Background   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.   UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.   The signing of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord in 1997 was a major political achievement, marking the end of more than three decades of low intensity conflict between the region’s local tribal communities and the state which left most of the regional population trapped by poverty and in dire need of development opportunities.

After more than two decades since signing of the CHT Peace Accord,  the CHT still experiences relatively low levels of development. More specifically, economic- and social progress are being impeded by a number of difficulties, which include political instability, a lack of further devolution of power to the established local government institutions, challenges to coordinated development efforts, geographical inaccessibility due to the regional terrain as well as the digital divide (80% of the inhabitants do not have internet coverage), in conjunction with a growing population.

In the upcoming years, CHT region will also bear the brunt of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit Bangladesh in 2020. On the economic front, losses are unprecedented. GDP growth has slowed considerably, export earnings are down sharply, growth of external remittance inflows has slowed, private and public investment rates are down, whilst government fiscal revenues have been affected severely. The average income in Bangladesh dropped by TK 4,000 (a 20% decrease) following the Covid-19 pandemic.

The combination of the increased pressure on scarce resources, the consequences of the economic downturn, and the persistence of extreme poverty below the national average, as well as a lack of economic development and prospective opportunities add to growing tensions. This could potentially crystallise further conflicts throughout the region and adversely affect the encouraging progress made in CHT.

The CHT region, where the average income is 26% less than the national average,  contains large concentrations of economically disadvantaged people. The tribal people of CHT are particularly affected. The poverty rate among the tribes, minor races, ethnic sects and communities in the CHT is 65% whereas the estimated poverty rate in Bangladesh is 20.5%. According to the Population Census 2011, more than 1.6 million people from ethnic backgrounds live in Bangladesh. More than half of them – around 850,000 people from different ethno-linguistic backgrounds of eleven different tribes – live in the three hill districts of Chittagong Hill Tracts (Bandarban, Khagrachari and Rangamati).

The current situation is particularly concerning for women. As a result of their very limited actual control over productive resources, CHT women not only remain marginalised in terms of their socio-economic status, but also suffer multiple forms of discrimination. Moreover, the skills necessary to move from subsistence livelihood practices to a market economy, such as non-agriculture and entrepreneurship skills for women and the youth, are hindered by a dearth of strong public policies and investment aimed at sustainable empowerment.

CHT have recorded a high number of primary school dropouts. Whereas the enrolment of tribes, minor races, ethnic sects and communities  children in the education system corresponds with the national average, the dropout rate is as high as 7%, when compared to 1.45% among mainstream students. Besides, in contrast to the rest of the country, the villages in the hilly parts have less access to formal education. For children, especially girls, it is difficult to walk through the hilly terrain and attend the local schools. Other major reasons for the higher dropout rate are a lack of both financial resources and decent employment opportunities after finishing school. This, in turn, contributes to a high unemployment among the youth population in CHT.

The Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs (MOCHTA), in collaboration with UNDP and other Development Partners has implemented several projects in three Hill Districts during the last decade.  The interventions of these projects mainly strengthened community stability and supported communities build resilience and collective actions. Conducive environment is achieved for long-term stability in the region by empowering communities to be more involved in decisions that affect their lives in a framework for economic and social development. In line with the provisions of the Peace Accord these actions worked towards protecting the diversity of the region and its distinct characteristics by supporting the increased implementation of Peace Accord objectives, building capacity of devolved Regional and Hill District Councils to deliver the subjects transferred from national level and supporting confidence building and social capital strengthening in communities. 

Results achieved under the Promotion of Development and Confidence Building in CHT project (2003 – 2016) through empowering communities in the 3,500 para development committees created new forms of support to communities including 1,900 farmer field schools identifying and diffusing innovation and knowledge of productive farming methods and 1,700 rice banks building more resilient and common action orientated communities that identify and resolve challenges collectively in their own interest. They manage easy access and flexible grant schemes aimed to generate income for households and are now able to implement village level projects and manage funds competently with 90 percent of committees establishing sustainable saving schemes. The model of community led decision-making is the central reason behind these successes.

To continue the momentum of development and confidence building successes of the Promotion of Development and Confidence Building in CHT project (2003 – 2016), MoCHTA and  UNDP , with assistance from a number of Development Partners, have undertaken a new 5-year project titled Strengthening Inclusive Development in CHT (SID-CHT 2017-26). 

The main objectives of SID-CHT project is ‘’To strengthen the capacity of the population in the Chittagong Hill Tracts to shape and make decisions that impact on their lives”.

The outcomes of this project are: 1) Economic and Social empowerment & development ; and 2) Improved social cohesion and community stability.

The following five outputs will contribute to the outcome:

Output 1: Strengthened community land, resource and livelihood management. Output 2: Increased participation and influence to shape decision-making. Output 3: Democratic governance strengthened with responsive institutions and effective services. Output 4: Empowerment of women and girls through education and skill training. Output 5: Youth development through skills training and entrepreneurship.

The project will be implemented in all 26 Upazilas of CHT and 3 Upazilas of Cox’s Bazar district namely  Ukhia, Teknaf and Ramu. A total of 5,000 communities with 150,000 rural and urban households will be direct beneficiaries of the project including the extreme urban and rural poor and vulnerable groups

The Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Analyst will be a key member of the CHTWCA team and under direct supervision of Chief Technical Specialist (CTS), Forest and Watershed Management, the incumbent will be responsible for planning, designing, developing and implementing MEL activities of CHTWCA. S/he will assist the CTS in the MEL process including collection, analysis and evaluation of MEL data for program planning and decision-making and preparing regular and ad hoc reports on CHTWCA progress. S/he will develop a web-based monitoring system for monitoring the CHTWCA activities, results, lessons learned and risks on a regular basis. Duties and Responsibilities   This position will directly report to Chief Technical Specialist (CTS), Forest and Watershed Management, CHTWCA, SID-CHT project, UNDP. Monitoring reporting Officer (s) of partner NGO’s are directly reports to the position.   Summary of Key Functions:

Planning, Coordination, Monitoring and Reporting Design and Development of Web-based Monitoring System Processing, Analysing, Learning and Evaluation Capacity Building on MEL Any other function as assigned by CHTWCA management

Planning, Coordination, Monitoring and Reporting

Design and develop necessary data collection tools, formats and methodologies for CHTWCA implementation and provide orientation to field staff for their proper application and use;losely work with the CHTWCA team and PMR unit in preparing the activity Work Plans and Reports (annual, quarter and monthly) with results and targets for different components; In consultation with the CHTWCA team, prepare expenditure and activity implementation plans with necessary guidelines (implementation modalities, etc.) and budget; In consultation with the CHTWCA team prepare District and Upazila wise work plans and implementation guidelines; Coordinate with the CHTWCA team, SID-CHT team, partner NGOs, FD and HDCs in relation to the CHTWCA MEL planning and implementation; Monitor the activities, inputs, outputs, budget, effects and impact of CHTWCA Conduct MEL workshops and orientation sessions for staff of CHTWCA, partner NGOs, HDCs and FD on a regular basis; Implement collaborating, learning and adapting (CLA) framework as per the technical programme document of CHTWCA; Conduct field visits and data validation regularly and prepare field reports; and Produce high quality case studies and monitoring/evaluation/survey reports.

Design and Development of Web-based Monitoring System

This vacancy is archived.

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