Individual Consultant for Project Evaluation (Documentary Heritage Preservation in Arab Region) 1

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Communication and Information Sector (CI)

Duty Station: Home based consultancy

Job Family: Communication and Information

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : Two months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : [[29 FEB 2020]]

 

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION'S:

The Middle East and North Africa countries are home to an extraordinary cultural and documentary heritage, both secular and religious, which is of critical importance to the entire world. A contribution to the history of humanity, this rich heritage represents an enormous capacity to inspire the development of the region’s countries. Yet, due to neglect, natural decay, technological obsolescence, inadequate housing or, in some cases, deliberate destruction, valuable archival and library materials that represent the Arab region’s legacy about its history, identity and knowledge face the risk of being lost, destroyed or forgotten about. Audiovisual heritage, including sound recordings and moving images, is particularly at risk. Across the region, a number of institutions striving to preserve documentary heritage face challenges. Lack of financial resources, political instability, natural disasters, high cost of conservation software and equipment, or limited technical expertise are all factors which hinder efforts to protect the region’s most valuable manuscripts, archives, photos, and maps.

UNESCO-QNL joint project is an 18-month initiative that aims to understand the needs and challenges faced by institutions and organizations working to preserve documentary heritage to reinforce their capacities, strengthen exchange of knowledge and best practices and raise awareness about the importance of preserving and promoting documentary heritage of the region.

During the first half of the project, assessment, mapping and surveying of documentary heritage institutions has been undertaken by setting up relevant tools and materials, such as the database, survey and reports, in order to better define areas where support is needed.  A regional conference on documentary heritage was organized to encourage and facilitate exchange of information.

The second half of the project will mainly focus on technical assistance and capacity‐building for documentary heritage conservation practitioners in the Arab region. Special attention will be paid to capacity-building for countries currently in crisis including Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Libya and Palestine. Two trainings will be organized to enhance capacities of stakeholders and beneficiaries across the region.

Overall, the information generated throughout the project will serve as the basis for documentary heritage experts and practitioners and regional and international organizations seeking to further preserve documentary heritage in the Middle East and North Africa from irreversible loss and damage. It will also help to enhance awareness raising efforts towards the conservation of archives, maps, films, manuscripts, audiovisual recordings, promoting intercultural dialogue while highlighting historical commonalities and cultural values.

Long Description

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the evaluation is to review the performance of the UNESCO-QNL project. The review will evaluate progress in programme implementation measured against the planned outputs in the Project Document and assess the likely impacts of the project. The evaluation will recommend improvements for the project.

 

TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The evaluation will adopt a retrospective and forward-looking perspective with action-oriented recommendations formulated on the basis of substantive findings to inform possible future phases of the project.  The consultant will first conduct a thorough evaluation covering the entire duration of the project and should include findings, lessons learned and recommendations related to the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of the project. The sustainability and pertinence of the project’s approach should also be an area of focus for the evaluation and recommendations should include, if relevant, other measures needed to better ensure ownership and sustainability.

The specific aims of the evaluation are as follows:

-    Measure achievements against the expected results.

-    Identify the Lessons learned/recommendations

Long Description

GUIDING QUESTIONS:

The evaluation will be organized around several key dimensions of project performance, namely the standard evaluation criteria of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability. The evaluation questions below are indicative only and are intended to guide prospective bidders in developing their technical proposals. The evaluation questions will be further refined in the inception phase and validated in consultation with UNESCO.

- What was the overall impact of the project ? Did the project achieve the planned objectives? If yes, what were the success factors that contributed to the achievement of the results? If not, what were the causes (external/internal)? Was there any deviation, and/or unexpected results (positive/negative), unexpected indirect beneficiaries? If so, how can it be explained?

- Are the overall approach and the initial assumptions on which the project was based during its planning phase still valid ?

- Which are the main factors that contributed to the success of the project? Which factors are hindering factors? Were the implementation and the achievements of the project negatively/positively affected by any factor?

-  In respect to the answers of questions 1 and 2, what are the lessons learned for future similar projects and for the future projects in this area? What activities/methods/approaches should be kept, discarded, or amended? What are the recommendations for future similar projects?

Long Description

EVALUATION REPORT

The evaluation report should be concise and clear and be outlined as follows:

-    Executive Summary: a tightly drafted, to-the-point, free-standing document, including the key issues of the evaluation, main analytical points, conclusions, lessons learnt and recommendations.

-    Project description: purpose of the evaluation, evaluation scope and key questions. Short description of the project / programme to be evaluated and relevant frame conditions

-    Evaluation purpose, 

-    Evaluation Methodology

-    Findings

-    Conclusions

-    Lessons learned

-    Recommendations

-    Annexes (including the list of stakeholders consulted during the evaluation, key documents reviewed, ToR, survey forms and aggregate findings, etc.)

Suggested number of pages: between 20 and 30 pages (excluding references, annexes and title pages)

All deliverables and consultations leading up to the draft report are to be professionally proofread by the consultant/organization and presented in English.

- For detailed information, please consult the UNESCO Competency Framework. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION: Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in a relevant field.

WORK EXPERIENCE: Minimum of (5) five years of experience in the field of evaluation and monitoring with sufficient knowledge of cultural heritage promotion and preservation, including documentary heritage preservation or related fields.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES:

• Excellent analytical and reporting skills; with sufficient knowledge to provide advice, guidance on documentary heritage preservation in the Arab region. 
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written)

LANGUAGES: Excellent knowledge of  English and Arabic (oral and written).

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates are invited to apply online and to send written proposals separately by email to ao.doha@unesco.org.

Your written proposal should include:

1.  A Technical Proposal consisting of-

• A methodology and a preliminary work plan for the assignment, and comments on the Terms of Reference if any (1-2 pages max);
• Two samples of written work (articles, report, book chapters, etc.) published in the past five years in English (PDF or hyperlinks).

2.  Financial Proposal for the assignment divided according to the tasks outlined above, which should be quoted in US dollars only.

Your proposal and any supporting documents must be in English

ASSESSMENT

Evaluation of qualified applicants may include an assessment exercise and a competency-based interview.

Footer

 

UNESCO applies a zero tolerance policy against all forms of harassment

UNESCO is committed to promoting geographical distribution (last update) and gender equality within its Secretariat. Therefore, women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply, as well as nationals from non- and under-represented Member States. Persons with disabilities are also encouraged to apply. Worldwide mobility is required for staff members appointed to international posts.

UNESCO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.