Result of ServiceThe Evaluation Team will submit a concise evaluation report. Actual duration of the assignment is 50 days ( within a period of 8 months) to be delivered as follows: Inception Report (30%) Draft report (40%) Final Evaluation Report (30%) Work LocationHome based with field visits Expected duration8 months Duties and ResponsibilitiesORGANIZATION SETTING The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the United Nations systems designated entity for addressing environmental issues at the global and regional level. Its mandate is to coordinate the development of environmental policy consensus by keeping the global environment under review and bringing emerging issues to the attention of governments and the international community for action. This consultancy is located at Headquarters in the Evaluation Office which reports directly to the Executive Director. The consultant reports to the Evaluation Manager and the Director of the Evaluation Office. THE PROJECT Land degradation contributes to loss of biodiversity, to climate change, and to poverty and food insecurity. As a consequence, groundwater resources and especially those of the shallow unconfined aquifers can be seriously affected. Additionally, as land degrades and declines its relative value rises, driving speculation and accumulation of land in the hands of a few, with inevitable consequences for the poorest people and the poorest countries. Land degradation is often the outcome of past policy and investment failures and barriers to sustainable land management therefore come in various forms, they include: barriers to local consultation, particularly in the case of marginalised groups like women or indigenous peoples; barriers to local governance and decision making, as much through institutional weaknesses as through capacity constraints; and barriers to investment in both the public and the private sector. The Great Green Wall is a pan-African initiative to restore and sustainably manage land in the Sahel- Saharan region in order to address both poverty and land degradation. In June 2010, Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Sudan signed a convention in Ndjamena, Chad, to create the Great Green Wall (GGW) Agency. The vision evolved into an integrated ecosystem management approach. The Great Green Wall initiative has revived interest in Sustainable Land Management in the Sahel and north of the Sahara and has galvanised action to implement the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). It has also helped to shed a spotlight on innovations in SLM in the region and at the same time has leveraged a high degree of political will and leadership from member States. In response, public finance for SLM actions has increased and several donors have also mobilised substantial investments, offering opportunities for rapid progress. This project was designed to build capacity for improved implementation of Sustainable Land Management, create opportunities for greater intersectoral collaboration for sustainable ecosystem management, and connect marginalised groups to decision making and planning processes in order to strengthen equity and ensure greater buy-in to investments and policies. A range of stakeholders was engaged in the GGW process, leading to greater mobilisation of public and private resources. This project also sought to strengthen networks and networking in participating countries and at regional levels and in capacity building of partners that are already active UNCCD implementation and are expected to bring new partners into the initiative. A specific focus lay also on better linkages among sectors and on integrating pastoralists, women and groups with specific vulnerabilities to create synergies in implementation and up-scaling of Sustainable Land and Water Management (SLWM) through addressing socio-economic inequalities and imbalances of the land use systems to achieve higher productivity and improved well-being of these groups. A further element of the solution sought for, lies in the strengthening of land productivity through attracting higher investments. THE EVALUATION In line with the UNEP Evaluation Policy and the UNEP Programme and Project Management Manual, the Terminal Evaluation is undertaken at operational completion of the project to assess project performance (in terms of relevance, effectiveness and efficiency), and determine outcomes and impacts (actual and potential) stemming from the project, including their sustainability. The Evaluation has two primary purposes: (i) to provide evidence of results to meet accountability requirements, and (ii) to promote operational improvement, learning and knowledge sharing through results and lessons learned among UNEP and the main project partners. Therefore, the Evaluation will identify lessons of operational relevance for future project formulation and implementation, especially where a second phase of the project is being considered. Recommendations relevant to the whole house may also be identified during the evaluation process. THE EVALUATION TEAM For this Evaluation, the Evaluation Team will consist of an Evaluation Consultant who will work under the overall responsibility of the Evaluation Office represented by an Evaluation Manager, in consultation with the UNEP Task Manager, Fund Management Officer and the Subprogramme Coordinator. Specific responsibilities for the Evaluation Consultant: In close consultation with the Evaluation Manager, the Evaluation Consultant will be responsible for the overall management of the Evaluation and timely provision of its outputs, data collection and analysis and report-writing. More specifically: 1. Inception phase of the Evaluation, including: • preliminary desk review and introductory interviews with project staff; • draft the reconstructed Theory of Change of the project; • prepare the evaluation framework; • develop the desk review and interview protocols; • draft the survey protocols (if relevant); • develop and present criteria for country and/or site selection for the evaluation mission; • plan the evaluation schedule; • prepare the Inception Report, incorporating comments until approved by the Evaluation Manager. 2. Data collection and analysis phase of the Evaluation, including: • conduct further desk review and in-depth interviews with project implementing and executing agencies, project partners, and project stakeholders, • where appropriate and agreed) conduct an evaluation mission(s) to Georgia, visit the project locations, interview project partners and stakeholders, including a good representation of local communities. Ensure independence of the Evaluation and confidentiality of evaluation interviews. • regularly report back to the Evaluation Manager on progress and inform of any possible problems or issues encountered and; • keep the Project/Task Manager informed of the evaluation progress. 3. Reporting phase, including: • draft the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring that the evaluation report is complete, coherent and consistent with the Evaluation Manager guidelines both in substance and style; • liaise with the Evaluation Manager on comments received and finalize the Main Evaluation Report, ensuring that comments are taken into account until approved by the Evaluation Manager; • prepare a Response to Comments annex for the main report, listing those comments not accepted by the Evaluation Consultant and indicating the reason for the rejection; and; • (where agreed with the Evaluation Manager) prepare an Evaluation Brief (2-page summary of the evaluand and the key evaluation findings and lessons). 4. Managing relations, including: • maintain a positive relationship with evaluation stakeholders, ensuring that the evaluation process is as participatory as possible but at the same time maintains its independence; • communicate in a timely manner with the Evaluation Manager on any issues requiring attention and intervention. The Evaluation Consultant shall have had no prior involvement in the formulation or implementation of the project and will be independent from the participating institutions. The consultant will sign the Evaluation Consultant Code of Conduct Agreement Form. The Evaluation Consultant will be selected and recruited by the UNEP Evaluation Office through a consultancy contract. Comprehensive terms of reference will be shared with the consultant separately. Qualifications/special skillsAdvanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) in environmental sciences, international development or other relevant political or social sciences area is required. A first level university degree (Bachelor's degree or equivalent) in the same areas in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. A minimum of ten (10) years of experience of technical / evaluation experience preferably including evaluating large, regional or global programmes and using a Theory of Change approach is required. Experience in the areas of environmental resource management, sustainable land management, climate change, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), is desirable. Experience in the West African region is desirable. LanguagesEnglish and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in French is required. Knowledge of English is desirable. Additional InformationNot available. No FeeTHE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.