OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Social and Human Sciences Sector (SHS)

Duty Station : Harare

Job Family: Social and Human Sciences

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 14/07/2024

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

BACKGROUND ON THE JOINT PROGRAMME

The Zimbabwe United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD) Multi-Partner Trust Fund Round 4 Programme titled “Strengthening Disability Rights Accountability, Governance and Coordination in Zimbabwe” which began in December 2021 and ends in June 2024 is seeking the services of a consultant to undertake the Programme’s End of Programme Evaluation in the month of July-August 2024. (Please note that the Programme did not have a mid-term review evaluation, and this will be the first evaluation undertaken.

The Zimbabwe Round 4 Programme has been jointly implemented by UNESCO, UNFPA, UNDP and Technical Partners UNICEF and UNWOMEN and has had a total budget of USD 670,000. Other key implementing Partners have included the Government, Umbrella Bodies and Organizations of Persons with Disabilities.

The main objective of the Zimbabwe Round 4 Programme was to support the country to accelerate it’s implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Agenda 2030. Specifically, the Zimbabwe UNPRPD Programme was introduced to support the implementation of the National Disability Policy that was launched by the Government of Zimbabwe in June 2021. The Programme’s interventions sought to systematically introduce or strengthen the preconditions required for any country to advance the CRPD. The Programme also sought to address gaps in capacity and knowledge of both duty bearers and rights holders on effective approaches to implement the National Disability Policy through strengthening approaches on CRPD compliant budgeting, intersectionality of disability and gender approaches as well as establishing national mechanisms to strengthen disability coordination and accountability. The Zimbabwe UNPRPD Programme also supported the meaningful engagement of persons with disabilities and OPDs in policy dialogue and decision-making processes by ensuring that interventions targeted marginalised and underrepresented person with disabilities.

Focus areas of the Zimbabwe UNPRPD Round 4 Programme

1. Supporting the Government to set up a comprehensive and operational coordination mechanism, that promotes accountability and OPD engagement in the implementation of the National Disability Policy;

2. Addressing intersectional stigma and discrimination against women and girls with disabilities and the most vulnerable groups and promote their participation in governance structure;

3. Influencing the national SDG coordination mechanism to ensure disability-inclusion and

4. Supporting the UNCT to ensure strengthened disability inclusion and monitoring in the UNSDCF implementation (2022-2026).

Overall, this Programme in Zimbabwe was s implemented with support from the UNPRPD Fund which is a Multi-Partner Trust Fund established to mobilize resources to support countries to implement the the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).The Zimbabwe national joint programme has been funded by UNPRPD as part of the UNPRPD MPTF’s 2020-2025 strategic operational framework to support countries design, implement, and reform national policies, plans, budgets, programmes and services with the meaningful participation of OPDs so that they comply with the CRPD and disability inclusive SDGs.

PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION

This external evaluation aims to assess the achievements of the Joint Programme (JP) and its overall contribution to advance the CRPD implementation in Zimbabwe. While this End of Project will focus on the output level evaluation, the evaluation will also serve to inform the national stakeholders as well as UNPRPDMPTF key stakeholders on the appropriateness of the interventions that were introduced. In addition, the End of Programme Evaluation will allow for learning on how the selected priorities contributed to the outcomes.

Specific learning objectives for the evaluation will include the following:

· Relevance - Evaluate the relevance of the JP intervention in the context of Zimbabwe with a focus on which elements contributed to the Government efforts to advance the CRPD commitments.

· Effectiveness - Examine the change that occurred in the essential building blocks for CRPD implementation due to the Joint Programme interventions, identifying specific factors that contributed to achieving these changes and opportunities that were pivotal in facilitating change in the country.

· Effectiveness- Evaluate the contribution of the Joint Programme to promoting disability inclusion within the national development/ humanitarian frameworks of Zimbabwe.

· Efficiency- Analyse how the multi-partner approach of the UNPRPD Joint Programme contributed to achieving change by determining the level of equity and equality in partner engagement and contribution.

· Equity- Evaluate the incorporation of gender equality, participation of organizations of persons with disabilities, and the promotion of marginalized groups in the Joint Programme.

· Coherence - Assess the contribution of the Joint Programme to the UNPRPD objectives and the One-UN approach.

· Sustainability - Identify key opportunities to expand the Joint Programme scope or scale to sustain the policy and system level changes initiated by the Zimbabwe UNPRPD Round 4 Joint Programme.

EVALUATION SCOPE AND KEY QUESTIONS

The evaluation will cover the implementation period from January 2022 to June 2024. It will have a nationwide geographical scope, with specific regions identified for visits in consultation with the Joint Programme project team. The evaluation will focus on criteria related to relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, sustainability, and contribute to the assessment of impact, with an emphasis on equity and gender sensitivity.

The evaluation will be based on the following framework and guiding evaluative questions. (These questions may be further fine-tuned during the Inception Phase based on considerations of evaluability, time and resource constraints).

Table 1: Framework for country-level end of programme evaluation

Dimension Guiding questions

Relevance · To what extent did the JP align with Zimbabwe’s national policies, and the specific needs of persons with disabilities?

· How did the JP priorities align with the CRPD, SDGs, and UNSDCF in Zimbabwe?

·How did the JP adapt to remain relevant during political, social, and economic transformations in the country?

Effectiveness · What changes did the JP lead to in terms of policy and systems to advance CRPD implementation? And what worked to achieve these changes?

· What catalytic changes did the JP foster to mainstream disability inclusion in national development frameworks? And what worked to achieve these changes?

· To what extent did the capacity building interventions enable all key stakeholders to be informed and contribute to national policy making, review and implementation? · In what ways did JP outputs contribute, or not contribute to intended outcomes?

· Were there any unintended positive or negative outcomes, and if so, how were they managed?

Efficiency · Did All partners engage equally in the implementation of the JP?

· Was the JP's intervention more efficient when compared to what could have been achieved through a single-agency intervention?

· Was the grant size and duration optimal to achieve programme objectives?

Coherence · How did the PUNOs maximize their expertise to implement the JP?

· To what extent did the Participating United Nations organizations (PUNOs) UNESCO, UNDP and UNFPA coordinate with development partners and other UN agencies to prevent overlaps, leverage contributions, and catalyze collaborative efforts?

Equity and inclusion · To what extent did the JP succeed in addressing the unique and diverse needs and challenges faced by different segments of the disability community, such as women, children, and other marginalized groups?

· How did the JP ensure representatives from diverse OPDs could meaningfully engage in the JP implementation? What was the nature of this role, and how did it vary throughout the programme cycle?

Sustainability · To what extent has the JP fostered leadership and ownership among national authorities and other stakeholders, increasing the likelihood that the JP’s outcomes will be sustained beyond its duration?

· How did the JP support to develop/strengthen partnerships between UN entities, OPDs and Government actors?

· What are the opportunities in Zimbabwe that are important to consider for the future, promoted by the Government to advance the CRPD and disability- inclusive SDGs?

EVALUATION APPROACH

It is expected that the end of programme evaluation will utilise a variety of data collection methods to carry out the assessments. This will include (but is not limited to):

· Desk review of key JP documents as well as other relevant materials pertaining to the disability inclusion landscape

· Key informant interviews, including (non-exhaustive):

- JP stakeholders including governance members, joint program partners, OPDs, and government stakeholders

- External experts, including authorities on the broader disability inclusion landscape, academic and others

· Workshops and/or focus group sessions with key stakeholders, as a platform for in-depth analysis of the collected data, validation of findings, and generation of insights and recommendations

· Online survey of representatives and participants in JP

· Site visits

Note all data collection tools and sessions must be designed inclusively and be fully accessible.

The evaluation will be directly managed by the Zimbabwe UNPRPD Joint Programme coordinator based at the UNESCO Regional Office for Southern Africa.

DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINES

Specific deliverables will include:

· Inception Report: Detailing the evaluative framework, guiding questions, approach, timeline, and information sources. (Max 20 page report and/or 10-15 slides)

· Final Evaluation Report: Presenting findings, analysis, lessons learnt and actionable recommendations for the UNCT on advancing disability inclusion in Zimbabwe and the UNPRPD to further strengthen the impact of its joint programme approach. (Max 30 pages including a 3-page executive summary)

The duration of the consultancy is expected to be approximately 60 days between July to August 2024. The work is expected to be divided into three phases, as summarized below. (Note the specific phasing and activities shown below are indicative and subject to discussion with the selected consultants.)

Evaluation stage Activities Deliverables

Phase 1: Inception and preparation

(approx. 1 week)

· Kick off meeting with Zimbabwe UNPRPD Round 4 Programme Team

· Develop the detailed evaluation framework and approach.

· Propose the structure of the final evaluation report

· Inception report

Phase 2: Data collection and analysis (approx. 3weeks)

· Conducts desk research and expert interviews for landscape analysis and stakeholder mapping.

· Execute data collection and analysis (including all relevant document review, interviews, focus group discussions and surveys)

· Complete relevant field visits

· Develop implications and recommendations.

· Submit first draft of the evaluation for review

· Transcripts of interviews and the data collected during the evaluation.

· Synthesis of workshops and other group sessions, including summary of discussions and key takeaways

· Interim findings report

Phase 3:

Documentation and finalization (approx.2 weeks)

· Incorporate PUNO feedback on the first draft.

· Finalize the evaluation based on comments provided

· Final evaluation report (narrative report and a PPT summary presentation)

The above-mentioned tasks will be undertaken between July and August, starting from the date of signature of the contract.

Payment Modalities

Payment shall be made upon submission of satisfactory as per the above schedule.

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Post Graduate Studies in Monitoring and Evaluation or related field

​​​​​​​Holder of a Master’s degree in a relevant discipline (development, human rights, social sciences, etc.).

Experience:

Extensive professional experience in Evaluating programmes on Disability Inclusion

At least 4 years of relevant working experience in Evaluating Disability Inclusion Programmes at National, Regional or International level

Experience in engaging with high level stakeholders

Experience in leading Project Evaluations

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

· Experience in Evaluating disability inclusion Programmes (Experience in evaluating UNPRPD Programmes will be an added advantage)

· Experience working with diverse stakeholders including UN, Government, NGOs, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities and Broader Civil Society (working experience with the UN system will be an added advantage)

Good Evaluation, Monitoring and Evaluation skills

· Demonstrated ability to produce good quality Evaluation Reports (Please send at least 2 sample End of Programme Evaluation Reports produced over the past two years)

· Flexibility and responsiveness to changes and demands.

· Respect for cultural diversity.

· Excellent computer literacy skills by at least one member of the Team.

Language Requirement:

Excellent written English Language Skills

(Sign Language or additional support should be integrated in Individual Consultant Budget if accompanied with an assistant etc.)

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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