Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning Unit for Syria-Iraq Peace and Stabilisation programme 2022-2025

MENA wish to hire a consultant to implement a MEAL unit to support MENA with programme strategic monitoring of the overall Syria-Iraq Peace and Stabilisation Programme (SI-PSP) 2022-2025 and all its Official Development Assistance (ODA) engagements, additional engagements if approved and engagements still under implementation from SI-PSP 2019-2021. The objective of the assignment is to ensure regular and proper monitoring, reporting and learning of the entire SI-PSP 2022-2025 at its programmatic level, across the two countries and each of the engagements and target interventions as well as the remaining active engagements from SI-PSP 2019-2021. The MEAL unit’s support to MENA includes risk management based on results framework(s), theory of change and risk set up in order for MENA to strengthen programme efficiency and effectiveness, facilitate learning and ensure informed decision-making by MENA and its partners related to implementation and development of the programme. The SI-PSP will be monitored according to the Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) principles. Monitoring will be implemented at two levels; engagement results-based monitoring and strategic monitoring. The MEAL unit will assist with the engagement Results-Based Monitoring which aims with providing the information needed to assess whether engagement performance is as expected. The focus in the monitoring will be on measuring the progress towards achieving outputs and outcomes at engagement level and will include the compilation, assessment, and presentation of monitoring information according to the agreed results-based frameworks and indicators defined for each engagement. Engagement results-based monitoring will be implemented by the engagement partners, but monitored and quality assured by the MEAL unit. The programme Strategic Monitoring will provide the information and analysis needed for strategic level decision-making, adaptive management, learning and accountability by the MENA. This strategic level monitoring is where contextual changes and risks, including financial through annual audits, will be monitored and analysed. It will also include impact monitoring. The SI-PSP operates in a political challenging, fluid and fragile context. The consultant must perform the following services, however not limited to: - Draft annual work plans for the MEAL unit; - Assist partners with improving their reporting formats, results framework, theory of change and risk management setup; - Participate in field visits to Iraq to verify the relevance of indicators, identify practical and conceptual challenges of monitoring, field level risks, etc. and to participate in meeting on a programmatic level hosted by partners; - Liaise closely with MFA staff in Copenhagen and MFA posted staff in Istanbul on programme related issues; - Participate in MFA staff meetings relating to monitoring and reporting on engagements and the programme; - Undertake in visits in Turkey and to Lebanon as well as to Copenhagen and Brussels in consultation with engagement partners, MENA and the Danish embassies in Ankara, and Beirut; - Assist Syrian civil society organisation partners with developing their capacity in terms of financial management, internal management procedures and compliance with MFA guidelines; - Assist MENA and the MFA posted staff in Istanbul to process the partners’ monitoring reports to yield the elements needed for inputting into the MFA reporting and transparency systems; - Ensure that partners implement and follow the procedures, requirements and reporting schedules in accordance with the agreements, PSEDs and relevant MFA guidelines; - Liaise with other stakeholders in the region to stay abreast of contextual and political developments in Iraq and Syria and in the region that may potentially influence the SI-PSP 2022-2025 and individual engagements; - SI-PSP engagement and programme progress reports based on input received from partners; - Assist MENA with drawing up Terms of Reference for technical reviews and other reviews such as Mid-Term Review; - Produce an overall mid-term status report for the SI-PSP 2022-2025; - Assist MENA with scoping, assessing and formulating new engagements to be funded with unallocated funds; - Promote shared learning through close coordination with partners; - Liaise and coordinate with MENA on communication and public diplomacy on possibilities for case stories and other communication initiatives to target different communication platforms and websites; - Undertake dialogue meetings on programmatic related issues with engagement partners on ad hoc issues; - Draft final results reports on all ODA-engagements under SI-PSP 2022-2025; - Draft a final results report on programme level. (the description of the procurement before and after the modification has not changed)