Independent Evaluation Consultant – Final Evaluation

Result of Service

To successfully deliver high-quality, independent evaluation outputs that: • Demonstrate results and value for money; • Strengthen institutional learning within UN-Habitat; • Inform donors and partners; and • Guide the design and implementation of future climate adaptation and urban resilience initiatives.

Work Location

Homebased

Expected duration

3 Months (Part-time)

Duties and Responsibilities

BACKGROUND TO UN-HABITAT The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate shelter for all. For close to fifty years, UN-Habitat has been working in human settlements throughout the world, focusing on building a brighter future for villages, towns, and cities of all sizes. Under its Strategic Plan 2026-2029, UN-Habitat advances integrated solutions that address housing, basic services, land, and infrastructure as foundational elements for inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities. Within the Strategic Plan, Environment and Climate Action is identified as a key Impact Area, recognizing that climate change and environmental degradation pose significant risks to housing, human settlements, and the wellbeing of urban populations, particularly those living in informal and inadequate housing. BACKGROUND TO CONSULTANCY This consultancy supports the Final Evaluation (FE I-II) of Phases I and II of the project Accelerating the Implementation of the Paris Agreement by Building the Climate Resilience of the Urban Poor in Bolivia, Colombia, Ethiopia, Jordan, and Tunisia (hereafter “the project”). Project background The project is funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and implemented in three sequential phases: • Phase I (January 2024 - June 2025): Focused on community-based, participatory Multilayered Vulnerability Assessments (MVAs) to understand climate, urban, socio-economic, and biodiversity vulnerabilities in highly exposed urban poor communities. • Phase II (January 2025 - June 2026): Builds on Phase I by strengthening institutional capacities of local and national authorities, developing Urban Resilience Action Plans (URAPs), preparing bankable climate resilience project pipelines, and advancing enabling conditions for implementation, scaling, and integration into national and subnational policy frameworks (such as NDCs, NAPs, municipal strategies, plans, and programmes), as well contribution to local level implementation of the Paris Agreement. • Phase III (planned - January 2026 - June 2027): Phase III falls under a separate project document and will then require a standalone evaluation. It will focus on scaling, institutionalization, and implementation of prioritized resilience actions and investment pipelines developed under Phases I and II, including replication in two cities in Colombia and Bolivia, and strengthened linkages to climate finance, multilevel governance, and long-term sustainability of project tools and approaches. Evaluation sequence In line with donor requirements, independent evaluations are to be conducted for Phases I, II, and III. However, for implementation purposes, Phases I and II were approved by UN-Habitat as a single, continuous project. Accordingly, it has been agreed that the Phase I evaluation - already concluded and submitted to the donor - serves as the Mid-Term Evaluation (MTE) of the combined Phases I and II. The present evaluation will therefore serve as the Final Evaluation (FE) of the overall Phase I-II project. The evaluation is expected to build on the findings of the Phase I evaluation, focusing on progression, results achieved under Phase II, and the overall effectiveness, sustainability, and impact outlook of the combined intervention. In addition, a subregional-level in-depth evaluation will be conducted by a locally based consultant, with a particular focus on Colombia and Bolivia, to further explore contextualized results, stakeholder engagement, and implementation dynamics. This subregional-level analysis will be provided as a complementary input to the Final Evaluation and should be integrated, validated, and synthesized by the lead evaluator as part of the overall assessment. The subregional-level evaluation will be undertaken within the overall framework of the Final Evaluation and will be guided by the evaluation questions, methodology, and analytical approach established by the lead evaluator. At the same time, it will provide a deeper assessment of the Colombia and Bolivia experiences, generating context-specific findings, lessons learned, and recommendations. The lead evaluator will be responsible for the overall evaluation design, methodology, synthesis, and final assessment of the combined Phase I-II intervention. The country-level consultant will be responsible for conducting the Colombia-Bolivia assessment and preparing a standalone evaluation report. The lead evaluator will review and consider the findings of the country-level evaluation as part of the overall analysis and triangulation process, ensuring that relevant insights are reflected in the Final Evaluation's conclusions and recommendations. While the lead evaluator and the country-level consultant will undertake their respective assignments independently, they are expected to maintain close coordination throughout the evaluation process to ensure methodological alignment, consistency in data collection and analysis, and complementarity between the two assessments. Both reports will be submitted as part of the overall evaluation package. The Colombia-Bolivia evaluation report will constitute a standalone deliverable and will be included in full as an annex to the Final Evaluation report. A separate independent evaluation will be conducted for Phase III, which adopts a more programmatic approach. This will provide an opportunity to assess longer-term outcomes, including scaling, institutionalization, cross-project learning (notably with the UNPDF-funded sister project), and progress toward implementation and financing of bankable resilience actions. Evaluation focus A comprehensive internal evaluation of Phase I has already been conducted by UN-Habitat. Its findings, together with complementary country-level analyses (including locally commissioned work in Colombia and Bolivia), will serve as key inputs to this assignment. This consultancy constitutes the independent Final Evaluation of the combined Phase I-II intervention. The evaluation will assess progression, effectiveness, and added value across both phases, using available evidence as a baseline for validation and triangulation. The project follows a sequenced approach combining participatory diagnostics, capacity development, planning support, and implementation readiness. Building on the Phase I assessment, the evaluation will examine how these components have evolved across both phases, with particular attention to their contribution to local ownership, institutional uptake, and implementation readiness. In particular, the evaluation will focus on the effectiveness of key project mechanisms: participatory MVAs, the Training-of-Trainers (ToT) approach, co-development of URAPs, and structured knowledge exchange, including South-South peer exchange with the UNPDF-funded sister project (implemented in Lao PDR, Madagascar, South Africa, and Sri Lanka) and Spanish knowledge interchange with Spanish technical and institutional partners. These will be analysed in terms of their contribution to community engagement, institutional strengthening, and sustained capacity for implementation. Purpose of the evaluation The purpose of the Final Evaluation for Phases I and II is to provide an independent, evidence-based assessment of the project’s performance across the combined implementation period (January 2024 - June 2026), building on the findings of the Phase I evaluation and complementary country-level analyses. Specifically, the evaluation will: 1. Assess performance and results achieved across Phases I and II, against the project’s objectives, outcomes, and theory of change, with particular attention to how Phase I foundations have translated into Phase II outcomes. 2. Provide accountability to AECID, UN-Habitat, and stakeholders on the use of resources and delivery of results. 3. Generate actionable learning to inform: o the strategic orientation of Phase III, and o future implementation of similar initiatives under UN-Habitat’s climate adaptation and resilience programme. 4. Assess the coherence and added value of linkages with knowledge exchange initiatives, including the UNPDF-funded “sister” project. Scope of the evaluation The evaluation will cover: • The full implementation period of Phase I and Phase II (January 2024 - June 2026). • Activities and results in all five project countries. • Contributions of UN-Habitat HQ, Country Offices, and the Spain Office. • Cross-cutting issues, including gender equality, disability inclusion, youth engagement, human rights, safeguards, and nature-based solutions. • Knowledge exchange mechanisms and learning across the related climate adaptation and resilience initiatives. OBJECTIVES AND RELATED PROJECT OUTPUTS The consultant will be responsible for the independent design, implementation, and reporting of the Final Evaluation covering Phase I and Phase II of the project, in accordance with UN-Habitat Evaluation Policy and OECD-DAC criteria. Objectives of the consultancy The main objective of the consultancy is to conduct an independent Final Evaluation of the project’s Phases I and II, assessing relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, sustainability, and impact outlook, and generating actionable lessons and recommendations to: • inform effective closure of Phase II; and • inform the strategic design and orientation of future climate adaptation and resilience programming. Duties and responsibilities: The consultancy is located in the Climate Change and Urban Environment Section, Global Solutions Division of UN-Habitat. The consultant will be supervised by the Programme Coordinator and Section Lead and will undertake the following duties leading to the requested outputs: 1. Evaluation design and framework o Conduct a comprehensive desk review of key project documentation, including ProDocs, logframes, reports, vulnerability assessments, action plans, and financial information. o Develop an evaluation matrix aligned with OECD-DAC criteria. o Prepare an Inception Report outlining methodology, stakeholder mapping and engagement approach, workplan, and limitations. 2. Data collection and analysis o Conduct key informant interviews with UN-Habitat HQ, Country Offices, national and local authorities, donors, and relevant partners. o Facilitate focus group discussions and consultations with selected stakeholders (remote). o Assess capacity-building, knowledge exchange, and institutional learning components, including cross-country and cross-project learning where relevant. o Apply triangulation methods to validate findings. 3. Reporting and validation o Prepare a comprehensive draft Evaluation Report that distinguishes, where relevant, between findings emerging from Phase I and Phase II, while reflecting the continuity of the intervention. The analysis should assess how key components initiated under Phase (including participatory processes, analytical outputs, and capacity development foundations) have been further developed, applied, and consolidated during Phase II, particularly in relation to institutional strengthening, planning outputs, investment readiness, sustainability, and scaling potential. o Present the draft Evaluation Report (virtually) to the UN-Habitat project delivery team and relevant stakeholders, highlighting the key findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The presentation will provide an opportunity to gather verbal feedback and comments for incorporation into the final Evaluation Report. o Following one round of written feedback, incorporate and respond to feedback from UN-Habitat and AECID, while safeguarding the independence, objectivity, and integrity of the evaluation findings. o Deliver a final consolidated Evaluation Report with clear, evidence-based conclusions and actionable recommendations.

Qualifications/special skills

Minimum advanced university degree (M.A or M.Sc. or equivalent) in relevant field in Social Sciences, International Relations, Public Policy, Urban/Regional Planning, Environment Studies, International Development, Evaluation is required. A first degree with 2 additional years of experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced degree. A minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in evaluation is required Demonstrated experience conducting independent evaluations of development programmes, preferably in multi-country or multi-stakeholder contexts is required Proven experience applying participatory and gender-responsive evaluation approaches is required. Strong analytical and research experience related to climate change, environmental sustainability, urban resilience, or sustainable urban development is an added advantage Experience working with an international development organizations is highly desirable.

Languages

English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat. For this consultancy, fluency in oral and written English and Spanish is required. Fluency in other UN languages is considered an advantage.

Additional Information

Competencies: • Professionalism: Shows pride in work and in achievements; demonstrates professional competence and mastery of subject matter; is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. • Communication: Speaks and writes clearly and effectively; listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication; tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience; demonstrates openness in sharing information and keeping people informed. • Teamwork: Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals; solicits input by genuinely valuing others’ ideas and expertise; is willing to learn from others; places team agenda before personal agenda; supports and acts in accordance with final group decision, even when such decisions may not entirely reflect own position; shares credit for team accomplishments and accepts joint responsibility for team shortcomings.

No Fee

THE 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.