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CONSULTANCY JOB OPENING
Issued on: 2 August 2016

Link to full TOR: http://www.fukuoka.unhabitat.org/vacancy/pdf/TOR_for_Evaluation_of_UN_Habitat_in_Afghanistan_up_to_14Aug2016.pdf

BACKGROUND
The United Nations Human Settlements (UN-Habitat) is the lead United Nations agency for Cities and Human Settlements.  The agency was established as the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS), through the General Assembly Resolution 32/162 of December 1977, following the first global Conference of United Nations on Human Settlements that was held in Vancouver, Canada, in 1976.

UN-Habitat has over two decades of experience and physical presence in communities across 20 provinces of Afghanistan. Since 1992, UN-Habitat has been working with communities across Afghanistan placing people at the centre of decision-making and action. This approach aims to make people more responsive and self-reliant, establish sense of ownership, and help build peace and social cohesion. The overarching vision guiding UN-Habitat’s work in Afghanistan is prosperous, inclusive and equitable human settlements that reduce poverty and contribute to national stability and development. Specifically, the mission of UN-Habitat Country Programme is “to transform lives through enhancing access to urban land, housing and services, while making systems and institutions responsive to people’s views and needs” (Country Programme Document, The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, 2016-2019, p.13)

In addition to direct implementation of community-based urban and rural rehabilitation and development initiatives, the enhancement of professional and technical skills, and the delivery of humanitarian relief, UN-Habitat has supported government counterparts with technical assistance in policy, planning and urban management, the provision or upgrading of services and infrastructure and the reintegration of returnees.

The diversity of UN-Habitat’s experience across Afghanistan reflects a key lesson learned over the past two decades of operation: the importance of operating at multiple levels from the ministry and municipality to the urban street, in order to address a complex in a holistic and organic manner an array of issues which are rarely static. Core to UN-Habitat’s work has been the importance of participation, as embodied in UN-Habitat’s ‘people’s process’ that draft on the ideas and reflect reflects the interests of key stakeholders.

UN-Habitat projects are managed on a day to day basis from its country office in Kabul. Each programme or project is led by a national programme manager with international advisors. Each project team is supervised by the Country Programme Manager with close backstopping support from by Senior Human Settlements Officer based in the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Justification / Mandate of the Present Evaluation
This evaluation intends to look at the effects of the UN-Habitat country programme in Afghanistan, with a wider strategic focus with regard to accumulated effects over a longer time frame. It is conducted by UN-Habitat at the request of the country programme management.

The evaluation is conducted as part of UN-Habitat’s efforts to ensure that UN-Habitat evaluations provide a full representation of its mandate and activities, including evaluation of humanitarian type and development interventions, and in-line with the 2015 Revised UN-Habitat Evaluation Framework document, requesting for more country programme evaluations with evidence of UN-Habitat’s results at country level. Evaluation is integral to UN-Habitat’s mandate and activities including programme planning, budgeting and implementation cycle and supports UN-Habitat to manage for results by assessing the extent to which UN-Habitat humanitarian type and development interventions are effectively delivering results.

The evaluation also responds to UN-Habitat’s strategic policy on human settlements in crisis and sustainable relief and reconstruction framework, which has guided UN-Habitat’s work in the humanitarian sector since 2008, which states that ‘regular and periodic evaluation’ of the policy should be undertaken.

Purpose and Objectives of the Evaluation
The purpose of this country programme evaluation is to document and assess the results and accumulated effects of the UN-Habitat programme in Afghanistan conducted with emphasis on the period from 2012 to 2016.

The time frame relates to some important milestones. First, NSP 3 (the last phase of NSP) ran from 2012 to 2016. NSP has been the core programme intervention of UN-Habitat Afghanistan, since 2003. Moreover, preparations for a new strategic plan for UN-Habitat, with a stronger thematic focus, started off in 2012, with the new Strategic Plan (2014-2019) starting in 2014. After 2014, after new government and withdrawal of international security assistance forces, the required role/modality of international assistance changed. In addition, UN-Habitat Afghanistan country programme started to transformed during this period and starting from 2012 would capture and report on the transformation of environments and country programme itself.

This evaluation will provide UN-Habitat management, its offices and staff responsible for project development and implementation in UN-Habitat country offices, regional offices and at headquarters; its governing bodies, donors and key stakeholders in Afghanistan with a forward-looking objective assessment of the value-added by UN-Habitat, achievements, lessons, challenges and opportunities for UN-Habitat’s operations in Afghanistan.

Scope of the Evaluation and Sampling
The evaluation is expected to assess the accumulated results of Afghanistan country programme, 2012-2016.
Out of the projects identified in the portfolio, three projects with different characteristics will be reviewed in-depth with regard to results and accumulated effects at project level (see full TOR for selection of projects).

The selected projects reflects UN-Habitat’s vision on the three-pronged approach and its country mission, as well as, focus on improving livelihoods, cross-cutting issues, and availability of data, donor, and collaboration with other UN agencies.

RESPONSIBILITIES
The three primary deliverables for the evaluation that are expected from the international consultant: 1) inception report with evaluation work plan, 2) draft evaluation report and 3) final evaluation report.

The evaluator will review the assignment outlined in the terms of reference (TOR) (http://www.fukuoka.unhabitat.org/vacancy/index_en.html) and undertake an initial desk review, identify information gaps, redefine the methodology to be used in the evaluation and develop an inception report and evaluation work plan that will guide the evaluation process.  The draft evaluation report must meet minimum requirements for draft reports.  The evaluation report should follow the standard format of UN-Habitat Evaluation reports, putting forward the purpose, focus, scope, evaluation methodology, evaluation findings (with assessment of achievements and rating of performance according to evaluation criteria), lessons learned and recommendations.

The implementation phase of the evaluation will involve the overall data collection and analysis of the evaluation.  The international consultant will conduct a field mission to the UN-Habitat Country Office in Kabul, Afghanistan, The evaluation team, consisting of an international evaluation consultant and a supporting national consultant will be expected to undertake field visits, which will include consultations with beneficiaries of projects as well as visits to projects, as and when to the extent that the security situation permits.

Lead Evaluator
The evaluation shall be carried out by an international consultant supported by a national consultant during data collection and data analysis. The international consultant is responsible for the inception report with work plan, including that of the national consultant, quality of work and preparation of the evaluation report.

Responsibilities and Evaluation Management
This evaluation is commissioned by UN-Habitat, and managed by the Evaluation Unit. The Evaluation Unit will manage the evaluation in close consultation with the country office management ensuring that the evaluation is contracted to suitable candidates; providing advice on code of conduct of evaluation; providing technical support as required; ensuring that contractual requirements are met; and approving all deliverables (evaluation work plan, draft and final evaluation reports). 

The international consultant and the national consultant will be selected by the Evaluation Unit through a consultative process with ROAP and the Country Office. The international consultant will be contracted through ROAP. The national consultant will be contracted through the Country Office in Afghanistan.

ROAP and the UN-Habitat Country Office in Afghanistan will provide logistical support to the evaluation team. ROAP will be responsible for contracting of the consultant through UNOPS.

A reference group with members from the Evaluation Unit, the Country Office in Afghanistan, the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) and the Programme Division will be established for the purpose of this evaluation.

The evaluators are responsible for meeting professional and ethical standards in conducting the evaluation, and producing the expected deliverables as described in the terms of reference.

EDUCATION
Advanced academic degree in urban development, environment, gender, housing, infrastructure, governance, or related fields.  

WORK EXPERIENCE

The international consultant is expected to have:

• Extensive proven experience in conducting evaluations and delivering professional results, presenting credible findings derived from evidence and putting conclusions and recommendations supported by the findings. Examples of evaluation reports produced by lead evaluator to be included in expression of interest.
• More than 15 years of experience in results-based management, professional project management and monitoring and evaluation.
• Please refer to the full TOR for additional requirements.

LANGUAGE SKILLS
Must be fluent in English; working knowledge of local language is an advantage.

REMUNERATION
Payments will be based on deliverables over the consultancy period. There are set remuneration rates for consultancies. The rate is determined by functions performed and experience of the consultant. The fees will be paid as per agreement.

International Travel (Home – Kabul):
The cost of a return air-ticket from the place of recruitment on least-cost economy will be reimbursed upon submission of travel claim together with the supporting documents including copy of e-ticket, receipts and used boarding passes. Three quotations from the reputable travel agents shall be submitted for UN-Habitat’s clearance prior to purchase of tickets.

Transportation:
Such as vehicle arrangements to provinces will be covered by UN-Habitat.

Deadline for applications:  15 August 2016

Link to full TOR: http://www.fukuoka.unhabitat.org/vacancy/pdf/TOR_for_Evaluation_of_UN_Habitat_in_Afghanistan_up_to_14Aug2016.pdf

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