Consultant for formative assessment of green skills in Bangladesh

Consultant for formative assessment of green skills in Bangladesh

Duty Station:  Overall, in Bangladesh (Dhaka with field work to the selected sites)

Contract Duration:  40 working days spread over 4 months

Number of Vacancies: 01

Contract Type: Contract with E-Zone.          

Contract Start Date:  Immediate

Reporting to: Research and Evaluation Specialist

A.    Background and Context

Climate change stands as one of the most pressing global challenges of our time, with its impacts increasingly felt across the globe. South Asia, home to a significant portion of the world's population, is particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, including extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and food insecurity. In the region, India ranks high in exposure to climate risks, grappling with severe heatwaves, flooding, and coastal erosion. Nepal is highly susceptible to glacial melting and unpredictable monsoon patterns. Maldives faces existential threats due to rising sea levels, putting its very landmass at risk. Sri Lanka encounters intense tropical cyclones and coastal flooding. Similarly, Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its low-lying geography, rising sea levels, threating coastal areas with flooding and growing heatwaves and increasing temperature posing significant challenges.

In response to these challenges, UN Agency in the South Asia region has taken significant steps to engage young people in climate action. Recognizing the importance of education, green skills, jobs, and entrepreneurship in tackling climate change, UN Agency is committed to igniting and championing youth-led green initiatives. This includes empowering young people with access to green skills, green jobs, and opportunities for engagement on climate issues.

UN Agency recognizes the critical role that young people play in addressing climate change and has launched the Green Rising campaign. This initiative aims to mobilize 10 million young individuals by 2025 in South Asia to take proactive actions that safeguard their communities from the climate crisis. Through Green Rising, UN Agency seeks to empower youth with the necessary knowledge, skills, and resources to become catalysts for positive change in their communities.

Green skills encompass technical knowledge, expertise, and abilities necessary for effectively utilizing environmentally sustainable technologies and processes in professional settings. While green competencies are relevant across age groups, their significance is particularly pronounced for younger individuals who can contribute to the ecological transition over an extended period.

As part of its strategy, UN Agency plans to empower 7.5 million young people with climate education and green skills, thereby equipping them to address the challenges posed by climate change. Several interventions have already been implemented across the region to achieve this goal. For instance, UN Agency has collaborated with educational institutions to integrate climate education and green skills into school curricula. Additionally, initiatives such as the Cox Bazar solar repair training program in Bangladesh to build the capacity of young people to respond to climate-related challenges.

By fostering green skills and supporting youth-led initiatives, UN Agency seeks to equip young people with the necessary tools to enter and thrive in the green economy. Ultimately, UN Agency aims to build a resilient and sustainable future for South Asia by empowering the next generation to lead efforts in combating climate change and facilitating the transition to a green economy.

B.    Rationale / Purpose of the evidence activity

This exercise seeks to generate evidence on the performance of UN Agency -supported programs and interventions designed to equip young people with green skills in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Through this formative assessment, UN Agency aims to gain valuable insights into their relevance, effectiveness, scalability, and sustainability in the unique context of Cox's Bazar. Additionally, when feasible, the assessment will assess the programs' potential contributions to climate action and sustainable development goals.

By identifying data gaps and assessing the impact of these initiatives, the assessment will inform evidence and programmatic decisions as well as guide the development of future interventions. The findings will help UN Agency refine existing strategies and design new programs that better address the needs of youth and enhance their role in advancing environmental sustainability and climate resilience.

C.     Objectives

The formative assessment aims at:

1.      Gain insight into the local dynamics and specific needs of adolescent, with a focus on distinguishing needs based on gender and other relevant characteristics.

2.      Identify data and evidence gaps related to green skills and recommend targeted actions to address these gaps.

3.      Better understanding the nature, context, design and the different target populations of UN Agency interventions in this area, including the relevance of skills in the job market.

4.      Assess the effectiveness of programs in equipping youth, particularly adolescent, with green skills, considering their potential impact on climate outcomes and long-term livelihoods, while also examining differences based on youth characteristics such as gender, disabilities, and other relevant factors.

5.      Assess the extent to which these models are scalable and sustainable and identify characteristic for those that are more likely to be scaled and sustained.

6.      Advancing organizational learning and inform future program design and policy recommendations to enhance the effectiveness in implementing green skills initiatives,

The findings from this formative assessment will provide valuable insights that can guide UN Agency and its partners in strengthening and expanding their efforts to equip young people with the skills and opportunities needed to drive sustainable development and climate action.

D.    Scope

The local consultant will work closely with an international consultant to analyze the Cox's Bazar context and UN Agency interventions in Cox's Bazar to capture the unique contexts and challenges faced by young people. The Cox's Bazar case studies will then be further analyzed at the country level and then regional level to identify common trends, challenges, and best practices. The Cox's Bazar case studies will be overseen by the international consultant who will also support in the development of key questions, and data collection tools, ensuring coherence and providing essential expertise on the assessment approach. The local consultant will lead the data collection, analysis and reporting of this case study.

E.    Schedule of Tasks & Timeline

The duration of the consultancy is expected to be approximately 2 months between November to March 2024 (tentatively the assignment will be started from the beginning of November 2024, but the exact date will be finalized after completion of recruitment process). The UN Agency shall NOT provide office space in Dhaka and necessary logistics (like Laptop, Printer, Paper, internet, local travel, etc.) to carry out day-to-day jobs of the consultant. The work is expected to be divided into three phases, as summarized below. (Note the specific phasing and activities shown below are indicative and subject to discussion with the selected consultants during the inception phase)

F.    Deliverables

Specific deliverables will include:

·         Inception Report: Detailing the evaluative framework, guiding questions, approach, timeline, and information sources. (Max 10 pages report and/or 10-15 slides)

·         Final Evaluation Report: Presenting findings, analysis, lessons learnt and actionable recommendations for the UNCT on advancing disability inclusion in Bangladesh and the UNPRPD to further strengthen the impact of its joint programme approach. (Max 30 pages including a 3-page executive summary)

G.    Payment

Each consultant will get BDT 10,71,000 (including DSA) 

H.    Administrative issues

·         For timely payment to the service provider, the Supervisor will forward the certified attendance sheet and confirmation of received deliverables for the respective period.

·         The contractor/consultant will be responsible for paying all taxes and related expenses as per 9 government rules.

I.     Qualification requirement

Essential:

·         Education: University degree in social sciences, economics, development studies, disability studies evaluation or related fields, with demonstrated research experience.

·         At least ten years of proven experience in evaluation and programme reviews.

·         Knowledge of methods and approaches in evaluation and

·         Experience in applying both quantitative and qualitative methods and ability to effectively communicate data and analysis

·         Experience in working on green skills and climate change topics

·         Strong experience in writing reports, documentation to convey programming efforts

·         Experience with the ethics of evidence generation; familiarity with ethical safeguards

·         Excellent written and oral communication skills in English required as well as local language for data collection.

Desirable:

·         Experience of working in the South Asia region

·         Knowledge and exposure to UN Agency programming in the areas of Climate Change, WASH, Education, Social and Behavior Change, Gender, Adolescent and Youth Development, and Health will be an advantage. 

This position is open for Bangladeshi Nationals only. All candidates, irrespective of gender, religious and ethnic backgrounds can apply for the vacancies.

The UN Agency prides itself as fostering a multicultural and harmonious work environment, guaranteed by a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, and on any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment and discrimination. All selected consultants will undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Candidates with the required profile and proven experience, who meet these qualifications, are invited to submit their application in English clearly mentioning the Job Title along with a meaningful cover letter, updated CV, recent PP size photograph by uploading their application.

 Last Date of Application:  October 24, 2024

No phone calls please. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. All applications will be treated according to the merit and with strict confidentiality.