Referendum Evaluation International Consultant (Aid Effectiveness)

Referendum Evaluation International Consultant (Aid Effectiveness) With UNDP/ Southern Sudan Referendum Project Location : Juba, South Sudan Application Deadline : 10-April-2011 Additional Category Democratic Governance Type of Contract : Individual Contract Post Level : International Consultant Languages Required : English Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is expected to start) 20-Apr-2011 Duration of Initial Contract : One month Expected Duration of Assignment : ASAP Interested candidates should apply by sending their Letter of Interest and CV (preferably United Nations Personal History Form (P.11 Form)) to: bids.juba@undp.org or drop a sealed envelope marked Confidential with the title of the position at UNDP Office in Juba by latest 16:00hrs Juba Time on 30th March 2011. The available starting date and fees of the assignment which is subject to negotiation if applicable shall be clearly stated in the Letter of Interest. Women Candidates are highly encouraged to apply. A. Background and Context The United Nations Integrated Referendum and Electoral Division is commissioning an external evaluation on behalf of the International Community support to the Southern Sudan Referendum process. This term of reference outlines the background and scope of the evaluation, the specific focus, the expected deliverables, the required expertise of the consultants, and the timeline of the evaluation. The Southern Sudan Referendum The Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) that brought an end to 21 years of conflict between North and South Sudan came as a result of the intervention of the International Community, and willingness of the warring parties. The CPA, that was signed on the 9th of January 2005, stipulates that after a 6 year interim period from the signing of the agreement, ‘there shall be an internationally monitored referendum, organized by both Government of Sudan and the Government of Southern Sudan, to confirm the unity of Sudan by voting to adopt a system of government established under the peace agreement, or for secession’. In preparation for the Southern Sudan Referendum that was scheduled for the 9th of January 2011, the national legislature passed the 2009 Southern Sudan Referendum Act, which provides the legal framework for conducting the Southern Sudan Referendum in Sudan and other locations. In accordance with the Referendum Act, a Southern Sudan Referendum Commission (SSRC) was established as an independent body, headed by a Chairman based in Khartoum, and its subsidiary the Southern Sudan Referendum Bureau headed by the Deputy Chairman, based in Juba. International Support The international Community has continued to support the implementation of the CPA and as part of this commitment donors provided significant financial support for the Southern Sudan referendum process through various funding mechanisms, the main ones being: 1. The UNDP basket fund - a pooled contribution from ten donors (United Kingdom, Netherlands, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Canada, the European Union, Denmark, France and Australia). 2. USAID funding channeled through multiple implementing partners (IFES, NDI, IRI and others). 3. Direct funding to IOM for the conduct of out-of-Country Voting. 4. Support extended by the European Union technical assistance team. The UN is mandated to provide support to the Southern Sudan referendum process as a key milestone of the CPA. In line with this mandate, planning for the Southern Sudan Referendum process started immediately after the April 2010 elections. A key recommendation from a UN assessment mission that evaluated the UN election support in March 2010, was the need to establish an integrated UN structure, incorporating both UNDP and UNMIS. This was considered vital in reinforcing the UN as a single entity with easier coordination and cost effective allocation of donor and internal UN resources. As a result the United Nations Integrated Referendum and Electoral Division (UNIRED) was established, headed by a Director based in Khartoum and a deputy director in Juba. For diligent consultation three committees were established to provide consultative, and in some cases, oversight mechanism for the implementation of the Support to the Southern Sudan Referendum. These are as follows: 1. The Basket Fund Project Board, which oversees the project implementation activities under the UNDP basket fund. 2. The technical committee, that discusses and decides the technical aspects of the referendum planning and implementation 3. The policy committee, which includes representatives of the UN, the Government, the Southern Sudan referendum commission and donors, to review and approve referendum related policies. UNDP was responsible for the management of the UNDP Basket fund with a total budget of US$ 62 million, which includes a component of US$ 10 million for out-of-Country Voting. USAID contributed a total of about US$ 50 million to the Southern Sudan referendum process for both in-country and out-of-country funding. Out-of-country voting for the Southern Sudan Referendum process was carried out in 8 foreign countries namely Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Egypt, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States of America, to provide an opportunity for the significant populations of Sudanese Diaspora in these countries, to exercise their right to vote on the referendum options. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) was endorsed to implement the out of country component of the referendum process, under the leadership of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission. The Southern Sudan referendum process was, by and large, judged a success according to the independent international and domestic observer reports.

Duties and Responsibilities

B. Objective of the Evaluation This assignment is intended to evaluate the international support to the referendum implementation process, with regards to the efficiency and effectiveness of the respective organizational structures of the implementing partners, the funding modalities opted for, achievement and impact of the programmatic objectives and outputs, level of coordination of partners, including coordination with Sudanese Institutions, in particular the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission/Bureau (SSRC/B) and the appropriateness of these aspects within the given political and socio-economic context of the Sudan. The aim is to come up with an analysis that will inform the international donors and the United Nations on how well the funding modality and support provided were appropriate and effective, identify the major parameters that contributed to the success of the referendum, as well as attributes that could have been done better. The consultants will ensure that the evaluation takes into account the views and perspective of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission, its subsidiary bodies, and other related Government Institutions , to whom the support was provided as the main institution responsible for the implementation of the Southern Sudan Referendum process. It is worth noting that the Southern Sudan referendum process was a one-off event and therefore the replicable aspect should only relate to areas of similarity to the electoral process. C. Key Partners to be Evaluated The international support to the Southern Sudan Referendum process to be evaluated under this assignment includes: 1. UNDP Basket Fund- the funding support provided through the UN to the ‘Support to Southern Sudan referendum project’ (SSSR) for In-Country voting 2. UNIRED integrated Mechanism – that coordinated the implementation of activities funded through the UNDP Basket Fund 3. USAID Support - the funding support provided through other implementing partners including IFES, NDI, IRI, Mercy Corp, and others) for both in-country and out-of-country voting. 4. Financial Support extended to IOM for the out-of-country component of the Southern Sudan Referendum process. 5. European Union Technical Assistance program D. Scope of the Evaluation The evaluation will assess the effectiveness of International support to the Southern Sudan Referendum process, within the following key areas: 1. Organizational Structure of each partner How appropriate was the organizational structure of the respective implementing partners tailored to support the required coordination level of the referendum process? How efficient was the structure of the respective implementing partners designed to ensure it meets its respective overall project objective(s) and expected outcomes in a cost efficient manner? The evaluation team will need to assess the United Nations Integrated Referendum and Electoral Division (UNIRED) in terms of meeting its objectives and effectiveness of support for the referendum process 2. Programmatic Achievements and Impact To what extent did the UNDP Basket Fund project activities yield the overall results and impact within the six outputs outlined in the project document (civic and voter education, media strengthening, domestic observation principles, support to SSRC, support to referendum stakeholders and project management support). To what extent were the UNIRED stakeholders (Civil society including women groups, media, judiciary and referendum security) able to meet their responsibilities as outlined in the 2009 Southern Sudan Referendum Act, as a result of the support provided by UNIRED? How well did the other international partners (IOM, IFES, TCC, NDI, IRI, e.t.c) meet their expected results and impact as outlined in their respective project documents? To what extent did International donor support contribute to enhanced legitimacy and transparency of the referendum process? The evaluation should take into consideration the views and perspective of the Southern Sudan Referendum Commission/Bureau as the leading independent national institution responsible for implementing the Southern Sudan referendum process. 3. Funding modality What was the guiding principle in the choice of funding modality of the respective partners and their donors, and how well did it meet the overall objective of the international partners respectively? In line with Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, how effective was the funding mechanisms adopted, to ensure ownership, flexibility, mutual outcomes, accountability and transparency within the given context? How appropriate was the role of the donors (including within the technical and policy committees) in promoting the potential of the respective partners to meet their objectives? Determine the overall cost of the referendum process including the contributions of the Government. 4. Cost effectiveness How cost effective was the respective funding mechanisms adopted, in implementing the referendum process in-country and out of Country? Separate assessment will be needed for in country and out of country because of the different nature of both assignments. What aspects of the project design structure and coordination level enhanced the cost effectiveness of implementation process With regards to the donors, how did the funding mechanism used integrate aspects of cost effective implementation by their respective partners? How much was the coordination between donors and partners consciously tailored at increasing cost effectiveness of the implementation process? 5. Coordination level What was the understanding between the key implementing partners, regarding the level of coordination required; how well was this understanding reflected in the concept and design of their respective projects and/or implementation approach? How sufficient was the coordination between the donors and their respective partners, to ensure funding is well targeted towards achieving the ultimate success of the referendum? How effective was the coordination between the donors to appropriately mitigate potential risks during the referendum process, given the political sensitivity involved in this context? 6. Sustainability To what extent were local capacities strengthened for planning, coordination and implementation of similar electoral and referendum processes? How integrated were the national counterparts in the planning, management, coordination and decision-making process with regards to the long term implications How well did the partners and donors consider possible risks and long term implications of the approach adopted/funded? E. Expected Outputs The team leader will be responsible for the deliverables of this assignment which are as follows: 1. A summary report of not more than 10 pages, in English. 2. A detailed report of not more than 35 pages on the findings of the scope of evaluation of international donor support to the referendum 3. A detailed report of not more than 35 pages on the scope of the evaluation specifically related to UNIRED The reports will be submitted in English in an agreed format, and delivered in both soft and hard copies. The detailed reports should include the methodology undertaken and provide constructive and actionable recommendations tailored towards the respective key partners evaluated. The consultants will be expected to present their findings in a power point presentation, and provide a draft final report for final inputs. Mindful of the unique context in this case, the consultant will ensure the recommendations are appropriate given the referendum process was a one-off event although there are similar aspects to electoral processes. F. Consultancy Team This assignment will be conducted by a team of 4 consultants with the following specialist areas: 1. A team leader preferably an electoral specialist (international) 2. Aid effectiveness specialist (international) 3. Organizational Development Specialist with experience of integrated missions (International) 4. A Governance Specialist with electoral experience (national) G. Duties and Responsibilities The aid effectiveness consultant will concentrate specifically on item 3 and 4 of the scope section above as well as the cost effectiveness and coordination strands related to the funding modalities deployed and any other responsibilities as agreed with the team leader. He/She will lead in the development of related qualitative and quantitative methodology, analysis of data collected, and compilation of related sections of the report. He/She will also advise the team on the principles of aid effectiveness and its implications to the evaluation scope and contribute to the related recommendations as necessary. Under the supervision of the team leader, the Aid Effectiveness Specialist duties/ deliverables will include, but not restricted to, the following: Review relevant documents in support of the Evaluation team leader; Support in the design of the evaluation methodology and provide related inputs to the inception report ; Support the analysis of the outcome, outputs, and partnership strategy Carry out fieldwork and data collection as per the inception report and Terms of reference and with the approval and supervision of the Team Leader Draft related parts of the evaluation report as agreed on the division of labor by the team leader Assist the Team Leader in finalizing the evaluation final report including incorporating suggestions received on draft related to his/her assigned sections. Work under the direct supervision of the Team Leader and perform duties as per his/ her request.

Competencies

H. Competencies Corporate Competencies: Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards (human rights, peace, understanding between peoples and nations, tolerance, integrity, respect, results orientation (UNDP core ethics) impartiality; Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP; Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability. Functional Competencies: Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude: Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills; Ability to work both independently and in a team and ability to deliver high quality work on tight timelines. Behavioral competencies: Comfortable in working in dynamic environments that change frequently; Able to perform in a high-stress and difficult security environment, with austere living quarters; Ability to manage relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders and incorporate diverse points of view.

Required Skills and Experience

I. Required Skills and Expertise A post graduate University degree in development, economics, international relations or related field At least 4-5 years work experience in evaluation of aid effectiveness within a governance sector; experience evaluating electoral projects funded through pooled funds an advantage; Strong quantitative and qualitative research methodology skills; Good analytical ability and drafting skills; Knowledge of the Sudan history and context an advantage J. Language Requirement Effective communications skills, both written and oral, in English with proven ability in report writing K. Timeline and Application This assignment is for a period of 30 days, and deadline for submitting applications is the10th April 2011 Interested and qualified International candidates should apply on-line through the UNDP Jobs site at http://jobs.undp.org/ and a two page inception proposal on the funding modality methodology proposed for the evaluation and detailed timeline on alfonso.ortega@undp.org Candidates, who are currently holding UNDP or UN Agencies contracts, are asked to declare the type contract and duration, in their application”. Female candidates are highly encouraged to apply.