Result of Service

Evaluation report.

Work Location

Home-based.

Expected duration

3 months (part-time)

Duties and Responsibilities

Background note: Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The Convention seeks to support countries to address Desertification, Land Degradation, and Drought (DLDD). (www.unccd.int) In September 2017, Parties to the UNCCD adopted a Gender Action Plan (GAP). The GAP accompanies the implementation of the UNCCD 2018-2030 Strategic Framework which enhances the implementation of the Convention, making it a more powerful and strategic instrument for transforming the livelihoods of millions of families. The Convention recognizes the importance of women in the implementation of the Convention and identifies critical areas for their engagement: (i) awareness-raising, and participation in the design and implementation of programmes; (ii) decision-making processes that men and women adopt at the local level in the governance of development, implementation and review of regional and national action programmes; and (iii) capacity-building, education and public awareness, particularly at local level through the support of local organizations. The GAP further specifies the UNCCD aims concerning gender equality through its five objectives: (1) To enhance womens role as agents of change by addressing the gender inequalities they face; (2) To build the capacities of women and girls to access the resources they need to improve their livelihoods, manage land sustainably and become resilient to drought; (3) To build the technical capacities of UNCCD stakeholders at all levels to design and implement gender-responsive plans and programmes, including in land degradation neutrality (LDN) interventions; and (4) To develop a baseline on gender-related issues in land degradation and desertification, and monitor, report and regularly review progress in the implementation and achievement of objectives; and (5) To mobilize adequate resources to achieve these objectives. In March 2020, the Department of Foreign Trade and Development of Canada and the UNCCD signed a grant arrangement aiming at Long-term institutional support for integrating gender equality into the UNCCD. The overall aim of this project is the achievement of gender transformative results across the Convention through accelerated efforts to reduce desertification and land degradation impacts on women, girls and other marginalized groups. Objectives of the project: The project aims to enhance gender equality outcomes in countries where UNCCD stakeholders address desertification, land degradation, and drought (DLDD). It is built around two main outcomes accompanied by indicators, as follows: 1. Improved implementation of the UNCCD GAP Indicators: – # of Parties committed to take action on gender responsive land governance and tenure – # targeted stakeholders reporting on progress in strengthening laws and policies in relation to womens rights to land tenure and access to natural resources – # of LDN implementing agencies and partners reporting the use of WOCAT tool and/or gender module – # of references in official UNCCD documents and decisions related to gender equality with respect to land tenure 2. Improved design and implementation of large-scale and financially viable gender-responsive land degradation neutrality transformative projects Indicators: – #/total of new/modified UNCCD transformative projects and programs (disaggregated by developing countries/LDCs) that are large-scale and financially viable – # of new/modified UNCCD transformative projects and programs that include gender-responsive objectives and activities and that are in line with the gender standards of financing sources – Total value of additional financial resources (in USD) targeted through support from this grant – # of new/modified UNCCD transformative projects and programs that include components on private sector collaboration Immediate outcomes and main outputs are also defined. Objectives of the evaluation: The evaluation of the project Long-term institutional support for integrating gender equality into UNCCD will provide an overview of its performance and results vis-a-vis the aims that were agreed for the project at the beginning. It will inform about the successes and challenges, with the aim to provide important lessons learned for next steps concerning gender equality in the UNCCD and its implementation. In longer term, the evaluation results are expected to enhance the effectiveness of UNCCD actions on gender equality and thereby contribute to enhancing womens role and ownership in advancing sustainable land management and restoration of degraded land. The main audience of the evaluation will be the UNCCD secretariat and the GM, and the Department of Foreign Trade and Development of Canada as the donor for the project. The evaluation results will be of interest also more broadly to the UNCCD and its stakeholders. Duties & Responsibilities: The evaluator will work under the supervision of the UNCCD Evaluation Office and in close collaboration with the secretariat and the GM. Scope of the evaluation and main evaluation questions: The evaluation of the project will be independent it will be structurally separate from the management and implementation of the project functions, and impartial. Its findings and conclusions will be based on sound evidence and objective analysis, clearly documented in the review report. Information will be triangulated as far as possible, and when verification is not possible, the single source will be mentioned. Analysis leading to conclusions will be clearly spelled out. The evaluation will be summative and focusing on the results achieved vis-a-vis the expectations set at the beginning of the project. It will identify successful approaches and effective strategies to achieve the results, as well as suggestions for addressing challenges faced, which will contribute to the development of similar activities in the future. Criteria for the evaluation: The criteria for the evaluation will be based on the OECD/DAC criteria of relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability. The provisional focus areas are outlined below; they may be further developed if deemed appropriate. Relevance: The evaluation will assess, in line with the OECD/DAC definition of relevance, the extent to which the activity is suited to the priorities and policies of the target group, recipient and donor. For this project evaluation, relevance is considered from two main perspectives: the global UNCCD process and the GAP (first outcome area of the project), and the stakeholders of the transformative projects (second outcome area of the project). Coherence: The review will consider the compatibility of the project with other actions to integrate gender equality in the context of the UNCCD, with the aim to clarify the added value of the project. Effectiveness and impact will be considered together. The project success in producing the programmed outcomes, outputs and targets, as outlined in the project agreement and the log frame, will be assessed. Any modifications/revisions made during the project implementation will be checked at the beginning of the evaluation process. The delivery of outputs will be assessed in terms of both quantity and quality, and reasons behind related successes or shortcomings will be clarified. The evaluation will identify major factors influencing the achievement or non-achievement of the programmed outcomes. Based on the articulation of the overall objective of the project, the evaluation will assess the likelihood of the intended, positive long-term impacts becoming a reality. Any unintended positive effects will also be…