International Consultant P4 for a decentralized evaluation of the Human Rights, Conflict Resolution, and Tolerance (HRCRT) Education Programme implemented by UNRWA

Result of Service 1- Satisfactory submission of final inception report by the and its acceptance by UNRWA 2- Satisfactory submission of draft report 3- Satisfactory submission of final report and its acceptance by UNRWA, including of satisfactory completion of all project deliverables

Work Location Home based

Expected duration 60 Days during the period from June 2023 to 31 December 2023

Duties and Responsibilities 1. UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5.8 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is the largest UN operation in the Middle East with more than 30,000 staff. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

A. BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT

2. UNRWA provides free basic education to approximately 545,000 Palestine refugee children, through its 702 schools distributed across the Agency’s five Fields of operation. In addition, technical vocational training and higher education is provided at eight Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) for approximately 8,000 Palestine refugees in all Fields and for about 2,000 students in two Educational Science Faculties (teacher training institutes); one in the West Bank and one in Jordan.

3. In addition to teaching the host country curriculum, UNRWA works to enrich it through the delivery of human rights education. The Agency’s Human Rights, Conflict Resolution, and Tolerance (HRCRT) Education Programme has its origins in a 1999 pilot project in Gaza and the West Bank. This pilot project sought to develop students’ abilities to manage and resolve conflicts amongst peers and in school settings in effective, non-violent and non-adversarial manners, and to understand the broader significance of these behaviours. In four of the five UNRWA Fields, HRCRT concepts were initially taught through the use of enrichment materials. In Gaza Field, the programme was further expanded through a stand-alone human rights curriculum in 2008.

4. In 2009, the findings of the independent UNRWA Universalia Education programme review highlighted the need for a unified approach to HRCRT across all five Fields of operation. In response to this need, and in line with the Agency-wide Education Reform (2011-2015), with the support of the U.S. Bureau of Population Refugees and Migration (PRM), UNRWA began a process to review its HRCRT programme to further strengthen it towards Agency-wide coherence in its approach.

5. In line with the UNRWA Education Reform, an HRCRT Policy was developed and formally adopted by the Agency in May 2012. The HRCRT Policy articulates a clear, common understanding of human rights education in all Fields underpinned by key principles and values that inform all HRCRT strategies, activities, and results. This common set of human rights principles and values derives from international human rights instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

6. Key to the strengthening of the HRCRT Programme was also a review by UNRWA education staff and external stakeholders in 2012, of existing UNRWA HRCRT materials. This review found that the materials were not harmonised across the Fields and did not reflect current international best practices in teaching human rights. The education staff concluded that the effective implementation of the HRCRT Policy could not be achieved with the existing materials. It was agreed that the teachers needed a practical resource, a Toolkit, to implement the HRCRT Policy.

7. To this end and with the continuous support of PRM, the HRCRT Teacher Toolkit was developed for UNRWA teachers in 2013. It is a user-friendly guide on teaching human rights in all grades and in all subjects, providing teachers with the tools they need to teach human rights in line with the Policy. The Toolkit is fully in line with the Education Reform and enables teachers and students to closely match the “theory” of human rights with practical skills, values, and attitudes that reflect human rights. It describes how to create and sustain a rights-based environment through the teaching and learning of human rights for all UNRWA students.

8. The Toolkit also serves as a reference for school management and Education Specialists. For school management, the Toolkit is a useful guide as to how the overall school environment can reflect human rights principles. For Education Specialists, the Toolkit is a key reference in supporting teachers to enhance their teaching practices that reflect human rights principles.

9. Following the development of the Toolkit, a training strategy and training guidelines were developed to meet the needs of all Fields in the effective implementation of the HRCRT Toolkit. By the end 2015, nearly 18,700 teachers, School Principals and Educational Specialists received HRCRT training. This figure is the cumulative number of trainees reached by 2015. In the following year, ‘top-up’ training was provided in every school to further embed the principles and practices of HRCRT.

10. During the 2015/2016 school year, and as per the recommendations of the Agency wide reform, a new layer of the Field-based teacher professional support structure was added to the Education Department structure as a result of implementing the Teacher Policy. This layer represented the Strategic Support Units: the Quality Assurance Unit (QAU), the Assessment Unit (AU), and the Professional Development and Curriculum Unit (PDCU). Although the creation of these Units was not directly linked to the HRCRT programme, empowering staff members in these Units was essential to the Education Department. Between 2016 and 2018, Strategic Support Unit Coordinators in all Fields received HRCRT training, which aims at building their capacities in training newly-appointed Education Specialists and supporting them in the implementation of the HRCRT Programme.

11. As part of its HRCRT Programme, UNRWA has elected School Parliaments since 2001. Every year, UNRWA schools hold elections to form the School Parliaments; the elected students are tasked with representing all students and supporting their local communities. While the HRCRT Toolkit provides a range of participatory teaching methods and activities to realise the HRCRT educational approach, School Parliaments play a fundamental role in supporting students to practice their rights and actively participate in school decisions that can impact on their lives. In addition to the Student Parliaments at the school-level, there are Student Parliaments at the Area, Field and Agency-wide levels. For all these levels, technical guidance has been developed by HQ(A) in the form of reference guides.

12. The community plays a key role in shaping the attitudes and values of children and thus in developing the HRCRT learner competencies. Therefore, increasing human rights community awareness and education is an important step towards strengthening a culture of these principles even beyond UNRWA schools.: Agency activities at the community level include: - Human Rights Day celebrations: Since 2014, all UNRWA schools have been actively celebrating this day on 10 December as a means to reach out to communities and promote a culture of human rights. - ‘Standing together to Stop Bullying’ day: Since 2019, UNRWA schools have been conducting this day on 21 February, to raise students’ awareness on the issue of bullying and ways to address it. Parents and the local community are also involved and receive information on how to identify bullying practices and provide support to their children in case bullying incidents take place. - HRCRT animated videos aim to raise awareness about human rights and the Agency’s HRCRT programme within communities in all Fields by demonstrating the value and relevance of human rights education for students in UNRWA schools. The videos are screened on the UNRWA YouTube channel.

13. Student Parliaments and Committees in Vocational Training Centers (VTCs) and Educational Science Faculties (ESF) have been supported through small fund provision to support the implementation of HRCRT-related activities. Recently, the HRCRT Programme developed a short, animated video targeting all UNRWA VTC students to raise their awareness, particularly new students on their rights and responsibilities within VTCs and at work, with some focus on addressing issues such as bullying, cyberbullying and gender inequality, and ensure that VTC students are aware of the protection channels within VTCs.

B. RATIONALE, PURPOSE, OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF THE EVALUATION RATIONALE

14. The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) of the United States Government, the principal donor to the HRCRT Programme, has requested the UNRWA Department of Education to conduct an independent programmatic evaluation of the HRCRT Programme for accountability, effectiveness, and learning purposes. This will be the first evaluation of the HRCRT Programme following the Education Reform and the adoption of the HRCRT Policy, and the harmonisation of the HRCRT Programme across all Fields.

PURPOSE

15. In accordance with the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation (2016), the evaluation will serve a dual purpose of accountability and learning. It should support accountability towards the Programme’s beneficiaries and its donor by assessing its effectiveness, including confirming what outcomes the Programme has contributed to and how so. The evaluation should also identify good practices, challenges and lessons learnt in the implementation of the Programme in order to address gaps and inform future HRCRT programming.

OBJECTIVE

16. As per standard Department of Internal Oversight Services (DIOS) practice, the evaluation should be guided by The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) (OECD-DAC) evaluation criteria, and determine, as systematically and objectively as possible, the relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, and the sustainability of results of the HRCRT Programme.

SCOPE

17. The scope will cover all aspects of HRCRT programming in all five fields of operation over the ten-year period since the adoption of the HRCRT Policy from May 2012 until May 2023, with a focus on activities over the last five years. The timeframe will allow the evaluation to assess how the HRCRT policy adoption, the Toolkit and other subsequent developments have separately and collectively impacted the programme.

C. KEY EVALUATION QUESTIONS

18. The evaluation is expected to fully integrate dimensions of youth engagement and empowerment, gender equality, human rights and disability inclusion into its design, analysis and reporting, giving attention to humanitarian principles, protection and accountability to affected populations.

19. Following a stakeholder consultation and a preliminary desk review, it is expected that the consultant contracted to conduct the evaluation will refine the evaluation questions, develop the evaluation sub-questions, and provide specific information on the evaluation design and methodology, data collection techniques, and tools in an inception report. Methodologically, the evaluation should draw on a theory of change approach considering the main assumptions underpinning the HRCRT Programme.

20. Within this context, the evaluation should focus on the following key questions:

A. Relevance and Coherence

i. To what extent are the objectives of the HRCRT Programme still valid ? ii. To what extent are the activities and outputs of the HRCRT Programme consistent with the overall goal and the attainment of its objectives? iii. To what extent have HRCRT Programme activities aligned with relevant UNRWA strategic frameworks and policies, including Education Reform Strategy, HRCRT Policy and Agency approaches for child protection and disability inclusion?

B. Effectiveness and impact

i. To what extent have Programme objectives been achieved and what factors have supported or hindered results? ii. Were there any differences in the achievement of outcomes observed, considering location, gender and vulnerability dimensions? Were any unintended effects – positive or negative observed? iii. How well are HRCRT monitoring systems tracking compliance, measuring results and informing programme improvement?

C. Efficiency

i. Were Programme resources expended in a timely and cost-efficient way and what factors influenced the efficiency of resource utilization? ii. Has monitoring data and stakeholder feedback supported a result-based approach to the management of the Programme? iii. Was the programme implemented in the most efficient way compared to alternatives?

D. Sustainability

i. What long-term results has the programme contributed to and to what extent are they sustainable?

D. METHODOLOGY

21. The overall approach to the evaluation should be rigorous, transparent, and consultative. The evaluation should adopt a mixed methods approach to answer the final research questions and include both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to facilitate the triangulation of information and provide credible answers to all research questions.

22. The specific tools and data sources should be mapped out by the evaluation team within a final evaluation framework in congruence with the roles and responsibilities outlined in Section G. The analysis and the presentation of data and information will, to the extent possible, be gender disaggregated and take into consideration the needs of vulnerable groups.

23. To strengthen transparency and stakeholder consultation throughout the evaluation process, an Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) will be established including representatives of key internal and external stakeholders. The ERG will be consulted on i) the evaluation design in order to enhance its relevance; ii) the preliminary findings to enhance their validity; iii) the recommendations to enhance their feasibility, acceptability and ownership; and iv) at any point during the evaluation process when needed.

E. PHASES, TIMELINES AND DELIVERABLES

24. It is expected that the final evaluation exercise will be completed in three broad phases as described below: - Planning/inception: The inception phase will primarily comprise desk research and briefings and interviews with the key stakeholders and programme beneficiaries. A brief inception report that demonstrates an understanding of the assignment should be developed. It should present refined evaluation questions and sub-questions and provide specific information on the evaluation design, methodology, data collection techniques, and tools in an evaluation matrix. - Data collection and analysis: Data will be collected via remote basis for three fields, the other two fields would depend on the residence of the consultant. If the consultant resides in one of UNRWA’s Field of operations, data collection in that Field can take place in person, and one more field would be selected for face-to-face activity, with UNRWA covering the cost of transportation. - Reporting: Following the preparation of a draft report an internal review process, the team will present the findings, conclusions, and draft recommendations to the Evaluation Reference Group (ERG). The ERG will provide feedback and comments to an advanced draft report which will be taken into consideration in the preparation of the final report. A comment tracker sheet to record and address the comments should be used. A revised report with final recommendations and conclusions will be submitted to UNRWA for approval. The final report with the management response will be published on UNRWA’s website.

Calendar of Activities: ACTIVITIES: Initial desk review, stakeholder consultations and refinement of evaluation approach and methods. Expected submission date: 31st July 2023 DELIVERABLE: Satisfactory submission of: i. Final Terms of Reference (ToR) ii. Inception report including the evaluation matrix, theory of change and data collection tools (interview and focus group discussion guides). Duration (days) 10 days (2 calendar weeks’ time)

ACTIVITIES: Data Collection and Analysis Stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions informed through interview and focus group discussion guides. Duration (days) 15 days Data analysis and preparation of draft report Duration (days) 15 days Expected submission date: 31 October 2023

DELIVERABLE Presentation of the initial findings

Reporting ACTIVITIES: Presentation of initial findings and submission of draft report. Duration (days) 10 days Addressing UNRWA feedback and finalisation of the evaluation report. Duration (days) 10 days Expected submission date: 10 December 2023

DELIVERABLE Draft evaluation report for UNRWA comments Final evaluation report

Tentative Travel Plan :

Activities Stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions informed through interview and focus group discussion guides. Proposed duration of the travel: 5 working days Tentative Time: 10 October 2023 Field: Lebanon Field Office

Activities Stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions informed through interview and focus group discussion guides. Proposed duration of the travel: 5 working days Tentative Time: 15 October 2023 Field: West Bank Field Office

F. ARRANGEMENTS FOR MANAGING THE EVALUATION

25. The evaluation will be managed by the Chief Teaching and Learning Division in the Education Department of UNRWA HQA, with quality assurance support from the Evaluation Division of the Department of Internal Oversight Services (DIOS).

26. The consultant will report to the Chief Teaching and Learning Division in UNRWA, who will serve as the first point of contact for a review of the outputs. The Evaluation Manager will provide all documents, information, and logistical support required to the consultant, facilitate access to staff, organize meetings/interviews with relevant UNRWA staff and beneficiaries, and will liaise regularly on the progress of the evaluation with internal UNRWA management.

27. An evaluation reference group (ERG), consisting of relevant internal and external project stakeholders (representatives from the Department of Education (Director or Deputy Director of Education, Head Research and The Education Management Information System (EMIS) Unit, the evaluation manager, a representative from donor relations, a representative from the Field, DIOS, and PRM Bureau/US Government), will be established to provide technical inputs and guidance to the different phases of the evaluation. DIOS will provide technical backstopping throughout the process.

28. The consultant is expected to undertake the evaluation in consultation with UNRWA, in full accordance with the terms of references outlined herewith, and in full compliance with the norms and standards for evaluation in the UN System issued by the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG), and the UNRWA Standards and Procedures for Quality Assurance in Evaluation. The Evaluation Manager and DIOS will apply these guidelines to quality review the inception report and the draft evaluation report.

G. DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CONSULTANT

29. The UNRWA Education Department is seeking to contract an external consultant to conduct the programme evaluation described above. The consultant will be involved in the planning, conduct and reporting phases of the assessment

30. The consultant’s duties include, but may not be limited to, the following: - Desk review of HRCRT material: The consultant will review all relevant background information, including but not limited to the HRCRT Policy, HRCRT Toolkit, Student Parliament Guides, Peer Mediation Guide, School Parliament good practices , Peaceful Conflict Resolution guide (PCR - English - Final.pdf), the different HRCRT training material, and relevant previous evaluations and studies, for instance, relevant findings from:

o The UNRWA Perceptional Survey 2013, and 2016, here UNRWA collected responses from students, teachers, School Principals and parents on indicators related to HRCRT. Findings from the 2013 Perceptional Survey were made public and can be found here. o The ‘Survey of Associated Factors’ (SAF) – April 2022, which is an updated version of the Perceptional Survey. Findings from SAF will be finalised by the end of 2022. o An evaluation study on the impact of HRCRT projects on students in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria Fields that was conducted between 2004-2005. Data for this study was collected through questionnaire for students. o The independent UNRWA Universalia Education programme review conducted in 2009. Findings were made public.

- Interviews: The consultant will conduct interviews and focus group discussions (FGD) with UNRWA students (current and former), student parliamentarians (current and former), and education staff; teachers, School Principals, Education Specialists, SSU Coordinators, HRCRT focal points, Chiefs of Education Programme and other concerned colleagues in the Field Offices and UNRWA HQ(A). The consultant are expected to consolidate, interpret and analyse the qualitative data collected from the interviews. Considering that UNRWA operates in 5 different locations (Fields), the minimum number of interviews/meetings/FDGs that will be delivered by the consultant is not less than 40; targeting students and staff at the different levels as mentioned above. Meetings are to be conducted virtually.

- Final evaluation report and recommendations: The consultant will analyse the results of the HRCRT Programme to date and provide a full report of the evaluation including recommendations to enhance the future planning of the HRCRT Programme.

Qualifications/special skills- An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent) from an accredited educational institution in education, evaluation, social sciences or another field of relevance. - A minimum of 8 years of experience in the conduct of evaluations, including of education programmes, including a minimum of 2 continuous years of relevant international experience outside UNRWA, and outside the country(s) of which the candidate is a national or holds citizenship, a passport or a national identity number. - In-depth knowledge and proven experience in the application of various quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques and methodologies. - The consultant should not have been involved in the design and/or implementation of the HRCRT Programme in any of UNRWA’s fields of operation or have any other engagement that could be perceived as a conflict of interest. Further, the consultant will act impartially and conform to the UNEG ethical standards and norms in all parts of the evaluation process.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS - Understanding of the Palestine refugee context would be advantageous. - Professional work experience in the MENA region. - Understanding and knowledge of the UN mandates in relation to human rights, gender equality and protection mainstreaming.

COMPETENCIES - Professional foundation and technical skills in evaluation, including quality standards, evaluation approaches, methods and data analysis, reporting findings, conclusions and recommendations. - Management skills including work planning. - Communication and facilitation skills.

Languages Excellent command of English is required, and good command of Arabic is required to be able to conduct meetings with non-English speakers, mainly students and teachers.

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.