South Sudan: South Sudan Situation Analysis Consultant [5 months contract]

Background

A high-quality, comprehensive situation analysis of children and women is key to UNICEF programming and an important contribution to national knowledge. The last comprehensive Situation Analysis on children and women for South Sudan was conducted in in 2007 when South Sudan was still a part of the Sudan. After the Referendum in 2011, there were calls for a further strategic reflection on UNICEF’s role and positioning in support of the new Republic of South Sudan in terms of the realization of children’s rights and the acceleration of efforts to achieve child-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In this regard, UNICEF initiated a strategic reflection exercise in May 2011 which aimed at defining a medium to long-term strategic vision for achieving and maximizing sustained results for children in South Sudan, including the identification of key initiatives and priorities for a two year bridging period to transition to a full country programme this served as the basis for the elaboration of the UNICEF programme of cooperation with the newly-established Government (2012-2013).

A more in-depth Situation Analysis was scheduled to take place in early 2014, but was postponed when armed conflict broke out in December 2013, making country-wide data collection impossible. Using flexible methods required by the current operational environment, the South Sudan Country Office (SSCO) would like to move forward with the preparation of a synthesized Situation Analysis for Children, Young people and Women of South Sudan, as part of the post-2016 Country Programme preparation process. The SITAN process will also include a Strategic Moment of Reflection, which will enable the adoption of a forward looking and long-term strategic vision for achieving and maximizing sustained results for children in South Sudan.

The development of the synthesized Situation Analysis of Children, Young people and Women, and the Strategic Moment of Reflection in South Sudan will serve the following purpose:

1. Improve the understanding of government and non-governmental stakeholders of the current status of children’s, young people’s and women’s rights in South Sudan, and the main causes of observed shortfalls and inequities;
2. Document the major recent developments in the socio-economic development, policy and programme and institutional context that impact on the situation of children, young people and women in South Sudan.
3. Inform the extension of the South Sudan Country Programme (June 2016 – December 2017), the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for South Sudan, and the Country Programme of Action between the Republic of South Sudan and UNICEF (June 2016-December 2017), to strengthen the way in which these policy and programme frameworks address key issues for the realization of children’s, young people’s and women’s rights;
4. Develop recommendations for action to help strategically position UNICEF as a development partner in a rapidly changing aid environment in preparation of the next country programme and as a contribution to the next UNDAF;
5. Contribute to the *generation ofevidence-based knowledge\* and identification of critical information gaps that stimulate dialogue on, and serve as a basis for rights based and child centered policy making

Justification

South Sudan has been classified as a chronic long-term emergency. Given the overwhelming challenges facing South Sudan in both scale and complexity, and with about two million people displaced by the ongoing conflict, the effects of the ongoing conflict will continue for the next several years. There is a recognition of the continuing fragility of the country, and the need to bridge and integrate emergency, recovery and development interventions and build the resilience of affected populations to ensure realization of the rights of all children of South Sudan.

The Situation Analysis (SITAN) is expected to provide a comprehensive review of the socioeconomic situation of the children in South Sudan and present an overview of the effect of the current conflict, policy environment, social budgets, and the fiscal space/public finance management, as South Sudan is a country with a strong resource base which should be used to improve service delivery for children, young people and women. This should be in light of the fiscal space/public finance management, as South Sudan is a country with a strong resource base that can be used. =Given the dynamic context of South Sudan, this cannot be a purely ‘traditional SITAN’, and will need to have a major focus on scenario planning. The SITAN is intended to serve as an up-to-date and comprehensive reference for all stakeholders involved, highlighting the many varied and interrelated challenges faced both by South Sudanese children, women and adolescent, and by stakeholders seeking to address those challenges.

There are a number of developments which reinforce the need to prepare a new SITAN for Children, Young people and Women of South Sudan:

· The previous SITAN was prepared in 2007, two years after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, that ended decades of civil war, and established a Government of National Unity, and before South Sudanese independence in 2011. This was a period of great optimism, with a sense of hope for a bright new future for South Sudan’s youngest citizens. However, an internal South Sudanese conflict erupted far sooner than may have been expected, creating an ever-worsening humanitarian situation that has worsened the situation for children and interrupted development programming along with the achievement of planned results for children, young people and women;

· The ongoing humanitarian crisis has highlighted the impact of continued insecurity and repeated emergencies for the realization of children’s rights, highlighting the important of resilience building and disaster risk reduction;

· Greater global and national attention to inequality and inequity has contributed to a refocusing on equity and the identification and tackling of bottlenecks to the realization of rights for the most deprived children;

· There have been numerous changes in the policy and legislative environment since 2007, the most significant of which was the country’s independence from the Republic of Sudan. The Constitution sets out a clear framework for the realization of the rights of children, young people, women, the disabled and marginalized groups. A number of new laws and policies have been put in place, only some of which are currently operational. Austerity measures and on-going conflict have hindered the application of many others’

· An in-depth causality analysis has not been undertaken in South Sudan, and the SITAN process provides an opportunity to undertake a causal analysis of the violation of children’s, young people and women’s rights, the manifestations, their immediate, underlying and structural causes as well as the linkages between these.

· While no national-level survey (e.g. MICS) has been undertaken since 2010, there are a number of new sources of data and analysis, including nutrition SMART surveys, the Malaria Indicator Survey, and other studies and evaluations undertaken by government ministries, various UN agencies and other partners;

· The Government of South Sudan will be extending the current South Sudan Development Plan in the interim, while developing a longer-term Vision. The SITAN will inform the development of this Vision and ensure it addresses priority deprivations in the rights of children, young people and women;

· SSCO is less than 2 years away from the end of the current country programme cycle and an updated SITAN will form the basis for the extension/development of the next country programme.

Specific Tasks

The specific tasks to be performed include but are not limited to the following:

1. Develop a workplan for the entire process (SITAN and SMR) and agree on the plan, timelines and deliverables with UNICEF senior management and government counterparts.
2. Prepare an inception report that includes an analytic framework and approach.
3. Undertake the consolidation and mapping of available publications and data on children, young people and women in South Sudan (relevant to the scope of the TOR). Prepare a final and agreed conceptual and analytical framework for the SITAN based on the TOR.
4. Undertake data collection (desk review, interviews and other consultations), including a review of risks facing[1] children, young people and woman; analyze this data and produce a draft SITAN report in accordance with agreed the methodology and conceptual and analytical framework. Consultations will be with all sections, including field-based technical specialists and Chiefs of Field offices, in UNICEF, key government partners at national, state and country levels, UN agencies, NGOs and donor community. Ensure that theUNICEF’s re-focus on equity and the Monitoring Results for Equity Systems (MoRES) framework is fully embedded into the entire process.
5. Organize a Strategic Moment of Reflection with the relevant sections, both at national and sub-national level, with UNICEF and other stakeholders before the finalization of the report.It is expected that the SMR process will result in the adoption of a forward looking and medium and long-term strategic vision for achieving and maximizing sustained results for children in South Sudan. Specifically the exercise will provide the opportunity to:

· Analyze the trends, risks and issues impacting on the children that have implications for the role and engagement of UNICEF in South Sudan.

· Reach consensus/agreement on UNICEF’s evolving role and positioning in support of South Sudan for assuring children’s rights and for accelerating efforts to achieve child related post-2015 Development Agenda.

· Map out key initiatives and priorities that UNICEF can support in emergency/transition/ development programming, and provide the evidence and learning for transitioning into realizing the next 5 year strategic plan of the Republic of South Sudan-UNICEF programme of cooperation and beyond.

1. Support the drafting of the Country Programme Document (CPD), articulating programme priorities, strategies, results and partners, using the in-country stakeholders’ workshop’s proceedings.
2. Organize a validation meeting with key in-country stakeholders including Government counterparts, relevant UN Agencies, and other development partners including children to review and validate the key priorities, strategic orientations and results of the extended country program, and finalize the CPD.
3. Produce a final report of the Situation Analysis, based on inputs from the SMR, including a summary of the main findings.

Methodology and Scope

The Consultant will be expected to use the UNICEF Guidance on Conducting a SITAN of Children’s and Women’s Rights, and engage various stakeholders through-out the process. The Consultant will:

· Review and synthesize the various reports and documents (including studies and surveys), that will be used as input for developing the South Sudan Situation Analysis report.

· Adopt an integrated, cross-sectoral approach that takes a holistic view of all areas of children’s rights;

· Pay special attention to rights-deprivations of children due to disasters, conflict and displacements, other shocks, as well as structural causes of vulnerability. Also note the effect of long-term chronic emergencies to overall capacities for delivering basic social services to children and women of South Sudan;

· While many children in South Sudan experience some deprivation, examine the various multiple deprivations facing children in South Sudan;

· Examine gendered social norms and behaviours affecting the realization of equal rights for boys and girls, men and women in the country, as well as other sources of inequity, including geographical, ethnic, etc.;

· Analyze and identify gaps in the existing legislative and policy framework addressing child, young people and women’s rights;

· Conduct an analysis of hazards and conflict risks to boys girls and women in South Sudan;

· Analyze the capacities of duty bearers in fulfilling their accountabilities in terms of child rights, and the capacities of right holders in participating in the realization of child rights; and

· Map and analysis of policies, legislation and budget allocations relating to children’s rights organized by identified themes.

Expected Deliverables and timelines

The Consultant is expected to provide a detailed implementation plan within the first two weeks of the assignment. Additionally, the Consultant is to produce the following comprehensive analytical reports:

#Activity Timeline 1 A timeframe with a plan of activities and the outline of the South Sudan SITAN and Strategic Moment of Reflection. 15^th April 2015 2 SITAN inception report that includes an analytic framework and approach describing:

o How the data to be used in analyses will be collected;

o Anticipated information shortfalls and how these will be addressed;

o Stakeholder participation modalities;

o Analytical methods for the entire SITAN including the special thematic areas;

o Management of validation processes. 15^th May 20153 A draft version of the SITAN 15^th June4 Organized SMR and Workshop report on proceedings – with key stakeholders present who are given the opportunity to provide feedback. 30^th July5 Draft of the Country Programme Document (CPD) 15^th August6 Organize the validation meeting with key in-country stakeholders Government counterparts, relevant UN Agencies, and other development partners including children to review and validate the key priorities, strategic orientations and results of the extended country program, and finalize the CPD. 20^th August7 Final SITAN of children, young people and women report integrating all analyses, special thematic areas and incorporating comments and inputs from the validation process approved by the Representative and the CMT. The report should be 40-50 pages, with key Annexes, as well as a policy brief and a PowerPoint presentation summarizing the main trends and major challenges faced by children, young people and women in South Sudan. 15^th September

Payments

Payment will be processed after satisfactory delivery of agreed deliverables as follows:

Deliverable(s)Payment · A timeframe with a plan of activities and the outline of the South Sudan SITAN and Strategic Moment of Reflection

· SITAN inception report that includes an analytic framework and approach describing 25% · A draft version of the SITAN 25% · Organized SMR and Workshop report on proceedings

· Draft of the Country Programme Document (CPD)

· Organized validation meeting with key in-country stakeholders Government counterparts, relevant UN Agencies, and other development partners including children to review and validate the key priorities, strategic orientations and results of the extended country program.

· Final CPD 25% · Final SITAN Report 25%

Reporting

The Consultant will be supervised by the Deputy Representative, and will work on a day-to-day basis with the Social Policy Specialist and the Chief of Social Policy, Planning, and M&E. Additionally, a Task Force constituting key staff from the Ministry of Gender and Women and a few other key Ministries will be constituted to support the SITAN and SMR process. This will ensure participation and ownership by Government. The Consultant will work closely with the Task Force, and the Team will provide overall oversight and guidance. The Consultant will provide updates to the Task Force, together with a schedule/ plan and frequency as shall be agreed upon with the Team. To ensure that the SITAN and SMR processes are timely and of high quality, SSCO will develop a checklist to monitor the process. Bi-monthly meetings will also be held between the Consultant, the Deputy Representative and Chief, Social Policy PME to discuss progress and updates.

Expected background (Qualifications & Experience)

· At least a Master’s degree in Social Sciences (Sociology, Anthropology, Development Studies) or related fields relevant for the assignment;

· A minimum of 10 years’ experience and evidence of prior work in research, analysis and report writing done with or for international development organizations;

· Knowledge and demonstrated experience with Human Rights Based Approach to Programming (HRBAP) and the principles of gender mainstreaming and promotion of gender equality; familiarity with the UNICEF Gender Policy is desirable;

· Excellent research and analytical skills in both qualitative and quantitative analysis, including demonstrated experience in causality, equity and gender analyses.

· Familiarity with UN/UNICEF programming, including UNICEF’s re-focus on equity and the Monitoring Results for Equity Systems (MoRES);

· Proven experience in writing analytical papers on children and gender issues; - In-depth knowledge of children’s rights, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), and other international legal.

· Experience of having participated previously in the development of a SITAN will be an added advantage;

· Excellent facilitation and coordination skills and excellent analytical skills;

· Excellent command of the English language, with proven writing skills and good team work;

· Proficient in computer skills;

· Proven ability to deliver quality reports/analysis and results in line with established deadlines.

General Conditions

· Payment will be based uponcompletion of the deliverables outlined above.

· Note that final payment to a Consultant is dependent on the completion of all agreed deliverables.

· If due to changing requirements or additional support required by the Ministry or Stakeholders, the duration of assignment can be extended with mutual agreement and revised Terms of Reference.

· Both parties can terminate the contract with one month written notice, starting on the first day of the month; however, in case of poor performance the contract can be terminated with immediate effect.

· A working week is defined as 5 working days, and fees are prorated accordingly. S/he is not paid for weekends or public holidays.

· The Consultant will be required to sign the Health statement for the consultants/individual contracts prior to the assignment, and to document that they have the appropriate health insurance.

· The Consultant will be expected to provide their own laptop, but all office supplies related directly to the task for the duration of the consultancy will be provided.

· If any field mission is undertaken, the movement of the consultant will be facilitated by UNICEF, thus access to UNICEF transport will be authorized.

· The consultant will comply with UN security rules and regulations.

· Fees for the consultant will be dependent on the completion of deliverables as well as hand-over notes and submission of a consultancy Performance Evaluation Report (PER).

Policy both parties should be aware of:

· No contract may commence unless the contract is signed by both UNICEF and the Consultant.

· The Consultant is not entitled to payment of overtime. All remuneration must be within the contract agreement.

· No travel in lieu of the contract will be undertaken by the Consultant to the duty station without prior submission of insurance cover and waiver in the event of injury while executing the duty.

· The Consultant will not have supervisory responsibilities or authority on UNICEF budget.

· Consultant will be required to sign the Health statement for consultants/Individual contractor prior to taking up the assignment, and to document that they have appropriate health insurance, including Medical Evacuation.

· The Form 'Designation, change or revocation of beneficiary' must be completed by the consultant upon arrival, at the HR Section.

[1] Using UNICEF’s guidance on Risk Informed SITANs

Interested and suitable candidates should ensure that they forward the following:

a. Sample of previous similar work produced

b. Application letter outlining why they are suitable

c. Curriculum Vitae

d. Signed P11 form (downloaded from :http://www.unicef.org/about/employ/files/P11.doc),

The Human Resources Manager

UNICEF South Sudan Country Office

Email address: jubavacancies@unicef.org

Applications submitted without a fee/ rate will not be considered. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.