Evaluation Consultant for Terminal Evaluation of UNEP/GEF project “Systemic, institutional and individual capacity for the implementation of the Rio Conventions in the Republic of South Sudan”

The Evaluation Team will submit a concise evaluation report. Actual duration of the assignment is 46 days spread over a period of 8 months to be delivered as follows: Inception Report (30%) Draft report (40%) Final Evaluation Report (30%)

Home based with field visits

ORGANIZATION SETTING The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations systems designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. 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. This consultancy is located at Headquarters in the Evaluation Office which reports directly to the Executive Director. The consultant reports to the Evaluation Manager and the Director of the Evaluation Office. THE PROJECT South Sudan lacks the foundational laws governing the management of environment and forestry resources. Environmental governance is currently managed through ministerial decrees based on the 2012 Forestry and 2015 Environment Policies. Despite joining the United Nations Rio Conventions (CBD, UNFCCC, and UNCCD) in 2014, South Sudan has struggled to meet its obligations due to three primary "capacity gaps" identified in the 2017 National Capacity Self-Assessment (NCSA): • Systemic Level: Weak inter-institutional coordination across government levels and a fragile policy/legal framework for addressing Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). • Institutional Level: Low awareness of MEA issues, a critical lack of environmental data, inadequate monitoring mechanisms, and poor infrastructure (e.g., lack of internet and stable power in ministries). • Individual Level: A shortage of staff with the specialized technical skills and access to technology needed to implement complex environmental protocols. The UNEP-GEF project titled "Systemic, institutional and individual capacity for the implementation of the Rio Conventions in the Republic of South Sudan"(GEF ID 9815) aimed at enhancing systemic, institutional and individual capacities of South Sudan communities towards environment-friendly and sustainable development through three components: • Environmental Knowledge Management: Developing a coordinated system to manage and share data for better reporting and decision-making. • Coordination and Engagement: Establishing a national MEA Network and practical guidelines for community participation to ensure stakeholder buy-in. • Policy Integration: Mainstreaming Rio Convention provisions into at least two sectoral policies or laws and developing a sustainable financing strategy. The project's objective was to “strengthen systemic, institutional and individual capacity for the effective implementation of the Rio Conventions in South Sudan”. In the longer term, this is expected to enhance capabilities to deliver and sustain global environmental benefits within the framework of sustainable development priorities, and thus enhance biodiversity conservation, climate change adaptation and mitigation and sustainable land and forest management in the Country. Such capacities are paramount in guaranteeing the nations success, since besides being one of the world’s poorest, South Sudan ranks high among Countries most adversely affected by the triple planetary crises of pollution, climate change, and biodiversity loss. THE EVALUATION In line with the UNEP Evaluation Policy and the UNEP Programme and Project Management Manual, the Terminal Evaluation is undertaken at operational completion of the project to assess project performance (in terms of relevance, effectiveness and efficiency), and determine outcomes and impacts (actual and potential) stemming from the project, including their sustainability. The Evaluation has two primary purposes: (i) to provide evidence of results to meet accountability requirements, and (ii) to promote operational improvement, learning and knowledge sharing through results and lessons learned among UNEP and the main project partners. Therefore, the Evaluation will identify lessons of operational relevance for future project formulation and implementation, especially where a second phase of the project is being considered. Recommendations relevant to the whole house may also be identified during the evaluation process. THE EVALUATION TEAM For this Evaluation, the Evaluation Team will consist of an Evaluation Consultant who will work under the overall responsibility of the Evaluation Office represented by an Evaluation Manager, in consultation with the UNEP Task Manager, Fund Management Officer and the Subprogramme Coordinator. Specific responsibilities for the Evaluation Consultant: In close consultation with the Evaluation Manager, the Evaluation Consultant will be responsible for the overall management of the Evaluation and timely provision of its outputs. More specifically: 1. Inception phase of the Evaluation, including: • preliminary desk review and introductory interviews with project staff; • draft the reconstructed Theory of Change of the project; • prepare the evaluation framework; • develop the desk review and interview protocols; • draft the survey protocols (if relevant); • develop and present criteria for country and/or site selection for the evaluation mission; • plan the evaluation schedule; • prepare the Inception Report, incorporating comments until approved by the Evaluation Manager. 2. Data collection and analysis phase of the Evaluation, including: • conduct further desk review and in-depth interviews with project implementing and executing agencies, project partners, and project stakeholders, • where appropriate and agreed) conduct an evaluation mission(s) to selected countries, visit the project locations, interview project partners and stakeholders, including a good representation of local communities. Ensure independence of the Evaluation and confidentiality of evaluation interviews. • regularly report back to the Evaluation Manager on progress and inform of any possible problems or issues encountered and; • keep the Project/Task Manager informed of the evaluation progress. 3. Reporting phase, including: • draft the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring that the evaluation report is complete, coherent and consistent with the Evaluation Manager guidelines both in substance and style; • liaise with the Evaluation Manager on comments received and finalize the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring that comments are taken into account until approved by the Evaluation Manager; • prepare a Response to Comments annex for the main report, listing those comments not accepted by the Evaluation Consultant and indicating the reason for the rejection; and; • (where agreed with the Evaluation Manager) prepare an Evaluation Brief (2-page summary of the evaluand and the key evaluation findings and lessons). 4. Managing relations, including: • maintain a positive relationship with evaluation stakeholders, ensuring that the evaluation process is as participatory as possible but at the same time maintains its independence; • communicate in a timely manner with the Evaluation Manager on any issues requiring attention and intervention. The Evaluation Consultant shall have had no prior involvement in the formulation or implementation of the project and will be independent from the participating institutions. The consultant will sign the Evaluation Consultant Code of Conduct Agreement Form. The Evaluation Consultant will be selected and recruited by the UNEP Evaluation Office through a consultancy contract. Comprehensive terms of reference will be shared with the consultant separately.

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in environmental sciences, international development or other relevant political or social sciences area is required. A first level university degree (Bachelor's degree or equivalent) in the same areas in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. A minimum of seven (7) years of experience of technical / evaluation experience preferably including evaluating large, regional or global programmes and using a Theory of Change approach is required. A good/broad understanding of biodiversity and sustainable resource management is required. Knowledge of the UN system and specifically the work of UNEP is desirable.

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in English is required.

Not available.