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Expert for conducting Multi-Dimensional Poverty Analyses in Western Balkans

Home Based - May require travel

  • Organization: We Effect
  • Location: Home Based - May require travel
  • Grade: Consultancy - Consultancy
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Scientist and Researcher
    • Documentation and Information Management
  • Closing Date: Closed

1. Background

We Effect is a Swedish development organisation working worldwide in over 20 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America. Our work focuses on reducing poverty and inequality by strengthening the ability of member based and democratic organisations to enable women and men, girls and boys living in poverty to improve their living conditions, defend their rights and contribute to a just society. The work is focused to the following areas: rural development, housing, gender equality and financial inclusion.

The vision of We Effect is a sustainable and just world free from poverty. To succeed in reaching this goal, We Effect has decided to start by changing the situation for the most vulnerable – women and girls, who constitute 70 percent of those living in poverty. The target groups of We Effect’s development cooperation are We Effect’s partner organisations, their existing and potential members. Most of our partner organisations of We Effect are member-based organisations active in rural development, farmers associations, producers’ groups and cooperatives. We Effect applies a rights-based approach. This means that our development activities are developed in dialogue with our partner organisations, with strong local ownership, characterized by accountability, transparency, non-discrimination, and meaningful participation.

 

1.1. We Effect Europe Programme

The We Effect Europe Programme covers the countries in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia) and Moldova. The main focus of the programme is Rural Development. The programme promotes and contributes to stronger democracies, fair and sustainable development as well as moving towards the EU. The programme aims to strengthen the capacities of rural cooperatives, farmer organisations and other civil society organisations to address the needs and rights of their members, including gender equality perspective. It also envisages strong and vibrant civil societies with a diverse set of actors.

 

Programme Partners:

The We Effect Europe Programme is implemented through the implementation of the respective projects that are implemented by the supported We Effect Partner Organisations. The Europe Programme encompassed 13 projects, implemented by 11 Partner Organisations. Listed below:

-          Vive Zene - Bosnia and Herzegovina

-          Network of Organisations for Rural Development in Kosovo – NORDK (Kosovo)

-          Center for Economic and Rural development – CERD BiH

-          National Federation of Farmers - North Macedonia

-          Rural Development Network RDN  - North Macedonia

-          National Roma Center NRC – North Macedonia

-          Agrinet Albania

-          AgroPuka – Albania

-          Amarodrom – Albania

 

2. Objective of the assignment

2.1. Purpose

The analysis should provide learnings to strengthen the We Effect’s ROEU capacity, to identify most disadvantaged and marginalized groups and to provide basis and guidance for development of the new We Effect Europe Programme for the period 2023-2027.

 

2.2. Scope of Work (should include but not be limited to the below recommended chapters and approaches)

The focus of this consultancy is to conduct desk research on present state of poverty situation per country (NMK, AL, KOS, BiH) including the following aspects as prescribed by We Effect:

 

Political and institutional context 

-          Overview of the political and institutional development - political representation of different groups, including % of women and men (overall and if possible, within different socio-economic and/or ethnical minority, religious minority or other marginalized grous), institutional and administrative capacity

-          Rule of law, justice system, and mechanism for accountability and corruption issues

-          Gender equality legislation and institutions (gender machinery) and compliance with existing laws to counteract discrimination and violence against women and girls

-           The situation in terms of enabling environment for the civil society (recent developments of freedom of expression, the right to freely state one’s opinions, and the freedom of association)

 

Economic and social context

-          Overview of the economic development? Is there a national development strategy? Is agriculture mentioned/prioritized? Are there sufficient resources allocated to the strategy/programs

-          Gender disaggregated data on access to/ownership of economic resources

-          Opportunities and challenges for value addition for cooperatives

-          Opportunities and challenges for accessing financial services? Have women and men unequal access and why

-          Opportunities and challenges for access to land? Women’s access to and control over land

-           Identification of the disadvantaged and marginalized groups and the barriers they are facing for realization of their economic and social rights

-          Forward looking – possible developments!

 

Environmental context

-          Brief overview of the impact of environmental degradation, climate change and natural disasters to the social dynamics and rural development agenda in the countries that are subject to this assignment.

-          Review the eventual impact of traditional gender roles to rural communities’ vulnerability to climate change and natural disasters.  

-          Identify the potential and evidence-based risk and hazards (floods, droughts, hailstorms, landslides, earthquakes, food price hikes, forest fires, pandemics etc.),their characteristics, and socio-economic impact to people in rural areas.

-          Assess the quality of the prepared and in-practice applied national and local measures for disaster risk reduction, focusing on prevention, preparedness and recovery measures targeting farmers and tourism development practitioners in rural areas.

-          Overview of legal frameworks and institutional challenges for applying sustainable agriculture and food production practices in a broader context of sustainable use of natural resources.

 

Conflict and peaceful context

Conflict and peaceful context include social tensions, fragility, crime and violence, internal and external security situation linked to conflicts but also to economic developments as well as justice.

-          Overview of key concerns for national security, including national, regional and international stakeholders and factors.

-          Underlying stress factors and concerns for a peaceful development (poor governance, discrimination, gender-based violence, lack of opportunities, intercommunal tensions).

-          What kind of vulnerability and resilience stand out for our target groups and regions- e.g. food security, physical security or socio-economic security? How is the situation regarding gender-based violence and sexual violence in general and among different groups of women (including, but not limited to women from ethnical minorities, religious minorities, sexual minorities, women with disabilities)? How is the situation of access to services for survivors of gender-based violence in general and if possible, compared to urban and rural areas.

-          Forward looking – possible developments!?

The analysis should also be mainstreamed with a conflict perspective highlighting the impact of current or potential conflicts, outbreak of violence and/or different forms of social or political tensions (when applicable) on the issues and rights-holders that the programme will focus on: Some conflict related questions that can be helpful in the analysis are:

-          Is there any ongoing manifest conflict, violence or tensions (of different kinds) in the proposed area?

-          What are the dynamics of the conflict, violence or tension? Which are the sources of tension (“dividers”) as well as which are the sources of unity (“connectors”)?

-          How are women, men, boys and girls differently affected by the conflict, violence or tension and how are the disadvantage groups (including, but not limited to ethnical minorities, religious minorities, sexual minorities, people with disabilities) differently affected by the conflict, violence or tension?

 

Guiding questions to the four dimensions of poverty

To understand the poverty, i.e., how different power relations, structures, developments situations and issues coincide to keep people in a situation of poverty, We Effect is requiring an approach that includes multiple dimensions of poverty. The approach requires analysis to  include but not limited to the following:

    

     i.        Resources

Resources include different types of assets- from access to basic social financing and loans resources to resources in terms of capital or land. All questions and all responses should consider gender dimensions.

-         Who lacks access to land or credit? Who can control and benefit from these resources or lack that control? What is the situation for women and what is the situation for men?

-         What are the general structures as regards to the following issues? Who/which groups are particularly deprived in relation to these issues?

o Literacy                   Education levels       Health status

o Nutrition                  Income levels                        Access to capital Access to information

o Remittances          Social capital Land

o Livestock                Natural resources    Access to markets Access to social services

o Membership in cooperatives and/or associations

 

    ii.        Opportunities and choices

Opportunities and choice regard the prospects of an individual, household or group to develop and/or make use of their resources. Socio-economic factors which hinder groups from accessing and making use of available opportunities. All questions and all responses should consider gender dimensions. What are the general structures as regards the following issues? Who/which groups are particularly deprived? Who lack the opportunities and choices to:

o  Access to Financial services or loans?

o  Land? (Ownership and tenure)

o  Opportunities for productive employment?

o  Education?

o  Health care?

o  Water and sanitation?

o  Infrastructure (roads, electricity, ICT etc.)?

o  Organisation and civil society?

 o  Social services

       

  iii.            Power and voice

Power and voice relates to the ability of people to articulate their concerns, needs and rights in an informed way, and to take part in decision-making that relate to these concerns. This focus is particularly central for gender analysis and non-discrimination, but all aspects are relevant for the strategic focus of We Effect.

·         Who lacks power and voice at work, at home, in the community, for the targeted areas and in the society in general? Who controls the agenda for decision-making? Where? In the household, in the community, in the government (local, provisional, or national)?

·         Whose human rights are not respected/ violated? Which rights?

·         Discrimination:

o Which groups are subject to formal discrimination (i.e. gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic or religious ground, age, other)? Which groups are being discriminated de facto? In social, political, legal and economic (e.g. job market) contexts?

o What intersecting forms of discrimination exist? (i.e. gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnic or religious ground, age, other?)

 

·         Access to power and voice:

o What access to power and voice do different groups have?

o What kind of power and voice? Power over their own body, power to influence the working place, voice to vote, etc.

o Who and what groups are not represented in formal decision-making forums at community level and national level? Which citizens and groups are excluded/not represented? Who controls the agenda for decision-making?

 

   iv.            Human security

Human security entails a broader interpretation of the security concept which includes not only issues of physical security but also socio-economic safety. Security challenges are often experienced differently by different groups, and by women and men, it is therefore key to take different perspectives into account.

o  What are the general structures as regards the following issues? Who/which groups are particularly deprived?

o  Vulnerabilities to tensions, conflict and violence?

o  Vulnerabilities to climate change?

o  Physical, sexual, and psychological safety and violence?

 

2.3. Consultant´s specific tasks

The Consultant will work in close collaboration with the We Effect Programme Director and Programme Officers.

The consultant will undertake the following tasks to achieve the objectives of this assignment:

·         Develop methodology and time phases of the research

·         Review any other relevant materials of reference;

·         Develop and provide inception report and draft report to We Effect for comments;

·         Develop a session for Q&A with a PPT to present the final report findings in a webinar;

·         Conduct bilateral meetings as needed with We Effect Program Director and/or Programme Officers and the Partner Organizations;

We Effect and its Partners’ Organisations will provide assistance to provide contacts and/or, other type of information collection based on approved methodology.

During the assignment, the Consultant will follow the We Effect Guidelines on Multi-Dimensional Poverty Analysis.

 

3. Duration and timing

The assignment is to be carried out during the period 15th of Novemebre - 15th of December 202.1 The total number of days worked for the entire assignment will not exceed 20 working days during the entire contracted period.

 

4. Duty travel & accommodation [N/A]

Due to the global pandemic no travels are foreseen for this assignment.

 

5. Deliverables, Coordination & Reporting

The consultant will directly report to the We Effect Programme Director, who will be responsible for monitoring of the assignment progress.

Expected Deliverables:

1.       Research Methodology, including methods, and timetable for implementation of the assignment;

2.      An Inception Report, including key findings for review by the We Effect and Partner Organisations for factual comments, and an Executive Summary of max 1-2 pages that weaves together the findings. 

3.      A Final Report (20-30 pages) excluding Annexes including an abstract; executive summary; background of the local context and the poverty situation being analyzed. The executive summary should summarize the purpose, background, findings and conclusions, and recommendations and lessons learned. All findings and conclusions will be consistent in reflecting gender equality and rights-based approaches. The Annexes to the report shall include all sources of information, properly identified and listed.

The exact due dates for all deliverables will be finalized by the consultant, in collaboration with We Effect, so long as the dates continue to fall within the broad start and finish dates of the consultancy.

 

6. Qualification requirements

Key qualifications and competences of the Consultant include:

·         Resident or registered in one of the EU member states or Western Balkans countries.

·         At least Master's degree or equivalent post-graduate degree in a field of relevance for the assignment (e.g. e.g. social sciences, economics, business, agroeconomics etc.);

·         Minimum 5 years of experience in analysing complex, multi-country development issues, particularly rural development.

·         Oral and written fluency in English;

·         Ability and willingness to undertake the assignment with tight deadlines.

 

7. Application procedure:

Apply by uploading following documents to Impactpool no later than 8th November 2021. Your application documents should be in English.

        i.            Cover letter describing how you would best match the tasks listed and the requirements and skills.

      ii.            CV of the consultant(s) who will be performing the assignment.

    iii.            Diploma for completed Master degree or equivalent post-graduate degree in a field relevant for the assignment

    iv.            Reference table listing performed projects/assignments in relevant areas stated in key qualification.

      v.            Financial offer for an all-inclusive daily fee expressed in EUR including all applicable taxes.

    vi.            Declaration of relationships (signed).

 

8. Evaluation of the offers

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested documents.

Kindly note that the financial offer is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultants during the contract period (e.g. fee and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services such as taxes, insurance, bank charges, miscellaneous costs etc.).

Best value for money principle will be taken into account by using a weighted scoring method to evaluate the combination of the applicants’ qualification (80%) and financial offer (20%).

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the bidder whose application has been evaluated and determined as:

·         Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

·         Having received the highest combined score out of a weighted technical and financial evaluation specific to the solicitation

 

i)      Technical evaluation (80%):

The technical evaluation of the received offers will consist of:

·         Evaluation of professional experience (relevance of 70%)

§  Number of years of experience as expert researcher in the relevant areas (35%)

§  Experience and/or involvement in projects with gender equality and human rights-based approach and sustainable rural development (35%).

·         Evaluation of formal education (relevance of 10%)

Only the applicants who will reach the threshold of 70% (min 56 points out of 80) of the technical qualification will be considered for the financial evaluation.

 

ii) Financial evaluation (20%)

The evaluation of the financial offers will be conducted in the following manner:

·         The offer with the lowest price shall receive the total of 20 points

·         The other offers with higher prices shall receive the respective score according to the following formula: 20 * (Lowest Price / Proposed Price).

 

9. Terms of payment

The payment will be done upon submitted report/deliveries and approved by We Effect, showcasing the milestones made on specific and measurable achieved deliverables. The claim/invoice shall be issued only after the reports/deliverables are approved by We Effect.

 

10. Declaration of relationships

The Applicant shall describe if their organization/employees have any business or personal relationships with closely associated party from We Effect, its Regional Office in Skopje, its governing bodies and employees or with similar bodies/persons of the Client.

Closely associated party (persons, physical or legal) as per We Effect’s definition is considered person who has the possibility to exert control over, or significant influence on, the other person when it comes to financial and operative decision-making concerning an activity. The purpose of the Declaration is to disclose such information which makes the application and evaluation process more transparent and supports the bids in its relevance according to conditions on the open market.

 

11. Property

We Effect shall, unless otherwise agreed upon, be the sole owner of, and have all intellectual property rights to, all deliverables and results accrued through the performance of this Terms of Reference. For the purpose of this Terms of Reference, the term “results” shall mean all works and materials (including documentation) as well as any other result produced by the selected applicant. All copyright and any patent rights or other intellectual property rights connected with the result shall constitute We Effect’s property. The transfer of the rights includes a right for We Effect to change and modify the results, and to transfer the rights to a third party. The selected applicant shall not have the right to, without written consent from We Effect, use the results in her/his business.

 

 MISCONDUCT

If you want to alert We Effect on suspected discrimination, corruption or other serious misconduct during the procurement process, do not hesitate to use our Whistleblowing System.

 

 

This vacancy is now closed.
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