Duties and Responsibilities
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict serves as the leading United Nations (UN) advocate for the protection and well-being of children affected by armed conflict. The mandate of the SRSG CAAC was created by General Assembly Resolution A/RES/51/77 following the publication, in 1996, of the report by Graça Machel on the impact of armed conflict on children. Since 1999, the systematic engagement of the UN Security Council has placed the protection of children affected by armed conflict at the heart of its international peace and security agenda. In 2005, the Security Council adopted resolution 1612 which established the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) on Grave Violations against Children in Situations of Armed Conflict. The six grave violations monitored and reported on under this mechanism are: 1. recruitment and use of children 2. killing or maiming of children 3. rape and other forms of sexual violence against children 4. attacks on schools and/or hospitals 5. abduction of children 6. denial of humanitarian access for children. The SRSG CAAC regularly reports to the UN bodies (Security Council, General Assembly, and Human Rights Council) on the situation of children in armed conflict, and further engages in a variety of activities to foster the protection of conflict-affected children, including engagement with parties to conflict in situations covered by her mandate, engagement with a global network of partners, promotion of lessons learned and best practices, and the fostering of regional partnerships. Further information on the CAAC mandate and the Office of the SRSG CAAC can be found here: https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org. Project Description and Objective Enhancing partnerships with regional and subregional organizations provides enormous opportunities for the protection of conflict-affected children and is a growing priority area for the SRSG CAAC. This commitment is in line with the Security Council’s call, in resolution 1379 (2001), for regional and subregional arrangements to consider the establishment of child protection mechanisms for the development and implementation of policies, activities, and advocacy for the benefit of children affected by armed conflict. The African Union (AU) as well as Regional Economic Communities and Regional Mechanisms in Africa and the United Nations are key partners in ensuring the protection of conflict-affected children in Africa. Based on the principles of complementarity and comparative advantages, the strengthening of the United Nations-African Union partnership on CAAC provides unique opportunities to achieve a concerted push towards the protection of conflict-affected children in Africa. Such efforts are also in line with the Joint UN-AU Framework for an Enhanced Partnership in Peace and Security, in which both partners inter alia commit to promote a common understanding of conflict in Africa, share early warning information and analysis, and jointly work on preventing and addressing conflict, cooperate in mediation, and protect human rights. Against this background and based on close consultation with the regional partners on their cooperation goals and needs, the OSRSG-CAAC, between April 2023 and February 2024, implemented a special project under the title ‘Children and Armed Conflict in Africa – Strengthening Regional Partnerships and Capacities,’ which was focused on early warning, prevention, joint advocacy, and mediation, funded by the Peace and Security Sub-Fund of the United Nations Peace and Development Trust Fund. As a new requirement for projects funded by the Peace and Security Sub-Fund, the OSRSG-CAAC is conducting an evaluation of the project to enhance transparency and accountability of the implementing entity and to strengthen accountability in the interests of the project beneficiaries and the donor. Responsibilities Under the supervision of the Political Affairs Officer, Monitoring, Reporting and Regional Partnerships Team, the Consultant will: • Conduct an evaluation of the project considering the following: o The logical framework of the project and how it relates to the desired impact; o The measured indicators of the project and how they compare to the baseline; o A stakeholder analysis, in particular how identified stakeholders have benefitted from the project interventions; o Identified risks and challenges and how well they have been mitigated; o The sustainability of the project deliverables; o Potential negative impacts of the project; o Gender sensitivity and inclusiveness of the project; o Contribution of the project to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals and other relevant frameworks, mandates, and agendas, including the UN-AU partnership, the children and armed conflict mandate and the youth, peace and security agenda. The evaluation methodology should be participatory and comprehensive. Data collection plan and analysis must include both qualitative and quantitative methods. Expected Outcome/Performance Indicators Subject to satisfactory review, the Consultant will: • In close collaboration with the OSRSG-CAAC, develop an agreed upon evaluation approach; • Conduct a review of the project’s logical framework, implementation process, and deliverables through data collection and analysis to be incorporated into the evaluation report; • Draft an evaluation report; • Finalize the evaluation report incorporating final feedback.
Qualifications/special skills
Education • Advanced degree (Master’s or equivalent) in law, political science, international relations, or other related disciplines. • A first level university degree in similar fields in combination with five additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Experience • A minimum of 5 years of progressively responsible experience working on issues of peace and security, political affairs, human rights, protection, and/or data analysis is required. • A strong background in monitoring and evaluation and previous experience in the evaluation of projects implemented by United Nations entities are required. • Experience of working with the UN, other international or regional/subregional organizations is desirable. • Experience working in Africa is desirable. Functional Competencies • Solid expertise of monitoring and evaluation methodologies. • Solid expertise in process and project management. • Knowledge of peace and security issues in Africa. • Knowledge of issues pertaining to human rights and protection issues, and of the protection of conflict-affected children and the children and armed mandate. • Ability and commitment to apply gender-sensitive and inclusive approaches to work assignments and evaluation processes. • Excellent research, writing, analysis, and communication skills; • Familiarity with the UN system and with regional organizations in Africa (in particular with the African Union and Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms).
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.
