Background:
The UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (also known as the Aarhus Convention) was signed in 1998 in Aarhus, Denmark, and entered into the force in October 2001. Since 2002, the OSCE has been promoting the establishment and functioning of the Aarhus Centres across the OSCE region. There are at the moment 47 parties to the Convention, most of which represent the OSCE participating States.
Since 2004, the OSCE POiB has been implementing its Unified Budget (UB) projects focused on good environmental governance, in particular Aarhus Centres. For more than a decade, the OSCE POiB has been supporting Kyrgyzstan in promoting and facilitating the implementation of the Aarhus Convention by supporting the functioning of the network of Aarhus Centers in Kyrgyzstan. Since Kyrgyzstan’s ratification of the Aarhus Convention in 2001, four Aarhus Centres were established in the country, namely in Bishkek, Osh, Issyk-Kul and Naryn. The Aarhus Centre in Bishkek, with its two branches in Naryn and Cholpon-Ata, carry out their outreach activities in northern provinces, including Talas province, while the Aarhus Centre in Osh (Public Foundation “Ecological Development”) cover Osh, Jalal-Abad and Batken provinces in the south of Kyrgyzstan. The Aarhus Centres network in Kyrgyzstan provides platforms through various round tables, awareness raising events, capacity building training sessions, scientific practical conferences, student debates and joint environmental monitoring visits to engage local communities, governmental authorities and civil society in a dialogue on acute environmental problems in the country. The activities of the Aarhus Centres network are also aimed at increasing environmental awareness as well as capacity building of local stakeholders on environmental rights and obligations foreseen by the national legislation. Their activities involve participants of different age, gender and diversity. In 2018, in close cooperation with the representatives of the former State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry under the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic, staff of the Aarhus Centres in Bishkek and Osh, partner international organizations and NGOs, the POiB hired consultants developed National Action Plan (NAP) for the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Kyrgyzstan (2019-2023) and Strategic Documents (the Plan) on the activities of the Aarhus Centers in the Kyrgyz Republic (2019-2022).
In 2023, the POiB will contract a national consultant to conduct an evaluation of the relevance, impact, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability and gender equality of the POiB-supported activities on the promotion of the Aarhus Convention in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2019-2022. The consultant is also supposed to provide recommendations for the future improvement of Aarhus-related assistance based on an independent assessment of the activities undertaken by the Aarhus Centres network in Kyrgyz Republic.
Objective of Assignment:
The external evaluation will be conducted with the aim:
To ensure accountability for the achieved results vis-à-vis the OSCE participating states, by assessing the difference that the Aarhus-related support of the POiB made in the period 2019-2022, with a focus on relevance of the conducted activities, their impact, effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability. The evaluation will also assess to what extent the POiB-related support to the Aarhus Centres has supported gender mainstreaming; To contribute to the organizational learning by collecting lessons learnt, documenting good practices and formulating recommendations for the future of ACs.Evaluation scope:
To address the evaluation purposes, the evaluation will cover the period of 2019-2022. The evaluation will result in a final evaluation report with the identified good practices, lessons learnt and the recommendations for future interventions of similar type. The produced report will be shared with the Programme Managers and OSCE POiB decision-makers. Additionally, the final report will be distributed among the leadership of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision, National Coordinator for the Aarhus Convention, Aarhus Centres network in Kyrgyzstan, OCEEA, Secretariat, interested environmental experts, eco-activists and NGOs.
The evaluation is to be conducted between June 5, 2023 - September 5, 2023 (dates to be confirmed).
Tasks and Responsibilities:
Under the overall supervision of the Programme Manager, the successful candidate will be tasked with the following duties:
Perform desk research with a focus on the: Mapping of relevant stakeholders active in the field of supporting the implementation of the Aarhus Convention; Review and analysis of relevant project documentation such as project proposals, NAP for the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Kyrgyzstan (2019-2023), Strategic Plan on development of the Aarhus Centers’ activities in the Kyrgyz Republic (2019-2022), project work plans of the Aarhus Centres for the 2019 - 2022, progress reports for 2019-2022, POiB project self-evaluation reports, and any other relevant documents related to the activities of the Aarhus Centres’ network in Kyrgyzstan; Perform visits to project sites in Bishkek and Osh cities as well as Chui, Issyk-Kul and Naryn provinces to observe and assess project activities, including the implementation of project activities; Collect relevant qualitative and quantitative data through: (Qualitative methods) conducting relevant structured individual and focus group interviews (online and offline) with key stakeholders such as staff of the Aarhus Centres in Kyrgyzstan, the OSCE POiB staff, representatives of the environmental services, environmental experts and NGOs, eco-activists, other beneficiaries; (Quantitative methods) surveys, online or offline, among POiB staff, other stakeholders and beneficiaries. Develop recommendations based on the findings of the evaluation for future POiB supported activities on the promotion of the Aarhus Convention in the Kyrgyz Republic and improving the project’s effectiveness, relevance efficiency, and sustainability; Prepare final comprehensive report that summarizes the findings of the evaluation and provides key lessons learnt and recommendations for improving the project interventions on promotion of the Aarhus Convention in the Kyrgyz Republic; Deliver a presentation to the selected POiB staff on the key findings, recommendations for the future and the lessons learnt.The final set-up of the evaluation process as well as the concrete methods for data collection and analysis shall be proposed by the evaluation expert and agreed on by the dedicated POiB staff.
Deliverables:
Evaluation report with recommendations and identified lessons learned from the implementation of this project; PowerPoint presentation of key findings, lessons learnt and recommendations, to be delivered to key POiB staff; Evaluation concept with working schedule; Monthly progress and deliverable summary reports in line with the OSCE template; Other reports as requested by POiB.For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, please see: https://www.osce.org/programme-office-in-bishkek.
Necessary Qualifications:
Higher education in Environmental Sciences, Law, Project Management, Social Sciences or related areas; A minimum of 7 years of professional experience in project management, preferably in environmental field; Experience in conducting project evaluations and developing analytical reports; Strong analytical and critical thinking skills; Excellent writing skills and knowledge of monitoring and evaluation tools; The evaluators must be completely impartial and independent from all aspects of management interests in the entity being evaluated. The evaluators should disclose any relationship that might possibly compromise his/her independence. Professional fluency in Russian with excellent communication (both oral and written) skills; professional fluency in English and Kyrgyz would be an asset; Demonstrated gender awareness and sensitivity, and an ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities; Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications (including spreadsheets).
Remuneration Package:
Remuneration will be based on the selected consultant's/expert's qualifications, experience, the tasks and deliverables for this position and in accordance with the OSCE established rates.
If you wish to apply for this position, please use the OSCE's online application link found under https://vacancies.osce.org/.
The OSCE retains the discretion to re-advertise/re-post the vacancy, to cancel the recruitment or to offer an appointment with a modified job description or for a different duration.
Only those candidates who are selected to participate in the subsequent stages of recruitment will be contacted.
The OSCE is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all religious, ethnic and social backgrounds to apply to become a part of the Organization.
Candidates should be aware that OSCE officials shall conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting the status of an international civil servant. This includes avoiding any action which may adversely reflect on the integrity, independence and impartiality of their position and function as officials of the OSCE. The OSCE is committed to applying the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mandate. For more information on the values set out in OSCE Competency Model, please see https://jobs.osce.org/resources/document/our-competency-model.
Please be aware that the OSCE does not request payment at any stage of the application and review process. Additional Information
Issued by: OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek Requisition ID: KYR000056 Contract Type: Special Service Agreement (SSA) / Consultant Grade: No grade Job Type: Consultant Number of posts: 1 Location: KYR - OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, Bishkek Issue Date: May 2, 2023 Closing Date: May 16, 2023 Education Level: Bachelor's Degree (First-level university degree or equivalent)This vacancy is archived.