| Description |
CONSULTANT TO CONDUCT MID-TERM EVALUATION OF UNDP-GEF PROJECT ENTITLED "ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE NILE DELTA"
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| Location : |
Cairo, EGYPT |
| Application Deadline : |
10-Dec-12 |
| Type of Contract : |
Individual Contract |
| Post Level : |
International Consultant |
Languages Required :
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English |
Starting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start) |
06-Jan-2013 |
| Duration of Initial Contract : |
45 days |
| Expected Duration of Assignment : |
18 working days |
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Background
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The dominant feature of Egypt’s Northern Costal Zone is the low lying delta of the River Nile, with its large cities, industry, agriculture and tourism. The Delta and the narrow valley of the Nile comprise 5.5% of the total area of Egypt but over 95% of its people of which 25% live in the Low Elevation Coastal Zone (LECZ) areas. Due to the concentration of much of Egypt’s infrastructure and development along the low coastal lands and the reliance on the Nile delta for prime agricultural land, coastal inundation or saline intrusion caused by anthropogenic climate change induced sea-level rise will have a direct and critical impact on Egypt’s entire economy. In addition to the current trends, Egypt’s Mediterranean coast and the Nile Delta have been identified as highly vulnerable to climate change induced Sea Level Rise (SLR). The proposed project aims to integrate the management of SLR risks into the development of Egypt’s Low Elevation Coastal Zone (LECZ) in the Nile Delta by strengthening the regulatory framework and institutional capacity to improve resilience of coastal settlements and development infrastructure, implement innovative and environmentally friendly measures that facilitate/promote adaptation in the Nile Delta, and establish a monitoring and assessment framework and knowledge management systems on adaptation
Objectives of the Mid-Term Evaluation:
This mid-term evaluation is initiated by UNDP Egypt and will be conducted in accordance with established UNDP-GEF procedures.
The overall purpose of the evaluation is to assess the efficiency of the project, identify potential project design problems, assess progress towards the achievement of objectives, identify and document lessons learned and to make recommendations to improve the project.
The Mid-term Evaluation serves as an agent of change and plays a critical role in supporting accountability. Its main objectives are:
- To strengthen the adaptive management and monitoring functions of the Project;
- To ensure accountability for the achievement of the UNDP/GEF objective;
- To enhance organizational and development learning;
- To enable informed decision-making;
The mid-term review will assess the overall performance of the project against the baseline data set in the beginning of the project.
Evaluation Audience:
This Mid-term Evaluation of the UNDP/GEF Project is initiated by UNDP as the GEF Implementing Agency. It aims to determine progress being made towards the achievement of outcomes and will identify course corrective actions, if needed.
It aims to provide managers with strategy and policy options for more effectively and efficiently achieving the project’s expected results and for replicating the results. It also provides the basis for learning and accountability for managers and stakeholders.
The Evaluation will highlight issues requiring decisions and actions; and will present initial lessons learned about project design, implementation and management.
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Duties and Responsibilities
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Scope of the evaluation:
- Review of the status of the project activities and the possibility of achieving all the outcomes in the given timeframe, taking into consideration the speed, at which the project is proceeding. Review of the effectiveness of the project implementation and the use of its financial resources, including adaptive management applied for the revision of the project implementation mechanisms and other actions to overcome the obstacles identified during the implementation of the project,
- Review the current monitoring procedures and methodologies in place,
- Assessment of co-financing and leveraged resources
- Provide recommendations for actions necessary for the long term sustainability and replicability of the achievements
- Provide recommendations on any changes needed, including the finalization of a concrete action plan to address the eventual pending needs or possible corrective action;
Project concept and design:
The evaluators will assess the project design. He/she should review the problem addressed by the project and the project strategy, encompassing an assessment of the appropriateness of the objectives, outcomes, outputs, planned activities and inputs as compared to cost-effective alternatives. The executing modality and managerial arrangements should also be judged. The evaluator will assess the achievement of indicators and review the work plan, planned duration and budget of the project.
Implementation:
The evaluation will assess the implementation of the project in terms of quality and timeliness of inputs and efficiency and effectiveness of activities carried out. Also, the effectiveness of management as well as the quality and timeliness of monitoring and backstopping by all parties to the project should be assessed. In particular the evaluation is to assess the Project team’s use of adaptive management in project implementation.
Project outputs, outcomes and impact:
The evaluation will assess the outputs, outcomes and impact achieved by the project as well as the likely sustainability of project results. This should encompass the following:
Attainment of objectives and planned results:
- Evaluate how, and to what extent, the stated project objectives are being achieved; taking into account the “achievement indicators”. In addition, the team will assess the indicators matrix as to its utility for determining sustainability and replicability impact.
Achievement of outputs and activities:
- Assess the scope, quality and usefulness of the project outputs produced so far in relation to its expected results.
- Assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the work plan in implementing the components of the project.
- Assess the quality, appropriateness and timeliness of the project concepts, project proposals, progress reports.
In addition to a descriptive assessment, all criteria should be rated using the following divisions: Highly Satisfactory, Satisfactory, Marginally Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory with an explanation of the rating.
Deliverables:
The main product expected from the mid-term evaluation is a comprehensive report following the structure in Annex I and including the Table attached in Annex II on the assessment of co-financing
Evaluation Methodology:
An outline of an evaluation approach is provided below; however it should be made clear that the evaluator is responsible for revising the approach as necessary. Any changes should be in-line with international criteria and professional norms and standards. They must be also cleared by UNDP before being applied by the evaluation team.
The evaluation must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful. It must be easily understood by project partners and applicable to the remaining period of project duration.
The mid-term evaluation will be based on information obtained from reviewing relevant documents to the project such as the project document, project brief, Annual Project Reports /Project Implementation Reports (APR/PIR), minutes of Project Board Meetings, Project Technical Reports and minutes from relevant meetings.
The evaluator should also rely on information gathered through meetings and interviews with target beneficiaries and project staff including government officials, and/or consultants. Interviews should include Egyptian Environment Affairs Agency, UNDP and key stakeholders. The methodology that will be used by the evaluator should be presented in the report in detail. It shall include scrupulous information on documentation review, interviews held; field visits; participatory techniques and other approaches for the gathering and analysis of data.
The evaluation should provide as much gender disaggregated data as possible.
The methodology to be used by the evaluation team should be presented in the report in detail. It shall include information on:
- Documentation reviewed
- Interviews;
- Field visits;
- Questionnaires;
- Participatory techniques and other approaches for the gathering and analysis of data.
Although the Evaluator should feel free to discuss with the authorities concerned, all matters relevant to its assignment, it is not authorized to make any commitment or statement on behalf of UNDP or GEF or the project management.
Implementation Arrangements:
UNDP Egypt will contract the consultant and be responsible for liaising with the project team to set up stakeholder interviews, arrange field visits, and coordinate meetings with the Government Officials. The Project Management Unit will provide the evaluator will relevant project documentation and will accompany the evaluator in the meetings, as deemed necessary.
Timing and Duration:
In total the evaluation time frame is one month, incorporating circulation of initial reports for comments. The evaluation consultancy will be for 18 working days within the period of 45 days and the activities of the evaluator are broken down as follows:
- Desk review 3 working days
- Meetings with the stakeholders 7 working days
- Writing draft report 6 working days
- Finalization of the evaluation report (incorporating comments received on first draft) 2 working days
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Competencies
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- Conceptual thinking and analytical skills;
- Strong writing and analytical skills coupled with experience in monitoring and evaluation techniques;
- Computer literacy.
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Required Skills and Experience
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Education:
- Advanced university degree in an environment, coastal zone management or natural resources management related subject.
Experience:
- At least ten years of work experience in environmental policy implementation and five years work experience in climate change adaptation initiatives;
- Experience in coastal zones management is an asset
- Previous project evaluation experiences for international development agencies preferably with United Nations system and GEF;
- Familiar with Results Based Management (RBM) approach
- Familiarity with issues related to UNFCCC;
- Previous involvement in and understanding of UNDP and GEF procedures is an advantage and extensive international experience in the fields of project formulation, execution, and evaluation is required.
Language Requirements:
- Excellent English communication skills.
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