Vacancy Announcement Details

UNESCO’s Internal Oversight Service (IOS) Evaluation Office is conducting an Evaluation of UNESCO’s Periodic Reporting on the Culture Sector’s Conventions and Recommendations. The main purpose of the evaluation is to generate findings, lessons learned and recommendations regarding the effectiveness and efficiency of the periodic reporting mechanisms of UNESCO’s normative instruments in the field of culture.

Given the specific and technical nature of the evaluation, IOS is looking for external expertise to conduct a benchmarking exercise which will be integrated into the full evaluation. The specific expertise is on reporting mechanisms of other normative instruments, such as in the field of human rights. The main purpose of this benchmarking is to learn from other normative instruments and the ways their respective organizations manage periodic reporting, disseminate its results and make use of the data collected. For more information, please see attached file.

Scope of Benchmarking Exercise

The benchmarking exercise should explore the following questions (this list is non-exhaustive):

• How does reporting work in practice for other instruments (such as in the field of human rights?) (What are the formats, platforms, cycles, etc. used by other organizations?)
• What works well? What are the challenges facing organizations managing these reporting systems?
• What are the current resource levels (both staffing and financial) and workflows to manage reporting systems?
• How is the quality of reporting in other organizations? To what extent are States supported with the reporting processes and how?
• To what extent are the reporting systems feeding into the development of programmes in other organizations?
• How is the data from reporting being disseminated and used?
• What lessons can be drawn from the experience of other organizations for UNESCO?

Methodology and Deliverables

The external consultant is expected to:

• Conduct a desk study of 5-10 reporting mechanisms related to normative instruments in the field of human rights or other related fields, such as the Universal Periodic Review and others to be proposed by UNESCO and/or the consultant
• Conduct remote interviews with persons responsible for overseeing reporting in respective organizations
• Prepare a paper of 10-15 pages presenting a description of periodic reporting for other normative instruments and an overview of lessons learned from these
• Present the findings of the study during an online workshop in December 2023

Calendar

Qualifications for external Evaluation Consultant

Expressions of interest will be sought from individuals with the following qualifications:

• No previous involvement in the implementation of UNESCO activities under review (occasional attendance of events or meetings may be accepted)
• University degree at Master’s level or equivalent in law, social / political sciences, economics or related field
• Strong knowledge and understanding of periodic reporting mechanisms for normative instruments (demonstrated with examples of previous evaluation, research, publication, etc. on the subject area)
• Desired experience with periodic reporting in organizations other than UNESCO
• Familiarity with UNESCO or UN mandates and its programming in the framework of the Sustainable Development Agenda
• Demonstrated understanding of UN mandates in Human Rights and Gender Equality
• Excellent writing skills in English
• Ability to work in French (read documents, conduct interviews, send emails) is desirable
• Knowledge of other UN languages particularly Spanish is an asset

How to apply

Proposals should be submitted in English, consisting of two separate attachments:

• A Technical Proposal which should include: a letter expressing interest and clearly identifying how the expert meets the required skills and experience, a curriculum vitae, an approach and methodology including proposed reporting mechanisms to be subject of the study, a workplan, and references (with names, titles and contact details of three references). Web links and/or electronic copies of any recent reports of relevance to this assignment may also be provided.
• A Financial proposal based on the proposed workplan and required tasks.

Proposals should be submitted no later than 6 September 2023, midnight (Paris time) to the Internal Oversight Service (ios@unesco.org). Please indicate the following reference in the email subject line: Proposal for Periodic Reporting Benchmarking. Please note that proposals submitted through other channels will not be considered. For any questions, please write to e.sediakina@unesco.org.