National Individual Consultant to conduct Final Assessment of the UNICEF, UNFPA and UNODC Joint Programme in Karakalpakstan

The purpose of the consultancy is to conduct the final Assessment to measure achievements and lessons learned against planned results stated in the Results Framework of the UN Joint Programme Document across outputs of all UN agencies and provide recommendations to decision makers on further sustainable scale up of the programme’s achievements. The assessment will consist of 3 parts: i) desk review of UN JP assessments, training and progress reports; ii) meeting with regional-level key stakeholders (MOH, MOPE, Agency for Youth Affairs, etc.) and Kungrad district (one of the target districts) iii) meeting with beneficiaries (teachers, healthcare workers) with 1 field visit to the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

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Title: National Individual Consultancy for conducting the final assessment of UN Joint Programme "Investing in a resilient future of Karakalpakstan by improving health, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene and well-being of adolescents and by harnessing the talents of youth during and after COVID- 19".

Background:

Children and adolescents in Karakalpakstan have experienced a high incidence of acute intestinal infections over the past decade (188 per 100,000 population), which is 1.4 times higher than the average for the Republic of Uzbekistan. Anaemia prevalence among adolescent girls (10-19 years of age) (31 per cent) in Karakalpakstan was 1.7 times the national average (15 per cent). Additionally, iron deficiency anaemia is associated with compromised immunity and susceptibility to infections, including COVID-19. However, the condition is preventable by iron and folic acid supplementation. A high and rising suicide and self-injury rate among adolescents indicates a significant prevalence of mental health problems among adolescents. The suicide and self-injury mortality rate in 2016 was 19.6 for children aged 10-19 years per 100,000 population and has increased consistently from year to year and almost doubled since 2008. Additionally, a large proportion of young people in Karakalpakstan face the challenge of youth unemployment and lack of opportunity. After completion of compulsory secondary education, 54 per cent of young males and 66 per cent of young females are not in employment, education or training. Over a third of young people are dissatisfied with their education highlighting the lack of practical skills obtained.

To address these pressing issues, starting in 2021, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United National Population Fund (UNFPA) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) launched a joint programme (JP) "Investing in a resilient future of Karakalpakstan by improving health, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene and wellbeing of adolescents and by harnessing the talents of youth during and after COVID- 19" in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Education (MOPE) and the Ministry of Health (MOH)  of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan, the Republican Center Tashxis and the International Innovation Center for Aral Sea under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The goal of the programme is that adolescents and young people are empowered to become positive agents of change and successfully realize their full potential and contribute to local socio-economic development and mitigating negative consequences of COVID-19 in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. To achieve the goal, three results are expected:

• Outcome 1. By 2022 adolescents (boys and girls) in three districts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, especially the most vulnerable have improved health and nutrition status (UNICEF, UNFPA, UNODC).
• Outcome 2. By 2022 the population in three districts of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, especially the most vulnerable, have improved access and quality health care services (UNICEF).
• Outcome 3. By 2022, the Government and the Youth Union in Karakalpakstan support, empower and engage young people, including the most vulnerable, as productive citizens and positive agents of change in their communities and the region (UNICEF, UNFPA).

The programme is being implemented in Kungrad, Bozatau, and Muynak districts of Karakalpakstan in 2021-2022. The budget of the programme is 3.5 mln. USD. The funding is provided by the Multi-Partner Human Security Trust (MPHSTF) for the Aral Sea Region.

There are three participating United Nations organizations (PUNO) – UNICEF, UNFPA and UNODC - that are directly involved in joint programme implementation, whereas UNICEF is the Lead Agency. While all three participating agencies work together on the joint programme, each take a clear lead on the different outputs, leveraging their comparative advantages.

JP management arrangements

The JP established a joint Coordination Council at regional level for coordination and project management to guarantee the sustainability of the coordinated efforts to improve adolescent health in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. The coordination Council serves as the main entity in the project governance structure. Representatives of the MoH and MOPE of Uzbekistan and Karakalpakstan, Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Agency for Youth Affairs, the management of selected district health care services, district and regional governors, representatives of NGOs, CSOs, trained UN JP community health volunteers in the Aral Sea Region, community, adolescent and UN agencies will be members of the Coordination Council. The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan will lead the Coordination Council. The council will be responsible for building partnerships and coordination with other stakeholders (civil society, local government).

Key stakeholders

The main national and international stakeholders in charge of the implementation of the Joint Programme and key primary stakeholders and users of the evaluation are described below.

The UN Joint Programme is overseen by the Deputy Chairman on Social Issues of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Karakalpakstan. From the UN side, the joint programme is led by the UN Resident Coordinator.

The Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Education, Agency for Youth Affairs, International Innovation Center for Aral Sea area and their district departments are considered as primary key stakeholders of the programme.

Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of the consultancy is to conduct the final Assessment to measure achievements and lessons learned against planned results stated in the Results Framework of the UN Joint Programme Document across outputs of all UN agencies (Annex 1. UN JP Results Framework) and provide recommendations to decision makers on further sustainable scale up of the programme’s achievements. The assessment will consist of 3 parts: i) desk review of UN JP assessments, training and progress reports; ii) meeting with regional-level key stakeholders (MOH, MOPE, Agency for Youth Affairs, etc.) and Kungrad district (one of the target districts) iii) meeting with beneficiaries (teachers, healthcare workers) with 1 field visit to the Republic of Karakalpakstan.

The assessment is focused on learning, assessment of what worked and what did not in design, implementation and assessment of the UN Joint Programme in Karakalpakstan.

The main objectives of this assessment are:

• Assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability and coherence  of a) the UN joint programme in general and specifically under each output areas, including WASH infrastructure improvement in schools and healthcare facilities, micro-nutrient supplementation programs for adolescent girls and deworming for school children, capacity building of healthcare workers on WASH, nutrition, soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) prevention, IPC, child health topics, capacity building of school teachers, psychologists, parents, school children on WASH, Menstrual Hygiene and Health (MHH), nutrition, reproductive health, life skills development, awareness raising through Internet of Good Things (IOGT) platform, deployment of “Family United” program, Social Innovations Program “Imkon Lab”, support of telecommunication and telemedicine development, etc.
• Provide recommendations to guide policy level decision-making by PUNOs and the key relevant stakeholders on implementation of similar programmes in future and new emerging priorities on supporting adolescents and youth in the education and healthcare system.
• Provide recommendation on how to better incorporate gender equality and equity issues into the programme interventions.
• Identify and document successes, challenges and lessons learnt for the joint programme.
• Identify contribution of the UN joint programme to SDGs acceleration and UN coherence.
• Assess the role of the Joint Programme to increasing awareness about WASH, nutrition, reproductive health, life skills, family issues and social innovation projects among key stakeholders and beneficiaries.

Methodology of the Assessment

The assessment methodology will be guided by the UNICEF Procedure for Ethical Standards in Research, Evaluations and Data Collection and Analysis, relevant Research policies and UNICEF’s reporting standards as it was agreed among PUNOs based on the UNICEF’s lead.

Key tasks, Timeline & Deliverables

Specifically, the Consultant will perform the following key tasks under the consultancy assignment:

Planning and Preparation:

1. Review the UN JP Programme Document and assessment-related documents, including the programme training and progress reports
2. Conduct initial inception meeting with Focal Points of participating UN agencies
3. Prepare and submit an inception report, including a detailed workplan
4. Obtain ERB clearance if required and quality assurance review.
5. Make a list of Key Stakeholders for Key Informant Interviews and develop questionnaires
6. Prepare and submit an Assessment and Data Analysis Plan
7. Revise and submit Final Assessment and Data Analysis Plan after receiving feedback from Steering Committee and Quality Assurance mechanism.

Implementation:

1. Conduct desk review of assessment-related documents, including the programme training and progress reports,
2.  Obtain statistical data from MOH on specific indicators
3. Conduct Key Informant Interviews with selected Key stakeholders and beneficiaries at regional and district level with a field visit to Karakalpakstan
4. Data Analysis
5. Prepare and submit Draft Assessment Report
6. Validation of the Draft Assessment Report with UN Agencies and Government Counterparts
7. Submit the final version of the Assessment Report

Deliverables:

The following are the assignment deliverables:

1. Inception Report with detailed methodology and ERB approval if required
2. Final Assessment Plan and Key Informant Interview Questionnaires
3. Draft Assessment Report
4. Final validated Assessment Report

Performance indicators for the evaluation of results

The performance for the assignment will be assessed through weekly meetings with UN JP Focal Points. The assignment evaluation will be assessed through:

1. Quality of Work (work accepted by UN agencies)
2. Timelines of work (delivered according to the schedule below, provided that requested materials received on time)
3. Responsibility
4. Communication

Duration of the contract: 45 working days from December 1, 2022 

Summary of key tasks, deliverables, and their due dates:

1.  Planning and preparation

Tasks:

1. Review the UN JP Programme Document and assessment-related documents, including the programme training and progress reports
2. Conduct initial inception meeting with Focal Points of participating UN agencies
3. Make a list of Key Stakeholders for Key Informant Interviews and develop questionnaires
4. Prepare and submit Assessment Plan

Deliverables:

• Inception report detailing the proposed methodology for meeting deliverables of this consultancy, including workplan - by December 6, 2022
• Assessment Plan including Key Informant Interview Questionnaires - by December 20, 2022

2.  Implementation:

Tasks:

1. Conduct desk review of assessment-related documents, including the programme training and progress reports; obtain statistical data from MOH on specific indicators
2. Conduct Key Informant Interviews with selected Key stakeholders at the regional and district levels with a field visit to Karakalpakstan
3. Data Analysis, prepare and submit Draft Assessment Report
4. Validate the Draft Assessment Report
5. Submit the final version of the Assessment Report

Deliverables: 

• Draft Assessment Report - by January 16, 2023
• Final validated Assessment Report - by January 25, 2023

Management:

The Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the WASH Officer (UNICEF) in close collaboration with the Chief of Child Health and Development Section and the Chief of M&E Section. The consultant will work in collaboration with UNFPA and UNODC Focal Points.

Resource requirements and payments:

The consultant will be paid according to the payment schedule upon successful completion of the above-listed deliverables during the period of Dec 1, 2022 to Jan 25, 2023. The basis for the calculation of consultancy fees is based on the complexity of work, the level of expertise and the Administrative Instruction (ST/AI/2013/4) on Consultants and individual contractors.

All payments will be made in local currency (UZS) via bank transfer to the Consultant’s account. Should the contract be signed with a denomination of fees in US dollars, the settlement will be according to the UN Operational Rate of Exchange in the month of payment.

The final decision on the selection of the consultant will be set up based on the “best value for the money” principle.  Payments might be partially or fully withheld in case of unsatisfactory performance of duties or failure to provide the deliverables by the agreed deadlines.

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

1. University degree in one of the disciplines relevant to the following areas: Business Management, Public Health, Monitoring and Evaluation, Health Statistics, Epidemiology, Social Sciences or other relevant technical areas;
2. At least 10 years of experience in monitoring and evaluation
3. Previous experience in the implementation of assessments, evaluations, and studies. Ability to work with national and regional partners. Ability to work independently and respond to feedback in a timely and professional manner. Excellent analytical and organizational skills.
4. Knowledge of English and Russian language, Uzbek and Karakalpak is an asset.

Procedures and Working Conditions

This will be a home-based assignment with one field visit to the Republic of Karakalpakstan. UN agencies’ Focal Points will organize the necessary logistics related to field visit and getting statistical data from MOH in Karakalpakstan.

Reservations

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if deliverable(s) incomplete, not finalized or for failure to meet deadlines. UNICEF will reserve copy right of all developed materials and own primary data collected through this assignment. The materials cannot be published or disseminated without prior written permission of UNICEF. UNICEF will be free to adapt and modify them in the future. The contractor must respect the confidentiality of the information handled during the assignment. Documents and information provided must be used only for the tasks related to these terms of reference. UNICEF undertakes no liability for taxes, duty or other contribution payable by the consultant on payments made under this contract.

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. 

Remarks:  

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 that the visa (applicable) and 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. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.