National Team Member for UNSDCF evaluation

The National Team Member for the evaluation of the Kyrgyzstan United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023–2027 will support the implementation of the evaluation process under the overall guidance of the Team Leader/International Consultant. The consultant will contribute to the planning, coordination, data collection, stakeholder engagement, analysis, and reporting processes, ensuring that the evaluation reflects national perspectives, contextual realities, and local development priorities. The National Team Member will work as part of a three-member evaluation team and will provide substantive and logistical support during all phases of the assignment. The consultant will support stakeholder mapping, scheduling of interviews and consultations, document review, translation and interpretation support where required, and compilation of relevant national data and background information. The consultant will participate in field visits to selected regions of Kyrgyzstan to support consultations with local authorities, civil society organizations, implementing partners, beneficiaries, and communities. The field missions will contribute to assessing progress, challenges, and results achieved under the Cooperation Framework at both national and subnational levels. The National Team Member will support qualitative and quantitative data analysis and contribute to drafting sections of the inception report, presentations, briefing notes, and draft and final evaluation reports. The consultant will also contribute to validation workshops and stakeholder meetings by documenting discussions, synthesizing feedback, and supporting incorporation of comments into final deliverables. The consultancy will contribute to generating evidence-based findings, lessons learned, and practical recommendations to support accountability, organizational learning, and the preparation of the next UNSDCF cycle in Kyrgyzstan. All outputs must comply with United Nations evaluation standards, editorial requirements, and inclusive communication principles. Evaluation Approach and Methodology The evaluation will use a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and adopt participatory approach in which discussions with key stakeholders provide/verify the substance of findings This includes document reviews, analysis of quantitative secondary data, UNINFO (Joint Work Plan) data, individual interviews with key informants and focus groups, existing evaluations and the synthesis of evaluative evidence e.g. project evaluations, agency-specific evaluations, or other types of discussion to collect data. The Independent Evaluation Consultants shall be guided by UNSDCF Guidelines to develop the evaluation methodology (standard methodology section). They shall also develop the necessary tools to collect data and information to answer the overall evaluation questions. All the approaches and methodologies need to be discussed between the Evaluation Consultant and the Evaluation Manager. The methodology should enhance the national ownership of evaluation results; it should ensure involvement of key stakeholders throughout the evaluation process through e.g. interview, focus groups, possibly a stakeholder workshop, debriefing of evaluation users, etc.). Data from different sources need – to the extent possible – to be disaggregated by groups. Triangulation should be adopted where possible. Availability and logistical constraints need to be factored in evaluation planning. Data collection, analysis and presentation of findings should be responsive to and include issues relating to children, gender equality and empowerment of women, diversity inclusion and non-discrimination, human rights and environmental sustainability The evaluation should adhere to and be guided by the UNEG Norms and Standards (2016) and the UNEG Ethical Guidelines (2020) at every stage of the evaluation process including but not limited to informed consent of participants, privacy, and confidentiality considerations. The relevant ethical standards will be identified and the mechanisms and measures to ensure that standards will be maintained during the evaluation process should be provided in the inception report. Each Evaluation Team member will also be provided with and signed off on the UNEG Code of Conduct for Evaluators, which provides ethical guidelines for the conduct of evaluations.

Home-based in Kyrgyzstan with travel to Bishkek and selected regions of the country, as required.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework in Kyrgyzstan (CF 2023-2027) represents the joint efforts of the UN Country Team to support Kyrgyzstan in addressing the national priorities and challenges and achieving the 2030 Agenda. The evaluation will be conducted in 2026, the penultimate year of the CF implementation to inform completion of the current CF and design of the next cycle. Evaluation of the CF is a mandatory independent system-wide country evaluation and is separate from an annual review. CF evaluations ensure accountability, support learning and inform decisions regarding the design of subsequent CF cycles. They systematically assess the contributions of the CF by focusing on achieved development results, as well as internal and external gaps and overlaps in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). CF evaluations are guided by the UN Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation (2016) . They must be credible and grounded on independence, impartiality, and a rigorous methodology. The process should be transparent and inclusive (involving relevant stakeholders) with robust quality assurance. Evaluation results and recommendations are derived from, and informed by the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of the best available, objective, reliable and valid data, as well as the accurate analysis of evidence. CF evaluations require that evaluations are ethically conducted and managed by independent evaluators who exhibit professional and cultural competencies. Kyrgyzstan CF evaluation will be guided by DCO UNSDCF Evaluation Guidelines developed by the UNEG and the Development Coordination Office (DCO). This Terms of Reference in its essential form repeats standards established by this Guidance. Through his/her work, the Evaluation Consultant will be guided by the aforementioned Guidelines. Under the supervision of the Team Leader/International Consultant and in coordination with the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO), the National Team Member will: • Support the implementation of the UNSDCF evaluation process in line with UNEG norms and standards. • Conduct desk reviews of strategic, programmatic, and policy documents relevant to the Cooperation Framework. • Assist in mapping stakeholders and organizing consultations, interviews, focus group discussions, and workshops. • Participate in field visits and support data collection activities in selected regions of Kyrgyzstan. • Collect, compile, and analyze qualitative and quantitative information from various sources. • Provide contextual analysis of national development priorities, governance structures, and UN partnerships in Kyrgyzstan. • Support drafting and editing of evaluation deliverables, including background notes, presentations, and sections of reports. • Assist with translation and interpretation between English and Russian/Kyrgyz, where required. • Contribute to validation processes and incorporation of stakeholder feedback into evaluation outputs. • Ensure all work is conducted in accordance with principles of gender equality, human rights, disability inclusion, and Leave No One Behind. • Ensure confidentiality and ethical handling of information collected during the evaluation process. Management Arrangements The RC and UNCT in Kyrgyzstan and PBPSO hold the overall responsibility of commissioning the joint UNSDCF and PBF evaluations and any follow- up actions. The Resident Coordinator/ Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) and PBPSO are responsible for initiating the CF evaluation, support the Evaluation Steering Committee during the various stages of evaluation. The structure proposed below by the UNCT Kyrgyzstan ensures an independent process. All those involved are accountable for their specific input to the process and clarity of actions. Key actors of the evaluation include: • The Evaluation Manager – the function is performed by the Data/M&E group Co-Chair – RCO Data Management Officer, DMEL team in PBPSO and the individual is responsible for the coordination and day-to-day management of the process. • The Independent Evaluation Team (Two International Consultants & Two National Consultants) – The Evaluation team consists of two independent external international consultants and two national consultants. One Team Leader/international consultant and one national consultant will form a team and focus on CF evaluation, while the other team (one international consultant and one national consultant) will focus on the PBF Portfolio Review. The two teams will closely work together and will be responsible for producing the joint inception report, data collection, analysis, the joint draft and final evaluation reports. The International Consultants work in full independence from the RCO and UNCT in Kyrgyzstan and PBPSO. • The Evaluation Steering Committee (ESC) - The Committee is composed of UN Head of Agencies, Senior Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor in PBPSO and Government representatives and serves as the main oversight and validation body supporting the evaluation process. The ESC will provide endorsement of the process and validate the final deliverables of the evaluation. The ESC will also endorse the management response to the evaluation. • Evaluation Technical Management Team, comprising UN Data/M&E group representatives and Monitoring Evaluation Officer in PBPSO offer routine technical support to the Evaluation Manager throughout the evaluation. • DCO - DCO Evaluation Advisor supports the evaluation manager, the RC and the UNCT in quality assurance of all key products and liaise with UNEG. DCO and PBPSO are responsible for ensuring the quality of all evaluation products including the TOR, inception report, final report and other associated products. • UNEG (UN Evaluation Group) – Provide technical advice on request and may be engaged in exceptional circumstances.

Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in public policy, economics, social sciences, international development, political science, evaluation, or a related field. • Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience in programme evaluation, research, development cooperation, governance, or related areas. • Experience supporting evaluations of UN programmes, development projects, or donor-funded initiatives is desirable. • Strong understanding of the development context and institutional landscape in Kyrgyzstan is required • Proven experience in qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis is required. • Familiarity with results-based management (RBM), SDGs, and UN programming processes is an asset. • Strong drafting, analytical, and organizational skills. • Experience organizing stakeholder consultations and workshops is desirable.

• Fluency in English and Russian language is required. Knowledge of Kyrgyz language will be an asset.

Not available.