United Nations Development Programme Lao PDR, Lane Xang Avenue, PO Box 345, Vientiane, Lao PDR 1 Terms of Reference: Capacity Needs Assessment Consultancy International Consultant Joint Project on Prevention and Elimination of Violence Against Women for Mainstreaming Gender into the National Development Agenda in the Lao PDR (Project number: 00124568) Duty Station: Vientiane, Lao PDR, or Home-Based Duration: 6 weeks Start Date: 31 March 2021, or as early as possible End Date: 30 June 2021, or or as early as possible Consultancy Type: International Individual Consultant (IC) Application Deadline: 22 March 2021 1. Background and Context There is growing recognition that gender-based violence (GBV) against women is a serious violation of human rights that must be eliminated from all sections of society. In Lao PDR, GBV against women can be a by-product of, among other things, traditional beliefs and discriminatory customs related to gender roles. And without a strong rule of law and governance mechanisms to prevent GBV and provide remedies for victims and survivors of GBV, the elimination of GBV cannot be achieved. Since ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1981, Lao PDR has been politically committed to eliminating GBV and recognizes that its elimination is critical to protecting the rights of persons in Lao PDR and achieving sustainable development. Nevertheless, there is a need to review and ensure that GBV against women is mainstreamed in the Government’s planning and policy. To achieve this, the Joint Project on Prevention and Elimination of Violence Against Women for Mainstreaming Gender into the National Development Agenda in the Lao PDR will see UNFPA providing technical assistance to Lao Women’s Union (LWU) in formulating the next phase 5-year National Strategic Plans on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW, 2021-2025) and Gender Equality (2021-2025) (Sub-output 1) and the associated monitoring and evaluation plans (Sub-output 2). In parallel, UNDP will provide support to LWU to strengthen the governance framework and promote women’s participation for the elimination of GBV (Sub-output 3). UNDP and UNFPA will utilize the Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence (henceforth referred to as “ESP”) to strengthen the health, social, justice and policing sectors in order to
13
Embed
Terms of Reference: Capacity Needs Assessment Consultancy ...
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
United Nations Development Programme Lao PDR, Lane Xang Avenue, PO Box 345, Vientiane, Lao PDR 1
Terms of Reference: Capacity Needs Assessment Consultancy
International Consultant
Joint Project on Prevention and Elimination of Violence Against Women for Mainstreaming Gender into the National Development Agenda in the Lao PDR
(Project number: 00124568)
Duty Station: Vientiane, Lao PDR, or Home-Based
Duration: 6 weeks
Start Date: 31 March 2021, or as early as possible
End Date: 30 June 2021, or or as early as possible
Consultancy Type: International Individual Consultant (IC)
Application Deadline: 22 March 2021
1. Background and Context
There is growing recognition that gender-based violence (GBV) against women is a serious violation of human rights that must be eliminated from all sections of society. In Lao PDR, GBV against women can be a by-product of, among other things, traditional beliefs and discriminatory customs related to gender roles. And without a strong rule of law and governance mechanisms to prevent GBV and provide remedies for victims and survivors of GBV, the elimination of GBV cannot be achieved.
Since ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1981, Lao PDR has been politically committed to eliminating GBV and recognizes that its elimination is critical to protecting the rights of persons in Lao PDR and achieving sustainable development. Nevertheless, there is a need to review and ensure that GBV against women is mainstreamed in the Government’s planning and policy.
To achieve this, the Joint Project on Prevention and Elimination of Violence Against Women for Mainstreaming Gender into the National Development Agenda in the Lao PDR will see UNFPA providing technical assistance to Lao Women’s Union (LWU) in formulating the next phase 5-year National Strategic Plans on the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW, 2021-2025) and Gender Equality (2021-2025) (Sub-output 1) and the associated monitoring and evaluation plans (Sub-output 2). In parallel, UNDP will provide support to LWU to strengthen the governance framework and promote women’s participation for the elimination of GBV (Sub-output 3).
UNDP and UNFPA will utilize the Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence (henceforth referred to as “ESP”) to strengthen the health, social, justice and policing sectors in order to
United Nations Development Programme Lao PDR, Lane Xang Avenue, PO Box 345, Vientiane, Lao PDR 2
achieve the sub-outputs outlined above. While the purpose of this consultancy will be to assess the gaps in the justice and policing sectors within the Lao PDR based on the guidance provided by the ESP, it should be kept in mind that all four elements of the ESP are interrelated and should feed into each other.
2. Scope and Objectives
The overall objective of the Capacity Needs Assessment (CNA) will be to identify the gaps in capacity of justice service providers in relation to services for victims and survivors of GBV based on Justice and Policing Essential Services and Essential Actions for Coordination and Governance of Coordination, Modules 3 and 5 of the ESP, and other relevant international standards and guidances.
The objectives of the consultancy are to:
• Undertake a capacity needs assessment through a preliminary desk review and in-depth interviews in parallel to the guidance provided by the ESP and other international good practice in order to identify gaps in the justice and policing sectors in providing services to GBV victims and survivors.
• Develop a capacity baseline of justice service providers and identify capacity indicators to track project achievement.
• Develop a set of recommendations to partners including the Sector Working Group Secretariat on how to address the gaps identified in the capacity needs assessment.
The consultant will be expected to utilize UNDP’s Capacity Assessment Framework to identify gaps and provide capacity development plans for addressing those gaps. The CNA should make reference to international practices, standards and norms for gender mainstreaming in the national development agenda.
3. UNDP Capacity Development Considerations
The current UNDP assumption is that developing countries should own, design, direct, implement and sustain the process themselves. Therefore, capacity development should focus on empowering and strengthening endogenous capabilities.
4. UNDP Integrated Capacity Development Model
The consultant should follow UNDP’s Capacity Assessment Framework, keeping in mind the three following dimensions:
Three entry points/levels where capacity is grown and developed:
1) The Enabling Environment Level: Referring to the broad social system within which people and organizations function, including all the rules, laws policies, power relations and social norms governing civic engagement, this is central to understanding capacity issues.
2) The Organizational Level: Internal structure, policies and procedures determining an organization’s effectiveness.
3) The Individual Level: While this refers to the individual skills, experience and knowledge that allow a person to perform, access to resources and experiences are largely shaped by the organizational and environmental levels.
United Nations Development Programme Lao PDR, Lane Xang Avenue, PO Box 345, Vientiane, Lao PDR 3
Four core issues that have the greatest influence on capacity development on levels mentioned above:
1) Institutional Arrangements: Policies, practices and systems allowing for the effective functioning of an organization or group.
2) Leadership: Present in all three levels, leadership is the ability to influence, inspire and motivate.
3) Knowledge: Underpins individuals’ capacity. While traditionally seen to be fostered at the individual level (e.g. education), knowledge can also be created and shared within an organization (e.g. on-the-job training) or supported through an enabling environment (e.g. effective educational systems and policies).
4) Accountability: Willingness and abilities of public institutions to put in place systems and mechanisms to monitor, learn, self-regulate and adjust their behaviour, providing legitimacy to decision-making and increasing transparency and responsiveness.
Key functional and technical capacities that should be assessed: (1) Stakeholder engagement; (2) Accurate assessment of capacity and needs, (3) Capacity development response formulation; (4) Implemention of response; and (5) Evaluation.
5. UNDP Capacity Needs Assessment Approach
The UNDP CNA approach consists of identifying the capacity gaps based on an assessment of existing and future capacity, and then developing strategies on how to fill these gaps. During the CNA, the baseline should be established along with clear indicators to measure progress to achieving the anticipated development and/or organizational objectives.
The findings of the CNA should then serve as the starting point to formulate the capacity development response which should consist of actions to address the four core issues mentioned above. (See Annex A for a detailed description of Capacity Development Core Issues and Action Areas).
6. CNA Methodology
The consultant should adopt the Integrated Model (outlined in Section 4) of the UNDP Capacity Assessment Framework, through a desk review of relevant documents, in-depth interviews and any other methodologies considered appropriate for achieving the objectives.
The CNA evaluation should address the following questions among others:
• Relevance o To what extent is the ESP guidelines, specifically on justice and policing, aligned with the
Government’s strategies on national development needs and priorities, international obligations and others?
o How can the ESP be adapted to better align with the context of the Lao PDR and the needs of beneficiaries?
• Effectiveness o To what extent will the ESP guidelines contribute to the objective of Sub-output 3; to
strengthen the governance framework and promote women’s participation?
• Efficiency o What is the most efficient way for capacity development of different sectors be integrated
to meet the needs and requirements of the national development agenda of the Lao PDR? o Is the funding strategy sufficient to achieve the intended outcomes?
United Nations Development Programme Lao PDR, Lane Xang Avenue, PO Box 345, Vientiane, Lao PDR 4
• Partnership and Coordination o How appropriate and effective is the partnership strategy? What factors contribute to its
effectiveness or ineffectiveness? o What coordination procedures can be put in place to facilitate operations?
• Sustainability o How best can UNDP support the development of national and local capacity in order to
ensure sustainability, even after external donor funding ceases? o What can be done to maximize sustainable outcomes?
• Monitoring and Evaluation and Risk Management o How can the effectiveness of the platform be monitored and evaluated?
7. CNA Deliverables
The consultant(s) will be expected to deliver the following (see Annex B for detailed CNA schedule and Annex C for Gantt chart):
Deliverable Description
CNA Inception Report (Phase 1)
The inception report should be drafted following a desk review and finalization of the CNA methodology. It will detail the approach and methodology to be followed when carrying out the capacity assessment and when drafting the final proposal and TOR for the platform.
10%
CNA Outline (Phase 1)
Outline of relevant sections and contents of the CNA Report. 10%
CNA Draft Report (Phase 2)
Following consultations and in-depth interviews with stakeholders, the draft evaluation report should summarize the results of the CNA, including a summary of the activities undertaken, the initial findings and analysis and the capacity development plan to be followed. The capacity development plan should be impact-oriented, identifying the areas where capacity is low but where improved, will have a higher impact based on the needs of the users. A baseline study should also be included for clear measurement of progress. This draft will be submitted to UNDP, LWU, NCAWMC and other relevant stakeholders for review and feedback.
50%
CNA Final Report (Phase 3)
The final evaluation report will be finalized based on feedback on the draft evaluation report and will be submitted to UNDP and LWU. This phase also includes a seminar to present the findings and plan for capacity development as well as a training session.
30%
8. Team Composition and Required Competencies
The CNA will be conducted by a team consisting of one International and one National Consultant who will work closely together to conduct the CNA. Justice service providers and relevant stakeholders such as government, CSOs and development partners will be interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of the
United Nations Development Programme Lao PDR, Lane Xang Avenue, PO Box 345, Vientiane, Lao PDR 5
situation on the ground. The final evaluation report should include a capacity baseline which will be the basis for the capacity building plan and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework.
The International Consultant will provide overall quality control and review of alignment of CNA with the ESP and relevant international standards and guidance, working closely with the National Consultant who will provide technical inputs and knowledge on the local context. The team will be responsible for delivering a seminar to present the findings and a training session to LWU, the National Commission for the Advancement of Women, Mothers and Children (NCAWMC) and any other relevant stakeholders.
8.1 International Capacity Development Expert
The International Capacity Development Expert is required to have the following education background as well as professional and technical qualifications:
Required Qualifications
• Master’s degree or equivalent in law, preferably with a specialization in VAW and/or GBV or similar;
• Ten years’ experience working with programmatic CNAs, including for developing national institutions;
• Experience working in gender equality and women’s empowerment, preferably on VAW and/or GBV
• Demonstrable understanding of capacity needs assessments, strategic planning and institutional development within a post-conflict environment and/or developing country.
• Knowledge of the UNDP Capacity Development Model is an asset;
• Strong reporting and analytical skills;
• Knowledge and understanding of the Essential Services Package is an asset;
• Fluency in English, both written and verbal. Knowledge of Lao is an asset;
• Experience working in Lao PDR is an asset.
Responsibilities
• Provide an introduction and briefing to the National Consultant on ESP and to design the evaluation strategy, define evaluation questions, methodology and workplan;
• Conduct in-depth desk review of the relevant laws and national action plans such as the Law on Preventing and Combatting Violence against Women and Children, Second Five Year National Action Plan on Combating Violence against Women, Law on Development and Protection of Women, Fourth Five Year National Plan of Action on Gender Equality and the Civil and Penal Codes utilizing Modules 3 and 5 of the Essential Services Package and relevant international standards and norms to identify inconsistencies and gaps;
• Provide feedback and iterative reviews to the National Consultant as they interview justice service providers as well as relevant stakeholders such as CSOs, development partners;
• Following the ESP, identify the capacity baseline to design a capacity building plan as well as a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation framework;
• Ensure that an impact-oriented approach is taken when designing the capacity development plan, identifying key areas of low capacity where the greatest impact will be achieved based on the needs of the users;
• Identify threats and opportunities to implement an effective governance mechanism and policy framework and areas for cooperation with UNFPA, LWU and NCAWMC to implement the ESP in a coordinated manner;
United Nations Development Programme Lao PDR, Lane Xang Avenue, PO Box 345, Vientiane, Lao PDR 6
• Work closely with the National Consultant to prepare and deliver presentations of findings in seminar and training session.
9. CNA Follow-up Action and Management Response
The UNDP Evaluation Policy, approved by its Executive Board in 2009, requires all independent evaluations to have a management response which should be prepared according to the recommendations and follow up action points detailed in the Policy by UNDP Lao Country Office management in consultation with the Government of Lao PDR. This plan should clearly assign the party responsible for each follow-up activity, as well as detailing the timeframe (by quarter) in which activities should be completed in order to allow for clear progress tracking.
10. CNA Implementation Roles and Responsibilities
The following table outlines the key roles and responsibilities for the CNA process:
Person/ Organization
Roles and Responsibilities
Commissioner of the Evaluation: UNDP Deputy Resident Representative
• Determine scope of CNA in consultation with key partners
• Provide clear advice to the Evaluation Manager on how the findings will be used
• Respond to CNA by preparing a management response and use the findings as appropriate
• Safeguard the independence of the exercise.
• Allocate adequate funding and human resources
Evaluation Manager: Governance Unit Head, UNDP
• Lead the development of the CNA TOR
• Manage the selection and recruitment of the CNA Team
• Manage the contractual arrangements, the budget and the personnel involved in the CNA
• Provide facilitation and coordination support to the CNA Team
• Provide the CNA Team with administrative support and required data
• Connect the CNA Team with the wider programme unit, senior management and key evaluation stakeholders and ensure a fully inclusive and transparent approach to the evaluation
• Review the inception report and draft evaluation report, and ensure the final draft meets quality standards
Evaluation Stakeholders: LWU, NCAWMC
• Assist in collecting the required data
• Engage in interviews and group meetings
• Support and cooperation
• Review the draft evaluation report for accuracy and factual errors
CNA Team
• Fulfill the contractual arrangements in line with the UNEG norms, standards and ethical guidelines; this includes developing an evaluation matrix as part of the inception report, drafting reports, and briefing the Commissioner, Evaluation Manager and stakeholders on the progress and key findings and recommendations as needed
11. Time Frame for the CNA
The CNA evaluation should be completed by Q2 2021.
United Nations Development Programme Lao PDR, Lane Xang Avenue, PO Box 345, Vientiane, Lao PDR 7
12. Proposal Evaluation
The evaluation of proposals will be based on a cumulative analysis methodology (see Annex D for Evaluation of Proposal Criteria) and will be undertaken in accordance with the UNEG Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation.
UNDP Lao PDR will respond in writing by standard electronic mail and will send written copies of the response, including an explanation of the query without identifying the source of inquiry, to all consultants.
Please note that only short-listed candidates will be notified. Qualified female candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. For more detailed information about UNDP Lao PDR please visit our website at https://www.la.undp.org/content/lao_pdr/en/home/