a critical analysis of the project’s log frame 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 project’s objectives and outcomes or components 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, gender equality and women’s empowerment, improved governance, etc.) that should be included in the project results framework and monitored on an annual basis;
• Ensure broader development and gender aspects of the project are being monitored effectively;
• Ensure that the indicators (gender-disaggregated) are SMART, aligned with GCF/Results Management Framework (RMF)/Performance Measurement Frameworks (PMFs) and the guidance in the GCF programming manual.

Relevance, Effectiveness and Efficiency:

• Was the context, problem, needs and priorities well analyzed and reviewed during project initiation?;
• Are the planned project objectives and outcomes relevant and realistic to the situation on the ground?;
• How is the project Theory of Change (ToC) used in helping the project achieve results/ How is the ToC applied through the project?;
• Verify the mitigation impact that the project has achieved. Has an appropriate MRV system for GHG emission been established and implemented? Do outputs link to intended outcomes which link to broader paradigm shift objectives of the project?;
• Are the planned inputs and strategies identified realistic, appropriate and adequate to achieve the results? Were they sequenced sufficiently to efficiently deliver the expected results?;
• Are the outputs being achieved in a timely manner? Is this achievement supportive of the ToC and pathways identified?
• What and how much progress has been made towards achieving the overall outputs and outcomes of the project (including contributing factors and constraints)?;
• To what extent is the project able to demonstrate changes against the baseline (assessment in approved Funding Proposal) for the GCF investment criteria (including contributing factors and constraints)?;
• How realistic are the risks and assumptions of the project? ;
• How did the project deal with issues and risks in implementation?;
• To what extent did the project’s M&E data and mechanism(s) contribute to achieving project results?;
• Are the project’s governance mechanisms functioning efficiently?;
• To what extent did the design of the project help or hinder achieving its own goals?;
• Were there clear baselines indicators and/or benchmark for performance measurements? How were these used in project management? To what extent and how the project applies adaptive management?;
• What, if any, alternative strategies would have been more effective in achieving the project objectives?.

Submission of Application:

The candidate is required to submit an electronic application directly uploaded on the UNDP jobs website with all the requirements as listed here below. Annexes and further information may be downloaded on http://procurement-notices.undp.org no.98342.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document to this website - https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fjobs.undp.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cmarie-suzanne.ndaw%40undp.org%7C00e4273dd6d8488ce3c108d8ff0685e7%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637539750770591313%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=LslP0A5OXkyNhZPYIDAHtp8WV5AiSwGhfPdzi4bLjjo%3D&reserved=0 no.98342.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document to this website - https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fprocurement-notices.undp.org%2F&data=04%7C01%7Cmarie-suzanne.ndaw%40undp.org%7C00e4273dd6d8488ce3c108d8ff0685e7%7Cb3e5db5e2944483799f57488ace54319%7C0%7C0%7C637539750770591313%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=aCHmPz3VdCIxxS%2Bd8kEbyghoN2ltuPk9Mf8yJ7eRx6Y%3D&reserved=0 no.77372.

• Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP (Annex II);
• Personal CV, indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references.

Technical proposal:

• Brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
• A methodology, on how they will approach and complete the assignment;
• Financial proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided (Annex II);
• Annexes 1 and II - may be downloaded from the UNDP Procurement Notices Website -http://procurement-notices.undp.org/. For further clarifications, please contact; janet.anyango@undp.org; moses.lutwama@undp.org.

Incomplete proposals may not be considered. The shortlisted candidates may be contacted, and the successful candidate will be notified.

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.