M&E Plan and Baseline study for the project “Enhancing the human rights protection system in Guinea-Bissau”

Contract

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Background

In Guinea-Bissau, despite fundamental political, civil, economic, social, and cultural rights being guaranteed by the Constitution, enjoyment of human rights remains a challenge for the population. In the past, human rights violations have been both the cause and consequence of conflict. Today, the potential for human rights violations to trigger conflict remains real. The project “Enhancing the human rights protection system in Guinea-Bissau”, funded by the Peacebuilding Fund and implemented by UNDP, OHCHR and UNICEF, intends to enhance the individual and institutional level capacity of both duty-bearers and rights-holders, in human rights as an essential foundation to build a resilient, peaceful, inclusive, and just society. It seeks to do so with full respect for national ownership, by involving both state and non-state actors, thus also facilitating dialogue and trust. The project focuses on strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights’ systems to sustain peace by establishing an independent national human rights institution, supporting the implementation of the national human rights action plan, engaging with treaty bodies and other human rights mechanisms, as well as supporting human rights civil society organizations and defenders for monitoring and early warning. The project expects to achieve this objective by boosting individual and institutional capacities of both duty-bearers and rights-holders to address human rights challenges identified as structural conflict drivers.

Connecting the promotion and protection of human rights with the sustaining peace agenda offers a unique, strategic entry point to help diminish grievances and build trust between state and citizens, thus reducing the risk of further instability and the country relapsing into conflict.

Outcome 1: The national system for promoting and protecting human rights in Guinea-Bissau more effectively protects human rights and addresses human rights challenges

• Output 1.1: Improved national capacities to establish and operationalize a National Human Rights Institution, in line with the Paris Principles
• Output 1.2: Strengthened national capacities to develop and implement a National Human Rights Action Plan
• Output 1.3: Increased capacity of duty-bearers and right-holders to engage with UN human rights mechanisms, including treaty bodies for increased State accountability for human rights protection
• Output 1.4: Enhanced capacity of human rights organizations to monitor and report on human rights violations, including reprisals against human rights defenders, among others

The main stakeholders of the project involve: the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (Government), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Communities (Government), Ministry of Women, Family and Social Solidarity (Government), National People’s Assembly (Government), Bissau-Guinean League of Human Rights/LGDH (local CSO), Human Rights Defenders Network (local CSO), National Network for the Fight against Violence/RENLUV (local CSO), Coalition of Child Rights Organizations (CODEDIC), Children's Friends Association/AMIC (local CSO), Federation of people with disabilities (local CSO), and National Human Rights Institution (independent state institution).

The project scope, budget, implementation timeframe, planned activities, as well as further details are available at: https://mptf.undp.org/factsheet/project/00129698

Further information concerning the Peacebuilding Fund guidelines on data collection and community-based monitoring systems can be found here: https://www.un.org/peacebuilding/content/pbfguidance-note-perception-surveys-and-community-based-monitoring

Duties and Responsibilities

The purpose of this consultancy is to revise the project’s results framework and develop its M&E plan, as this has not been developed yet, as well as to conduct a baseline study to collect information for any new proposed indicators.

The M&E plan needs to be developed having in mind the peculiarities of Guinea-Bissau and the baseline study will focus on providing baseline data for the set of indicators developed for the M&E framework. The baseline study report will be used as a measurement to monitor the project progress against the set indicators over the course of the project implementation.

The selected consultant will work closely with the project team along with other key stakeholders to ensure that data collection will provide the basic background relating to promotion and protection of human rights in Guinea-Bissau, in line with the objectives of the project.

The baseline study will cover key groups which the project is engaging with, including civil society organizations, women’s groups, the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, the Human Rights Commission, and key Ministries involved in the implementation of the Strategic Plan on Human Rights.

The study design and methodology will be discussed and agreed with the project team and with the implementing partners at the beginning of the consultancy. The consultant may use different data collecting methods: desk review, qualitative and quantitative surveys, interviews and focus group discussions, to establish a baseline for the project’s key indicators. Data should be disaggregated by age, gender, disability, and any other condition that is usually cause for discrimination.

Duties and responsibilities

Under the technical supervision of the Project Coordinator, the consultant will:

• Review the project's Results Framework, its indicators, baselines, targets and milestones, and propose at least 1 additional qualitative indicator per output to complement the current indicators, in order to assess present capacities of stakeholders concerning the objectives established under outputs 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4.
• Design the Project M&E plan, based on the revised Results Framework.

• Under the M&E plan, include a component of Community Based Monitoring System (CBMS), to be designed and further elaborated by the consultant in accordance with the project team.

  The CBMS should follow PBSO’s overall guidelines

  (https://www.un.org/peacebuilding/content/pbf-guidance-note-perception-surveys-andcommunity- based-monitoring) and should be planned to be implemented by a national CSO (to be identified and contracted afterwards) to function as a real time monitoring mechanism to the project team on the components directly working at community level (output 1.4).

• Develop a baseline study to collect baseline information on the proposed new qualitative indicators. A draft report should be elaborated to explain the proposed methodology, sample, and data collection methods (surveys/interviews/focus groups discussions/etc.) prior to the data collection.

Deliverables

1. Project Results Framework revised, with proposition of additional qualitative indicators disaggregated by gender, age, disability, or any other form of discrimination. 2. Detailed M&E Plan for the entire project elaborated. 3. CBMS component under the M&E Plan designed. 4. Baseline study. This shall involve: a. Baseline study inception report (detailing the proposed methodology, identification and definition of samples, workplan). b. Conduct the baseline data collection/field work. c. Draft report containing presentation and analysis of results. d. Final report validated by the project team.

The assignment must be conducted within 45 working days, from the day the contract is signed

Competencies

Functional

• Professional experience.
• Able to manage conflicting deadlines and priorities.
• Able to coordinate activities such as missions, special events, etc.
• Able to assume full responsibility for activities, ensuring that mission objectives are met in a transparent and inclusive manner.
• Set clear goals and performance standards.
• Perform responsibilities as it should be.
• Self-analysis of performance problems; seeking appropriate guidance and support.

Resource management

• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to work independently, produce high quality outputs.
• Solid opinion, strategic thinking, and ability to manage competing priorities.
• Able to find creative solutions to daily problems, working in an ever-changing work environment.

Communication and advocacy

• Strong ability to write clearly and convincingly, adapting style and content to different audiences and speaking clearly and convincingly.
• Ability to produce high quality professional documents and products under pressure and to defend and negotiate difficult issues and positions for senior and official employees.
• Strong ability to present at meetings with the ability to adapt to different audiences.
• Strong analytical, research and writing skills with demonstrated ability to think strategically.
• Strong, clear, and fast communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills in negotiation and liaison.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Academic training, bachelor or master’s degree in social science, economics, data management or related area.

Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of relevant professional experience in project management, monitoring, and evaluation at the national or international level in human rights related issues.
• Experience in research methods, monitoring and evaluation tools, development of reports, development and analysis and elaboration of indicators and data collection, analysis and reporting are required.
• Experience collecting data for baselines studies is required.
• Experience in the use of computers and office software package, including management of databases.
• Knowledge of issues connected to human rights protection and promotion, NHRIs, and human rights defenders is an advantage.
• Knowledge of Bissau-Guinean context is an added advantage.

Languages:

• Fluency in Portuguese is necessary.
• Fluency in English is required.
• Good knowledge of Crioulo is desirable.

Guidelines for application:

Required documents:

• A cover letter explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for this assignment.
• A brief methodology on how you will approach and conduct the tasks, describing the tools and workplan proposed for this assignment. The methodology should be relevant to the Project objectives and aligned with the current Project Results Framework (attached to the Tor).
• A financial proposal.
• A personal CV including past experiences in similar projects and at least 3 professional references.

Lump sum contracts: The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR. To assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).

Travel: All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the Individual Consultant wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Evaluation: Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:

Cumulative analysis When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: - Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and - Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

• Technical Criteria weight – 70 points.
• Financial Criteria weight – 30 points.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points would be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Evaluation criteria: - Education background - 10 points. - Experience as defined in the ToR - 15 points. - Competences as defined in the ToR - 10 points. - Understating of the ToR - 15 points. - Methodology and overall approach - 30 points. - Overall quality of the proposal (comprehensiveness, structure, language, and clarity) - 20 points.