Position title: Terminal Evaluator ORASECOM
Level: ICS-12
Department/office GPSO, International Waters
Duty station: Home based
Contract type: International ICA
Contract level : IICA-4
Vacancy code : VA/2014/B5002/4907
Duration: 18 April through 27 June 2014
Background Information - UNOPS
UNOPS mission is to serve people in need by expanding the ability of the
United Nations, governments and other partners to manage projects,
infrastructure and procurement in a sustainable and efficient manner.
Within these three core areas of expertise, UNOPS provides its partners
with advisory, implementation and transactional services, with projects ranging
from building schools and hospitals, to procuring goods and services and
training local personnel. UNOPS works closely with governments and communities
to ensure increased economic, social and environmental sustainability for the
projects we support, with a focus on developing national capacity.
Working in some of the world’s most challenging environments, our vision is
to advance sustainable implementation practices in development, humanitarian
and peacebuilding contexts, always satisfying or surpassing partner
expectations.
We employ more than 6,000 personnel and on behalf of our partners create
thousands more work opportunities in local communities. Through our
headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark and a network of offices, we oversee
activities in more than 80 countries.
Background Information - IWC
International Waters Cluster
The UNOPS International Waters Cluster specializes in executing projects to
prevent and reverse the degradation of transboundary water systems, including
multi-country rivers and large marine ecosystems such as oceans, lake basins
and shared groundwater resources. The cluster is executing over 30 projects for
its partners, helping countries to work together and share knowledge to reduce
ecological stress, such as that caused by overfishing and industrial pollution.
Background Information - Job-specific
In accordance with UNDP and GEF M&E policies and procedures, all full
and medium-sized UNDP support GEF financed projects are required to undergo a
terminal evaluation upon completion of implementation. These terms of reference
(TOR) sets out the expectations for a Terminal Evaluation (TE) of the UNDP-GEF
project titled, Development and adoption of a Strategic Action Program for
balancing water uses and sustainable natural resource management in the
Orange-Senqu river transboundary basin (ORASECOM Project) (PIMS: 3243).
The Orange-Senqu River Basin is one of the larger river basins in southern
Africa. The river system is regulated by some 30 large dams and includes
several larger inter- and intra-basin transfers. Extensive water utilisation
for urban, industrial and agricultural purposes has significantly reduced
natural flow, to the extent that the current flow reaching the river mouth is
in the order of half of the natural flow.
Future river basin management in the Orange-Senqu River Basin has to
balance these competing water uses, and deal with increasing rates of
human-induced change and the mounting concerns about the causes and
consequences of this change. Differences in legal frameworks, historical
backgrounds and technical capabilities of the four riparian States Botswana,
Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa add to the complexity.
Effective management of water and related resources will therefore have to
be sensitive to the maintenance of vital ecosystems and become a negotiated
integration process, which synthesizes the differing positions and conflicting
interests of the riparian States, various sectors and populations.
The four riparian States are strongly committed to a joint, basin-wide
approach to addressing threats to the shared water resources. This led to the
Agreement on the Establishment of the Orange-Senqu River Commission in 2000
(“ORASECOM Agreement”).
As a fairly young organisation, ORASECOM’s mandate and governance
arrangements are evolving. Consensus was reached among the riparian States that
one of the primary mechanisms for ORASECOM’s technical advice will be the
development of a basin-wide Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Plan.
While the scope of the IWRM Plan and the process of its development remain to
be further clarified, the perspective emerges that the IWRM Plan shall provide
the cooperation framework for the management and development of water and
related resources, focusing firstly on transboundary issues. However, the
riparian States also recognise that some actions may arise from shorter term or
more narrowly focused studies.
The Orange-Senqu River Basin Environment Programme (also the ORASECOM
Programme), agreed at the ORASECOM Council Meeting in April 2007, brought the
various ICP supporting ORASE
Institutional and organisational strengthening;
·
Capacity building on shared
watercourse management;
·
Information System;
·
Communication and awareness
building;
·
Transboundary projects and
studies; and
·
Conservation and environmental
strategies and policies.
·
COM under one umbrella. The Programme includes six thematic areas:
Within these thematic areas the Executive Secretary assigned the following
areas of focus to ICP projects (Memo of Secretariat, dated 4 Jul 2008):
French GEF support (completed in
2009): Support to ORASECOM institutional development, scientific research on
the Basin’s hydrology and environment, and on key drivers to integrated water
resources management and development;
German, UK and Australian support
through GIZ (phase 2 completed in 2011, phase 3 in start-up): Included work on
the Orange-Senqu hydrology, hydrological modelling and a decision support
system, water quality monitoring, and geospatial databases, ORASECOM website,
Orange-Senqu River Awareness Kit;
EU support through SADC
(completed in 2011, no follow on envisaged): support to institutional
strengthening and further institutional development of ORASECOM; and
UNDP-GEF (2010 to 2013):
Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis, Strategic Action Programme, research and
demonstration projects.
PROJECT BRIEF
During preparation of the UNDP-GEF funded project a preliminary Transboundary
Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) of the basin was developed. ORASECOM adopted this
document in April 2008. The preliminary TDA charted the main environmental
threats to the basin and ascertained their root causes.
The four year ORASECOM Project started its implementation in December 2009.
The Project finalised the TDA by addressing a number of knowledge gaps. The final TDA has served as the scientific
basis for the development of National Action Plans (NAPs) four each of the four
riparian States and a related basin-wide Strategic Action Programme (SAP). The
NAPs and the SAP were developed through participatory processes at the national
and regional levels.
In addition, the Project has been implementing four research and
demonstration projects:
- A research project on
environmental flows, covering methodological issues and setting environmental
flow requirements for the non-perennial Fish River catchment (in Namibia), as
well as the mouth of the Orange-Senqu River (shared by Namibia and South
Africa);
- A demonstration project on
water demand and quality management in the irrigation sector, cooperating with
the Noordoever-Vioolsdrift Joint Irrigation Authority (Namibia and South
Africa) as well as commercial farmers in the perimeter; and
- Two demonstration projects on
community-based rangeland management, in Botswana and Lesotho.
The logical framework of the Project is elaborated in the Project Document
with more information on project goal, objectives, expected outcomes and indicators
appearing also in the Inception Report, quarterly progress reports and the
Annual Work Plans.
PROJECT EXECUTION AND MANAGEMENT
The UNDP-GEF ORASECOM Project is executed by the United Nations Office of
Project Services (UNOPS), through its International Waters Cluster, in
accordance with UNDP and UNOPS operational and financial guidelines and
procedures. UNOPS is accountable to UNDP for the delivery of agreed outputs as
per agreed project work plans, for financial management, and for ensuring cost-effectiveness.
At policy and strategic level the project is guided by a Project Steering
Committee (PSC) which meets annually to monitor progress in Project
implementation, provide strategic and policy guidance, and review and approve
work plans and budgets. PSC meetings are chaired by the national representative
in the country hosting the meeting. The PSC retains the authority to amend its
membership as it deems necessary.
A Project Coordination Unit (PCU), which is responsible for day-to-day
management of the project implementation, is located at the offices of the
ORASECOM Secretariat in Centurion, South Africa.
Objective and Scope
The project was designed to: Develop and seek adoption of a Strategic
Action Programme for balancing water uses and sustainable natural resources
management in the Orange-Senqu River Basin.
The TE will be conducted according to the guidance, rules and procedures
established by UNDP and GEF as reflected in the UNDP Evaluation Guidance for
GEF Financed Projects.
The objectives of the evaluation are to assess the achievement of project
results, and to draw lessons that can both improve the sustainability of
benefits from this project, and aid in the overall enhancement of UNDP
programming.
Functional Responsibilities
The evaluation will require the input of 30 days (estimated) over a period
of 18 April – 27 June 2014, according to the following tentative plan:
1) Preparation: Inception including desk review of essential project
documents 24 Apr 2014
2) Evaluation Mission: National consultations in each country and final
consultation with PSC members during the final PSC meeting 22 May 2014
3) Draft Evaluation Report 9 Jun 2014
4) Final Report 27 Jun 2014
Evaluation deliverables
The evaluation consultant is expected to produce the following
deliverables:
Inception Report: Evaluator provides clarifications on timing and method. No later than 1
week before the evaluation mission. Evaluator submits to UNDP CO (cc to UNDP
RTA and PCU)
Presentation:
Initial Findings. End of evaluation
mission to project management, UNDP CO and UNDP RTA
Draft Final Report: Full report, with annexes within 2 weeks of the evaluation mission to be
sent to CO, reviewed by RTA, CO, PCU, GEF OFPs
Final Report*: Revised report. Within 1 week of receiving comments on draft to be sent
to CO (cc to RTA and PSC members) for uploading to UNDP ERC.
*When submitting the final evaluation report, the evaluator is required to
make an 'audit trail' available upon request, detailing how all received
comments have (and have not) been addressed in the final evaluation report.
Payment modalities and specifications
1) 20% Upon submission of the inception report
2) 30% Following submission and approval of the 1st draft terminal
evaluation report
3) 50% Following submission and approval (UNDP-CO and UNDP RTA) of the
final terminal evaluation report
Education/Experience/Language requirements
The evaluation will be conducted by one (1) international evaluator. The
consultant shall have prior experience in evaluating similar projects. Experiences with GEF financed TDA/ SAP
development projects are an advantage. The evaluator selected should not have
participated in the project preparation and/or implementation and should not have
conflict of interest with project related activities.
The consultant must present the following qualifications:
·
Minimum 10 years of relevant
professional experience is mandatory;
·
Minimum of a Master degree in a
relevant and appropriate field is required, but this can be substituted by a
bachelor’s degree with 5 additional years of relevant professional experience ;
·
Previous experience with results‐based
monitoring and evaluation methodologies, particularly for International Waters
project is mandatory;
·
Knowledge of UNDP, GEF and the
International Waters Portfolio;
·
Technical knowledge in the
targeted focal area(s);
Fluency in English is mandatory;
Contract type, level and duration
Contract type: International Individual Contract Agreement
Contract level: I-ICA 4
Contract duration: 18 April – 27 June 2014,
For more details about the ICA contractual modality, please follow this
link:
Additional Considerations
·
Please note that the closing date
is midnight Copenhagen time (CET)
·
Applications received after the
closing date will not be considered.
·
Only those candidates that are
short-listed for interviews will be notified.
·
Qualified female candidates are
strongly encouraged to apply.
·
For staff positions UNOPS
reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised
level of the post
·
The incumbent is responsible to
abide by security policies, administrative instructions, plans and procedures
of the UN Security Management System and that of UNOPS.
It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential
recruits/interns.
Recruitment/internship in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such
checks.
How to Apply:
If you are qualified and interested in discussing this engagement in more
detail,
please submit your resume in confidence to the website on the link below:
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