Result of Service

Under the direct supervision of SEA circular Project Manager, Industry and Economy Division, Resources and Markets Branch, the consultant is required to conduct: a. Inception Report: containing an assessment of project design quality, a draft reconstructed Theory of Change of the project, project stakeholder analysis, review framework and a tentative review schedule. b. Preliminary Findings Note: typically in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, the sharing of preliminary findings is intended to support the participation of the project team, act as a means to ensure all information sources have been accessed and provide an opportunity to verify emerging findings. c. Draft and Final Review Report: containing an Executive Summary that can act as a stand-alone document; detailed analysis of the review findings organised by review criteria and supported with evidence; lessons learned and recommendations and an annotated ratings table. A Review Brief (a 2-page overview of the evaluated and review findings) for wider dissemination through the UNEP website may be required. This will be discussed with the UNEP Project Manager no later than during the finalization of the Inception Report. Review of the Draft Review Report. The Review Consultant will submit a draft report to the UNEP Project Manager and revise the draft in response to their comments and suggestions. The UNEP Project Manager will then forward the revised draft report to other project stakeholders, for their review and comments. Stakeholders may provide feedback on any errors of fact and may highlight the significance of such errors in any conclusions as well as providing feedback on the proposed recommendations and lessons. Any comments or responses to draft reports will be sent to the UNEP Project Manager for consolidation. The UNEP Project Manager will provide all comments to the Review Consultant for consideration in preparing the final report, along with guidance on areas of contradiction or issues requiring an institutional response. The UNEP Evaluation Office provides templates and tools to support the review process and provides a formal assessment of the quality of the final Terminal Review report, which is provided within this report’s annexed material. In addition, the Evaluation Office formally validates the report by ensuring that the performance judgements made are consistent with evidence presented in the Review report and in-line with the performance standards set out for independent evaluations. As such the project performance ratings presented in the Review report may be adjusted by the Evaluation Office.

Work Location

Home-based

Expected duration

4 months

Duties and Responsibilities

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations system’s designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional levels. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. UNEP’s Industry and Economy Division works with international governments and non-governmental organizations, national and local governments, business and industry to develop and implement policies, strategies, and practices that are cleaner and safer, incorporate environmental costs, use natural resources efficiently, reduce pollution and risks for humans and the environment, and enable the implementation of conventions and international agreements. The UNEP Medium Term Strategy (MTS) 2022-2025 identifies unsustainable consumption and production as the underlying cause of the current three planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. The MTS aims to address those existential threats by working towards climate stability, living in harmony with nature, and towards a pollution-free planet. Under the Chemicals and Pollution Action of the MTS, UNEP is developing and implementing the One Plastics Initiative aiming to trigger a systems’ change to accelerate the transition towards a circular economy of plastics, with concerted actions by key stakeholders across the plastics life cycle, to end plastic pollution. The project “Reducing marine litter by addressing the management of the plastic value chain in South-East Asia” (SEA circular), under the UNEP Plastic Initiative is implemented by the UNEP and the Secretariat of COBSEA, with support from the Government of Sweden. The project runs from August 2018 to December 2024 and aims to reduce marine plastic litter by ensuring that less plastic is wasted in the face of largely inadequate waste management systems in the region. The project leverages the COBSEA intergovernmental mechanism and contributes to achievement of the COBSEA Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter (RAP MALI). Project activities take place in six target countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Viet Nam) with knowledge sharing across all nine COBSEA countries (incl. PR China, Singapore, Republic of Korea) in four output areas: • Output 1: Market-based solutions in the way plastic is managed are promoted and demonstrated, including effective business incentives for reducing single-use and hard-to-recycle plastic and improving recovery and recycling. • Output 2: Strengthening the scientific basis for effective decision-making, by identifying and closing research gaps, and building national capacities to monitor and assess the sources, flow and impacts of marine litter in line with global guidelines and COBSEA regional guidance on harmonized monitoring programmes. • Output 3: Outreach on marine litter and plastic pollution raises awareness to promote behavioural change among consumers and businesses, and to create an enabling space for policy development. • Output 4: Regional networking and leveraging COBSEA regional mechanisms to strengthen regionally coherent national marine litter planning, engage constituencies and facilitate multi-stakeholder knowledge exchange, including coordination with regional frameworks such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Qualifications/special skills

• An advanced university degree in environment/social/natural science, environmental policy, law, political sciences and equivalent academic qualifications, or equivalent work experience. A first-level university degree in combination with qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. • At least 10 years (post-graduate) work experience with international development assistance experience in relevant fields. • Extensive evaluation/technical experience is required, preferably including evaluating large, regional or global programmes and using a Theory of Change approach. • A good/broad understanding of thematic areas such as environment, green economy, resource efficiency and natural resource management is desired. • Process management skills such as facilitation skills and ability to negotiate with a wide range of stakeholders • Working knowledge of the UN system and specifically the work of UNEP is an added advantage. • Experience and knowledge of Asia and the Pacific context is desired. Special skills/knowledge: • Excellent communication and inter-personal skills • Strong team leader/builder • Excellent analytical, evaluation and report-writing skills

Languages

• English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For the position advertised, fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official United Nations language is an advantage.

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.