BACKGROUND & RATIONALE:

The UNICEF Guinea Bissau Country Programme aims to contribute to the improvement of the equitable access, and coverage to quality of essential social services for Guinea Bissau’s children and their families living in resource limited contexts. UNICEF Guinea Bissau’s financial contributions are done with approximately 20% investments made with UNICEF core resource allocation from headquarters (HQ), and 80% form the contributions of a few donors whose allocations are specifically targeted and whose contributions UNICEF is appreciative of UNICEF Country Office has an obligation to complete an internal and an external end of year progress report which analyzes the overall performance of the country office and examines the contributions made by each of the country programme components. These document annual results, assess the strengths and limitations of the strategic choices and the implementation strategies tested during the year, and permit the sharing of lessons learned and innovations so that they inform future corrective actions and scale-up plans. It also provides the opportunity to analyse the value-addition of the UNICEF’s contribution to the reduction of deprivations among children in line with the UNICEF’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025, the Sustainable Development Goals, and the UNICEF Country Programme Document (CPD).

The annual report is produced based HQ’s Instructions for 2024 Country Office Annual Reports which was issued by the Division of Data Analytics, Planning and Monitoring (DPAM) in September 2024. Inputs recorded on the Results Assessment Module (RAM), the UNICEF’s programme performance management and reporting platform, are concise and results centred narrative reports based on drafts done by the Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PME) Specialist, and Section and Unit Heads for sectoral programmes (Health and Nutrition, WASH, Education, Child Protection, and Social Inclusion), and cross sectoral programs (Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships, Social Behaviour Change Communication. Programme Monitoring and Evaluation, Programme Effectiveness and Operations). The programmes also provide updated data on progress made by programme area through the Country Reporting and Validation Exercise (CRAVE) and Core Standard Indicators (CSI) reports.

This consultancy will therefore support the country office team in editing and finalizing the internal and external versions of the UNICEF Guinea Bissau Country Office Annual Report which are important instruments for accountability and monitoring of ongoing performance and for improving the trust of internal and external stakeholders and thereby strengthen partnerships and expand UNICEF’s alliance building efforts.

METHODOLOGY AND TECHNICAL APPROACH:

The consultant will review the draft Results Assessments Module (RAM) narratives reports developed by programme sections (sectoral and cross-sectoral) and the operations teams. This review will ensure compliance with the HQ guidance, consistency of data in the narrative RAM report with the Core Standard Indicators (CSIs) and RAM indicators report. The review will also ensure that statements are presented in a concise results-centred language that is clear, accessible, and strategic, adhering to the UNICEF style book and WCARO’s quality checklist for COARs.

The consultant will familiarize himself/herself with the UNICEF Strategic Plan 2022-2025, the UNICEF Guinea Bissau CPD, the end year 2022 and 2023 UNICEF Guinea Bissau COAR reports and the related UNICEF West Africa Regional Office (WCARO) feedback, as well as the annual management plan and the annual programme priorities for 2024. This will be further refined in line with the guidance provided by the Representative on the emphasis to put into the 2024 COAR to present programme results and the impact made by UNICEF’s technical and financial investments. The final output of this consultancy will be published report for the country office.

In addition to the documentation, the consultant will develop, in close coordination with the PM&E Specialist and the Deputy Representative Programme /oic, a tightly managed schedule for submission and review processes, which allow time to seek clarifications as and where needed. The consultant will also work closely with the Representative and the heads of units and sections to prioritize narrative, results and lessons learned to be presented in within the word and character limits imposed by the guidelines and the platforms.

The consultant will also maintain a folder with sub-folders by programme and ensure there is a clear system of version control as documents undergoes various iterations of revisions based on feedback from the Representative. The first phase of the consultant will focus on the completion of the internal reports within the stipulated organizational milestones, the second will focus the development of the public annual report complete with infographics, to be done in close collaboration with the Representative, the communication, advocacy and partnerships and the supply teams.

ACTIVITIES AND TASKS:

Revision and Editing of the 2024 RAM Reports:

The RAM Narrative draft and indicator reporting will be developed by the Country Office. The Consultant will conduct a review of the narrative, checking for consistency with reported Core Standard Indicators (CSIs) and RAM indicators, as well as ensuring compliance with reporting guidance. He/she will identify inconsistencies and gaps and will propose improvements to enhance the quality of the reporting, as needed.

Development of the End-Year Summary Narrative (EYSN):

The end-of-year Summary Narrative should be succinct, with emphasis placed on the quality of data. It should be a concise narrative of 2024 programme results and management performance, reflecting cross-cutting analysis of Outcome/Output assessments. It is a 6,000-word analytical document, written primarily for use by both Country and Regional Offices, and to a lesser degree by HQ divisions, for programming, accountability and internal and external advocacy purposes. It consolidates the key strategic results identified in the RAM sectoral outcome reports and consists of the following components:

• Update on the context (1000 words)
  The office provides a concise analytical assessment of the current status of child rights in the country (for Country Offices), region (for Regional Offices), or world (for Headquarters Divisions), specifically referencing the impact and outcome indicators in the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan. The office also examines relevant changes that emerged in the political and socio-economic landscape during the reporting period, which have implications for UNICEF’s programmes and operations and the office’s ability to deliver results at scale for children. The office is encouraged to undertake its reflection on the context through the lens of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs, and the call to “leave no child behind.”
• Major achievements and UNICEF contributions (3000 words)
  This section presents an analysis, focusing on the key results achieved during the year. Rather than encompassing all programme and management results from the year, offices focus on a subset of results that are of strategic relevance for showcasing accountability and supporting UNICEF’s positioning with stakeholders and the wider public. The analysis highlights how the results advanced national priorities (such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework) or regional/global development priorities. Offices provide analysis of the key contributing factors to the results, including but not limited to the UNICEF Strategic Plan’s change strategies and enablers.
• Partnerships (1000 words)
  As outlined in the Strategic Plan, UNICEF places strong emphasis on fostering shared value partnerships with government, civil society, the UN, the private sector, and other stakeholders. These partnerships are central to UNICEF’s ability to mobilize resources and implement successful programmes to influence stakeholders and support the realization of children’s rights. This section provides a concise summary of UNICEF’s endeavours in harnessing partnerships and leveraging resources to benefit children in the country/region/world. Where relevant, highlight how flexible funding (e.g. Regular Resources or thematic funds) facilitated major achievements. In addition to contributions of key government and civil society partnerships, this section highlights engagement with UN collaborative mechanisms, International Financial Institutions, and other joint efforts. Where relevant, highlight how partnerships supported innovation in programming.
• Challenges, Lessons Learned and Future Outlook (1000 words)
  In this section, the office analyzes what worked and didn’t work throughout the year, demonstrating that UNICEF manages adaptively and in an agile manner. The office reflects on lessons learned in achieving or accelerating results at scale, especially for the most marginalized children. The office reflects on the critical challenges and gaps that require innovative approaches and solutions to address effectively. This section concludes by presenting forward-looking statements, including how the office intends to use the insights gained during the year to adjust programme strategies, inform future actions, and explore new opportunities for collaboration.

UNICEF Guinea-Bissau’s 2024 public facing annual report.
1. The public facing annual report of UNICEF Guinea Bissau’s actions in 2024 will be prepared by the consultant based on the internally produced country office annual report (COAR).

2. The drafting of the text and the supervision of the production of the layout and presentation, including infographics by graphic designer services vendor contract by UNICEF, will be done under the supervision of the consultant in line with the guidance provided by the Representative.

3. The consultant needs to ensure that the Summary Narrative is written in a style and content that is appropriate, credible, relevant, and understandable for external audiences and centred on advocacy and partnerships building. The consultant will seek clearance for all sections, images, and infographic presentation to avoid statements that may give rise to reputational risk to UNICEF in the public domain.

EXPECTED DELIVERABLES: The consultant is expected to deliver the following at the end of the assignment. All deliverables will be reviewed and clear by Sr. management.
1. RAM Assessments 2024 for all sections quality assured and cleared.
2. Summary narrative report 2024 developed, quality assured and cleared.
3. Quality external report developed, quality assured and cleared.
To draft the above deliverables, the consultant will spend one month in country to allow close interaction with the sections and Sr. management. The finalization of the deliverables will be take place remotely.