Duties and Responsibilities
Background of the assignment: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is implementing the project “Promoting Accountability, Integrity and Transparency in Justice” with the support of the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). The project aims to strengthen institutional accountability, integrity, and effectiveness across the justice and anti-corruption sectors, with a particular focus on underserved regions including Gulu and Moroto. To ensure accountability, evidence-based decision-making, and adaptive learning, the project is subject to a structured evaluation cycle in line with UNODC and ADA standards. As part of this cycle, a baseline assessment will be conducted during the inception phase to establish benchmarks against which progress and results will be measured throughout implementation. The baseline assessment will integrate findings from targeted thematic needs assessments undertaken under the project, including assessments focused on criminal justice case management systems and law enforcement capacity to combat corruption and recover stolen assets. Together, these assessments will provide a comprehensive evidence base to inform implementation, institutional strengthening, and performance monitoring. The baseline will incorporate a dedicated and intersectional gender analysis, examining how gender, disability, age, socio-economic status, and geographical location interact to shape access to justice and participation in anti-corruption efforts. Particular attention will be paid to overlapping vulnerabilities affecting women, youth, and persons with disabilities in underserved districts. Purpose of the assignment: The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a project-level baseline assessment for the ADC-supported project “Promoting Accountability, Integrity and Transparency in Justice” in order to establish clear benchmarks for monitoring progress, assessing results, and supporting adaptive implementation. The baseline assessment inception phase of the project will provide critical data to inform programme planning, implementation, and evaluation, ensuring that the programme's goals and objectives are met effectively It will generate an integrated evidence base on institutional performance, capacities, and contextual factors relevant to justice case management systems, accountability, integrity, and transparency in the justice and anti-corruption sectors. It will inform implementation planning, indicator measurement, and learning throughout the project cycle, and provide a reference point for the final project evaluation. Specific outputs to be performed by the consultant: Under the overall supervision of the UNODC Head of Office in Uganda, the consultant will be responsible for the following tasks: • Review the project document, results framework, indicators, and monitoring arrangements for the ADC-supported project and conduct qualitative and quantitative data analysis to establish baseline values for all relevant indicators. • Design a baseline assessment methodology aligned with UNODC and ADA evaluation standards, including data sources, tools, and analytical approaches. • Consolidate and synthesise findings from project-supported thematic needs assessments and other relevant diagnostics. • Establish baseline values for selected project indicators, including those related to institutional performance, access to justice, accountability mechanisms, and anti-corruption capacity, where feasible. • Conduct an intersectional gender analysis, examining how gender, disability, age, socio-economic status, and geographic location influence access to justice and participation in anti-corruption efforts, with attention to underserved districts such as Gulu and Moroto. • Conduct consultations with key informants to ensure marginalized groups and relevant stakeholders have been identified. • Identify key contextual risks, assumptions, and enabling factors that may affect project implementation and results. • Develop baseline findings that support adaptive management, learning, and evidence-based decision-making during implementation. • Prepare a draft baseline assessment report and facilitate a validation process with UNODC and key stakeholders. Expected tangible and measurable output(s)/deliverable(s): 1) Inception report with methodology, work plan, and assessment tools including the approach for the dedicated gender analysis completed. 2) Desk review report summarizing key findings from existing literature and data developed 3) Baseline Assessment Report (draft) is produced presenting findings, indicator benchmarks where applicable, intersectional gender analysis, contextual risks and assumptions, and implications for implementation and learning. 4) Validation workshop facilitated with UNODC and selected stakeholders to review and refine baseline findings. 5) Final Baseline Assessment Report submitted The consultant will undertake tasks as detailed under Sections 3 and 4 of these Terms of Reference. The consultant will work from their own facilities and using their own ITC equipment. As required for the performance of tasks and as far as possible, UNODC will provide the consultant with access to the relevant substantive materials, as well as with access to UNODC facilities and offices, as necessary. The consultant may undertake travel, as requested and authorized by UNODC. Travel costs and related daily subsistence allowance (DSA) are to be provided for each trip and in accordance with the UN travel rules and regulations. Where extraneous circumstances render required travel and subsequent delivery of an output(s) impossible during specified dates, such changes will be made to the individual workplan, in consultation with the direct supervisor and programme staff, as to reschedule the delivery of an output(s) retaining the number of workdays within the period of assignmentagendas, substantive presentations, and other assignment-related written outputs as relevant and appropriate, integrate gender and human rights dimensions of organized crime and impacts of proposed interventions on women, men, youth, and children. The consultant shall ensure that all written outputs are developed in line with the UNODC Toolkit on Mainstreaming Gender and Human Rights in the Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Every effort should be made by the consultant, in coordination with the programme staff, to proactively ensure diversity of the end beneficiaries and equal participation of all genders in the proposed activities
Qualifications/special skills
An advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in in Monitoring and Evaluation, law, criminology, crime prevention, social sciences or related field is required. A first level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. • At least 5 years of professional work experience in monitoring and evaluation, data management and statistics, research, learning, knowledge management or any other related area with a focus on criminal justice, rule of law, or related field is required. • Demonstrated experience in conducting assessments, evaluations, or research in the justice sector is desirable. • Familiarity with Uganda’s justice sector or comparable contexts in Sub-Saharan Africa is desirable . Proven experience in integrating gender and human rights perspectives into justice sector analysis and programming is desirable. • Experience in stakeholder engagement and facilitating consultative processes desirable.
