Result of Service

The specific objectives of the final evaluation, in line with the UN-Habitat Evaluation policy (2013), are as follows:  Assess project performance towards the achievement of the expected results at output and Expected Accomplishments (Outcomes) levels.  Assess the relevance and coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability and impact outlook;  Assess capacities in Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic in terms of strengthening the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the SDGs.  Assess the planning, management, adequacy of resources, working arrangements and how these may have impacted the effectiveness of the project.  Assess how cross-cutting issues such as gender equality, human rights, youth, and social and environmental safeguards were integrated in the project.  Identify lessons learned and best practices and provide recommendations to improve performance for future projects.

Work Location

Home based

Expected duration

5 months

Duties and Responsibilities

I. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT At UN-Habitat, we promote transformative change in cities and human settlements through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance, and collaborative action, to leave no one and no place behind. Specifically, our focus is on five aspects: reducing spatial inequality and poverty in urban and rural communities; increasing shared prosperity in cities and regions; taking action for climate change and urban environment improvement; and promoting effective prevention and response to urban crises. In 2021, with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the program “Contribution to the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the post-pandemic recovery in Central America and the Dominican Republic through the UN-Habitat Strategic Plan and in the context of the Decade of Action” was launched, with a budget of 4,370,000 USD. The implementation began in 2021 until December of 2024. The program’s general objective is to promote the generation of knowledge, capacity building, policy advisory, support to National Urban Policies, and implementation of urban actions at the neighborhood level, so that cities in the region become active actors of sustainable development, including the UN-Habitat LAC Sustainable Urban Development Outlook. The program is implemented in Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. Under this framework, the present proposal of collaboration has the main objective of contributing to strengthening the implementation of the New Urban Agenda and the SDGs and improving the living conditions of vulnerable urban populations in Central America and the Dominican Republic. The program outlined two major outputs: – Outcome 1. National and local governments develop and have the tools to implement a coherent urban policy based on evidence and in line with the NUA and SDGs. – Outcome 2. Local Governments, civil society and the private sector contribute to improve the living conditions of vulnerable populations in Central American cities. For more information, please refer to the Programme website: https://onuhabitat.org.mx/index.php/noticias/centroamerica-y-republica-dominicana. II. PURPOSE, SCOPE, AND OBJECTIVES OF EVALUATION The current final evaluation of the Progamme aims to identify short, medium, and long-term results; analyze the causal logic and consistency in the Programme’s design; identify good practices and lessons learned in technical, management, and sustainability matters to strengthen future interventions. The evaluation will be carried out based on relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability, as well as with a gender and intersectional perspective, following the criteria mandated in the section “Evaluation Questions based on Evaluation Criteria”. The final evaluation serves both accountability and learning purposes. Regarding accountability, it is intended to provide independent evidence on the performance of the project and what it achieved at objectives, expected accomplishment (outcomes) and output levels. The key audiences of the evaluation are: UN-Habitat, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), other key stakeholders. The evaluation methodology should consider the present political and social landscape the involved countries, while also integrating qualitative and quantitative approaches. It must involve engaging key stakeholders of the Programme, such as government counterparts, Civil Society Organizations, academia, direct and indirec beneficiaries, and subject matter experts. It is important to mention that both the methodology and the involvement of stakeholders will be determined collaboratively with the UN Habitat Program team.

Qualifications/special skills

Postgraduate and university degree (stricto sensu) in fields related to public policy, program evaluation, urban development, economics or related. Or additional 6 years of relevant experience to the post, beyond the requirement. Demonstrate at least 15 years of professional experience in the social evaluation of program, or public policies at the local, state or national level; program management or administration development; management and implementation of public policy program and should have knowledge of Results-Based Management and strong methodological and analytical skills, preferably from the urban or territorial sphere, or related professional experience. Experience of 1 year in evaluations with a gender and intersectionality perspective. Demonstrate relevant professional experience in the implementation of diverse quantitative and qualitative techniques for the evaluation of projects or programs, including comparative and quasi-experimental methods. Experience in the Central America and Dominican Republic context is mandatory.

Languages

Excellent oral and written skills in Spanish and English and demonstrated technical capacity to write and review reports and specialized documents on urban and territorial planning.

Additional Information

III. EVALUATION APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY The evaluation will be conducted in line with the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for evaluation in Nations System. The evaluation will be carried out by one external independent consultant in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders. The evaluation approach should be as participatory as possible, and utilization focused. Evaluation will be carried out in conformity with evaluation Norms and Standards of the United Nations System and best practices in the evaluation field. The evaluation should employ a mix of approaches. A results-based approach, (Theory of Change Approach) should be applied to this evaluation; to demonstrate how the project was supposed to achieve its objectives by describing the causal logic of inputs, activities, expected accomplishments; and conditions and assumptions that were needed for the causal changes to take place. The evaluation methodology should consider the current political and social context of the country, as well as integrate qualitative and quantitative methods, incorporating relevant actors of the Program, including government counterparts, Civil Society Organizations, academia, indirect and direct beneficiaries, subject matter experts, and the program team. It should be noted that the actors will be established jointly with the UN Habitat Program team and may be modified based on its needs and requests. Gender and intersectionality perspectives should be ensured to be incorporated in all aspects of the evaluation methodology. Additionally, the use of virtual platforms and field visits may be considered in the evaluation methods. In this regard, the methodology should consider the following elements: • Cabinet review of all available Program documentation. The documentation will be provided by the UN-Habitat Project team. • Semi-structured interviews. • Focus groups. • Review and analysis of data. It is necessary to achieve maximum validity and reliability of the data (quality) and promote its use; the evaluation team will be responsible for triangulating the various data sources. • Analysis Methods. It may be propose appropriate analysis methods to assess the Programme’s impact on direct and indirect beneficiaries. In this regard, including comparative methods, quasi-experimental designs, among others, is encouraged. • Field visits to assess selected activities, if feasible within the time schedule and budget of the evaluation, should provide insight into both the scope, depth and range of activities carried out.

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.