Purpose of consultancy:

The Gender Based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS) is an inter-agency initiative established in 2006, and is the global level forum for technical oversight and coordination on GBV administrative data management systems in GBV prevention and response in humanitarian settings. The Steering Committee is comprised of representatives from UNFPA, UNHCR, IRC, UNICEF and IMC, while UNFPA is the designated lead Agency of the GBVIMS. The GBVIMS Steering Committee works with the aim of improving the humanitarian community’s implementation of GBV Case Management, and the safe and ethical management and analysis of case management data and GBV incident data to help inform and strengthen GBV prevention and response programming, while promoting the survivor-centred approach.

An evaluation of the GBVIMS conducted in 2014 found that the GBVIMS had been highly relevant and effective in offering a safe and ethical solution for GBV data collection, management, and sharing but ongoing technical and funding support was required to maintain momentum. Since 2014, the GBVIMS initiative has grown to encompass new workstreams and new technologies, while expanding to cover many more countries and contexts. In 2022, globally, the GBVIMS initiative is implementing GBVIMS, Primero/GBVIMS+ and GBV Case Management Capacity building in around 30 contexts, with many more requesting support. Conversely, the capacity of the global Team to respond to demand has reduced and the governance and coordination structure is not fully fit for purpose in its current iteration. Moreover, with the introduction of Primero/GBVIMS+, the global Team must manage implementations through a more complex coordination and product management structure centralised through UNICEF. At the country level, integration of GBVIMS workstreams through inter-agency GBV coordination mechanisms has improved but remains under-resourced, with an over-reliance on the UNFPA surge mechanism, and often fraught with misconceptions around the purpose of the system, and lacking in long-term sustainability planning. In addition, the growing demand for system implementation by government services presents both a key opportunity and an additional burden.

The GBVIMS global team has a unique structure for advocacy and field support, with a global Steering Committee and Technical Team. Some key milestones achieved by the GBVIMS since 2006 include the development and deployment of the GBVIMS ‘core tools’ to more than thirty countries; the development and rollout of Primero/GBVIMS+ – the online GBV case management and incident monitoring system -, and the rollout of the GBV Case Management Capacity Building Initiative to more than 20 countries.

As of December 2022, the GBVIMS global team was providing support to 32 countries, while a further 20+ have requested support. 141 unique service provider organisations (86 NGO and 46 INGO) benefited from support in 2022, and a further 380 personnel certified as GBV Case Management trainers were supported with ongoing coaching. including local actors and government counterparts in addition to UN and INGOs. The GBVIMS interagency team is in New York, Geneva and other remote work locations. In 2022-2023, UNICEF led an evaluation of Primero/GBVIMS+, which this external review will seek to complement and build on.
UNFPA is seeking a consultant/ or team of consultants to conduct a review dedicated to the GBVIMS, building on and going beyond the scope of the 2014 evaluation to consider the current landscape and additional workstreams, with a focus on sustainability.

Scope of work:
Based within the Programme Support Unit of UNFPA’s Humanitarian Response Division the Consultant will report directly to the Head of the Programme Support Unit.

The Consultant will ensure that the GBVIMS Inter-agency Steering Committee and Technical Team members from UNICEF, UNHCR, IRC and IMC, and other regional and country-level project stakeholders from UNFPA and end-user/service providers are engaged in consultation and included as key informants to achieve the project deliverables. The consultant will engage country- and regional-level colleagues to collect and verify data to ensure all products reflect field realities. The Consultant/s will also work closely with another Consultant recruited to perform a specialised analysis of the Primero/GBVIMS+ product management coordination and sustainability for UNFPA, incorporating those findings, where relevant, into the final report.

The review will cover :
1) Analysis of how UNFPA is fulfilling its mandate as lead agency for the GBVIMS and reviewing how it has acted on the recommendations made in the evaluation of 2014.

2) Description of and assessment of the development and evolution of the GBVIMS inter-agency initiative since the 2014 evaluation and important changes regarding the resources, structure, approaches, coordination mechanisms, and the technical support (including field deployments) of the GBVIMS Steering Committee.

3) Analysis of the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. Identify key areas of added value of the GBVIMS inter-agency initiative and areas for improvement and development including both information management and case management work streams. The consultant will focus the analysis on the financial and technical sustainability of the system in countries highlighting bottlenecks and potential solutions.

4) An analysis of the degree of institutionalisation of the GBVIMS within UNFPA and recommendations towards sustainability, including recommendations on the relevance for the initiative to be housed in UNFPA’s HRD or elsewhere in the organisation.

5) Analysis of the level of integrationof GBVIMS into inter-agency GBV coordination mechanisms and recommendations for improvement.

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered:

Month1:
● Produce an inception report – that provides overview of methodology and tools of research. Consultations should be held with global, regional and country key informants. Up to 4 countries where the GBVIMS/GBVIMS+ and GBV Case Management Capacity Building Initiative have been rolled out should be selected by the consultant in consultation with the review manager at the inception stage. Key informant interviews and FGDs with GBVIMS global team members and GBV Sub cluster/Sector Coordinators are expected, and consultations with other key stakeholders as needed. Analysis of guiding documents, analytical frameworks, secondary data analysis and a review of previous evaluations should also be included in the methodology. Conduct a one-day remote meeting of the consultant with the GBVIMS external review reference group composed of GBVIMS SC members to review the inception report.

Month 2:
● Conduct all data collection including secondary data review.
● Hold two debrief workshops to present and discuss preliminary findings; one with the external review reference group and one with the GBVIMS inter-agency Coordinators/GBV Sub-Cluster Coordinators and other key informants.

Month 3:
● Produce a draft external review report including findings and recommendations for review by the UNFPA Humanitarian Response Division and external review reference group composed of members of the GBVIMS Steering Committee. An outline of the report should be agreed upon with UNFPA, with initial recommendations for feedback; taking into consideration at least 2 rounds of feedback.
● Final Report

Duration:
Three months, to be completed by 31st July 2024.

Supervisory arrangements:
Oversight and management of the review will be conducted so as to promote objectivity and impartiality in the review process.The consultant will be supervised by the Head, Programme Support Unit while working collaboratively with HRD technical expert focal point(s). S/he will have to participate on minimum weekly calls and provide updates in line with the agreed work plan to be submitted at the beginning of the consultancy.
Humanitarian Response Division consultancies are under the overall guidance and supervision of the HRD Deputy Director and Director. All final products need to be approved by the Deputy Director and the Director

Expected Travel: Not anticipated

Required Expertise and Qualifications:

Education:
● Advanced Degree in social science, gender, health, international relations and related fields

Knowledge and Experience:
● Minimum 7 years’ experience in the field of gender-based violence (GBV), with at least 3 years’ experience in GBV in emergencies
● Solid and demonstrated experience in independent evaluations
● Experience in GBV assessment and analysis, GBV AoR, IASC cluster system
● Experience in gathering and analysing qualitative data
● Excellent analytical and writing skills
● Proactive attitude to identify and propose practical steps and recommendations
● Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in a multicultural and changing environment, communication skills, teamwork, analytical thinking, planning and organising, time management, creativity and innovation and client orientation.

Languages:
● Excellent written and spoken English.

How to Apply:
Please send your application and a short letter of motivation, including expected fees, with “External Review of the GBV IMS System Consultant” quoted in the subject line to [email protected] by 12th May 2024.
Late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advanced to the next stage of the selection process.