Location :
Thimphu, BHUTAN
Application Deadline :
09-Oct-13
Type of Contract :
Individual Contract
Post Level :
International Consultant
Languages Required :
English
Starting Date :
(date when the selected candidate is expected to start)
01-Nov-2013
Duration of Initial Contract :
November - December 2013
Expected Duration of Assignment :
16 days
Background
The Full Sized Project (FSP) on 'Reducing Climate Change-induced Risks and Vulnerabilities from Glacial Lake Outburst Floods in the Punakha, Wangdue and Chamkhar Valleys' is a Global Environment Facility (GEF) funded Project through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The Project is implemented by the Ministry of Economic Affairs through Department of Geology and Mines and Department of Hydro-met Services, and Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs through Department of Disaster Management. The Project duration has been extended till the end of December 2013. The Project Board consisting of senior level officials from government agencies and UNDP CO provides overall guidance for project implementation. The project duration is from June 2008 till Dec 2013.
Climate change is contributing to increased melting of glaciers and the formation of glacial lakes in Bhutan. Recent studies suggest rates of glacial retreat in the Himalayas as high as 30 to 60 metres per decade, and the melting of glaciers leading to alarming volumes of water in downstream glacial lakes. Increased temperature also causes melting of ice-cored moraine dams to the point that the ridges can no longer resist the pressure. The concern is that when the current holding capacity of the lakes reaches a critical threshold, loose glacial debris that act as dams or barriers could fail and lead to flash floods that result in severe adverse impacts on downstream communities.This project supports the UNDP's global objective for Thematic Area 4 on Disaster Risk Management within the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for Adaptation to Climate Change: 'Enhanced resilience of settlements, infrastructure, and landscapes to increases in the frequency of climatic extremes, focusing on the reduction of risk associated with increasingly frequent extreme rainfall events and their impacts, through planning, land management, and vulnerability reduction.' It also supports MDG Goal 8, Target 14: 'Address the special needs of landlocked countries and small island developing States' and MDG 1: 'Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger'.
Goal
The goal of the project is to enhance adaptive capacity to prevent climate change-induced GLOF disasters in Bhutan.
Duties and Responsibilities
The evaluation team will be composed of one international and one national evaluator. The consultants shall have prior experience in evaluating similar projects. Experience with GEF financed projects is an advantage. The international evaluator will lead the evaluation team and will be responsible for finalizing the report. The evaluators selected should not have participated in the project preparation and/or implementation and should not have conflict of interest with project related activities. The consultants shall have prior experience in evaluating similar projects. Experience with GEF financed projects is an advantage. The international evaluator will lead the evaluation team and will be responsible for finalizing the report. The evaluators selected should not have participated in the project preparation and/or implementation and should not have conflict of interest with project related activities.
An overall approach and method for conducting project terminal evaluations of UNDP supported GEF financed projects have developed over time. The evaluator is expected to frame the evaluation effort using the criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact, as defined and explained in the UNDP Guidance for Conducting Terminal Evaluations of UNDP-supported, GEF-financed Projects. A set of questions covering each of these criteria have been drafted and are included with the TOR (Annex C). The evaluator is expected to amend, complete and submit this matrix as part of an evaluation inception report, and shall include it as an annex to the final report.
The evaluation must provide evidence-based information that is credible, reliable and useful. The evaluator is expected to follow a participatory and consultative approach ensuring close engagement with government counterparts, in particular the GEF operational focal point, UNDP Country Office, project team, UNDP GEF Technical Adviser based in the region and key stakeholders. The evaluator is expected to conduct a field mission to the project sites, including interviews with the organizations and individuals associated with the project (location and list of project sites, and stakeholders included in the tentative programme).
The evaluator will review all relevant sources of information, such as the project document, project reports – including Annual APR/PIR, project budget revisions, midterm review, progress reports, GEF focal area tracking tools, project files, national strategic and legal documents, and any other materials that the evaluator considers useful for this evidence-based assessment. A list of documents that the project team will provide to the evaluator for review is included in Annex B of the Terms of Reference.
Competencies
The International consultant must present the following competencies:
- Highly knowledgeable of participatory monitoring and evaluation processes;
- Familiar with climate change adaptation projects in Asia-Pacific either through management and/or implementation or through consultancies in evaluation of climate change adaptation projects;
- Demonstrated ability to assess complex situations succinctly, distills critical issues, and draw forward-looking conclusions and recommendations;
- Ability to lead multi-disciplinary and national teams, and deliver quality reports within the given time.
Required Skills and Experience
The International consultant must meet the following minimum qualification:
Education:
- The candidate should have at least Masters or higher degree in any relevant field and should have adequate experience in evaluation of GEF project.
Experience:
- Professional background in environmental science, climate change adaptation and mitigation, disaster risk management or related fields with in-depth understanding of climate change impacts and disaster management.
- A minimum of 10 years of working experience is required.
- Experience in evaluation of technical assistance projects with major donor agencies; previous evaluation experience of UNDP-GEF projects is an advantage.
- Previous experience with results-based monitoring and evaluation methodologies.
Language:
- Writing and communication will be in English, and must have excellent communication skills in English.
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.
0 comments:
Post a Comment