UN Women: National Consultant in charge of cross-cutting issues within the framework of the evaluation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, Bujumbura, Burundi

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

1. Context and justification

Signed on December 8, 2022, between the Government of the Republic of Burundi and the United Nations Country Team (UNCT), the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF 2023–2027) constitutes the strategic framework guiding the United Nations' contributions to Burundi's development efforts. It is structured around three major strategic priorities: 

1. Structural transformation of the economy and improved governance for inclusive growth;
2. Improving human capital and capitalizing on the demographic dividend;
3. Sustainable environmental management and enhanced resilience to the impacts of climate change. 

These strategic priorities are broken down into five strategic outcomes (Effects): 

• Effect 1: Inclusive and sustainable food systems; 
• Effect 2: Governance, inclusive economy and regional integration; 
• Effect 3: Social protection; 
• Effect 4: Basic social services; 
• Effect 5: Environment, preparedness and response to shocks of natural and human origin.

The Cooperation Framework is closely aligned with the National Vision 2040/2060, the National Development Plan (NDP 2018–2027), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, and the African Union's Agenda 2063.  

In accordance with UNDCO guidelines for the implementation of the cooperation framework, the country team agreed to conduct an independent evaluation during the penultimate year of the cycle (2026) to inform the next programming cycle, enhance accountability and draw strategic lessons.

The overall objective of this evaluation is to assess the strategic positioning and effectiveness of Burundi's 2023–2027 United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). It aims to determine the extent to which the United Nations system has contributed to national development outcomes and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in line with the country's development priorities and the principles of the 2030 Agenda.

Specifically, the evaluation will allow us to:

1. Evaluate the relevance of the Cooperation Framework with regard to Burundi's national development priorities, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the African Union's Agenda 2063, and the needs and expectations of the population, particularly the most vulnerable groups. 
2. To assess the coherence and strategic alignment of the Cooperation Framework with the National Development Plan and the Vision 2040/2060, national policies and strategies, as well as with the interventions of technical and financial partners, in order to determine to what extent it has promoted synergies and complementarity of actions. 
3. Examine the effectiveness of interventions implemented within the framework of the Cooperation Framework by analyzing progress made towards achieving expected results, facilitating factors and constraints encountered. 
4. Evaluate the efficiency of implementation mechanisms, including coordination, governance, monitoring and evaluation, resource mobilization and partnership arrangements, in order to assess the optimal use of available resources. 
5. Analyze the contribution of the Cooperation Framework to the changes observed in the priority results areas, 
6. Examine the integration of cross-cutting principles of the United Nations system, including the human rights-based approach, gender equality and the empowerment of women, the principle of leaving no one behind, environmental sustainability and youth participation. 
7. Evaluate the sustainability of the results achieved and the capacity of national institutions and communities to continue and consolidate the gains beyond the direct support of the United Nations. 
8. Identify lessons learned, good practices and innovations as well as transformative results achieved in women's rights, gender equality and human rights that can improve the design and implementation of the next cycle of the Cooperation Framework. 
9. Formulate strategic and operational recommendations for the Government, the United Nations System and partners to enhance the relevance, impact and added value of the upcoming Cooperation Framework.

The 2030 Agenda is based on the fundamental commitment to "Leave No One Behind " (LNOB). In Burundi, the integration of human rights, gender equality, women's empowerment, the inclusion of youth, persons with disabilities, indigenous populations (Batwa), and displaced/returned persons is essential to building inclusive growth and strengthening social cohesion.

To ensure a rigorous evaluation of these themes across the entire program, UNCT is recruiting a national consultant specializing in cross-cutting issues to join the multidisciplinary team of 4 experts . 

1. An international consultant, Head of Mission (Governance & Economics); 
2. A national consultant (Basic social services & Human capital); 
3. A national consultant (Environment, Climate & Resilience); 
4. A national consultant (Cross-cutting issues: Gender, Human Rights, Inclusion & LNOB). 

Governance and steering of the process: The evaluation is led by the UNCT and the Resident Coordinator, coordinated on a daily basis by the Evaluation Managers (Deputy UNDP / Deputy UNICEF) and the M&E team, guided by the Multi-stakeholder Steering Committee (Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Finance, PMT, RCO) and validated by DCO-HQ. 

The consultant is responsible for the cross-cutting assessment of the integration of UN principles through the 3 strategic priorities and the 5 Effects of the Cooperation Framework. 

• In-depth cross-sectional analysis:
  • Evaluate the extent to which gender-based approaches (GEWE), human rights-based approaches (HRBA), youth inclusion, inclusion of persons with disabilities and peacebuilding were applied in the design and implementation of the UNSDCF. 
  • Analyze the effective targeting of vulnerable and marginalized groups (LNOB Principle). 
  • Analyze the extent to which UNSDCF's monitoring and reporting mechanisms allow for the documentation of results related to human rights, gender equality, and the Leave No One Behind principle.
  • Identify and document lessons learned, good practices, innovations, significant changes, promising approaches and the most significant results in promoting women's rights, gender equality and human rights, as well as other social sectors. 
• Methodological guarantee and data collection:
  • Ensure that collection tools are gender-sensitive, participatory, ethical and allow for data disaggregation (sex, age, disability, status). 
  • Conducting consultations with human rights institutions (CNIDH), women's associations, youth organizations, representatives of disabled persons and marginalized groups. 
  • Gather stakeholder views on the challenges and opportunities related to the collection, use and sharing of data relating to vulnerable and marginalized groups.
• Contribution to deliverables:
  • Draft the chapter dedicated to cross-cutting criteria and ensure the systematic integration of the LNOB dimension in all sections of the final report. 
  • Evaluate the report's compliance with UNEG's quality standards regarding gender and human rights. 
  • Documenting good practices, transformative results, success factors achieved in women's rights and human rights, lessons learned, and their potential for replication and scaling up. This documentation will take the form of a capitalization note (3 to 5 pages) as an annex to the evaluation report.

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