Mid-Term Evaluation of the Enhancing Gender-Responsive Security Operations and Community Dialogue Project in Nigeria (Phase II)

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. The active participation of women and girls in shaping their future, based on a recognition of their dignity and capacities, is posited in several global policy frameworks as a basic condition to promote gender equality and women’s rights. SDG 16 “Peace, Justice and effective, accountable, inclusive Institutions” and SDG 5 “Gender Equality and Empower all Women and Girls” are understood and implemented together, as interdependent and synergic goals. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts to build effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Nigeria is a vast country with a population of more than 200 million people. The country’s six geo-political zones all have a history of incessant regionalized violent conflicts. These include attacks by the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East, farmer-herder conflict, resource-based conflict in the Niger Delta region, as well as general increase of incidences of armed robbery and kidnapping for ransom.  The humanitarian crisis in North-East Nigeria remains one of the world’s largest and most complex humanitarian crises. The conflict has resulted in large-scale displacement and various forms of abuses and violations of human rights. The number of people in need of urgent assistance in North-East Nigeria rose from 7.9 million at the beginning of 2020 to 10.6 million throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the start of the conflict in 2009, more than 36,000 people have been killed in the most affected states in the region (Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa), and thousands of women and girls abducted. A gendered analysis of the insurgency’s impact further reveals that while men have disproportionately been killed, women are an overwhelming majority of IDPs. Violence against women and girls, including sexual violence, exposure to trafficking, and other forms of GBV, is predominant. Due to the interplay of patriarchal, cultural, and socio-economic factors and the lack of adequate and or weak implementation of legal frameworks to ensure the promotion and protection of women’s and girls’ rights, gender inequality remains a severe problem, particularly in the northern region and the country at large. Though women constitute about 50% of the country’s population and contribute in many informal ways to conflict resolution, they continue to be poorly represented in formal peace and security processes.

The security sector institutions are major actors engaged by the government to prevent and respond to the security issues in Nigeria. These institutions include the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN), Nigeria Police Force (NPF), and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC). However, there is a huge gender gaps in the policies and operational procedures by the institutions, at all levels. The advancement of gender balance in security sector institutions has been increasingly identified as a key strategy for enhancing gender-responsive security sector response, which is supported by global normative frameworks, including the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000) and UNSCR 1820 (2008), among others. Ensuring women’s meaningful representation in the security sector is critical to building an inclusive, responsive, and accountable security sector that reflects the diversity of the community it serves and better respond to their needs.

In view of the above, UN Women facilitated several strategic initiatives to enhance gender-responsive security sector operations in Nigeria. One of these is the Enhancing Gender-Responsive Security Operations and Community Dialogue Project (2020-2021), supported by the Government of Germany. The project successfully enhanced the integration of gender-sensitive and human-centric security responses into the security sector at the federal level and target areas in Borno and Yobe states. The development and adoption of gender policies by the AFN, NSCDC and review of gender policy of the NPF. Moreover, the development of a standard training manual on gender for security institutions, and the adoption training manual and SOP on SGBV by the police, supported by the project creates opportunities for further engagements and consolidation of achievements for sustainable impact. These initiatives are further supported under Phase II of the project (2023 -2024). Similarly, phase II of the project supports continuous strategic actions by the Women, Peace and Security Reference Group, and the Annual Fora of Women in the security sector, given the successes recorded under the first phase. In addition, the established community-based structures i.e. Community Safety Platforms (CSPs), Mixed Observers Teams (MOTs) and Women Led Organizations (WLOs) in Borno and Yobe states are being supported to expand the scope of their interventions towards addressing women and girls’ protection and security concern issues in the context of operations in the North East, including replication in additional Local Government Areas (LGAs) per state, and two LGAs in Adamawa State being a new  additional target area for the project. This implies a total project coverage of three (3) states, ten (10) LGAs and Abuja the federal capital territory.

Description of the Project

The Enhancing Gender-Responsive Security Operations and Community Dialogue Project in Nigeria Phase II (2023 -2024)  is designed to consolidate on the successes recorded under phase 1 by ensuring that security sector legislation, policies, and institutions are reformed to promote gender equality, and women in their diversity, especially those in conflict-affected grassroots communities are empowered to voice and assert their rights to protection and have enhanced collaboration with security institutions to address community security needs in an inclusive and gender-responsive manner.

The project supports the achievement of UN Women SN 2023-2027 Impact 4: Women Peace and Security and is aligned with the global SP outcome 1. It contributes to the implementation of the UNSDCF (2023–2027) strategic priority area 4 which states that by 2027, more inclusive, participatory, transparent, and gender-sensitive governance, justice, and human rights systems are in place at all levels to promote acceleration in the achievement of 2030 agenda and the SDGs for a peaceful, inclusive, and cohesive society. Further, it is aligned with development priorities at global, regional, and national levels specifically SDG 5 and 16; the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), regional African Union (AU) Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA, the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework; Women, Peace, and Security Action Plan (2008); and the national goal of promoting women’s rights and gender equality which is central to the development agenda of Nigeria respectively.

The specific objectives of the project are as follows:

1. Strengthen gender-responsive security sector policy reforms and implementation of gender policies adopted by target security institutions.
2. Support capacity building and institutional strengthening for enhanced gender responsiveness in security institutions.
3. Strengthen collaboration between women affected by conflict and community-based structures (CSPs, MOTs, and WLOs) with security sector institutions and other stakeholders to address security concerns of women and girls in three target states in the Northeast (Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa).

The Government of the project target states will also be supported to review their State Action Plans on Women, Peace, and Security, in line with emerging issues, including strengthening mechanisms to enhance the implementation of the policy documents. Stakeholders at both national and state levels provided inputs to enhance local ownership, achievement of set goals and objectives, replication in other areas and sustainability of the initiative.

Project Target Areas: Abuja, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe States.

 

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Purpose and Use of the Evaluation

a.      Purpose of the Evaluation

The purpose of the mid-term evaluation is to assess the progress, achievements, and challenges of the project in order to enhance implementation in the remaining project duration; inform future related and follow-up programmes on security sector reform and WPS more generally; and promote wider organizational learning and accountability. This mid-term review is particularly important and relevant given the context in which the project operates amidst increasing security challenges. Within this context, the project’s mid-term review is then expected to assess how the project’s implementation has been affected, adjusted accordingly, and formulated recommendations for accelerated implementation and impact under prevailing circumstances. 

The mid-term evaluation exercise will include a desk review of relevant documentation, including policies, frameworks and reports; key informant interviews and group consultations with representatives from relevant security sector institutions (SSIs), relevant government Ministries Department and Agencies (MDAs) at federal and state level, civil society representatives, individual experts and women’s groups/network, women led organizations and women rights organization, among others. The mid-term review findings will be used to elaborate recommendations for amendments to the project’s implementation strategy to support more effective implementation, as well as suggestions for a strengthened monitoring and evaluation framework. The consultant will be supported by UN Women Project Manager, as well as other WPS team members who will support the preparation and implementation of the activities of the assignment.

rs of the Evaluation  

The main users of the mid-term evaluation include UN Women Nigeria Country Office, German Foreign Office, key Government of Nigeria Partners: Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, State Ministry of Women Affairs, Nigeria Police Force, Armed Forces of Nigeria, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Legislators in the National Assembly and State level counterparts in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, among others, and direct project implementing partners. The detailed review report will be shared with the Women, Peace and Security Sector Reference Group as well as development partners and UN agencies engaged in security sector reform. Lastly, a diverse group of women-led organizations, civil society, media, and other community members who are direct and indirect project beneficiaries, will benefit from the findings and should be included as the key actors in the design of the main recommendations. 

Objectives of the Evaluation

The review will apply standard OECD review criteria, namely: relevance, effectiveness (including normative, and coordination mandates of UN Women), efficiency, impact (to some extent), sustainability, and human rights and gender equality as an additional criterion.

Within the broader and country-specific context of the project, the mid-term review will:

1. Analyze the relevance of the project to the local and national level priorities for the implementation of the WPS agenda, and the security sector reform in particular.  
2. Assess how the intervention and its results relate and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goals 5 and 16.
3. Analyze how the project implementation is contributing to gender equality principles and human rights-based approach.
4. Assess the organizational efficiency and coordination mechanisms in supporting the progress towards the achievement of project objectives.
5. Assess effectiveness and emerging measurable impact of the project implementation on the target groups.
6. Evaluate the extent to which the project has realized synergies between UN Women’s three mandates (normative, coordination and operational).
7. Identify and document lessons learned and good practices and analyze challenges and possible weaknesses to inform future work of UN Women and other agencies in the area of security sector reform and WPS programming.
8. Identify strategies for replication and up-scaling of the project’s good practices.
9. Identify and validate current and potential innovations in all aspects of the project.
10. Assess the sustainability of the results and the intervention in advancing the WPS agenda through the target groups.
11. Provide actionable recommendations with respect to the implementation of the project for the remaining period, and the development of a new/follow-on WPS Programme for the Security Sector.

Evaluation Criteria and Questions

The evaluation will apply OECD/DAC evaluation criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and coherence. The evaluation will also take into consideration gender equality and human rights. The evaluation should be guided but not limited to the evaluation questions listed below as UN Women could raise any other relevant issues that may emerge during the inception phase. The evaluation will seek to answer the following key questions and sub-questions:

Relevance: The extent to which the objectives of the project are consistent with the evolving needs and priorities of the beneficiaries, partners, and stakeholders.

1. Do the project objectives address identified rights and needs of the target groups (Security Sector Institutions, Government MDAs, Women-Led Organizations, Women Affected by Conflict)?

2. To what extent were national partners involved in conceptualization and design process?

3. Are the activities and outputs of the project consistent with the intended impacts and effects? Do they address the problems identified?

5. Are the activities and outputs of the project consistent with the provision of UNSCR 1325 and Nigeria’s National Action Plan on the Resolution and the attainment of its objectives?

6. To what extent is the intervention aligned with international agreements and conventions on gender equality and women’s empowerment in the context of Women, Peace and Security?

7. What rights does the project advance under CEDAW, SDGs, UNSCR 1325 and other international commitments? 

9. What capacities and skills should UN Women prioritize and further develop to bring greater coherence and relevance to its interventions?

10. To what extent did the implementing partner(s) possess the comparative advantage in the programme’s area of work in comparison with other partners in Nigeria?

 

Effectiveness: The extent to which the project’s objectives were achieved or are expected / likely to be achieved.

 

11. What has been the progress made towards achievement of the expected outcomes and expected results? What are the results achieved?

12. What are the reasons for the achievement or non-achievement?

13. To what extent have beneficiaries been satisfied with the results? To what extent have the capacities of relevant duty-bearers and rights-holders been strengthened?

14. Does the project have effective monitoring mechanisms in place to measure progress toward results?  

15. Has the project’s organizational structure, managerial support, and coordination mechanisms effectively supported the delivery of the project?

16. To what extent are the project’s approaches and strategies innovative for achieving provisions of UNSCR 1325?  What -if any- types of innovative good practices have been introduced in the project for the achievement of GEWE results?

Efficiency: A measure of how economically resources/inputs (funds, expertise, time, etc.) were converted to results.

17. Have resources (financial, human, technical support, etc.) been allocated strategically to achieve the project outcomes?

18. What measures have been taken during planning and implementation to ensure that resources are efficiently used?

19 . Have the outputs been delivered on time?

20. Is the project and its components cost-effective? Could the activities and outputs have been delivered with fewer resources without reducing their quality and quantity?

21. Has the project’s organizational structure, managerial support, and coordination mechanisms effectively supported delivery? What are the recommendations for improvement?

22. How does the project utilize existing local capacities of right-bearers and duty-holders to achieve its outcomes?

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24. To what extent are the project’s monitoring mechanisms in place effective for measuring and informing management of project performance and progress towards targets? To what extent was the monitoring data objectively used for management action and decision-making?

: Positive and negative, primary and secondary long-term effects produced by the project directly or indirectly, intended or unintended.  (The review will not be able to fully assess the project’s impact, however, it will address the following questions with the results and evidence that is available to date.)

25. To what extent can the changes that have occurred as a result of the project be identified and measured?

26. What were the unintended effects, if any, of the intervention?

27. What evidence exists that the project has delivered longer-term results as compared to other projects from processes through to benefits?   

28. To what extent were gender equality and women’s empowerment advanced as a result of this intervention?

Sustainability: The likelihood of a continuation of benefits for women from a development intervention after the intervention is completed or the probability of continued long-term benefits.

29. Are requirements of national ownership satisfied? Is the project supported by national/local institutions? Do these institutions, including government and civil society, demonstrate leadership commitment and technical capacity to continue to work with the project or replicate it?

30. What capacity of national partners, both technical and operational, has been strengthened? 

31. To what extent are relevant national stakeholders and actors included in project implementation and policy advocacy?

32. What is the likelihood that the benefits from the project will be maintained for a reasonably long period of time upon project completion?

33. Do partners have the financial capacity to maintain the benefits from the project? 

Coherence: The extent to what other interventions support or undermine the intervention and vice-versa, including aspects of complementarity, harmonization and co-ordination.

34. To what extent is the SSR project coherent with similar interventions implemented for promoting women’s protection and participation in the country’s peace and security agenda?

35. To what extent is the SSR project coherent internally in UN Women and within the   UN System in Nigeria?

36. To what extent is the SSR project coherent with wider donor policy?

37. To what extent is the SSR project coherent with international obligations for women’s human rights, other human rights conventions and other international frameworks for gender equality and the empowerment of women?

38. Has the project-built synergies with other programmes being implemented at the country level with the United Nations and the Government of Nigeria

Gender Equality and Human Rights:

38. To what extent has gender and human rights considerations been integrated into the project design and implementation?

39. How has the attention to/ integration of gender equality and human rights concerns advanced the project?

 

Given the findings of the mid-term review in the above areas, the analysis should provide specific recommendations as to the priority areas to be considered in the remaining duration of the project, including interventions that require continued support, successful interventions for expansion, and recommendations on prioritizing interventions to maximize impact. In addition, the review should define recommendations to improve the project management and maximize ownership by national partners and identify lessons learned for improving the implementation and management.

 

 

It is expected that the consultant will develop a review matrix, which will relate to the above questions (and refine them as needed), the areas they refer to and the criteria for evaluating them as a tool for the review. The final review matrix will be approved along with the inception report and other relevant tools for data collection. The consultant will further define the overall approach by adopting complementary methodologies and approaches, such as a case study approach that explores a specific outcome as the “case” and prioritizes the review questions suggested in these TORs.

Scope of the Evaluation

The SSR project mid-term evaluation will focus on the activities of the project between 29th June 2023 and May 2024 and will rely on existing background documents for the WPS Programme and other relevant project documents, including results and logical frameworks. The geographic scope of the review will include key stakeholders and primary beneficiaries at the federal level, as well as in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states. The evaluation will draw on and serve to complement the findings of the final evaluation reports of the WPS Programme in Nigeria (2019-2021) and the Security Sector Project-Phase I (2020 – 2021).

 

Timeframe considered:	29th June 2023 – 6th May 2024
Geographical coverage:	Abuja, Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states.
Programmatic field:	Women Peace and Security
Supervision of the evaluation:	Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting Specialist

 

During the inception phase, the evaluation consultant is expected to describe how the process will be gender-sensitive, and consultative, and apply inclusive and participatory processes as reflected in the UN Women’s guidelines for gender-responsive evaluations and the UNEG Evaluation Handbook. The evaluation will employ a gender-sensitive, consultative, inclusive process that will ensure the participation of relevant federal and state government institutions, women-led organizations, and communities representing various groups of women from project target areas.

 

The evaluation team is encouraged to further analyze stakeholders according to the following characteristics:

1. System roles (target groups, project controllers, sources of expertise, and representatives of excluded groups).
2. Gender roles (intersections of sex, age, household roles, community roles).
3. Human rights roles (rights-holders, principal duty-bearers, primary, secondary, and tertiary duty-bearers).
4. Intended users and uses of the evaluation.

 

The evaluator is encouraged to extend this analysis through the mapping of relationships and power dynamics as part of the evaluation process.

 

It is important to pay particular attention to the participation of rights holders—in particular women and vulnerable and marginalized groups—to ensure the application of a gender-responsive approach. It is also important to specify ethical safeguards that will be employed. The evaluator is expected to validate findings through engagement with stakeholders at stakeholder workshops, debriefings, or other forms of engagement.

 

The primary stakeholders of the review include the Government of Germany (donor partner), Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs, State Ministry of Women Affairs (Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states), Nigeria Police Force, Armed Forces of Nigeria, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps and their state counterparts. Others are the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, National Defense College and Partners West Africa Nigeria (implementing partners), and other institutions that are key beneficiaries (including the WPS Security Sector Reference Group).

 

Evaluation Design, Process and Methods

The review process is divided into four phases:

1. Preparation: stakeholder analysis and establishment of the reference group, development of the ToR, and recruitment of the review consultant
2. Conduct: inception processes/report, stakeholder engagement, data collection, and analysis.
3. Reporting: presentation and validation of preliminary findings, draft and final reports
4. Use and follow-up: management response, dissemination of the report, and follow-up to the implementation of the management response.

 

The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) is the custodian of UN Women’s evaluation function, which is governed by an Evaluation Policy. The IEO has developed the Global Evaluation Reports Assessment and Analysis System (GERAAS), which has adapted United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Standards for Evaluation in the UN System to guide evaluation managers and evaluators on what constitutes a ‘good quality’ report at UN Women. All evaluations in UN Women are annually assessed against the framework adopted in GERAAS and hence the evaluation Facilitators should be familiar with GERAAS quality standards.

 

All reviews are publicly available on the  (GATE) system along with their management responses.

 

In addition, UN Women is a lead of UN System-wide Action Plan on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, or UN-SWAP reporting entity.  The consultant will take into consideration the fact that all reviews in UN Women are annually assessed against the UN-SWAP Evaluation Performance Indicators and its related gender equality scorecard.

 

In line with the abovementioned, the review report will be subjected to UN-SWAP quality scoring and must demonstrate evidence of gender integration in the review process and report. The methodology should clearly focus on highlighting gender issues in the implementation of the Programme. This is one of the elements by which the report of this mid-term review will be scrutinized by a team of external evaluators, using the UN-SWAP criteria. The review performance indicator [] is used to appreciate the extent to which the report satisfies the following criteria:

• GEWE is integrated in the scope of analysis and assessment indicators are designed in a way that ensures GEWE related data will be collected.
• GEWE is integrated in the mid-term review criteria and assessment questions are included to specifically address how GEWE has been integrated into the design, planning, implementation of the intervention and the results achieved;
• A gender-responsive methodology, methods and tools, and data analysis techniques are selected.
• Findings, conclusions and recommendations reflect a gender analysis.

 

The SSR project (phase II)  mid-term review will be conducted in accordance with UN Women evaluation guidelines and UNEG and for evaluation and the .

 

ology

The methodology will deploy mixed methods, including quantitative and qualitative participatory data collection methods and analytical approaches to account for the complexity of gender relations and to ensure participatory and inclusive processes that are culturally appropriate. The detailed methodology for the review will be developed, presented, and validated at the onset of the review.

 

A theory of change approach will be followed. The theory of change should elaborate on the objectives and articulation of the assumptions that stakeholders use to explain the change process represented by the change framework that the Programme considered and should assess how UN Women CO Nigeria and the partners have contributed to any change and transformation of power relations. Assumptions should explain both the connections between early and intermediate project outcomes and the expectations about how and why the project has brought them about.

 

The SSR project (Phase II) mid-term evaluation will be human rights and gender-sensitive, consultative, and with a strong learning component. It will be inclusive and will entail participatory processes to ensure the participation of Government MDAs, Security Agencies, Judiciary, Women Groups/Networks, CSOs, and Media, among others, in project target areas.

 

Participatory and gender-sensitive methodologies provided for in the UNEG Evaluation Handbook will support the active participation of women and men, as well as representatives of key organizations and institutions benefiting from the project intervention.

The consultant will undertake the following tasks, duties, and responsibilities:

1. Design evaluation methodology: The consultant will develop and submit a detailed methodology for the evaluation including desk review, analytical work, data collection techniques, key activities, and timeframe for the assignment, in close cooperation with the UN Women office in Nigeria.
2. Desk review of documents:  The review should begin with an in-depth context analysis of the project from a desk review of documents that can also answer questions of relevance (e.g. successes, challenges, lessons learned, opportunities, etc.)
3. Online consultations and discussions with participating senior management, and project management staff including implementing partners (IPs) and representatives of partner institutions.
4. Key Informant semi-structured interviews: Key informants are individuals who are knowledgeable or experienced in specific areas or aspects of the project. For this review, the key informants will range from the Women, Peace and Security Sector Reference Group, target security institutions, key staff of implementing partners and other civil society organizations, Government Ministries Department and Agencies, Women Groups/Networks, Women-Led Organizations, members of target communities (traditional leaders, women, etc.), representatives of the beneficiary groups and the donor (as applicable).
5. Focus Groups/Consultation Workshops/Participatory community methodologies:  Focus group discussions can gather in-depth qualitative information from a group of participants with a similar background/role in the project – for example, civil society partners, community leaders, programme participants/ beneficiaries, etc. The discussions will be facilitated and guided by a list of topics/questions developed by the evaluation consultant. The consultant will also identify focus groups based on the areas of evaluative inquiry, including the possibility of organizing online consultative workshops. 
6. Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: Cost-effectiveness analysis compares the efficiency of alternate approaches and compares financial costs against non-financial outcomes. This is expected to provide information on the best value for money.

The mid-term evaluation consultant is solely responsible for data collection, transcripts, or other data analysis and processing work. Usage of online platforms and surveys as a complementary and additional methodology is highly recommended, particularly due to security restrictions. UN Women can provide initial support in data collection platforms, however, the consultant is expected to manage those platforms and provide data analysis as defined in the inception report.

 

UNEG Ethical Guidelines : ; The UNEG Code of Conduct for Evaluation:

The estimated duration of this consultancy is 49 working days. The proposed timeframe for the evaluation process is expected to be conducted according to the timeframe below.

 

Task	Time frame	Responsible party
Finalization of ToR	May 2024	UN Women Representative, M&E & Reporting Specialist, and Project Manager
Engagement of the evaluation consultant	6th May 2024	UN Women Country Representative
Desk review and inception workshop	7th -21st May 2024	Evaluation Consultant
Data collection	22nd May – 5th June 2024	Evaluation Consultant with logistical/technical support from UN Women WPS team
Analysis and presentation of preliminary findings	6th -19th June 2024	Evaluation Consultant
Evaluation Reference Group and Evaluation Management Group comments	20th -26th June 2024	UN Women Deputy Representative, Regional Evaluation team, M&E Specialist, and Project Manager
First draft report submission	1st July 2024	Evaluation Consultant
Evaluation Reference Group and Evaluation Management Group comments on the first draft report	2nd – 5th July 2024	UN Women WPS Team
Incorporation and synthesis of the Evaluation Reference Group and Evaluation Management Group comments	8th – 10th July 2024	UN Women WPS Team
Incorporation of the feedback into the second draft report	11th – 12th July 2024	Evaluation Consultant
Validation meeting	17th July 2024	UN Women WPS Team
Final evaluation report submission	21st July 2024	Evaluation Consultant
Use and follow-up, Management response	August 2024	UN Women Evaluation Team Representative Final Approval
Total Number of Working Days	49 Working Days (spread out through the above period)

 

The mid-term evaluation consultant is expected to demonstrate during the inception workshop how the process will ensure the participation of stakeholders at all stages, with specific emphasis on right-holders and their representatives. The consultant is also expected to design, facilitate, and report on the following events:

1. The inception workshop (including refining the review uses, the review framework, the stakeholders’ map, and the theory of change).
2. Findings, validation, and participatory recommendations from the validation workshop

 

The consultant is responsible for the following deliverables:

1. Inception Report, outlining the refined scope of the work, a detailed outline of the evaluation design and methodology, evaluation questions, and criteria for the approach for in-depth desk review and field work to be conducted in the data collection phase. The report will include an evaluation matrix and a detailed work plan. 
2. Facilitate participatory meetings with stakeholders, partners, and selected project beneficiaries at the national level and target states to collect relevant data, and report generated.
3. Presentation of preliminary findings report (conducted at the national level and target states). A presentation detailing the emerging findings of the review will be shared with UN Women and key partners for feedback. The revised presentation will be delivered to key stakeholders for comments and validation. The consultant will address the feedback received in the draft report.
4. Draft evaluation report which will be shared with UN Women for initial feedback.
5. Final evaluation report taking into consideration comments and feedback collected from UN Women. The report shall include the following chapters: executive summary, introduction and background, evaluation approach and methodology (including limitations), findings, conclusions, lessons learned, recommendations, and relevant annexes, including evaluation brief (3-4 pages). The final evaluation report will be considered finalized when it has taken into account all comments received from the management group and the reference group, and is aligned with the GERAAS parameters.

 

A model evaluation report will be provided to the consultant based on the below outline.

1. Title and opening pages
2. Executive summary
3. Background and purpose of the evaluation
4. Programme/object of evaluation description and context
5. Evaluation objectives and scope
6. Evaluation methodology and limitations
7. Findings: relevance, effectiveness (normative, coordination, operational), efficiency, sustainability, and gender and human rights
8. Conclusions
9. Recommendations
10. Lessons and innovations
11. Annexes:
    • Terms of reference
    • Literature – documents consulted.
    • Lists of institutions interviewed or consulted and sites visited (without direct reference to individuals)
    • Analytical results and methodology-related documentation, such as evaluation matrix,
    • List of findings and recommendations

 

All payments to the consultant will be made subject to the approval of deliverables by the evaluation management group, in line with conformity to GERAAS evaluation guidelines. Payments will be effected as follows:

 

S/N	Key Deliverables	% to be paid
1.	Submission of an approved inception report and conduct of the inception workshop	30%
2.	Facilitate participatory meetings with stakeholders, partners, and selected Project beneficiaries at the national level and target states to collect relevant data, and report generated.
3.	Submission and approval of the first draft of the evaluation report	30%
4.	Submission of the approved final evaluation report	40%

 

Management, Reporting, and Supervision of the SSR Project Midterm Evaluation

The SSR project midterm evaluation will be gender sensitive and consultative with a strong learning component. It will be inclusive and will entail participatory processes to ensure the participation of Government MDAs, Security Agencies, Judiciary, Women-Led Organizations, Groups/Networks, CSOs, and Media, among others, at the national level and project target areas.

 

The evaluation will be Human Rights and Gender responsible and in line with UN Women guidelines for conducting gender-sensitive evaluation, Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) and Evaluation Management Group (EMG) will be established and will participate in the evaluation conduct and management throughout the whole process.

 

The EMG comprised senior management of UN Women at least at the Deputy Representative level and their delegated Programme staff and the Regional Evaluation Specialist. It will be established to oversee the evaluation process, make key decisions, and quality assure the different deliverables. The Evaluation Management Group will be co-chaired by the UN Women designated senior manager or designated official and the RO Evaluation Specialist who will approve the inception report.

 

The Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) is an integral part of the evaluation management structure and is constituted to facilitate the participation of relevant stakeholders in the design and scope of the evaluation, raising awareness of the different information needs, identification of any factual errors or errors of omission or interpretation at key stages of the evaluation process. It will ensure quality assurance throughout the process and in disseminating the evaluation results.

 

The Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) for the final evaluation of the project will be formed from the key Government partners (Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, State Ministry of Women Affairs, Armed Forces of Nigeria, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning), project implementing partners, representatives from Civil Society Organizations, UN Women Deputy Representative, and Project Manager. The ERG will be engaged throughout the whole evaluation process, will evaluate the draft evaluation report and provide substantive feedback to ensure quality and completeness of the report, and will participate in the inception and validation meeting of the final evaluation report.

The CO M&E Specialist will serve as the evaluation manager, who will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the evaluation process. The evaluation process will be supported by the UN Women-nominated staff of the WPS team. UN Women will provide the evaluation team with necessary logistical support, materials (office supplies), and office space as necessary.

Management, Reporting, and Supervision of the SSR Project Midterm Evaluation

The SSR project midterm evaluation will be gender sensitive and consultative with a strong learning component. It will be inclusive and will entail participatory processes to ensure the participation of Government MDAs, Security Agencies, Judiciary, Women-Led Organizations, Groups/Networks, CSOs, and Media, among others, at the national level and project target areas.

The evaluation will be Human Rights and Gender responsible and in line with UN Women guidelines for conducting gender-sensitive evaluation, Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) and Evaluation Management Group (EMG) will be established and will participate in the evaluation conduct and management throughout the whole process.

 

The EMG comprised senior management of UN Women at least at the Deputy Representative level and their delegated Programme staff and the Regional Evaluation Specialist. It will be established to oversee the evaluation process, make key decisions, and quality assure the different deliverables. The Evaluation Management Group will be co-chaired by the UN Women designated senior manager or designated official and the RO Evaluation Specialist who will approve the inception report.

 

The Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) is an integral part of the evaluation management structure and is constituted to facilitate the participation of relevant stakeholders in the design and scope of the evaluation, raising awareness of the different information needs, identification of any factual errors or errors of omission or interpretation at key stages of the evaluation process. It will ensure quality assurance throughout the process and in disseminating the evaluation results.

 

The Evaluation Reference Group (ERG) for the final evaluation of the project will be formed from the key Government partners (Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, State Ministry of Women Affairs, Armed Forces of Nigeria, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning), project implementing partners, representatives from Civil Society Organizations, UN Women Deputy Representative, and Project Manager. The ERG will be engaged throughout the whole evaluation process, will evaluate the draft evaluation report and provide substantive feedback to ensure quality and completeness of the report, and will participate in the inception and validation meeting of the final evaluation report.

The CO M&E Specialist will serve as the evaluation manager, who will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the evaluation process. The evaluation process will be supported by the UN Women-nominated staff of the WPS team. UN Women will provide the evaluation team with necessary logistical support, materials (office supplies), and office space as necessary.

 

Competencies

Core Values and Guiding Principles

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling UN Women values and ethical standards.
• Demonstrates a commitment to UN Women’s mission and vision.
• Able to work effectively within a team.
• Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability.
• Able to multi-task and juggle competing demands.
• Can assess and prioritize work needs quickly.
• Able to relate to external partners, including other international organizations and agencies, NGOs, grassroots community groups, etc.

Functional Competencies

• Extensive experience in conducting evaluations; gender-sensitive evaluations certification or experience preferred.
• Excellent knowledge and experience in gender equality and women’s empowerment programming and implementation.
• In-depth experience and excellent knowledge of results-based management
• Ability to actively seek information, offer new and different options for problem solving and meet client’s needs.
• Excellent and effective communication (verbal and written) skills, including preparation of official email invitations, reports and presentations with clear and succinct formulation of findings, observations, analysis and recommendations.
• Excellent interpersonal skills: ability to establish and maintain effective working relations with people in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Advanced University degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in a relevant social science (gender studies, business administration, international development, human rights, political science, international relations, peace and conflict studies or any related field).

Experience

• At least 7 years of work experience in the conducting evaluations, including for WPS/Security Sector programming or other related fields.
• Strong technical competences in gender and women’s empowerment agenda.
• Sound record in designing and leading evaluations; gender-sensitive evaluation certification or experience preferred.
• Proven experience in conducting gender-responsive evaluations.
• Detailed knowledge and familiarity of the UN, its programming processes and coordination mechanisms.
• Extensive knowledge of, and experience in applying, qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods; In-depth experience and excellent knowledge of results-based management
• Strong process management skills, including facilitation. 
• Strong oral and writing skills.

Application

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: . Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality, and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW, and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided based on qualifications, competence, integrity, and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel 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.)