Posting Title: Terminal Review of the UNEP project: Advancing a regional approach to e-mobility in Latin America, Project ID LAC-RS-005
Department/Office: United Nations Environment Programme
Duty Station: PANAMA CITY
Posting Period: 02 May 2023 – 30 May 2023
Job Opening Number: 23-United Nations Environment Programme-207515-Consultant
United Nations Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Respect for Diversity
Result of ServiceIn line with the UNEP Evaluation Policy and the UNEP Programme Manual , the Terminal Review (TR) 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 Review 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 UNEPand the GCF. Therefore, the Review will identify lessons of operational relevance for future project formulation and implementation. Key Review principles Review findings and judgements will be based on sound evidence and analysis, clearly documented in the Review Report. Information will be triangulated (i.e. verified from different sources) as far as possible, and when verification is not possible, the single source will be mentioned (whilst anonymity is still protected). Analysis leading to evaluative judgements should always be clearly spelled out. The “Why?” Question. As this is a Terminal Review and similar interventions are envisaged for the future, particular attention will be given to learning from the experience. Therefore, the “why?” question should be at the front of the consultant(s)’ minds all through the review exercise and is supported by the use of a theory of change approach. This means that the consultant(s) need to go beyond the assessment of “what” the project performance was and make a serious effort to provide a deeper understanding of “why” the performance was as it was (i.e. what contributed to the achievement of the Project’s results). This should provide the basis for the lessons that can be drawn from the Project. Attribution, Contribution and Credible Association: In order to attribute any outcomes and impacts to a project intervention, one needs to consider the difference between what has happened with, and what would have happened without, the Project (i.e. take account of changes over time and between contexts in order to isolate the effects of an intervention). This requires appropriate baseline data and the identification of a relevant counterfactual, both of which are frequently not available for reviews. Establishing the contribution made by a project in a complex change process relies heavily on prior intentionality (e.g. approved project design documentation, logical framework) and the articulation of causality (e.g. narrative and/or illustration of the Theory of Change). Robust evidence that a project was delivered as designed and that the expected causal pathways developed supports claims of contribution and this is strengthened where an alternative theory of change can be excluded. A credible association between the implementation of a project and observed positive effects can be made where a strong causal narrative, although not explicitly articulated, can be inferred by the chronological sequence of events, active involvement of key actors and engagement in critical processes. Communicating Review Results. A key aim of the Review is to encourage reflection and learning by UNEP staff and key project stakeholders. The consultant should consider how reflection and learning can be promoted, both through the review process and in the communication of review findings and key lessons. Clear and concise writing is required on all review deliverables. Draft and final versions of the main Review Report will be shared with key stakeholders by the UNEP Project Manager. There may, however, be several intended audiences, each with different interests and needs regarding the report. The consultant will plan with the UNEP Project Manager which audiences to target and the easiest and clearest way to communicate the key review findings and lessons to them. This may include some, or all, of the following; a webinar, conference calls with relevant stakeholders, the preparation of a review brief or interactive presentation. The Review Consultant will liaise with the UNEP Project Manager on any procedural and methodological matters related to the Review. It is, however, the consultant’s individual responsibility (where applicable) to arrange for their visas and immunizations as well as to plan meetings with stakeholders, organize online surveys, obtain documentary evidence and any other logistical matters related to the assignment. The UNEP Project Manager and project team will, where possible, provide logistical support (introductions, meetings etc.) allowing the consultants to conduct the Review as efficiently and independently as possible. REVIEW APPROACH, METHODS AND DELIVERABLES The Terminal Review will be an in-depth review using a participatory approach whereby key stakeholders are kept informed and consulted throughout the review process. Both quantitative and qualitative review methods will be used as appropriate to determine project achievements against the expected outputs, outcomes and impacts. It is highly recommended that the consultant maintains close communication with the project team and promotes information exchange throughout the review implementation phase in order to increase their (and other stakeholder) ownership of the review findings. Where applicable, the consultant should provide a geo-referenced map that demarcates the area covered by the Project and, where possible, provide geo-reference photographs of key intervention sites (e.g. sites of habitat rehabilitation and protection, pollution treatment infrastructure, etc.) The findings of the Review will be based on the following: (a) A desk review of:
- Relevant background documentation, inter alia [Regional status report on electric mobility 2017, 2018 and 2019, and national NDCs ];
- Project design documents (including minutes of the project design review meeting at approval); Annual Work Plans and Budgets or equivalent, revisions to the Project (Project Document Supplement), the logical framework and its budget;
- Project reports such as six-monthly progress and financial reports, meeting minutes, relevant correspondence and including the Project Implementation Reviews and Tracking Tool etc.;
- Project deliverables (e.g. publications, assessments etc): [i) national and regional baseline of the state of e-mobility technology deployment, ii) analysis of regional and country-specific barriers and recommendations to address barriers to e-mobility deployment, iii) national and regional analysis of policy and legal frameworks, and iv) national and regional analysis of business models, and national electric mobility strategies developed];
- Mid-Term Review of the Project;
- Evaluations/Reviews of similar projects. (b) Interviews (individual or in group) with:
- UNEP Project Manager (PM)
- Project management team;
- UNEP Fund Management Officer (FMO);
- Portfolio Manager and Sub-Programme Coordinator, where appropriate;
- Project partners, including [list];
- Relevant resource persons;
- Representatives from civil society and specialist groups (such as women’s, farmers and trade associations etc), such as ALAMOS, ASOMOVE, AMEGUA and ASOMOVES Review Deliverables and Review Procedures The Review Consultant will prepare:
- Inception Report: Containing an assessment of project design quality, a draft reconstructed Theory of Change of the Project, project stakeholder analysis, review framework and a tentative review schedule.
- Preliminary Findings Note: typically in the form of a PowerPoint presentation, the sharing of preliminary findings is intended to support the participation of the project team, act as a means to ensure all information sources have been accessed and provide an opportunity to verify emerging findings.
- Draft and Final Review Report: containing an executive summary that can act as a stand-alone document; detailed analysis of the review findings organized by review criteria and supported with evidence; lessons learned and recommendations and an annotated ratings table. Review of the Draft Review Report. The Review Consultant will submit a draft report to the UNEP Project Manager and revise the draft in response to their comments and suggestions. The UNEP Project Manager will then forward the revised draft report to other project stakeholders, for their review and comments. Stakeholders may provide feedback on any errors of fact and may highlight the significance of such errors in any conclusions as well as providing feedback on the proposed recommendations and lessons. Any comments or responses to draft reports will be sent to the UNEP Project Manager for consolidation. The UNEP Project Manager will provide all comments to the Review Consultant for consideration in preparing the final report, along with guidance on areas of contradiction or issues requiring an institutional response. The final version of the Terminal Review report will be assessed for its quality by the UNEP Evaluation Office using a standard template and this assessment will be annexed to the final Terminal Review report. At the end of the review process, the UNEP Project Manager will prepare a Recommendations Implementation Plan in the format of a table, to be completed and updated at regular intervals, and circulate the Lessons Learned. The Review Consultant will be responsible, in close consultation with the UNEP Project Manager, for overall quality of the review and timely delivery of its outputs, described below. OUTPUTS Inception Report. Review Mission (where appropriate) . E-based interviews, surveys etc. PowerPoint/presentation on preliminary findings and recommendations. Draft Review Report to UNEP Project Manager. Draft Review Report shared with wider group of stakeholders. Final Review Report. Final Review Report shared with all respondents. DELIVERABLES Approved Inception Report. Approved Draft Main Review Report. Approved Final Main Review Report.
Work LocationHOME-BASED
Expected duration6 MONTHS
Duties andResponsibilities
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the leading global environmentalauthority that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation ofthe environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations systemand serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment.The UNEP Latin America and the Caribbean Office (LACO), located in Panama City, Panama, worksclosely with the 33 countries of the region and its activities are integrated into the Medium-Term Strategy and the Programme of Work approved by the United Nations EnvironmentAssembly (UNEA). According to UNEP (2019), transport has the highest fossil fuel-related emissions (15% of all regional Green House Gas (GHG) emissions in 2018) and, over the last decades, has grown faster than any other end-use energy sector. Greenhouse gas emissions from transport are expected to increase by almost 20% by 2030 and close to 50% by 2050 unless major actions are taken. According to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), the transport sector was responsible for 22% of total reported short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP) in Latin American countries – which negatively impacts air quality. Moreover, air pollution is Latin America’s main environmental risk to health. According to UNEP (2018), electric mobility deployment in the region could reduce 1.4 Gigatons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and potentially save nearly US$ 85 thousand million in the period 2016-2050. Nonetheless, the decarbonization of transport systems comes hand in hand with developing sustainable and low-emission energy systems to maximize benefits and ensure large-scale deployment. The transition to low-emission and resilient economic development is a global priority for the United Nations Environment Programme. Since 2017, the Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of UNEP launched MOVE (movelatam.org), a regional platform aiming to accelerate electric mobility deployment. Since its inception, MOVE has provided capacity building, knowledge creation, technical assistance, and resource mobilization. Considering the countries’ common interest in advancing the electric mobility agenda, both nationally and regionally, and the alignment of this initiative with the GCF results framework, representatives of the NDAs of several countries expressed interest in exploring GCF’s funding opportunities to support efforts in electric mobility. An important aspect to consider is that, to date, the financing granted by the GCF to the transport sector is minimal, resulting in an opportunity for the Fund to demonstrate concrete advances in leveraging transformational processes in this subsector, as well as supporting regional integration processes through south-south cooperation. Specifically, in the context of the sectorial working groups established during the GCF Latin America Structured Dialogue held in March 2018 in Colombia, one of the priority topics was the axis of infrastructure, cities and transport and, within this, the issue of opportunities around electric mobility. The representatives of Uruguay, Chile and Costa Rica advanced conversations to explore the possibility of preparing a project proposal. This interest was reiterated in October 2018 during the Global Conference of NDAs in Songdo, Korea, identifying the opportunity to access resources of the “Readiness” Program through a regional proposal that addresses the different dimensions of electric mobility, including the elaboration of a common analysis framework, aspects of access to technology and technological innovation, prices, barriers and mobilization of the private sector. The Review Consultant will work under the overall responsibility of the UNEP Programme Manager Officer for Climate Change Unit, in consultation with the Fund Management Officer, the Regional Office deputy director, the Portfolio Manager, and the Sub-programme Coordinators. The work will be home-based with possible field visits. The Review Consultant will be responsible, in close consultation with the UNEP Project Manager, for overall quality of the review and timely delivery of its outputs, described below.
Qualifications/special skillsACADEMIC:
- A Bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences, international development or other relevant political or social sciences area is required.
- A Master’s degree in the same areas is desirable. PROFESSIONAL:
- A minimum of 5 years of technical evaluation experience, including evaluating large, regional, or global programmes and using a Theory of Change approach is required.
- A good/broad understanding of sustainable development is desired.
- Proficiency in transport policies and conventions is desirable. LANGUAGE:
- Fluency in Spanish is required
- Fluency in English is required SKILLS:
- Working knowledge of the UN system and specifically the work of UNEP is an added advantage.