Result of Service

Deliverables and estimated time per deliverable produced by the consultant will include: Output 1: An analytical report no longer than 30 pages on civil society actors’ perception of and experience with UNAMA Estimated time: 12 working days Output 2: Interviews with civil society actors (including notetaking) Estimated time: 6 working days Output 3: Advice on and review of evaluation outputs, including theory of change, methodology, Afghan-women-friendly data collection activities, and preliminary results Estimate time: 1 working day Output 4: Attendance in team discussions, including for any clarification on the analysis conducted and reports submitted Estimated time: 1 working day Total working days: 20 Note: Detailed aspects of the deliverables will be finalised with the selected consultant later. Standards of Conduct: All data collected during this consultancy is strictly confidential and should be treated as such by the Consultant. In accordance with ST/AI/1999/7, section 5.6, the Consultant shall exercise the utmost discretion in all matters relating to the performance of his/her functions. Unless otherwise authorised by the Director of OIOS-IED, namely Mr. (Eddie) Yee Woo Guo, the Consultant may not communicate at any time to the media or any institution, person, Government, or other external authority any information that has not been made public and which has become known to them by reason of their association with the United Nations. Consultants may not use such information without the explicit written authorisation of the Organization.

Work Location

Home-based remote working arrangement.

Expected duration

The overall duration of the consultancy will be from 10 September to 31 October 2024 and entail a total of 20 working days during this period, with the possibility of extension subject to the requirements of the evaluation, satisfactory performance of the consultant, and availability of funds. As per ST/AI/2013/4 the consultant should not commence work until the relevant individual contract has been duly approved, signed by both parties and returned to the responsible department, office or mission, together with the required documents and certifications as stipulated in annex II to ST/AI/2013/4. Should the start of the consultancy be delayed due to administrative procedures and the consultancy start after the indicated start date, only actual days worked will be remunerated. The consultant will report to the project leader of the evaluation, under the overall supervision of the Chief of the Evaluation Section.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Inspection and Evaluation Division (IED) of the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) is undertaking an evaluation of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The overall objective of this evaluation to determine, as systematically and objectively as possible, the relevance, coherence, and effectiveness of the mandate implementation by UNAMA through political engagement, the support provided for humanitarian assistance and basic human needs and reporting on the human rights situation. The frame of reference for this evaluation is in accordance with General Assembly resolution 48/218B of 29 July 1994, which established OIOS and, in paragraph 5 C (iii), mandated inspection and evaluation as distinct oversight functions. Further provisions on OIOS are contained in General Assembly resolutions 54/244 of 23 December 1999 and 59/272 of 23 December 2004. The objective of IED evaluations is to determine, as systematically and objectively as possible, the Secretariat programmes’ relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and impact. OIOS undertakes evaluations that involve, as part of its methodology, the collection, compilation, analysis, and presentation of data from a variety of sources. The incumbent will work under the overall guidance of the Chief of Section and the direct supervision of the Project Leader responsible for the evaluation of UNAMA. OIOS-IED will engage the consultant at the data collection and analysis phase of the evaluation for a 20-day contract, spread over from 10 September to 31 October 2024. Under the supervision and guidance of the project leader, the consultant will serve as a member of the evaluation team. The consultant will be responsible for the following duties in relation to the mandate of UNAMA. a. Collect and analyse primarily qualitative data pertaining to civil society actors in Afghanistan (including marginalised sections of the society – women, children, persons with disabilities – and religious and ethnic minorities, among others) and produce detailed reports (duly disaggregated with geographic, gender, type, age, etc.). The consultant will prepare a data collection plan and finalise in consultation with the project leader. b. Conduct key informant interviews and focus group discussions of civil society actors (independently and as part of the evaluation team) and submit interview transcripts. The interviews will be facilitated by OIOS. c. Research and analyse the experiences and perspectives of civil society actors inside and outside of Afghanistan from all data sources. d. Keep the project leader and the evaluation team informed through regular engagements including through emails and briefings. e. Maintain a research and engagement log with all relevant details. f. Provide other advisory feedback on the subject matter.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Law, Business Administration, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Programme Evaluation, International Affairs, Economics, International Development or a related field is required. A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in the field of evaluation, data analysis, political science, or related field is required. Cultural awareness in conducting qualitative data collection in gender-sensitive contexts is required. Knowledge of the current situation in Afghanistan is required. Experience in presenting and communicating complex evaluation or research results in a structured manner (in reports, briefings, presentations, etc.) is required. Subject matter expertise and/or experience in evaluating the one or more following areas of United Nations work in conflict and post-conflict settings: political affairs, human rights monitoring and reporting, and humanitarian assistance is desirable. Knowledge and experience of the UN system and in particular of special political missions is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations. For this assignment, fluency in written and spoken English is required. The ability to fluently converse in Pashto and Dari is desirable.

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.