Consultant International Child Protection - for evaluation of 10 years action plan, Kinshasa, DRC

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world's most challenging places, reaching the world's most disadvantaged children, to save their lives, defend their rights, to help them realize their potential.

In 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for all.

And we never give up.

ToR Evaluation Plan Action_English.pdf

How can you make a difference?

Since the signature of the above-mentioned Action Plan, significant progress has been made, as illustrated by the eight reports that the Government of the DRC has submitted to the United Nations, specifically to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

It should be recalled that the implementation of the said Action Plan is ensured by a Joint Technical Working Group between the United Nations Special Task Force for Child Protection (MONUSCO and UNICEF) and the Government of the DRC (JWG). Through the Ministry of National Defense and Veterans Affairs, the Government provides national coordination, while UNICEF and MONUSCO's child protection section provides the technical secretariat.

On the strength of the progress made in the implementation of the Action Plan, the UN Secretary-General had decided, as of October 5, 2017, to remove the FARDC from the list of parties to armed conflict that uses and recruits’ children.

To maintain this commendable progress and sustain the gains of this de-listing, the Government of the DRC and the UN Special Task Force for Child Protection continue the implementation of the 25 activities of the global roadmap of the said action plan since 2012

Thus, interventions continue in provinces affected by armed conflict, through the four pillars: separation and protection, response, prevention, and fight against impunity.

After more than ten years of implementation, although many efforts and progress have been made in the implementation of the action plan, challenges, difficulties, and prospects have also been noted. It is in this context that this evaluation is being conducted to adapt and/or revisit the action plan.

2. General Objective

The evaluation aims to document and analyze the progress, success factors, and sustainability of the action plan to combat the recruitment and use of children and other grave violations of children's rights by the armed forces and security services of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

2.1. Specific Objectives

- Document the progress made in implementing the Action Plan as well as the success factors and challenges from 2012 to 2022 in comparison with the expected objectives

- Document and analyze the strategies and approaches implemented over the past 10 years and their evolution

- Assess the sustainability of the results of the action plan in relation to the cooperation program between the Government of the DRC and the UN Special Team for Child Protection.

- Formulate recommendations for strategic reorientation of the Action Plan's interventions in order to improve the program's effectiveness in the short term and its impact in the long term.

3. Methodology

To ensure impartiality and absence of bias, the methodology will include a cross-section of different sources of information at both the national and provincial levels (e.g., national, and provincial ministry representatives at the technical and policy level, beneficiaries, etc.) and a combination of quantitative, qualitative, and participatory methods to ensure triangulation of information.

The review of programmatic documents will be complemented by field visits, as well as semi-structured interviews with key informants and focus group discussions with all relevant stakeholders.

Stakeholders will participate in the evaluation through focus group discussions, individual interviews, online surveys, consultations, and document reviews.

Based on the collection and analysis of relevant data and information, this evaluation should address two main goals: accountability and organizational learning.

- Accountability: The evaluation will provide evidence of the level of progress achieved in implementing the action plan against the expected results.

- Learning: The evaluation will revisit and strengthen the Government of the DRC's strategies for protecting children from recruitment, use, and abuse and other grave violations of children's rights

4. Scope of the evaluation

Thematic: The evaluation will address the four pillars of intervention as defined in the Action Plan: separation and protection, response, prevention, and fight against impunity

Chronological: The evaluation will cover the ten years of implementation of the Action Plan (2012-2022)

Geographic: The geographic coverage will include the national and provincial levels, namely: North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika

This evaluation will be guided by the five criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability.

The proposed approach includes five steps.

a) Inception phase: The first step in the assessment process will be the development of an inception report and methodological note for the evaluation based on the terms of reference, as well as the interview protocols and guides and other necessary tools, limitations, and risk mitigation measures. Indicators will be developed for each question to inform the answers and determine the corresponding means of verification.

b) Documentary review based on available data. This assessment will be based on documentation from MONUSCO, UNICEF, the Ministry of National Defense and Veterans Affairs, and the GTTC (reports, roadmaps, and other relevant documents).

c) Data Collection Phase: Data collection will include information from individual interviews and/or focus groups with key stakeholders.

d) Data Analysis and Draft Report Writing: Data analysis will progress concurrently with data collection. The final draft report will be reviewed by MONUSCO and UNICEF and then shared with the WGTC coordination before sharing with the national and provincial WGTC.

e) Revise the draft report based on the comments provided and finalize the report and recommendations matrix.

5. Management of evaluation

A Technical Evaluation Committee composed of UNICEF and MONUSCO will oversee the evaluation.

The Evaluation Committee will provide technical and strategic advice and guidance and will be responsible for reviewing and validating the scoping note, evaluation tools, and draft reports. A final validation will be organized with the National Joint Technical Working Group.

The UNICEF office will be responsible for organizing field visits, meetings, consultations, and interviews, providing access to government partners, and operational partners

To qualify as an advocate for each child, you must meet the following requirements :

• Experience working with UNICEF country offices or other UN agencies at the country level is an asset.

• At least five years of progressively responsible professional work experience in CAAC elated programming

• Demonstrated experience in the field of research related to Child Protection in Emergencies, CAAC
• Must demonstrate excellent writing skills.
• Experience in the evaluation of Programmes
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating research teams
• Ability to summarize, analyze and communicate diverse evidence and information from a wide range of sources.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write, in French.
• Ability to communicate effectively to varied audiences and to work effectively in a multicultural environment.
• Strong initiative and self-motivation.

Candidates have to submit their financial proposition (which is inclusive of all fees) and no applications will be reviewed without this

For each child, you must demonstrate...

UNICEF's values of Caring, Respect, Integrity, Trust , Responsibility and Sustainability (CRITAS).

The technical competencies required for this position are:

http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/UNICEF_Competencies.pdf

Remarks

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as all other types of harassment, including sexual harassment and discrimination. Any candidate considered for recruitment will undergo a rigorous reference and background check. UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion in its workforce and encourages all applicants, regardless of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic affiliation, including persons with disabilities, to apply to be part of the organization.

Persons engaged under a consulting or individual contract will not be considered "staff members" within the meaning of the United Nations Staff Regulations and Rules and UNICEF policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to the benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their terms of service will be governed by their contract and by the General Conditions of Contracts for the services of consultants and individual contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax obligations and paying any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

Female applications are strongly encouraged.