Consultant (International)

1. Call for Application.

1. Call for Application Number: IOM-CFA/0120/23
2. Title: Consultant (International)
3. Duty Station of the Consultancy: Home-based with travel to Ethiopia.
4. Duration of Consultancy: 34 working days.
5. Nature of the Consultancy:Category B. Consultancy Services for the Evaluation of the Project Implementation-IOM – AUC Collaboration in Supporting the Accelerated Implementation of Free Movement of Persons in Africa

2. Project Context and Scope:

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Special Liaison Office to the African Union Commission (AUC) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), has for several decades partnered with the AUC in addressing mutual priorities on migration in Africa. Both organizations advocate the role of migration in the continent’s development and integration agenda, and the subsequent need to enhance migration governance for safer, more orderly, and humane migration practices. In this regard, IOM works closely with various AUC departments, including Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development (HHS), Political Affairs, Peace, and Security (PAPS), Economic Development, Trade, Industry and Mining (ETIM) and Citizens and Diaspora, among others, for the evolution and advancement of migration discourse and strategic policy development and programming for the Continent.

Since 2016, IOM has collaborated with the AUC on its continent-wide initiative to facilitate free movement of persons in Africa, particularly through the popularization of the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to the Free Movement of Persons, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment- also known as the Free Movement of Persons Protocol (FMP). The FMP was adopted in 2018 with 32 Member State signatories and is defined as “the right of nationals of a Member State to enter, move freely and reside in another Member State in accordance with the laws of the host Member State and to exit the host Member State in accordance with the laws and procedures for existing that Member State”. This flagship programme of the African Union is pivotal to the aspirations for Continental integration as postulated in Agenda 2063 – Africa’s blueprint for transforming the Continent and delivering on its goal for inclusive and sustainable development.

With funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), IOM and the AUC are collaborating on a project aimed at contributing to the efforts of the AUC in accelerating the ratification of the Protocol Establishing the Free Movement of Persons, Right of Entry, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment Protocol (FMP). The project’s inception phase has lapsed and there is need to undergo a mid-term evaluation to gauge the project implementation.

Purpose of the Evaluation: The overall purpose of this evaluation is to assess whether the planned objectives are on track to being attained and to identify areas of focus for the implementation of the second phase. The evaluation findings, lessons learned, best practices and recommendations will help guide the Project team in the planning and implementation of the second phase and future projects.

Evaluation Scope: The scope of the review will cover all project components and interventions under the project since the start of implementation up to the midterm (measuring the progress made from 01 January 2022 to 30 June 2023 (phase I). The geographical coverage will be continental.

It is expected that the evaluation will include recommendations to IOM, AUC, and key stakeholders. It is also expected that the evaluation will include good practices from the IOM and AUC provided in this project. Lastly, the evaluation is expected to include lessons learned from phase I implementation that will be used to improve implementation in the project phase II.

Evaluation criteria: The evaluation criteria will cover the following:

• Relevance
• Effectiveness
• Sustainability
• Efficiency
• Coherence

Impact which is important for addressing the ultimate significance and potentially transformative effects of the project interventions has been left out for the mid-term evaluation because for this criterion beyond the immediate results, this criterion seeks to capture the indirect, secondary, and potential consequences of the project intervention which will ideally be most relevant for this project at the final evaluation stage.

3. Organizational Department / Unit to which the Consultant is contributing:

Special Liaison Office Addis Ababa (UNECA Unit)

4. Level 3 Consultant: Tasks to be performed under this contract:

• Proposed methodology and approach are clear and realistic.
• Data collection in line with UNEG standards
• Clear and efficient coordination with the project team, including timely inclusion of feedback and comments.
• Delivery of clear and comprehensive reports.
• Recommendations are based on finding and are concise and actionable.

The consultant will deliver on the following evaluation pillars:

• Relevance:

1. To what extent are the objectives of the project consistent with the beneficiaries’ requirements, and remain relevant to the identified needs?
2. To what extent is the project design (objectives, outcomes, outputs, and activities) and its underlining theory of change (ToC) logical and coherent? Are there changes to be made to the programme’s ToC?
3. Are the outputs realistic and achievable?

• Effectiveness:

1. To what extent is the project on track to achieve its planned results?
2. Are there any external factors that hinder or facilitate achievement of the project?
3. Are there major challenges and obstacles that the project is encountering? Is the project able to cope with them to deliver on the intended results?

• Sustainability:

1. How effective has the project been in establishing Continental/regional ownership?
2. To what extent has the project strengthened the capacities of AUC structures?

• Efficiency

a) Has the budget allocated for phase 1 been utilized as planned?

b) Is the project delivering on time as planned?

• Coherence
  1. What extent can this intervention complement or be complemented by other initiatives supporting the ratification of the Protocol Establishing the Free Movement of Persons, Right of Entry, Right of Residence and Right of Establishment Protocol (FMP)? What are the added values?

EVALUATION METHODOLOGY:

The evaluator will assess the before-and-after situation using multiple evaluation tools, such as qualitative and quantitative instruments and applying triangulation techniques.

The evaluation should include but not necessarily limit itself to the following evaluation methods:

• A thorough desk review of relevant documents (project document, annual project reports, minutes of meetings, reports on project activities, relevant AUC, RECs policy documents etc.)
• Individual and/or group interviews with main stakeholders including IOM, AUC, REC and other related partners
• Questionnaires and Interview schedules (including on-line)

The evaluation consultant will present a detailed statement of proposed evaluation methods in an inception report. Further details regarding the approach are to be decided by the project/evaluation team. The evaluator may adapt the evaluation criteria and questions, but any fundamental changes should be agreed upon between the IOM project manager and the evaluator.

The evaluation instruments (to be summarized in the inception report) should identify the general areas of focus as well as other priority aspects to be addressed in the evaluation. The draft evaluation report will be shared with all relevant stakeholders and a request for comment will be asked within a specified time (not more than 3 working days.

Annexes will include every relevant document for the evaluation like the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the evaluation, list of persons interviewed, evaluation assessment tools e.g questionnaires and the format should follow IOM Template content for evaluation reports.

5. Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

Deliverable Outputs /tasks Timeline
A. Inception report with detailed evaluation plan and methodology prepared; including draft evaluation tools (interview sheets; questionnaires) January 3- 9, 2024 20%

• Submit First Draft inception report– 5 January.
• Feedback from AUC and IOM – 8 January
• Submit Final Inception Report – 9 January

B. Data collection, Data analysis and validation of findings : January 9 – 14, 2024

• Submit data analysis and findings – 12 January.
• Feedback from AUC and IOM – 14 January
• Submit final data findings – 15 January

C. Conduct Interviews January 15 -22, 2024
• Interviews

D. Evaluation report January 29 – 5 February 2024 : 80%

• First Draft of Evaluation Report – 29 January
• Feedback from AUC and IOM – 1 February
• Final Evaluation report – 5 February

6. Deliverables:

• Inception Report including evaluation matrix

• Final Report: The final report should include an executive summary.

Please note that sessions for Debriefing/Presentation of Findings will be anticipated.

7. Education, Experience and/or skills required:

• Advanced University Degree in one or more of the following fields: social science, political science, development studies, demography, and statistics
• Relevant training in research methodologies and at least 7 years’ experience in similar assignment, specifically on evaluation of projects.
• Knowledge of migration and mobility issues on the African continent or another region is an advantage.
• Eligible consultant must have knowledge and understanding of issues of human capital development, security, mobility, trade, integration, gender/youth related agendas in Africa.
• Must be familiar with AU integration agendas and key initiatives on the continent.
• Skills in writing reports and reviews, delivering presentations and defending recommendations.
• Excellent communication skills including fluency in written and spoken English.
• Experience evaluating UN/AU projects and/or related development projects.
• Ability to critically research an issue and use strategic thinking in producing a report.
• Ability to work within a team, as well as independently.
• Strong communication skills and excellent analytical writing skills
• Strong computer skills and analytical skills with ability to write and review technical documents/reports, conduct interviews as part of background research and draft guidelines.
• Ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines.
• Proven track record to work in a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary environment is necessary.

8. Travel required:

Home-based with travel to Ethiopia.

9. Competencies

Values

• Inclusion and respect for diversity respects and promotes individual and cultural differences. Encourages diversity and inclusion.
• Integrity and transparency: maintain high ethical standards and acts in a manner consistent with organizational principles/rules and standards of conduct.
• Professionalism: demonstrates ability to work in a composed, competent and committed manner and exercises careful judgment in meeting day-to-day challenges.
• Courage: demonstrates willingness to take a stand on issues of importance.
• Empathy: shows compassion for others, makes people feel safe, respected and fairly treated.

Core Competencies – behavioural indicators

• Teamwork: develops and promotes effective collaboration within and across units to achieve shared goals and optimize results.
• Delivering results: produces and delivers quality results in a service-oriented and timely manner. Is action oriented and committed to achieving agreed outcomes.
• Managing and sharing knowledge: continuously seeks to learn, share knowledge and innovate.
• Accountability: takes ownership for achieving the Organization’s priorities and assumes responsibility for own actions and delegated work.

Communication: encourages and contributes to clear and open communication. Explains complex matters in an informative, inspiring and motivational way.