National Consultancy To Support Final Evaluation Of UN Women ’ S Project On Women Lead And Benefit From Sustainable And Inclusive Peace And Security In Uganda

Background

UN WOMEN ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace, and security. UN Women provides support to Member States’ efforts and priorities in meeting their gender equality goals and for building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women operationalizes this through Flagship Programming Initiatives (FPIs) developed to achieve transformative results for gender equality and women empowerment. One such FPI is the Women Peace and Security Program, which the Uganda Country Office has been implementing over the last three years (2019 – 2021) with support from the Government of Norway. The Uganda WPS program is aligned to and contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) -specifically Goal 5 on Gender Equality and Goal 16, which seeks to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable peace and development by providing access to justice to all and to build effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at the national and county level. UNSCR 1325 and Goal 5 and Goal 16 clarified the critical link among gender equality, security, development, and human rights.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW / RESULTS

The WPS program was developed against a backdrop of conflict and post-conflict situations in Uganda including the post-conflict situation in Northern Uganda noting that even though there is no active war, the lack of transitional justice including reconciliation and reparations, has remained a serious challenge, with little accountability for atrocities committed during the 20- year civil war. More so, Uganda has continued to experience tension before, during, and after elections characterized by general unrest caused by hostility towards and from security forces, brutal arrests, and violence; threats of terrorism, and a rise in violent extremism notably in the Rwenzori, Eastern and Central regions of Uganda; growing insecurity of women and girls, arising from the kidnap, rape, and murder of women in the municipalities of Entebbe and Nansana; land and Natural Resources Conflict.

Given the threats to peace articulated above, Uganda has since 2008 developed and implemented 3 National Action Plans (NAP) on UN SCR 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security. The current NAP III runs between 2021-2025 aiming at increasing women’s participation in the prevention and resolution of conflict and post-conflict peacebuilding and recovery. UN Women has been supporting the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD) in the development, implementation, and review of the NAPs 1325 since 2014.

The soon ending programme on WPS, with funding from the Government of Norway, aims at achieving the following outcomes:

Programme Outcome: More commitments on women, peace, and security are implemented by GoU and the UN, and more gender equality advocates influence peace and security processes

• Output 1: An enabling environment for implementation of WPS commitments is created through addressing structural, institutional, and social-economic barriers that will contribute to strong accountability frameworks and continued evidence-based advocacy that will lead to an enabling environment for implementation of commitments. These frameworks, which include the NAP III, and the key actors, women’s organizations must be adequately resourced to support and guide implementation.
• Output 2: Conflict prevention: Women participate in and inform decision-making processes and responses related to conflict prevention – through the provision of expertise, capacity strengthening both of women as well as those involved as gatekeepers and supporters to processes.
• Output 3: Conflict resolution: Representation and leadership of women is increased in formal and informal peace processes and negotiations; through accountability mechanisms and justice and security responses which protect and redress women’s rights and allow for their full participation.
• Output 4: Peacebuilding and Recovery: Women and girls’ safety, physical, mental health, security is assured, and their human rights are respected. The socio-economic relief and recovery of women and girls are promoted in post-conflict contexts and refugee responses, including through capacity strengthening, provision of technical expertise to ensure institutions and processes are gender-responsive, adopt early recovery policies; and support gender sensitive reintegration strategies.

ToC Statement – WPS

If (1) an enabling environment for implementation of WPS commitments is created; if women participate in decision-making processes related to the prevention, management, and resolution of conflict in a quality manner; and if the safety, physical and mental health, and economic security of women and girls are assured, their human rights respected, and their specific needs met in the peacebuilding and recovery process; then (2) societies will be more peaceful & gender equal; because (3) evidence shows that women are drivers of peace and security, inclusive societies are more likely to be stable & post-conflict settings are opportunities to address underlying gender inequality barriers.

PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION

The UN Women Evaluation Policy and the UN Women Evaluation Strategic Plan 2014-2017 are the main guiding documents that set forth the principles and organizational framework for evaluation planning, conduct, and follow-up in UN Women. These principles are aligned with the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation in the UN System and the Guidelines. The key principles for gender-responsive evaluation at UN Women are: 1) National ownership and leadership;

1. UN system coordination and coherence with regard to gender equality and the empowerment of women; 3) Innovation; 4) Fair power relations and empowerment; 5) Participation and inclusion; 6) Independence and impartiality; 7) Transparency; 8) Quality and credibility; 9) Intentionality and use of evaluation, and 10) Ethics.

The WPS program is in its third and last year of implementation and is scheduled to end in December 2021. In line with the program requirements and the UN Women evaluation policy, an end of programme evaluation is to be conducted to assess the performance of the programme. The purpose of this independent end-term evaluation is to assess the project’s achievements against the set objectives, identify and document lessons learned (including design issues, lessons, and best practices that can be up-scaled or replicated), and assess how the program contributed to harnessing the capacities of women towards the goals of sustainable peace and security. It is a priority for UN Women that this end-line program evaluation will be gender-responsive and human rights-based in nature.

The primary intended users of this evaluation are:

• Relevant staff in target ministries, local government and targeted government institutions, and CSOs
• Target beneficiary communities/groups
• Relevant staff in participating UN agencies.
• The staff of implementing partners
• UN Agencies technical working groups
• Development partners

Primary intended uses of this evaluation are:

1. Learning and improved decision-making to support the implementation of the 3rd NAP 1325
2. Provide accountability for the development effectiveness of the program to the donor and other stakeholders.
3. Inform capacity development and mobilization of national stakeholders to advance the WPS agenda
4. Provide lessons learned and recommendations to inform future resource mobilization

Evaluation objectives (evaluation criteria and key questions)

This evaluation will specifically:

1. Assess the relevance of the project and its approach in line with local, national, and international priorities on WPS
2. Assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the program approach for achievement of results, as defined in the logical framework, including the Program Theory of Change
3. Provide a detailed assessment of the extent to which the project achieved its intended results in line with the project’s results indicators
4. Analyze how the human rights approach and gender equality principles were integrated into the design and implementation of the project.
5. Identify and validate lessons learned, promising practices, and innovations of work supported by the WPS Program within the context of the aid effectiveness agenda
6. Identify and validate lessons learned and good practices that support gender equality and human rights in relation to UN Women’s mandate.
7. Provide actionable recommendations with respect to the WPS agenda and overall approach to implementation of the 3rd National Action Plan 1325.

The evaluation will apply 6 OECD/DAC1 evaluation criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence2, impact, and sustainability) and Human Rights and Gender Equality as additional criteria. To the extent possible, the evaluation will analyze Value for Money (VFM) and good use of resources in other words it will establish a link between the use of funding and the performance and results of the country office.

The evaluation will seek to answer the following key evaluation questions and sub-questions:

Relevance:

Was the project aligned with international gender equality human rights norms?

Was the project aligned with national policies, programmes, or priorities addressing the 1325 resolution?

Were the programmatic methodologies/strategies appropriate to address the identified needs of beneficiaries and stakeholders?

Was the choice of partners most relevant in addressing the program needs?

Was the choice of interventions most relevant to the situation in the target thematic areas?

Was the technical design of the project including the ToC relevant?

Did the intervention target the underlying causes of gender inequality? Including WPS?

To what extent have lessons learned been shared to inform country office programming?

Effectiveness

To what extent have planned outputs been achieved on time?

Did the interventions contribute to the expected outcomes?

What unexpected outcomes (positive and negative) have been achieved?

What has UN Women’s contribution been to the progress of the achievement of outcomes?

Did the programme implementation partners have access to the necessary skills, knowledge, and capacities needed to deliver the project?

What were the main enabling and hindering factors to achieving planned outcomes?

To what extent have WPS project interventions been mainstreamed in UN joint programming such as UNSDCF?

Efficiency and Coherence

Were the outputs delivered appropriate to resources used?

To what extent did the UN Women programme management structure support efficiency for the project’s implementation?

What is UN Women’s comparative advantage in implementing this type of project compared with other UN entities, other stakeholders in WPS programming, and key partners?

To what extent did the project’s implementation approach add value while avoiding duplication of efforts?

How well were resources and risks managed to ensure results for the project?

Did the project management team manage program implementation delays efficiently and what corrective actions were undertaken?

Was a Results-Based Management system established and implemented for the project?

Sustainability

Is there local ownership and are there local and national champions for the intervention?

To what extent was the capacity of partners developed to ensure the sustainability of efforts and benefits?

What local accountability and oversight systems have been established to support the continuation of activities?

Human Rights and Gender Equality

To what extent is the project changing the dynamics of power in relationships between different groups?

Has the project been implemented according to human rights and development effectiveness principles: Participation/empowerment; Inclusion/non-discrimination; National accountability/transparency; anti-corruption; and climate and environment?

Impact

To what extent has the program interventions generated or is expected to generate significant positive or negative, intended or unintended, higher-level (capture the significance, the scope, and the transformative nature of the effects) effects?

Duties and Responsibilities

SCOPE OF THE EVALUATION

The evaluation is an end-of-project evaluation and will cover all project activities implemented from December 1, 2018, to December 31, 2021. Lessons learned and documented from this process will inform the implementation of the 3rd National Action Plan on 1325 and how the Country Office will design WPS programming in the future.

The evaluator will undertake an initial assessment of the availability of secondary data necessary for the evaluation. In circumstances where constraints are faced such as limited travel or accessibility to project sites, these limitations should be understood and generalizing findings should be avoided where a strong sample has not been used. In addition, cultural aspects that could impact the collection of data should be analyzed and integrated into data collection methods and tools. The evaluator is expected to include adequate time for testing data collection tools.

The evaluation team is expected to undertake a rapid evaluability assessment in the Inception. This should include the following:

1. An assessment of the relevance, appropriateness, and coherence of the implicit or explicit theory of change, strengthening or reconstructing it where necessary through a stakeholder workshop;
2. An assessment of the quality of performance indicators in the program, and the accessibility and adequacy of relevant documents and secondary data;
3. A review of the conduciveness of the context for the evaluation;
4. Recommendations for improvements/changes in the indicators, as per the ToC
5. Ensuring familiarity with accountability and management structures for the evaluation.

EVALUATION APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY

The evaluation will be an external, independent, and participatory exercise, which should be completed within a timeframe of 25 days spread over a period of 2 months beginning in October 2021. The final evaluation methodology will document and analyze the distinct achievements of each programmatic pillar, while also assessing the ways in which efforts contributed to national implementation and program-level work influenced country advocacy and policy.

The evaluation shall provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable, and useful and will be based on gender and human rights principles, as defined in the UN Women Evaluation Policy, and adhere to the United Nations norms and standards for evaluation.

The evaluation will employ mixed methods including desk-based review of relevant documents backed by consultation with key project stakeholders and field-based primary data collection from direct project beneficiaries. An initial desk review and brief discussions with key stakeholders will support the refinement and finalization of the methodology and analytical framework.

The evaluation is expected to follow a collaborative and participatory approach ensuring close engagement with Programme beneficiaries, implementing partners, ministries, local governments, OPM, NAP III actors, and other key stakeholders as will be informed by the stakeholder mapping process. The analysis of the application of human rights and gender equality principles in WPS interventions will be an integral part of the evaluation. Integration of human rights and gender equality issues into the evaluation requires adherence to three main principles – inclusion, participation, and fair power relations. Consequently, a case study approach will also be employed to illustrate the results in the lives of beneficiaries and key stakeholders in each of the project areas. The case studies will consider innovative approaches for engaging these actors in the documentation of Programme results, through at least one case study in each area, using tools like participatory video; significant change stories; photo exhibition; collaborative outcome reporting; and other participatory methods that prioritize the voices of beneficiaries and stakeholders.

The main recommended phases of the evaluation methodology are:

a)Inception Phase:

• Conduct an initial desk review of available documents, gather and analyze programme data, conceptualize the evaluation approach, consult internally on the approach, develop data collection tools, stakeholder mapping, engage reference group.
• Conduct brief interviews with key stakeholders to refine the evaluation scope and methodology.
• Draft an Inception Report that will be reviewed by the Evaluation Reference Group.
• Refine the evaluation methodology/question matrix based on Evaluation Reference Group’s feedback and integrate proposed changes (as appropriate) into the final evaluation report.

b)Intensive field-based Phase: Data collection Phase

• A more in-depth review of documents.
• Review existing baseline data (primarily from individual IP-based research studies) to determine available data (or could be reframed) against which to measure progress.
• Collect data from beneficiaries and selected stakeholders
• Conduct in-depth interviews with national UN Women staff, partner organizations, donor representatives, and others as necessary.
• Deliver PowerPoint presentation of preliminary field key findings.

c)Analysis and Report Writing Phase:

• Review and analyze all available data including staff, partner, and stakeholder survey(s) and interpret findings.
• Prepare the first draft of the synthesis evaluation report and submit it to the Evaluation Reference Group for comments and possible endorsement.
• Revise report based on the feedback from Evaluation Management Group and debriefing session (as appropriate).
• Submit final report
• Develop communications materials (popularized version of the final report)

MANAGEMENT OF THE EVALUATION

The evaluation and quality assurance will be managed by UN Women Uganda Country Office, with technical support from both international and national consultants. While the national consultant is expected to work as partners with an international consultant, the international consultant will provide overall leadership in the execution of activities and take responsibility for meeting all deliverables. The consultants will bi-laterally determine the division of labor based on their own assessment of suitability.

The national consultant will be accountable to the international consultant including verification of all expected deliverables. The evaluation will be conducted in accordance with UN Women evaluation guidelines and UNEG norms and standards. Upon completion of the evaluation, UN Women has the responsibility to prepare a management response that addresses the findings and recommendations to ensure future learning and inform the implementation of their relevant programmes.

The evaluation management structure will comprise of one coordinating entity and two consultative bodies: The Evaluation Management Group and the Evaluation Reference Group. The Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Specialist will manage the day-to-day aspects of the evaluation. This evaluation will be a participatory process and the evaluation manager will ensure consultations with all the key stakeholders as required.

The Evaluation Management Group will be responsible for the management of the evaluation. It will coordinate the selection and recruitment of the evaluation team, manage contractual agreements, budget, and personnel involved in the evaluation, support the reference groups, provide all necessary data to the evaluation team, facilitate communication between the evaluation team and the reference group. The Management Group will include UN Women Deputy Country Representative, M&E Specialist; Operations Manager & Regional Evaluation Specialist. The Evaluation Reference Group will provide direct oversight, safeguard independence, and give technical input over the course of the evaluation. It will provide guidance on evaluation team selection and key deliverables (Inception Report and Evaluation Report) submitted by the evaluation team. It will also support the dissemination of the findings and recommendations. The Evaluation Reference Group will include UN Women programme staff, National government partners, Development partners/donors, Civil Society partners, Regional Evaluation Specialists.

TIME FRAME AND DELIVERABLES

The evaluation will be conducted between 1 October – 31 November 2021.

The primary evaluation deliverables are:

1. Inception Report: 1-week post-contract signing – 30%

This report will include a detailed evaluation methodology, revised evaluation question matrix, proposed data collection tools and analysis approach, and final evaluation work plan (with the corresponding timeline).

2. Preliminary findings presentation and validation workshop with stakeholders: 3 weeks after signing – 30%

This will be presented in person or via zoom to the Reference Group for feedback. The recommendations should also be discussed in this workshop.

3. First draft of the Evaluation Report: 6 weeks after contract signing – 40%

The draft evaluation report should include all annexes summarizing the data analysis and incorporate feedback from the Evaluation Reference Group validation workshop; the final agreed-upon version of the evaluation report should also include an audit trail of how comments have been integrated into the report and all final annexes.

4. PowerPoint Presentation to Core Reference Group & Broad Reference Group on main Findings/ Recommendations and proposed dissemination strategy. 7 weeks after contract signing

5. Final Evaluation products with the following components: 8 weeks after contract signing

•Executive summary (not more than 10 pages)

• Stand-alone Eval report (Not more than 30 pages)

•Comprehensive Eval report (with all annexes)

• Evaluation comments log/audit trail

• Annexes (Separately)

6. Communications piece (popularized version of the final report): 8 weeks after contract signing

Submission of innovative knowledge products that capture the evaluation findings in a clear and concise manner, e.g., video, brief with infographics, etc, in line with the UN Women branding guidelines.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Strategic thinking
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement

ETHICAL CODE OF CONDUCT

UN Women has developed the UN Women Evaluation Consultants Agreement Form for evaluators that must be signed as part of the contracting process, which is based on the UNEG Ethical Guidelines and Code of Conduct. The signed Agreement will be annexed to the consultant contract. The UNEG Guidelines note the importance of ethical conduct for the following reasons:

1. Responsible use of power: All those engaged in evaluation processes are responsible for upholding the proper conduct of the evaluation.
2. Ensuring credibility: With a fair, impartial, and complete assessment, stakeholders are more likely to have faith in the results of an evaluation and to take note of the recommendations.
3. Responsible use of resources: Ethical conduct in evaluation increases the chances of acceptance by the parties to the evaluation and therefore the likelihood that the investment in the evaluation will result in improved outcomes.

The evaluator is expected to provide a detailed plan on how the following principles will be ensured throughout the evaluation (see UNEG Ethical Guidance for descriptions): 1) Respect for dignity and diversity; 2) Right to self-determination; 3) Fair representation; 4) Compliance with codes for vulnerable groups (e.g., ethics of research involving young children or vulnerable groups); 5) Redress; 6) Confidentiality; and 7) Avoidance of harm.

Specific safeguards must be put in place to protect the safety (both physical and psychological) of both respondents and those collecting the data. These should include:

1. A plan to protect the rights of the respondent, including privacy and confidentiality
2. The interviewer or data collector is trained in collecting sensitive information, and if the topic of the evaluation is focused on violence against women, they should have previous experience in this area
3. Data collection tools are designed in a way that is culturally appropriate and does not create distress for respondents
4. Data collection visits are organized at the appropriate time and place to minimize risk to respondents
5. The interviewer or data collector is able to provide information on how individuals in situations of risk can seek support

As with the other stages of the evaluation, the involvement of stakeholders should not interfere with the impartiality of the evaluation.

The evaluator has the final judgment on the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the evaluation report, and the evaluator must be protected from pressures to change information in the report.

Additionally, if the evaluator identifies issues of wrongdoing, fraud, or other unethical conduct, UN Women procedures must be followed, and confidentiality is maintained. The UN Women Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct, and accompanying policies protecting against retaliation and prohibiting harassment and abuse of authority, provide a cohesive framework aimed at creating and maintaining a harmonious working environment, ensuring that staff members do not engage in any wrongdoing and that all allegations of wrongdoing are reported promptly, investigated, and appropriate action is taken to achieve accountability. The UN Women Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct defines misconduct and the mechanisms within UN Women for reporting and investigating. More information can be provided by UN Women if required.

Required Skills and Experience

With this Terms of Reference, UN Women is seeking to recruit an international consultant as the team lead under the SSA contract for a period of 25 days spread between two months collaboratively working with a national consultant.

The National Consultant is expected to have the following expertise:

Education:

• At least a master’s degree, Ph.D. preferred, in any social science, preferably Peace and Conflict studies, including gender, evaluation, or social research;

Experience:

• A minimum of 12 years of working experience applying qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods, particularly at the outcome level of a final evaluation;
• A strong record in conducting gender-responsive evaluations including an understanding of WPS programming in Uganda is desirable;
• Knowledge of international normative standards on women’s rights and gender mainstreaming processes
• Extensive knowledge and experience in using ICT for research, including electronic/digital data collection, analysis, and reporting.
• Strong ability to communicate with stakeholders and clear understanding of the local/national stakeholders landscape;
• Experience in evaluating relevant programmes to the Women, Peace, and Security agenda in Uganda
• Knowledge of the role of UN Women and its programming in Uganda is desirable

Language Requirement:

• Fluency in English is required