Evaluation of Extra Budget Project - To enhance the operationalization of the “Climate/SDGs Debt Swap - Donor Nexus Initiative”
Organizational Context
The UN Secretariat's Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) focuses on enhancing the operationalization of its "Climate/SDGs Debt Swap - Donor Nexus Initiative." This initiative aims to help Arab Middle-Income Countries reduce debt service burdens and generate fiscal space for climate action and SDG implementation, addressing regional challenges in climate finance and fiscal stress.
Job Purpose
This role is to conduct an evaluation of the "Climate/SDGs Debt Swap - Donor Nexus Initiative" project. The purpose is to assess how the project contributed to its intended results, identify the pathways to these outcomes, and determine the most significant contributing factors. The evaluation will also examine any unintended positive or negative results. The findings will inform evidence-based decision-making, ensure accountability to member states, and facilitate organizational learning for future projects in innovative financing instruments. The evaluation will cover the period from April 2023 to December 2026, assessing relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability, with a focus on cross-cutting issues like gender and human rights.
Responsibilities
The primary responsibility is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the "Climate/SDGs Debt Swap - Donor Nexus Initiative" project. This involves assessing its relevance to member states' needs and SDG alignment, its effectiveness in achieving intended results, and the efficiency of its implementation. The role requires evaluating the project's impact, including any transformative changes or unintended consequences, and its sustainability. A key duty is to analyze how cross-cutting issues such as gender, human rights, disability inclusion, and environmental concerns were integrated. The evaluator must develop a Theory of Change, test causal links using mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative), and ensure a gender and human rights-sensitive approach throughout the evaluation process, adhering to UNEG Ethical Guidelines.
Work Experience
A minimum of five years of experience in undertaking impact evaluations is required. Experience with projects or evaluations involving Arab governmental bodies is also necessary. Experience in debt policy and finance issues is desirable. Proven competency in quantitative and qualitative research methods, including surveys, document analysis, and interviews, is required.
Skills
Impact evaluation, quantitative and qualitative research methods, survey design and administration, document analysis, interviewing, debt policy analysis, finance issues, communication (oral and written), reporting, project evaluation, understanding of SDGs and climate action.