Consultant (Annual Review and Strategic Planning Workshop)

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Consultancy: Annual Review and Strategic Planning Workshop: Shaping an overarching Economic Recovery/Livelihoods strategic frameworkfor Rakhine State 2019-2021

Location of assignment: Sittwe, Rakhine State

Duration of assignment: 20 working days (effective from 3rd December 2018)

Responsible to: Livelihood Coordinator – Rakhine State

Background

1. The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a humanitarian, non-governmental, non-profit organization working in Myanmar since 2009 in response to Cyclone Giri and currently supporting operations in four different States (Kachin, Northern Shan, Kayah, Rakhine). DRC expanded its programme to include the provision of shelter, WASH, NFIs, livelihood support and community assistance to the people affected by the June and October 2012 events in Rakhine State. DRC aims to make available immediate relief and protection to displaced people and vulnerable host communities in an impartial, inclusive and neutral manner, adhering to DRC’s Code of Conduct and core Humanitarian Principles.
2. DRC benefits from a good reputation based on its expertise in displacement and protection issues. It is also a flexible organisation that gives freedom to the country programmes to test and innovate.Earlier this year, DRCs global advisory team took steps to map the various livelihood activities and approaches across different contrary contexts. This exercise revealed that livelihoods programming should be implemented within an integrated protection and economic framework and play an essential role in interconnecting programmes under three global platforms, i.e. emergency, solutions and root causes. Broadly speaking the mapping highlighted that livelihoods activities across DRC country programmes were similar to some extent and could be divided into five main categories - Agriculture-oriented programmes; Skills development (leading to either employment or self-employment; Business support; Financial inclusion; and Community assets.
3. DRCs Livelihoods programme in Rakhine State scaled up considerably since the events of 2016 and in the past have secured multi-donor funding. To a greater or lesser extent, DRC is aligned with categories above, implementing projects incorporating a range of technical areas including: community driven capacity and infrastructure development; youth-based TVET and life skills; microenterprise development; and access to micro-savings. It also provides targeted support to local government departments in the form of skills and facility upgrading.
4. DRC operates in a challenging environment so a key task for the consultant(s) will be to assess the risks and assumptions around the livelihood programme. For example, the policy environment (national, regional and local), implementation of the recommendations of the Advisory Commission for Rakhine State and the barriers to service access to different target groups. . The consultant(s) will need to reflect on the extent to which the theories and assumptions underpinning the different projects hold true, and whether DRCs efforts are sufficient to address the risks or if more could be done. This will be particularly important as DRC starts to explore how to take forward its livelihood programme in Rakhine State from 2019 onwards.
5. The Livelihood programme has committed standalone and consortium-based donor funding until the end of 2020 from the European Commission); GIZ and the Livelihood Food Security Trust Fund. In the past, the livelihood portfolio has been funded from AusAid; Swiss Development Cooperation, DANIDA and sub-contract agreements via INGO partners (USAID).
6. Against this backdrop, DRC is seeking a consultant(s) to diagnose and guide the development of a strategic Livelihood/Economic Recovery framework for Rakhine State for roll out from 2019 onwards. The participants will be drawn from DRCs Livelihood, MEAL and field office areas manager (3-5 internationals; 10 nationals). The consultant(s) are expected craft a framework that fits the context while ensuring alignment with DRC vision 2020; DRCs 2020 Global Livelihoods Strategy and relevant global and national policies and standards.

Objectives

The Consultant(s) will:

1. Review and synthesise secondary literature of the relevant policies, position papers and project proposals to develop an accurate situational analysis
2. Map and assess the approaches and strategies developed to meet Rakhine State, country and global livelihood/economic recovery and institutional mandate objectives.
3. Assess the programme’s impact so far and overall progress against the outputs/outcomes in the project log frames, assessing coherence across the outputs and their combined contribution to achieving the outcomes and purpose. What is the programme doing well, and what is it they doing less well? Are there any unintended side effects?
4. Review of the context within which the programme operates and assess whether theories of change, risks and assumptions remain relevant.
5. Review the theories and assumptions that underpin the changes DRC anticipate in Rakhine, in particular, aiming to capture the following information: Stakeholder priorities (DRC/Donor/Government); strategic vison and objectives; Key outcome indicators; intermediate outcomes; theory of change; geographic areas and target groups; strategic priorities and actionable recommendations for 1) programme responses; 2) advocacy; 3) donor financing; 4) partnerships; 5) cross-cutting priorities and 6) capacity building at local and national level.
6. Draft a State specific Livelihood strategic framework and concept note that promotes quality standards and maximizes learning, while opening the way for the development of country-wide livelihoods strategies (10-15 pages max). This requires a mixed set of policy, research and facilitation skills. Gender, conflict sensitivity, social cohesion, sustainability, protection and value for money will be cross cutting themes throughout the review.
7. Development of the strategic framework should be clearly defined and communicate “the DRC way͛”, (i.e. this is what livelihoods are for DRC in practice, through a protection lens).This strategic framework should provide overall programmatic directions, adapted to the context and the type of target group youth; women; host community; IDPs) served in different settings (urban; rural; camp; village).
8. Discuss methods for validating the review and strategic framework and concept note and how the feedback will be further communicated to senior management.

Recipients of the review:

1. Rakhine-based technical staff, country senior management and global advisory team
2. Donors engaged in livelihoods/economic recovery and other related sectors

Proposed Timeline

The exercise is expected to commence with staff interviews and a workshop from December 12-16 with a final report submitted in mid-January 2019.

It is expected that the consultant(s) will follow up on a biannual basis on the recommendations made during the annual review workshop and examine the extent to which these issues are being addressed as a means of continual shaping and enhancement of the Livelihoods/Economic Recovery model.

Outputs:

1. Concise, clearly laid out written document with key recommendations and supporting information (e.g. photographs, graphics and info-graphics). This document should be of use for discussing both the DRC Myanmar Livelihood experience and for feeding into the county strategic plan with key donors and other stakeholders (INGO forum; UN working groups; headquarters; regional offices). Consultant(s) are welcome to suggest a report structure/format.
2. Additional notes, summaries, as appropriate, or supporting documentation.
3. Summary of review activities undertaken, including workshop, documents reviewed etc.
4. Presentation to senior management team

The Consultant(s) will provide regular updates to the DRC Livelihood Coordinator with regard to the completion of the above outputs.

Existing Information sources:

1. Project proposals, reports and relevant annexes
2. Project mid-term reviews and end of project evaluations
3. Key internal /external technical reports (Empowering Gender Solutions; Cash Feasibility Assessment; Myanmar protection strategy; INGO Rakhine Commission reports)
4. Minutes of the Livelihood coordination meetings
5. DRCs 2020 Global Livelihoods Strategy
6. DRC Myanmar Protection strategy
7. DRCs Cash Transfer Programming Global Position Paper
8. All documents (meeting minutes, strategy documents, Myanmar country reviews etc.) from the DRC Website (strategy 2020)
9. UNHCR Refugee Livelihoods and Economic inclusion 2019-2023: Global strategy concept note
10. Minimum Economic Recovery Standards Handbook (3^rd Edition)

Profile of the Consultant(s)

Your Experience must include:

• Extensive experience of undertaking multi-donor evaluations and reviews (essential)
• Technical background in markets for the poor, TVET; agricultural development, private sector; financial services preferably with an INGO (essential);
• Ability to make recommendations focused on impact, capacities, funding, partnerships with a strong understanding of livelihoods in fragile, complex environments (essential);
• Knowledge of Myanmar or south east Asia region (desirable)
• Effective communicator and excellent report writer (essential)
• Fluency in English (essential)
• Preference will be given to those who has local counterpart in Rakhine state.
• Preference will be given for candidate(s) with previous experience in conducting strategic reviews and planning workshops

Application

Qualified candidates are expected to send their applications to DRC in English including:

1. CV of the candidate(s)
2. 1-2-page proposal with Professional Fee and suggested work plan and dates
3. Annual review and planning workshop agenda
4. Sample of previous high-quality report

Professional Fee - the costs should cover charges for consultancy days and workshop stationery materials. DRC will pay for flights from Yangon to Sittwe (if applicable) and car transfer between airport and Sittwe; hotel accommodation for consultant(s), training room costs, coffee breaks and lunches at all venues. 

Please note that the consultancy is open to both international and national applicants and must be administered in English, but suggest the presence of a qualified interpreter to assist during the workshop

Interested parties are to submit applications on or before 5pm on Monday 19^th of November 2018

Danish Refugee Council are equal opportunity employers and consider all applicants on the basis of merit without regard to race, national origin, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or physical or mental disability.