Common Country Analysis (CCA)

Background

The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Eswatini will be concluding its current UNDAF 2016-2020 in December 2020 and will be transitioning to the next generation of its UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). A Roadmap (ref to Annex 1) is being developed between the UNCT and the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini (GoKE) for the design of the upcoming 2021-2025 UNSDCF. UNCT Eswatini’s partnership with the GoKE is primarily guided by the UNDAF/UNSCDF instrument, Eswatini National Development Plan and Eswatini Strategic Roadmap 2019-2023 with the aim of achieving Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and accompanying the country in its journey towards implementing His Majesty’s Vision 2022.

The UN development reform, effective on 01 January 2019, identifies the UNSDCF as the most important single strategic document for the UN’s engagement with the host country. The UNSDCF, also referred to as “cooperation framework” is to be designed under the premises of the UN development reform to provide more focused, more agile and more integrated UNCTs working in a more inclusive, more creative and more innovative approach with the Government and a wide range of partners and stakeholders to advance and accelerate, where feasible, the development agenda of the host country.  Eswatini UNSDCF, one of the few cooperation frameworks to be rolled out globally, immediately after the UN reform, will build a partnership compact between the UNCT, the government and the people of Eswatini. The UNCT will work towards designing an UNSDCF that is light, adaptable and flexible resulting in a strategic UNSDCF at a higher outcome level.

UNCT Eswatini is looking for a consultant or a firm to undertake the Eswatini Common Country Analysis (CCA). The CCA is one of the critical and first steps to kick start the preparation of any UNSDCF and provides an independent, impartial and collective assessment (description of what is happening) and analysis (a description of why it is happening) of the country's situation. The CCA will not be a once-off product and/or a static analysis but will rather be a living document, which will be updated on a continuous basis to reflect situational developments and inform the UN’s work in the country.

The CCA has three main phases: (i) Analysis; (ii) Effective engagement with the Government, civil society, key development partners and stakeholders; and (iii) Drafting of the CCA

Phase 1: Comparative Advantage and Capacity Analysis – Under the leadership of the UN Resident Coordinator, the UNCT – through its Policy and Programmes Support Group (PPSG) - will undertake a series of exercises aimed at determining UNSDCF tentative priorities for endorsement by the UNCT and subsequent discussions with the Government and counterparts. These exercises include an in-depth Desk Review along with strategic consultations, and will inform the strategic positioning of UN agencies/funds/programmes through the identification of specific strengths that members of the UNCT can bring individually and collectively, as compared to other partners. A Capacity gap analysis will also be conducted to identify capacity-building requirements framed by the human rights-based approach and the theory of change, as well as a Stakeholders analysis. The stakeholder analysis will provide an opportunity for increased partnerships through continuous and inclusive dialogue.

The CCA will be informed by the principle of “leave no-one behind” and generate evidence and data disaggregated not only by income, gender, geography and age, but also on other grounds such as discrimination prohibited under international law. The social, cultural, economic, political, legislative and other systemic drivers of exclusion will be examined and described. The CCA should underline Eswatini’s progress towards achieving Agenda 2030 and provide an analytical overview of the status and progress on the SDGs.  The CCA should reflect on existing policy tools ranging from planning, budgeting and political instruments that last beyond short-term planning and meet the ambitions of SDGs.

In accordance with the human rights approach, the CCA should identify multi-dimensional risks that could impact the development trajectory of the country, covering a full spectrum of development, humanitarian and human rights issues. Key issues to be highlighted should also include understanding groups that are left behind and the underlying drivers of risks, vulnerabilities and needs, including those that are social or related to disasters, climate change and the environment of the economy. The CCA should also include an analysis of relevant regional, sub regional and cross border dynamics and their impact on achieving Agenda 2030 in Eswatini. This should include risks related to economics and trade, climate change and natural disasters, environmental degradation and/or sanitary emergencies. This analysis should also help in identifying an opportunity for cross-border dialogue and collaboration through either South-South or triangular cooperation. Importantly, the CCA should tap on perspectives and expertise from all levels of the UN system, including in non-resident agencies.

The CCA should adequately examine the country’s financial and political landscape for sustainable development, analyze financial flows, and identify opportunities to re-orient all sources of financing.  The CCA should track situational developments, hence it should not be a once-off event but a repository for data analysis at the country level with periodic updates and serve as an analytical resource to reduce the time required for developing Eswatini UNSDCF.  Through the CCA and the data and analysis that it will provide, Eswatini will reflect a theory of change in reaching Agenda 2030 based on the needs and demands of the country, and while demonstrating where development partners may collaborate to contribute to the desired change.

Phase 2. Stakeholder consultations: Stakeholder consultations will be held to present the findings of the analysis and gather information on general trends and situation in the programming environment.

Phase 3. Finalization of CCA report as per given template. For the final CCA report, the Consultant will also make use of internal UN analysis documents or other resources, as needed.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The key objective of the country analysis is to contribute to the articulation of high-quality development objectives and priorities for 2021-2025 UNSDCF. Building on existing analytical work by the Government, development partners, and the United Nations (UN), the CCA analysis will:

• Determine development priorities in the context of UN’s comparative advantages;
• Identify gaps in internationally-agreed development goals and commitments to international norms and standards;
• Identify UNCT support that can bring added value to existing gaps in analytical processes and products, especially for excluded and vulnerable groups, as well as in human rights treaties and instruments;
• Identifies ways to enhance progress in the above three areas.

The CCA will establish an overview of key trends based on available data relevant to the SDGs, international conventions and human rights instruments, international conferences and summits. These trends will be both historic and forward-looking and will impact on the UNCT priorities in support of the sustainable development trajectory of the country, the socio-political and fiscal dynamics, as well as thematic areas (poverty reduction, corruption, climate change, environment, human rights, gender equality and decentralization).

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UN Resident Coordinator and in close consultation with the UNCT in Eswatini and its Programme and Policy Support Group (PPSG), the International Consultant will conduct a desk review of existing analytical products and inputs of the UN Country Team.

The country analysis will be aligned with national development priorities and strategies and be guided by the five UN programming principles of human rights-based approach, gender equality, environmental sustainability, results-based management and capacity development. The analysis should also be in the context of the SDG framework.

The country analysis will be shared with national partners and with the QSA Group for review.

The final report will consist of a maximum of 50 pages, including tables on key statistics such as the SDGs and references to sources of data.

In order for the UN CCA to adequately serve as the analytical foundation of the Cooperation Framework, it should: (a) demonstrate a broad, holistic and integrated approach that takes into consideration the interlinkages and integrated nature of the SDGs; (b) reflect the interlinkages among the three dimensions of sustainable development and all spheres of the UN system’s work; (c) reflect the interlinkages between the SDGs and the human rights framework, including treaties and human rights monitoring mechanisms; (d) build on all sources of data and analysis from a broad range of partners; and (e) focus on prevention and the interlinkages between sustainable development, human rights, sustaining peace, and the shift from response to preparedness to meet the challenges of the future.

The country analysis will aim to comply with the following quality criteria:

1. Examine progress, gaps, opportunities and bottlenecks vis-à-vis a country’s commitment to achieving the 2030 Agenda, UN norms, standards, and principles embodied in the UN Charter, as reflected in the Cooperation Framework Guiding Principles.

• Do analytical processes or products (existing or planned) provide reliable, recent data related to the SDGs and do they adequately describe issues, trends and gaps?
• Have important comments by Treaties Bodies and supervisory bodies in the UN system (i.e. responding to national reports) been considered?
• Are the root causes of these problems and challenges identified?

2. Identify patterns of discrimination and inequality and describe the situation of groups excluded and made vulnerable due to a denial of their rights.

• Are data sufficiently disaggregated (e.g. by gender, region, as well as disability, HIV/AIDS income, gender, geography and age, and also other grounds of discrimination prohibited under international law, including social, cultural, economic, political, legislative and other systemic drivers of exclusion) to identify excluded groups?
• Are there evident priorities among the problems and challenges identified?
• Are the root causes of these problems and challenges identified?
• Does the analysis describe patterns of discrimination and the different ways that females and males experience these problems?
• Examine and generate evidence and data disaggregated.

3. Identify multidimensional risks that could impact the development trajectory of the country, covering a full spectrum of development, humanitarian, peacebuilding and human rights issues. It should foster common UN system understanding of groups left behind, and underlying drivers of risks, vulnerabilities and needs, including those that are social or related to disasters, climate change, the environment or the economy. In-depth analysis on these issues establishes an understanding of root and proximate causes, stakeholders, dynamics and triggers, as well as the impacts on people, the operational environment and the UN system’s work and presence. This analysis should also clarify how UN engagement may influence dynamics, positively and/or negatively, and how to manage negative effects and maximize positive ones.

4. Identify key environmental issues and how they contribute to major development problems, such as poverty and disease.

• Extent to which environmental targets have been addressed, with reference to national and international environmental obligations.

5. Assess capacity assets and gaps at different levels.

• Determine the interdependence of capacity at three levels: enabling environment, institutional/ organizational and individual?
• Identify capacity assets and needs of key actors (duty-bearers and rights-holders) to address the problems and challenges (at national, sub-national, community and family level.

6. Analyze data and reports produced by non-state actors (including alternate reports to Treaty bodies).

7. Identify trends and risks related to economics and trade, climate change and natural disasters, environmental degradation and ecosystem services, conflict and security, migration patterns, health emergencies, and animal, food or sanitary emergencies. Such analysis also helps identify opportunities for cross-border dialogue and collaboration between countries.

8. Examine the country’s financial landscape for sustainable development, analyse financial flows, and identify the greatest opportunities to re-orient all sources of financing.

9. Capture UN agency’s/fund’s/programme’s contributions to the analysis which will identify critical development issues in a 1-3 pages issue paper guided by three key questions:

• What is the present development situation in Eswatini in your agencies’ programmatic areas?
• What will be the likely situation in the coming 5-7 years?
• How can the UN best enhance progress in the country?

SCOPE OF THE WORK OF THE CONSULTANT

Scope of the work of the Consultant:

1. Carry-out a desk review of all existing documentation related to meeting the national priorities, including but not limited to:

• The Kingdom of Eswatini Strategic Road Map 2019 - 2023
• The Eswatini National Development Plan
• Situation of Children and Adolescent Report, 2019
• National Voluntary Report 2019 (SDG)
• UNDAF 2016-2020
• MTR UNDAF 2016-2020
• Global and National Human Development Reports
• Sector policy reviews
• Inputs from the agencies of the UN Country Team
• ILO Eswatini Future Work
• Labor Migration Policy
• Draft National Health Sector Strategic Plan 2019-2023
• UN Eswatini Resource Mobilization and Partnership strategy
• Snapshot of the UNCT Eswatini narrative

Other documents include the national and sector-specific development visions and strategies, national budget allocations, and development financing tools from domestic and international, private and public sources. Country-specific findings and recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review and other human rights 23 mechanisms will provide an important basis for highlighting gaps and corresponding obligations. The UN CCA can build on processes such as the Voluntary National Reviews, the country-specific findings and recommendations of UN principal organs, and/or the UNSDG-endorsed Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support (MAPS) approach supporting SDG implementation at the country level.

2. 25-day in-country mission to meet with all stakeholders and hold meetings and discussions with the Government, Civil Society and Key stakeholders, programme beneficiaries and counterparts on the UN New Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.

3. Facilitate a validation workshop with all stakeholders, relevant UN Agencies, national and international experts and government representatives.  The purpose of the workshop will be to discuss the draft CCA for additional inputs.

4. Finalize the overall findings of the CCA

5. Develop and finalize the narrative of the programme document, including executive summary; situation analysis (country’s context, policy context, programme context); strategy (including linkages to other relevant programmes); mechanism to ensure coordination

6. Provide a Presentation of the CCA to all key stakeholders consulted during the exercise

7. Others: Perform any other duties related to the finalization of the CCA

In carrying out his/her tasks, the consultants should:

• consider the country’s context; cultural and socio-political dynamics including thematic areas like poverty reduction, corruption, climate change, environment, human rights, gender equality and decentralization;
• ensure alignment with National Development Agenda;
• ensure engagement with Non-Resident Agencies during the CCA consultations;
• ensure that the CCA is human-rights based and gender sensitive;
• take fully into account the lessons-learned and findings from the UNDAF 2016 – 2020 Midterm Review;
• ensure that there is a clearly defined exit strategy to ensure that the focus of the support which will lead to measurable outcomes and impacts is captured in the UNSDCF 2021-2025.

Competencies

• Strong analytical skills and outstanding communication (spoken and written) skills, including the ability to write reports, conduct consultations and interviews and to articulate ideas in a clear and concise style;
• Good knowledge of the UN system and UN common country programming processes,
• Ability to review and synthesize large amounts of information rapidly, and to distinguish major trends from minor details;
• Ability to conceptualize and analyze problems to identify key issues; underlying problems; and how they relate;
• Substantive knowledge of development issues in Eswatini is required;
• An understanding of and ability to abide by the values of the United Nations;
• Awareness and sensitivity in working with people of various cultural and social backgrounds;
• The National Consultant should reflect teamwork skills as he/she will work with an International Consultant - Team Leader for the assignment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (Master's or equivalent) in Social science, economics, or a related field;
• 8 years of relevant professional experience, previous experience with evaluations and/or reviews is an asset;

Experience:

• Specialized experience and/or methodological/technical knowledge, including data collection and analytical skills, particularly in one of the following areas: human rights-based approaches to programming; gender considerations; Results Based Management (RBM) principles; logic modeling/logical framework analysis; quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis; participatory approaches; Sector Wide Approaches (SWA) is an asset;
• Substantive knowledge of development issues in Eswatini is required;
• Excellent report writing skills as well as communication skills;
• Experience of carrying out similar assignments in other countries is an asset.

Language Requirement:

• Excellent Proficiency in written and spoken English and Siswati.