Consultancy - mid term review

Background

On 13 July 2010, the Government of Japan (GOJ) and the United Nations Development Programme Drylands Development Centre (UNDP-DDC) reached an agreement to implement the project entitled Africa-Asia Drought Risk Management (DRM) Peer Assistance Project (hereafter the Project) with financial support provided through the Japan-UNDP Partnership Fund (JUPF). The total funding from the GOJ under this agreement is USD 500,000. 

The Project is implemented at inter-regional level in Africa and Asia within the frameworks of the UNDP-DDC’s flagship Integrated Drylands Development (IDDP). The IDDP is the mechanism through which support from the DDC is delivered at national (through UNDP Country Offices currently in 17 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and the Arab States), regional and global levels. The Programme addresses three interlinked issues of importance to poverty alleviation in the drylands, namely: 

• Mainstreaming of drylands development issues into national policy, planning and development frameworks
• Improving local governance of natural resources
• Reducing vulnerability of poor populations to climatic shocks especially drought.

The Project aims to achieve IDDP’s goals with the specific purpose of reducing the risk of impacts from drought and improve human livelihoods in Africa and Asia by strengthening capacities of drought prone countries through the promotion of learning, exchange of knowledge and transfer of expertise and technology across the two regions.

The overall objectives of the Project are to:
• Create an enabling environment for inter-regional knowledge sharing and technical cooperation among drought-prone countries in Africa and Asia; and
• Increase the use of best practices in drought risk reduction for development in the two regions.

In this context, the Project has established a robust, yet flexible, inter-regional network, called the Africa-Asia Drought Risk Management Peer Assistance Network (AADP). AADP builds on the pool of experiences and expertise of, and leveraging the proven operational modalities of, the preceding African Drought Risk and Development Network (ADDN), which has been managed jointly by the UNDP-DDC and the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR) since 2005. The expected outcome of the Project is strengthened capacities at multiple scales in drought-prone areas in Africa and Asia to mitigate the impacts of drought and enhance climate risk management through application of good practices. The expected outputs of the Project for the 3 year period (2010-2013)are:

• A coordination framework guiding applied information sharing mechanisms developed between Africa and Asia in the areas of drought risk reduction and management.
• Availability and accessibility of knowledge and experiences in drought risk management increased in the two regions.
• Mainstreaming of innovative options linking drought risk and development into policies and practices enhanced and capacity of decision-makers and practitioners built in integrated drought risk reduction.


Duties and responsibilities

General approach to the mid-term review

The Mid-Term Review (MTR) shall be conducted in line with the rules and regulations of UNDP. It shall be implemented in close collaboration with the GOJ and other relevant stakeholders. The review shall be carried out by an independent consultant (hereafter the Consultant).

Objectives and scope of the mid-term review

The main objectives of the MTR are

• Assess progress of the Project, i.e. the extent of achievement of the intended objectives, outcomes, outputs and activities as defined in the results and resources framework (Annex 1)
• Generate findings on opportunities, constraints/challenges and lessons learnt during the implementation of the Project. Specific issues to be studied by the Consultant include:
• Relevance of interventions under this Project;
Efficiency of implementation to-date (including implementation approaches employed as a basis to guide possible future improvements in programme delivery);
- Opportunities, constraints/challenges and lessons learned during implementation of the Project to-date; 
Effectiveness of the Project to-date; 
- Impact of the Project to-date, including assumptions used in the development of the Project;
- Potential sustainability; and
- Recommended actions to be taken in regards to the successful implementation of the Project for the remaining period.

The results of the Review will be shared with all stakeholders, including the GOJ, the JUPF focal point under the UNDP Bureau for Resources and Strategic Partnerships/Japan Affairs, members to the AADP Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and interested parties, in a final MTR report to be produced by the Consultant.

Methodology

The MTR shall be carried out through a combination of data generation methods.They are envisaged to cover the following areas:

• Desk study review of all relevant AADP Project documentation, including but not confined to those listed at Annex 2;
• Teleconferencing/email-based consultations with the AADP Secretariat and other partners which have participated in various AADP activities from Africa, Asia and elsewhere;
• Questionnaires and interviews with relevant stakeholders including, but not restricted to, the GOJ, AADP TAC members, regional/sub-regional governmental organizations in Africa and Asia and the AADP resource users; and
• Presentation of main findings to the UNDP-DDC and the GOJ in Kenya via teleconference.

The UNDP-DDC, in support of the MTR, will:
• Provide all relevant background documentation to the Consultant;
• Provide an overall briefing to the Consultant on the IDDP and the Project;
• Use necessary facilities for telephone/email-based consultations and interviews as required; and
• Provide any additional information and support as required.

Expected deliverables

The main product of the MTR will be a Mid-term Evaluation Report. The language of the report is English. The report format should comply with the UNDP requirements. The detailed outline of the report shall be agreed upon the commencement of the assignment.

The draft report will be submitted by the Consultant to the UNDP-DDC. The UNDP-DDC will share the draft report with all relevant stakeholders (including the GOJ, the JUPF focal point under the UNDP Bureau for Resources and Strategic Partnerships/Japan Affairs and the AADP TAC members) for comments and feedback. The draft report will be amended further by the Consultant taking into account comments from the stakeholders.

The final report shall be submitted to the UNDP-DDC in digital form using latest MS-Office programs. Copies of the report will be sent to the GOJ and Programme partners involved in the review. 

Competencies 

• Strong organizational and management skills
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to multi-task and establish effective work relationships with people of broad cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to work as part of a team as well as take initiative to work independently where necessary
• Excellent communication skills with ability to express ideas clearly, concisely and effectively, both orally and in writing;
• Have a history of ability to deliver high-quality outputs on schedule

Required skills and experience

Education
- Advanced university degree in disaster management, natural resources management/environment or related disciplines

Experience
- Knowledge and familiarity with drought issues and in particular DRM in the targeted regions;
- Experience in UNDP programming and RBM monitoring and evaluation approaches/tools in reviewing/evaluating technical and policy assistance;
- Professional background in development, capacity building and/or natural resources management with the United Nations or other major multilateral or bilateral organization(s);
- Familiarity with development challenges in drylands areas specifically in Asia and Africa would be desirable;
- Strong conceptual and analytical skills, communication and writing skills with proficiency in English and ability to compile information in coherent and succinct formats;
- High attention to detail and ability to work under tight deadlines; and IT competencies at least in Word and internet.