Result of Service

The Evaluation Consultant will submit a concise evaluation report. Actual duration of the assignment is 45 days spread over a period of 8 months to be delivered as follows: Inception Report (30%) Draft report 40%) Final Evaluation Report (30%)

Work Location

Home based with field visits

Expected duration

8 months (part time)

Duties and Responsibilities

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 EVALUATION The Terminal Evaluation will be an in-depth evaluation using a participatory approach whereby key stakeholders are kept informed and consulted throughout the evaluation process. Both quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods will be used as appropriate to determine project achievements against the expected outputs, outcomes and likelihood of impacts. It is highly recommended that the consultant maintains close communication with the project team and promotes information exchange throughout the Evaluation implementation phase in order to increase their (and other stakeholders') ownership of the evaluation findings. Where applicable, the consultant will provide a geo-referenced map that demarcates the area covered by the project and, where possible, provide geo-reference photographs of key intervention sites. THE PROJECT Several major challenges are preventing a low-carbon and resource efficient economic development including a weak regulatory and institutional framework for Renewable Energy (RE) and Energy Efficiency (EE) technologies, a lack of financial incentives for efficient RE, EE and digital technologies, households struggle with electricity affordability and buildings being increasingly energy intensive. Despite universal access to the grid, the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) region faces an energy poverty crisis. The countries have been massively electrified, and the national grids have reached the most remote regions. The energy poverty has direct impact on the geopolitical stability of the region. Making countries heavily reliant on imported energy and increasingly uncertain about future electricity price. Globally, faced with the risks to deplete the oil and natural gas resources, ASEAN countries will increase the risk of geopolitical uncertainty in securing energy supplies in the region. For African and Latin American countries, addressing growing demand, extending transmission and distribution lines, securing the reliability of imported fossil fuels are also vital issues. Moreover, the energy poverty leads to increased criminality and power theft. The “generation mafia” is estimated to be worth between 1.5 to 2 million USD annually. The phenomenon of power theft also exists in some developing ASEAN countries, African and Latin American countries. Many potentially transformative digital technologies and solutions for energy remain in their early stage and require further investment and study to unlock their full potential. This is especially true in developing and emerging economies, where digital solutions are needed the most to ensure renewable resources can be tapped into, security of supply is maintained, and access to affordable energy is increased. The Mediterranean Investment Sustainable Energy Facility (MISEF) project aimed to address the need to ensure efficiency and resilience of power systems to enable cost-effective clean energy transitions, mainly based on renewables. Specifically, the objective of the project was on decarbonization and energy poverty alleviation in the energy sector of participant countries by introducing clean energy technologies and digitalization for selected energy sectors. The project applied an integrated approach of promoting innovative financing, development of pilot projects, capacity building and awareness raising. THE EVALUATION TEAM For this Evaluation, the Evaluation will conducted by an Evaluation Consultant, who will work under the overall responsibility of the Evaluation Office represented by an Evaluation Manager, in consultation with the Project Manager and Focal Point for the evaluation, the Head of the Sustainable Investments Unit, the Fund Management Officer and the Global Coordinator of the Climate Action Subprogramme. SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES 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, data collection and analysis and report-writing. The Evaluation Consultant will undertake the following: 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 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;
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 Manager informed of the evaluation progress. 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) 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 its attention and intervention. The Evaluation Consultant shall have had no prior involvement in the formulation or implementation of UNEP projects and programmes 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.

Qualifications/special skills

Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in environmental sciences, international development or other relevant political or social sciences area or communication 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 ten (10) years of technical/ evaluation experience, preferably including evaluating, large, regional or global programmes and using a Theory of Change approach is required. Good understanding of Nature-based Solutions for climate and biodiversity is required. Knowledge of the UN system and specifically the work of UNEP is desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in oral and written English is a requirement and proficiency in Spanish and Portuguese is desirable.

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.

Evaluation Consultant for the Terminal Evaluation of the UNEP project Mediterranean Investment Sustainable Energy Facility