Title of Assignment: Lead Evaluator

Name of unit/sector: Development Agenda Coordination Division (DACD), Regional and National Development Sector, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva

Place of Assignment: Home-based

Expected places of travel (if applicable): During the assignment, the Lead Evaluator will travel to WIPO Headquarters to present the Inception Report and the first draft Report (infra 3(b) and 3(d) for Member States in Geneva (three-days mission to WIPO each time)

Expected duration of assignment: From January 1, 2024 to November 30, 2024

1. Context 

The Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP), at its thirtieth session, adopted the Terms of Reference (ToR) for an independent external review of WIPO’s technical assistance in the area of cooperation for development contained in document CDIP/30/3.  The Secretariat was requested to initiate the implementation of the said review, starting from the fourth quarter of 2023.  The Committee decided that the review team “should be composed of two IP and development experts and one expert in carrying out evaluations of development activities/projects/programs.  The latter would also act as the Lead Evaluator”.

2. Objective of the assignment

As the Lead Evaluator, the Expert shall lead and contribute to the work related to the independent external review of WIPO’s technical assistance in the area of cooperation for development (hereinafter the Review), in accordance with the above-mentioned ToR.

The Review shall encompass WIPO’s technical assistance activities in the area of cooperation for development implemented from 2017 to 2022.  It shall cover the assistance provided by all relevant WIPO sectors and through all types of activities as described in part III of the ToR.  Additionally, it shall consider activities delivered in all geographic regions, the tools and methodologies established and used in delivering such assistance, and the shift in the delivery approach instituted since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Review shall address key questions related to the relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact of WIPO’s technical assistance activities for development, as outlined in the ToR.

The methodology of the Review shall include, at the minimum, the following:  (a) desk review of relevant documents;  (b) interviews or focus group discussions with member states, WIPO staff, and beneficiaries;  (c) surveys.  Additionally, the reviewers may utilize other appropriate methods to produce an in-depth and well-substantiated review.

The WIPO Secretariat shall make all relevant materials and information concerning the implementation of its technical assistance and capacity building activities available to the reviewers for the period under review.

3. Deliverables / services 

The Lead Evaluator is responsible to ensure the following:

(a) Presentation of the Inception Report, describing the Review methodology, the draft survey questions, and the list of selected stakeholders to WIPO.

(b) Presentation of the Inception Report before Member State representatives.

(c) Preparation of a first draft Review Report with preliminary findings and recommendations.

(d) Presentation of the first draft Report with preliminary findings and recommendations before Member State representatives.

(e) Submission of the final Report to the Development Agenda Coordination Division (DACD) within the agreed timeline.

(f) Presentation of the final Review before the CDIP.

The final output of the Review should be a concise and well-structured report of a reasonable length.  The report should consist of the following components:  an executive summary, an introduction, a brief description of the work carried out in relation to WIPO’s technical assistance activities in the area of cooperation for development, an explanation of the evaluation methodology employed, and findings and conclusions along with clearly articulated recommendations.

4. Reporting 

The Lead Evaluator shall work in close collaboration with the DACD and the Evaluation Section of the Internal Oversight Division of WIPO.  The Lead Evaluator, together with the Review Team, shall report on a regular basis to the Director of the DACD.

5. Profile (e.g., area of specialization/expertise, specific knowledge/skills/experience)

(a) Background in public policy, economic research and/or any other area of applied social sciences.

(b) At least 8 years of experience in leading and/or conducting evaluations for international organizations.

(c) Extensive experience in evaluating technical assistance, policy influence interventions, particularly in impact evaluations of knowledge-related interventions on policy processes and environments.

(d) Experience with quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis and leading the drafting of evaluation reports.

(e) Sound understanding of the complexity of technical assistance in the context of the United Nations.

(f) Demonstrated knowledge of gender and human rights.

(g) Experience in remote data collection and facilitation.

(h) Excellent communication, writing, editing and report presentation skills including experience with data visualization, infographics, and other visual aid are essential.

(i) Excellent written and oral skills in English is mandatory. Good knowledge of other UN languages is desirable.

6. Duration of contract and payment

The contract will start on January 1, 2024, and will end on November 30, 2024.  During this period, the following schedule should be followed:

1. The inception report shall be submitted to WIPO by March 15, 2024.
2. WIPO’s feedback shall be communicated back by March 30, 2024.
3. The first briefing session for Member States shall take place before April 15, 2024.
4. The draft evaluation report shall be submitted to WIPO by June 30, 2024.
5. The second briefing session for Member States shall take place before the end of July 2024.
6. The final evaluation report shall be submitted by August 30, 2024.
7. The final version of the evaluation report shall be considered during the session of the CDIP, scheduled to take place in November 2024.

The Lead Evaluator will receive a lump sum of 20,000 Swiss francs, payable in four installments:

1. 5,000 Swiss francs upon acceptance by WIPO of an Inception Report.
2. 5,000 Swiss francs upon the acceptance of the first draft Review report with preliminary findings and recommendations.
3. 7,000 Swiss francs upon acceptance by WIPO of a final evaluation Report.
4. 3,000 Swiss francs upon the presentation of the Report to the CDIP.

Payment will be subject to the satisfactory reception of the deliverables as per this ToR.  Payment will be made at the completion of the tasks outlined in this ToR.