Result of Service

The evaluation consultant will assess as objectively and systematically as possible the performance of the project vis-à-vis its overall objective as defined in the project document. In addition, he/she will identify intended and unintended project results and progress made towards results in the three project outcome areas and address the following specific objectives:

i. Provide evaluative expertise and assess the performance of the project in terms of its relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, impact and mainstreaming of gender, human rights, and disability inclusion considering its goal and objectives.
ii. Identify and document lessons learned, good practices and provide recommendations for improvement to inform the design and delivery of future IEs’ interventions and DA projects of a similar nature.
iii. Identify areas of opportunity for future project development.

The evaluation consultant will deliver a carefully edited and formatted evaluation report on the assessment of performance of the project in accordance to the terms of reference and to ECA quality standards and specifications.

Work Location

Remote

Expected duration

4 months

Duties and Responsibilities

Introduction and Rational for Evaluation: The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) is launching a terminal evaluation of the Demographic Dividend with a Gender Dimension: Entry Points for Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa and Asia and the Pacific project (the Project). In line with the Development Account (DA) project Evaluation Framework, a terminal evaluation is required for projects with a budget of USD 1 million or more. The evaluation is being conducted to review the project performance and enhance learning within the IEs, the DA, stakeholders, and other Development Partners. Findings and recommendations of the evaluation will also provide valuable inputs to strengthening the management capacity of IEs and the DA, as well as inform future project design and delivery. The evaluation will be conducted as an independent evaluation, where the evaluation is managed by the Evaluation Section of ECA and conducted by independent external consultants, selected through a competitive process in consultation with the Project Coordination Team and evaluation focal points of all IEs.

ECA seeks the services of a consultant with strong evaluative expertise, extensive experience in various development contexts, and exposure to a broad set of practices in any of the following areas: • Development policy evaluation and/or analysis; • Policy analysis with demographic techniques; • Demography and population dynamics; • Gender equality and human rights.

Project Background and Technical Focus: The Demographic Dividend with a Gender Dimension: Entry Points for Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa and Asia and the Pacific project (the Project) was implemented from January 2018 to June 2021 and extended without cost to June 2022, with a budget of US $850,000 funded by the Development Account (DA). The Project was jointly implemented by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

Achieving inclusive and sustainable economic growth is the most pressing policy concern for governments across the world. Population dynamics in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region can contribute towards these goals if human rights are respected and polices address the needs of the people, including those of adolescents, youth, and women. As mortality and fertility rates decline, the working-age population increases substantially in relation to the non-working age population, indicating that more people have potential to contribute to growth of the economy for a limited period. The demographic dividend refers to this additional increase in growth and per capita income arising from the growing number of people in the workforce relative to the number of dependents. It is a window of opportunity that countries can harness through adequate investment in health and education, especially in youth and more specifically on girls’ education, maternal, new-born and child health, and comprehensive reproductive health services including family planning. Experience in East Asia shows how strategic investments to harness the demographic dividend has greatly benefited economies such as Hong Kong SAR, China, the republic of Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan province of China. Moreover, there is a strong synergy between population dynamics and women’s empowerment, however, such gains will remain theoretical if efforts are not made to empower adolescents, youth, and women, and provide them with access to quality education, adequate nutrition and health including access to sexual and reproductive health, and opportunities in the labour market. Given that both regions face challenges in resolving gender inequalities in education, health, and labour markets, it is crucial that policymakers are brought together to raise their awareness about growth implications of the population-youth-gender nexus, to increase their capacity to develop evidence-based policies, and to provide them with an international platform for dialogue and learning experience. The project responds to the demands by member States in both ECA and ESCAP regions to enrich development policy and decision-making discourse in the coming years with a wide range of knowledge, policy options and alternatives that capitalize on the demographic dividend and gender-related SDGs.

Project Intervention Logic: The project objective is to build the capacity of member States to harness the potential of the demographic dividend and gender equality in Africa and Asia and the Pacific to the achievement of sustainable development. The Project expects to achieve the following results: ¿ Expected Accomplishment – EA1: Enhanced capacities of governments to integrate the demographic dividend and gender equality concepts into their national plans and policies. ¿ Expected Accomplishment – EA2: Enhanced technical capacities of selected African and Asia- Pacific countries to regularly monitor progress on harnessing the demographic dividend and related gender dimensions.

The project was implemented in the following target countries: Africa Region – Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, and Zambia; and Asia and Pacific Region – Papua New Guinea and Timor Leste.

Purpose and objective of the evaluation: In line with the Development Account (DA) project Evaluation Framework, a terminal evaluation is being conducted to review the project performance and enhance learning within the IEs, the DA, stakeholders, and other Development Partners. Findings and recommendations of the evaluation will also provide valuable inputs to strengthening the management capacity of IEs and the DA, as well as inform future project design and delivery. The evaluation will be managed by the Evaluation Section of ECA and conducted by external evaluators, selected through a competitive process in consultation with the project coordination team and the Evaluation Section of ESCAP. Key stakeholders, member States and in particular beneficiary countries and other Development Partners (including the funding partner) will be consulted throughout the evaluation process.

The final evaluation will serve three main purposes: accountability, learning, and provision of credible evidence for strategic decision-making. From a learning perspective, the evaluation will provide lessons and evidence of what worked, what did not work, and why, to inform future interventions of a similar nature, and the design and implementation of future projects within the framework of DA projects. From an accountability perspective, the evaluation will assess overall progress towards intended outcomes, and, where possible, seek indications of possible effects on beneficiaries as well as indicative analysis of the IEs added value in the streams of work of the project. The evaluation will aim to provide credible and reliable evidence to the IEs, member States and other stakeholders for strategic decision-making to contribute towards improving developmental outcomes.
The scope of the evaluation will cover the full duration of the project implementation period from January 2018 to June 2022, and the full geographic coverage in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor Leste. It will examine both outcome and output level results as key indicators of overall project performance. The evaluation will integrate UN cross-cutting priorities on human rights, gender equality, disability inclusion and other non-discrimination issues, as cross-cutting concerns throughout its methodology, analysis, and deliverables, including the final report. The evaluation is planned for the second and third quarter of 2023, with the final report expected to be completed by 30th September 2023.

Tasks and responsibilities: Under the general guidance of the Chief of Evaluation, the Evaluator will be responsible for:

i) Designing, planning and implementing the evaluation in accordance with the ToR.
ii) Drafting the evaluation report, using an approach agreed with the Evaluation Manager, and delivered in accordance with ECA’s specifications and timeline.
iii) Consulting and liaising as required, with IEs, stakeholders, and partners to ensure satisfactory delivery of all deliverables, and
iv) Making themselves available, if required, to take part in briefings and discussions, online or, if judged necessary, at respective IEs Office or other venue, on dates to be agreed, in line with the work outlined in these ToRs and to be agreed in the inception phase.

Ideally and for reasons related to independence, candidates should not have been recently involved in the formulation, implementation or backstopping of work related to this project. Candidates are advised to consult the detailed terms of reference, which will form the basis of the contract, prior to applying. The ToR can be requested by emailing [email protected]

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced University Degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Economics, Demography, Development studies, or other related social sciences fields. A first level university degree with a relevant combination of academic qualifications and experience may be accepted in lieu of an advanced university degree.
At least 10 years of experience evaluating international development interventions is required.
Proven experience designing and leading Theory-based evaluations of development interventions is required.
Experience in various development contexts, and exposure to a broad set of practices in any of the following areas: • Development policy evaluation and/or analysis; • Policy analysis with demographic techniques; • Demography and population dynamics; • Gender equality and human rights is an advantage
Experience working in one or more of the regions covered by the project will be an asset.
Experience conducting evaluations of UN programmes and projects will be an asset.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this assignment, fluency in English is required and working knowledge of French will be a distinct advantage. Knowledge of one or more local languages spoken in the target countries will be an asset.

Additional Information

Payment Modalities:

Total lump sum fees for the evaluation will be payable against deliverables, through Electronic Financial Transfer (EFT), according to the following schedule:

i. 20% on approval of deliverable 1, inception report.
ii. 20% on completion of deliverable 2, data validation workshop
iii. 30% on approval of deliverable 3, draft evaluation report.
iv. 30 % on approval of deliverable 4, final report and evaluation summary.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.