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Consultancy: Real-Time Assessment of UNICEF Venezuela Humanitarian Response, Caracas , Venezuela, 3 months

Apply now Job no: 572739
Contract type: Consultant
Duty Station: Caracas
Level: Consultancy
Location: Venezuela
Categories: Research, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation

For every child, opportunities 

After a modest stabilization in 2022, Venezuela’s economic growth in 2023 decelerated. ECLAC estimates of economic growth for 2023 are 3.0 per cent, versus 12 per cent for 2022. Hyperinflation reached 189.8 per cent and the country had the highest nominal food inflation in the world (281 per cent year-over-year). As a result, Venezuelans require 154 minimum monthly wages to access a basic food basket, estimated at US$555 by December 2023. According to local studies, almost 70 per cent of the population lives in multi-dimensional poverty and 270,000 children under three years of age live in extreme poverty. On the other hand, 9 per cent of households are food secure, while 22 per cent are experiencing moderate to severe food insecurity. The effects of climate change have further aggravated the conditions of the country's most vulnerable population. Within Latin America and the Caribbean, Venezuela is the fourth most vulnerable country to climate-related disasters and crises. The 2023 rainy season exceeded historical averages. Deteriorated public infrastructure, constrained access to supplies and the loss of professionals continue to stretch the capacity of the health system. Optimal immunization coverage has not been achieved, while early pregnancies, irregular antenatal consultations, infectious diseases and pregnancy or childbirth complications threaten the survival of newborns and mothers, particularly among indigenous groups. Venezuelan children face additional education and protection challenges. Some 1.4 million children do not attend school and at least 1 million are at risk of dropping out, negatively impacting their opportunities to fully develop their capacities in healthy, safe, inclusive, respectful, free and protective environments. The mental health and psychosocial well-being of children and adolescents is also increasingly under threat. In 2023, 89% of rape and sexual exploitation victims were children and adolescents, while suicide intent among this population group reached its highest level in seven years. An estimated one million people have returned in the last two years, requiring significant support for their social reintegration, especially in terms of access to education and other services. Despite efforts to recover social infrastructures, gaps remain in the provision of public and social goods and services.

How can you make a difference? 

The real-time assessment will determine the relevance, effectiveness, coherence and connectedness, and efficiency of the UNICEF humanitarian portfolio in Venezuela to respond to the exercise’s overall rationale. The assessment will accordingly identify areas of effectiveness, cost efficiency, synergy with humanitarian partners, and value add. Specific objectives of the exercise are:
  • Assess the relevance of the UNICEF humanitarian programme in Venezuela from the point of view of children, families, communities, and other key affected population groups.
  • Assess the effectiveness of the implementation strategy of the UNICEF humanitarian programme in Venezuela for achievement of planned results regarding children’s well-being, to determine how well the response addressed the priority problems of children.
  • Assess the efficiency of humanitarian interventions of the Venezuela country programme, coordination with relevant partners providing humanitarian support for children, value add based on UNICEF’s comparative advantage, and the coherence of humanitarian interventions with the UNICEF Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action.
  • Systematize the main good practices, lessons learnt, and challenges at the strategic and operational level to propose recommendations to deliver humanitarian services in a more effective and efficient way with options for enhancing impact.

Object of Evaluation

The object of the real-time assessment is UNICEF humanitarian programme in Venezuela. Since 2018, UNICEF has provided humanitarian assistance to Venezuelan children, in line with UNICEF´s Core Commitments for Children in Humanitarian Action (the CCCs). UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeals for Venezuela have been aligned with the inter-agency Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs). The key goal areas of UNICEF humanitarian programme in Venezuela are health care, access to water, hygiene and sanitation, nutrition, education, and protection. UNICEF plays an important role in the humanitarian architecture, leading the Nutrition and WASH Clusters and the Child Protection area of responsibility, and co-leading the Education Cluster with Save the Children. UNICEF also supports and participates in inter-agency coordination through the Local Coordination Forums led by OCHA, significantly contributing to building local capacities for accountability to affected populations (AAP) and prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA). UNICEF has played a pivotal role in delivering essential services to children from 2018 to date.

Rationale

The real-time assessment adopts a primarily formative lens with its main goal to support organizational learning and accountability through documentation of good practices, challenges and lessons learned from the implementation of the humanitarian programme, thereby informing decision-making for UNICEF to prioritize, scale, and/or reformulate its organizational strategies. Accordingly, the assessment’s results will inform the reprioritization of humanitarian interventions, considering children’s needs, political and socio-economic dynamics, subnational context, and projected resourcing envelope for humanitarian action in the country. The assessment findings and recommendations will contribute to the strengthening UNICEF’s contribution to the realization and protection of children’s rights in the humanitarian context, as well as improve inter-sectoral commitment and coordination with key stakeholders. The results of the evaluation will provide an opportunity to actively inform UNICEF's ongoing humanitarian and nexus programming in the country. The evaluation is expected to generate evidence-based knowledge by identifying good practices and lessons learned in relation to the intended and unintended results of UNICEF's humanitarian response in Venezuela. The knowledge generated by the exercise will meet the information needs of the intended users as indicated in Table 1.
 
Table 1: Overview of evaluation users and dimensions of potential use
 

Scope of Work

The real-time evaluation will cover the period 2023 to 2024 with a geographic coverage sampled across the entire country program in Venezuela. The evaluation will determine a representative selection of interventions in locations where UNICEF and its implementing partners are active in the ten prioritized states to be visited by the evaluation team. The final list of sites will be defined with the evaluation team in the design phase. The interventions of all UNICEF-supported humanitarian response partners will be the focus of this evaluation. Particular emphasis will be placed on ensuring that children (both boys and girls) who are direct beneficiaries of the interventions are heard, are able to communicate their priorities and needs, and are involved in the evaluation process. Other stakeholders whose participation will be important in assessing the impact of the response are parents (both mothers and fathers). National and local authorities in areas relevant to UNICEF's mandate, local community leaders, implementing partners and relevant donors will be consulted to assess the humanitarian response.

The evaluation criteria to be used are based on the OECD-DAC standards, covering relevance, coherence and connectedness, effectiveness, and efficiency. Additionally, specific gender equality, human rights, and humanitarian response standards will include coverage, coordination, and quality. The assessment framework’s scope is designed to be focused for rapid implementation in real-time with ongoing changes being implemented by UNICEF Venezuela. 

Methodology 
 
The assessment will be conducted using an inclusive approach to provide relevant answers to key evaluation questions. It will be conducted according to UNEG norms. The exercise will adopt a non-experimental design using qualitative methods. Relevant data should be collected from humanitarian programme beneficiaries and a diverse sampling of key implementation stakeholders and partners (implementing NGOs, partners from decentralized bodies, national and local authorities, UNICEF, inter-agency groups, etc.). Qualitative methods should include at a minimum: Documentary review of reference material, In-person data collection through field visits, including face-to-face interviews, focus group discussions and observation and social listening and other remote data collection methods,
 
The assessment will be conducted in a participatory manner. Target groups should be identified in selected areas of the humanitarian response, including the families having children, community authorities and decision-makers, IPs and services providers, UNICEF staff, and other relevant stakeholders in settlements and at the local and national levels. Key stakeholders will be involved in the following key phases of the evaluation: Planning, Inception, Fact-finding, Reporting phase, Dissemination. 
 
The evaluation team should propose a design-based tools and methods already available, while ensuring that this design suits the specific objectives of the humanitarian context. Evaluation methodology should be based on UNEG Ethical considerations and respond to UNEG ethical guidance to evaluation as guiding principle to ensure quality of evaluation process as well as the UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluation, Data Collection and Analysis.
 
Deliverables
 
The Evaluation Consultant is responsible to submit the following deliverables:
 
 
A dissemination plan and advocacy approaches should be developed and then discussed/agreed with the Venezuela Country Office. The result will be disseminated to the Country Office senior management and Regional Office. The findings will be discussed at the management team meetings and programmatic reviews. The Evaluation Consultant should propose a timeline to submit the deliverables in their implementation plan (in proposals). All reports should follow the structure and detailed outlines discussed and agreed with UNICEF. All deliverables should respond to UN Evaluation Group QA criteria, including UNEG quality checklist for Inception Report and Evaluation Report: http://www.unevaluation.org/document/library

Workplan

A tentative timeframe for the evaluation is provided below. The evaluation is expected to be completed under five months subject to change depending on the prevailing situation on ground at the time of the evaluation.

Field work including focus groups, interviews, etc.: 3 weeks

For details refer to Download File TOR RTA CO Venezuela - FULL.pdf

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

  • Advanced university degree. Disciplines: social or economic studies, or development/humanitarian aid, or a related field (a combination of relevant academic background and relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree).
  • Candidates with a minimum of four (4) years of experience in relevant area of evaluation/assessment 
  • Over five (5) years of professional experience in development and humanitarian work in monitoring, evaluation, programme management, needs assessment, research, with at least four (4) years of professional experience in leading or engaged in evaluation activities, related to humanitarian action.
  • Good experience in mixed-method evaluations that rely on both qualitative and quantitative approaches and a variety of data collection modalities, including in humanitarian settings.
  • Strong analytical skills and qualitative/quantitative data processing applications, including an ability to visualize and present complex ideas succinctly.
  • Excellent abilities in presenting technical information to a non-technical audience, including exceptional drafting and presentation skills in Spanish.
  • Demonstrated track record of delivering data analysis and evaluations under tight deadlines and through multi-stakeholder consultative process.
  • Familiarity with UNICEF programmatic mandate in humanitarian and fragile contexts and understanding of evidence generation process in this area, including ethics requirements (highly desirable).
  • Good knowledge of human rights, gender equality and other cross-cutting topics, and can ensure that evaluation design, questions and analysis incorporate these dimensions.
  • Proficiency in Spanish is required, and proficiency in English is an asset.
  • Sensitivity towards ethics with regards to human and child rights issues, different cultures, local customs, religious beliefs and practices, personal interaction and gender roles, disability, age, and ethnicity.
  • Technical and financial proposal with general adherence to Terms of Reference; understanding of scope, objectives and completeness and coherence of response.

The proposed Evaluation Consultant must correspond to the minimum criteria and experience. In case of deviation, the offers may be considered technically not compliant.

Roles and Responsibilities in the Evaluation Process

UNICEF as commissioner assumes accountability of the assessment through the UNICEF Regional Evaluation Adviser in the Latin America and the Caribbean Regional Office (Evaluation Manager). Day-to-day management including across programme coordination, administrative and operational functions for this assessment will be performed by the UNICEF Venezuela Country Office. Technical and advisory support for this exercise will be provided by the Steering Committee.

The Evaluation Manager will have the following responsibilities:

  • Lead the management of the assessment process (design, implementation and dissemination and coordination of it follow up).
  • Establish and convene the Steering Committee, including to facilitate participation in the assessment design and implementation.
  • Safeguard the independence of the exercise and ensure the evaluation products meet quality standards.
  • Oversee progress and conduct of process, the quality of key products, and approve deliverables in consultation with the Steering Committee.

The UNICEF Venezuela Country Office, under the coordination of the Chief of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, will have the following responsibilities:

  • Connect the Consultant with broader program units, senior management and key stakeholders, and ensure a fully inclusive and transparent approach to the evaluation.
  • Facilitate the Consultant's access to all information and documentation relevant to the intervention, as well as to key stakeholders and informants who should be involved in interviews, focus groups or other information gathering methods.
  • Provide the Evaluation Consultant with general guidance and administrative support.
  • Manage the recruitment process and logistical support to ensure the success of the fieldwork.

The Steering Committee will comprise of representatives of UNICEF – including with the Venezuela Country Office (Deputy Representative; Chief of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation; Chief Field Operations) and Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office (Regional Evaluation Adviser, Regional Emergency Adviser). The Steering Committee will:

  • Review and comment on the inception report and final evaluation drafts/reports to ensure that they meet UNICEF ethical and quality standards.
  • Provide technical advice and support to the evaluation process, including to the Evaluation Manager and Evaluation Consultant.
  • Suggest strategic opportunities to support utility, coordination with key partners and other adaptations needed throughout the process to ensure relevance, credibility and independence.
  • Support dissemination of evaluation results, learning with program areas and other areas for implementation of recommendations.

The Consultant shall report to the Director of Evaluation and conduct the evaluation by fulfilling the contractual arrangements in accordance with the ToR, UNEG/OECD norms and standards and the Ethical Guidelines, including developing an evaluation implementation plan as part of the inception report, drafting and finalizing the evaluation report, and reporting to the commissioner on progress and key findings and recommendations as required. He/she shall adhere to the UNICEF Evaluation Policy, the UNEG Ethical Guidelines for UN Evaluations and the UNICEF Reporting Standards. The Consultant shall sign a statement of no conflict of interest. The Consultant must demonstrate personal and professional integrity throughout the evaluation process, respect the right of institutions and individuals to provide information confidentially, and ensure that sensitive data cannot be traced back to its source. He or she must respect research ethics when working with children, including the use of age-appropriate consent forms, age-appropriate data collection, and the principle of do no harm. In addition, the consultant should ensure that evaluation participants have the opportunity to review the claims attributed to them. The consultant must be sensitive to and address issues of protection, discrimination, and gender inequality.

Competitive Selection Criteria 

A) Technical Evaluation (max 75 Points)

B) Financial Proposal (max of 25 Points) 

For every Child, you demonstrate… 

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).   To view our competency framework, please visit here.  UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic. UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment. 

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check. 

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process. Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws. The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure a health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment.

Advertised: Venezuela Standard Time
Deadline: Venezuela Standard Time

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