CONSULTANCY - TERMS OF REFERENCE
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5.5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
Evaluation Consultant – Assessment of Protection Audits
(Amman, Jordan/Home Based)
BACKGROUND
Protection is what UNRWA does to safeguard and advance the rights of Palestine refugees, and the Agency implements on a broad range of activities to protect refugees in its fields of operation within the scope of its mandate. The Agency’s protection mandate specifically addresses the rights of vulnerable groups – women, children and persons with disabilities in accordance with relevant international instruments including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The importance of protection to Palestine refugees is reflected in Strategic Outcome 1 of the Agency’s Medium Term Strategy for 2016-2021, which requires the Agency to work to ensure Palestine refugees’ rights under international law are protected and promoted.
In 2010, UNRWA issued guidance to provide a common Agency approach and framework to mainstream protection standards into programming, and in 2012, adopted a Protection Policy. In recent years, UNRWA has strengthened its capacity to provide protection and introduced protection staff at both headquarter and field offices, and established a Protection Division in 2016. The Protection Division provides strategic direction of, and coordination to, the implementation of the diverse protection activities across the Agency, including child protection, gender and GBV, disability and mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS).
Since 2014, the Agency has measured the progress of programmes and fields in protection mainstreaming through internal Protection Audits carried out every two years. Protection Audits measure the progress of core programmes areas – Education, Health, Relief and Social Services, and Infrastructure and Camp Improvement – in meeting minimum international protection standards across four principles:
i. Safety and dignity: Prevent and minimize any unintended negative effects of interventions which can increase people's vulnerability.
ii. Meaningful Access: Arrange for people’s access to assistance and services, in proportion to need and without any barriers.
iii. Accountability to Affected Populations: Set-up appropriate mechanisms through which affected populations can measure the adequacy of interventions, and address concerns and complaints.
iv. Participation: Support the development of self-protection, capacities and assist people to claim their rights, including - not exclusively - the rights to shelter, food, water and sanitation, health, and education.
As part of the 2020 work plan, the Department of Internal Oversight Services (DIOS), will conduct an assessment of the Agency’s work on Protection Audits. The assessment will be conducted by members of the DIOS Evaluation and Audit Divisions to provide an assessment that has the potential to deliver stronger, more comprehensive DIOS reports that benefit from a broader evidence base and deeper analysis.
The evaluation component will be guided by the standard international evaluation criteria. The evaluation will review the extent to which Protection Audits have contributed towards the implementation of the Agency’s guidance for protection mainstreaming, and explore the factors that have influenced the usefulness of the Protection Audits. Further, the evaluation will consider the coherence of Agency guidance to relevant international standards.
The consultant will contribute to the design and technical quality of the evaluation approach, methods, data collection tools and analysis.
As a key member of the assessment team, the consultant will be involved in the planning, conducting and reporting phases of the assessment and is expected to contribute approximately 50 – 60 days to the project. The planning phase will take place between May and June 2020, conduct between July and October 2020, and analysis in the fourth quarter of 2020. The evaluation report should be finalized by April 2021.
Description of Duties and Responsibilities
The consultant will contribute to: i) the validation of the programme theory of change, ii) the refinement of the draft terms of reference, iii) design of the research methods and tools, iv) the collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data; and v) the draft and final assessment report, providing written inputs.
Activities will include, but not be limited to, the following:
· Literature/desk review of Protection Audit documents: The consultant, along with the DIOS evaluation officer, will review all relevant background information, including the 2012 Protection Policy, the biennial field-level and Agency Protection Audits summary reports, the Protection Audits implementation methodology and tools, and relevant external documents;
· Interviews: The consultant, as part of the team, will participate in individual and group interviews using semi-structured data collection instruments to gather views of key internal stakeholders including Programme Directors, Field Directors and Programme Chiefs, Protection Staff and Installation managers. The consultant is also expected to support in the consolidation, interpretation and analysis of qualitative data;
· Process review: The DIOS Audit Division will lead in a process review to assess the controls, consistency and quality in the conduct of Protection Audits. These reviews will involve a detailed analysis of the existing Protection Audits’ implementation guides and procedures, closely supported by discussions with internal stakeholders across fields of operation. The consultant may be asked to provide inputs to this review approach;
· Recommendation impact assessment: The consultant will support in the analysis of the impact of Protection Audit activities. This will include a review of the implementation of Protection Audit recommendations, and their influence on the strengthening of protection mainstreaming across fields and programmes. This work will also involve analysis on the factors influencing their impact.
minimum Qualifications and Experience
· An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in protection, social sciences or another field of relevance;
· A minimum of 7 years of experience in the conduct of evaluations, including of protection programmes;
· In-depth knowledge and proven experience in application of various quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques and methodologies.
dESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
· Professional work experience in the MENA region;
· Understanding and knowledge of the UN mandates in relation to human rights, gender equality and protection mainstreaming;
· Familiarity with UNRWA and its protection programme; and
· Command of Arabic and understanding of the Palestinian refugee context would be advantageous.
ComPetencies
· Professional foundation and technical skills in evaluation, including quality standards, evaluation approaches, methods and data analysis, reporting findings, conclusions and recommendations;
· Management skills including work planning;
· Communication and facilitation skills;
· Excellent analytical, communication and writing skills in English.
Additional information
· No previous involvement in the design and implementation of the UNRWA Protection programme;
· The consultant will be required to travel in the Agency’s area of operations in the Middle East.
CONDITIONS OF SERVICE
· The consultant is expected to contribute approximately 50 – 60 days of support between June 2020 and April 2021;
· Remuneration for this consultancy will depend on the qualifications and experience of the candidate at P4 level;
· Work will include home based assignments, and potential travel involving approximately 15 days.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV or UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly the knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy requirements. The cover letter should: i) clearly demonstrate the knowledge and experiences relevant to the evaluation and planned research activities, ii) include information on availability over the evaluation period, and iii) an expected daily rate for consultancy services (excluding costs incurred through travel). Additionally, relevant samples of work should be submitted.
Please submit this as one package to consultancy@unrwa.org indicating the title of this consultancy, “Evaluation Consultant – Assessment of Protection Audits” The deadline for submission of applications is 14 May 2020.
UNRWA is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from both women and men. UNRWA encourages applications from qualified and experienced female candidates. Only those applicants short-listed for interview will be contacted. UNRWA is a non-smoking environment.
How to apply:
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants should submit a cover letter and CV or UN Personal History Form demonstrating clearly the knowledge and experience required to meet the consultancy requirements. The cover letter should: i) clearly demonstrate the knowledge and experiences relevant to the evaluation and planned research activities, ii) include information on availability over the evaluation period, and iii) an expected daily rate for consultancy services (excluding costs incurred through travel). Additionally, relevant samples of work should be submitted.
Please submit this as one package to consultancy@unrwa.org indicating the title of this consultancy, “Evaluation Consultant – Assessment of Protection Audits” The deadline for submission of applications is 14 May 2020.