Consultant, Evaluation of the Emergency Assistance at UN Women

UN Women - In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. In doing so, UN Member States took an historic step in accelerating the Organization's goals on gender equality and the empowerment of women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system, which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Consultant, Evaluation of the Emergency Assistance to Internally Displaced Women and Girls and Survivors of SGBV in Nigeria

Location: Abuja
Additional Category: Gender Equality
Type of Contract: Individual Contract
Post Level: National Consultant
Languages Required: English 
Starting Date: (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 1st November, 2018
Duration of Initial Contract: 4 Month
Expected Duration of Assignment: 4 Months

Background
The North-East Nigeria has witnessed unprecedented violent conflict orchestrated by frequent insurgence. This has resulted to widespread displacement, violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, protection risks and a growing humanitarian crisis. The crisis which began in 2009, have resulted to the death of more than 20,000 people, over 2,000 women and girls have been abducted and 2.5 million people have fled their homes, of whom 2.2 million are internally displaced, and 177,000 are seeking refuge in the neighboring countries of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

In the second half of 2015, reports show that more than two-third of internally displaced persons (IDPs) were made up of women and children suggesting that women and children constitute the largest proportion of IDPs in Adamawa, Bauchi, and Gombe States.

Women and girls in particular face grave threats and are affected in various ways, ranging from direct killings and injuries, of becoming victims of sexual violence, of being separated from their families, of being recruited and used as operatives in suicide attacks, and suffering extreme distress, egregious physical and psychological abuse to more subtle, yet persistent and irreversible effects on schooling, health, nutrition, future opportunities and overall well-being.

Duties and Responsibilities

• UN Women received support from the Government of Japan to implement the “Emergency Assistance to Internally Displaced Women and Girls and Survivors of Boko Haram Terrorism Attacks in Nigeria” (2016-2017) in the three most affected states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe where about 7 million people needed humanitarian assistance, with 80% of them being women and children.
• Through this project, UN Women prioritized the reinforcement and the integration of gender into humanitarian response in the three most affected states in Nigeria with an explicit focus of targeting women and girls, especially in a context in which they have such a crucial status.
• The intervention focused on filling critical gender gaps in the on-going humanitarian response activities in three areas: (a) Strengthen emergency assistance initiatives to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) women/girls and survivors of SGBV in target areas; (b) Improve the economic capacity and social rehabilitation of women affected by crisis for peaceful cohabitation in target areas and (c)  Strengthen humanitarian coordination mechanisms for a more comprehensive and gender-responsive approach in Nigeria.
• In line with the project objectives and expected outcomes, UN Women conducted a baseline survey on the socio-economic status of women and girls affected by insurgency in the three states, serving as a framework for the project.

Purpose and use of Evaluation

• The evaluation will serve a dual and mutually reinforcing learning and accountability purpose as it provides an opportunity to: (i) consolidate learning from what worked and what could be done differently in improving emergency assistance to internally displaced women and girls and survivors of SGBV; and (ii) offer evidence-informed recommendations geared towards building gender-sensitive assistance in IDP camps and host communities, including access to skills acquisitions and improved livelihoods. The evaluation is also expected to identify the internal and external enabling factors and challenges to Nigeria CO’s performance on emergency response in such a complex environment.
• UN Women Nigeria, the government of Japan and relevant partners in Nigeria will be the prime users of this evaluation.
• The evaluation will also be used to inform the ongoing corporate Thematic Evaluation of UN Women’s Contribution to Humanitarian Action and will inform and influence strategies, priorities, approaches, decisions and actions needed to scale-up and sustain an effective gender responsive intervention in crisis situation.

Objective
The specific objectives of the evaluation are to:

• Assess the relevance and contributions of the interventions to the humanitarian agenda in Nigeria;
• Assess effectiveness and organizational efficiency in progressing towards the achievement of GEWE in humanitarian action;
• Identify intervention gaps, lessons learned, good practices and examples of innovation that could be replicated or used to inform future projects;
• Propose relevant recommendations based on the evaluation results and outcomes to UN Women’s humanitarian action in Nigeria; and
• Assess how the human rights-based approach and gender equality principles are integrated into the work in humanitarian action.

Evaluation Questions:
The evaluation will seek to answer the following key evaluation questions.

Relevance / Appropriateness:

• To what extent has UN Women’s emergency assistance to Internally Displaced Women and Girls and Survivors of SGBV project adapted to identified humanitarian needs?
• To what extent has UN Women’s response been appropriate in the context of the needs and priorities of the affected populations, particularly those left furthest behind in humanitarian contexts?
• To what extent was UN Women’s NGN office able to adapt its strategies and project to respond to changes in the context?

Effectiveness

• To what extent did UN Women Nigeria Office interventions reach the population groups with greatest need for increased access to adequate survivor services and holistic emergency assistance to IDP’s women and girls and survivors of SGBV in the host communities?
• To what extent did the UN Women response contribute to economic recovery of women and girls IDPs and their vulnerable host communities?
• To what extent has UN Women Nigeria Office contributed to having more women play a greater role and being better served by emergency assistance?
• What are enabling and limiting factors that contribute to the achievement of results and what actions need to be taken to overcome any barriers that limit the progress?

Efficiency:

• To what extent has UN Women’s institutional arrangements, operational mechanisms and financial resources advanced an effective and efficient response?
• To what extent did UN Women make good use of its human, financial and technical resources, as well as of different partnerships in pursuing the achievement of the results expected from its emergency response?
• Does the project complement the activities of other thematic areas embedded in the Nigeria CO Strategic Note and build on synergies with them?
• Has the project build synergies with other programmes being implemented at country level with the United Nations and the Government of Nigeria?
• To what extent is UN Women NGN contributing to making coordination mechanisms on emergency response more gender-sensitive?

Connectedness and Sustainability:

• To what extent did UN Women NGN Office humanitarian activities support, and plan for, longer-term (across the humanitarian-development-peace continuum) goals of the project?
• Was the assistance provided in a way that took account of the longer-term context?
• To what extent has UN Women enhanced national and local ownership to strengthen the resilience of communities?

Gender Equality and Human Rights:

• To what extent does the humanitarian action work undertaken by UN Women address the underlying causes of inequality and discrimination?
• To what extent were a human rights based approach and gender equality incorporated in the design and implementation of the project?

The evaluators are encouraged to further analyze stakeholders according to the following characteristics:
System roles (target groups, programme controllers, sources of expertise, and representatives of excluded groups); Gender roles (intersections of sex, age, household roles, community roles); Human Rights roles (rights holders, principal duty bearers, primary, secondary and tertiary duty bearers); Intended users and uses of the respective evaluation.

The evaluators are encouraged to extend this analysis through mapping relationships and power dynamics as part of the evaluation. It is important to pay particular attention to participation of rights holders - in particular women and vulnerable and marginalized groups - to ensure the application of a gender-responsive approach. It is also important to specify ethical safeguards that will be employed. The evaluators are expected to validate findings through engagement with stakeholders at stakeholder workshops, debriefings or other forms of engagement.

Stakeholders and Stakeholder participation:

• The primary stakeholders of the evaluation are the implementing and collaborative partners: UN Women, the federal ministry of women affairs and social development (FMWA&SD), State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development (Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno and Gombe states), National Center for Women Development (NCWD, National and state Emergency Management Agency (NEMA/SEMA), UNOCHA. UNFPA, FAO, relevant CSOs; Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), E-Way for Development (Women and Youths Environmental Safety and Empowerment Organization) IANSA - (International Action Network on Small Arms) Women Network Nigeria, women groups; and Association for the Advancement of Women in Nigeria (ASSAWIN).

Evaluation Approach and Scope:

• The evaluation will be a transparent and participatory process involving relevant UN Women stakeholders and partners both at the central and sub-regional level where the project was implemented. It will be based on gender and human rights principles, as defined in the UN Women Evaluation Policy and adhere to the UN norms and standards for evaluation in the UN System.
• The evaluation methodology will be based on mixed methods and will deploy a variety of evaluation techniques ranging from desk review, interviews, surveys, observation and other participatory methods. Efforts will be made to capture and document real voices of women and girls and marginalized groups.
• The evaluation should adopt a flexible approach given the complex nature of the interventions. An important component of this evaluation will be the assessment of the project results logic and approach. Based on the results of the baseline survey already commissioned and the implicit ToC articulated in the project document, the evaluation team will reconstruct a theory of change during the inception phase of the evaluation. The evaluation should also look into the synergy with other projects/programmes implemented by UN Women and other partners.
• The evaluation will be carried out in the implementation states (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe) and the federal capital. The project will cover the period 2016-2017.

Competencies
Core Values / Guiding Principles:

• Integrity: Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct. Exhibits positive actions without consideration personal gains nor interests. Upholds prompt action in cases of unethical behavior. Possess the ability to resist political pressure in decision making.
• Professionalism: Express professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work. Shows persistence and resilience when faced with challenges. Mandatory to be conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, deadlines and must be result-oriented.
• Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity: Showcase an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity. Ensure conscious and constant effort to eexamine personal biases and behaviours to avoid stereotypical responses

Core Competencies:

• Ethics and Values: Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity
• Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment
• Planning and Organizing: Develops clear goals that are consistent with agreed strategies.
• Identifies priority activities and assignments; adjusts priorities as required. Allocates appropriate amount of time and resources for completing work. Foresees risks and allows for contingencies when planning. Monitors and adjusts plans and actions as necessary. Uses time efficiently
• Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative
• Work in teams: Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication
• Self-management and Emotional Intelligence: Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others
• Conflict Management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.
• Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge
• Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making: Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making

Functional Competencies

• Excellent research skills
• Ability to lead formulation of strategies
• Strong networking skills
• Excellent knowledge of the women’s economic empowerment thematic area
• Ability to build strong relationships and focus on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Focuses on impact and result for the partners and responds positively to feedback.
• Adaptability and dynamism
• Attention to detail
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to work under pressure
• Technological awareness
• Accountability
• Vision.

Required Skills and Experience
Qualification:

• Advanced University degree (master’s Degree or equivalent) in a relevant Social Science (Development studies, peace and security, humanitarian studies, public administration, anthropology, agricultural economics, and food security, Business Administration, International Relations)

Experience:

• Field experience of humanitarian response in complex environments
• Sectoral knowledge of UN Women thematic areas: women economic empowerment, violence against women etc
• Advanced understanding of humanitarian principles, humanitarian space, humanitarian access, gender as well as Advanced understanding of accepted norms and standards for humanitarian response; Core Humanitarian Standards, Sphere standards, INEE, and IASC guidance materials for protection and cross cutting issues in humanitarian response
• Previous work or consultancy experience with UN and understanding of UN Women’s mandate is desirable
• Advanced technical knowledge, skills and expertise in gender responsive evaluation
• Strong quantitative and qualitative data collection, and analysis and synthesis skills
• Experience and strong facilitation skills
• Ability to work under strict deadlines and schedules

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required
• Knowledge of Hausa is an asset but not compulsory.

Application Closing Date
23rd October, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online