Individual Consultant- Final Evaluator of the project ''Breaking the Silence'' PHASE II

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Communication and Information Sector (CI)

Duty Station: Remote with expected missions to Iraq

Job Family: Communication and Information

Type of contract : Non Staff- Individual Consultancy

Duration of contract :2 months

Recruitment open to : Internal and external candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Paris Time) : 22-05-2025

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

Breaking the Silence: enhance accountability and prosecutions for safety of journalist and fighting impunity, is a joint initiative between United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Free Prees Unlimited (FPU) a Dutch NGO funded by the Netherlands government. The project seeks to consolidate the national mechanism for the safety of journalists and the fight against impunity that it established in its first phase. Over an initial period of four years (2021-2025), with a total budget of 888407 USD, the goal is to reach a stable national mechanism for the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity.
The project received two no-cost extensions, six months, and concluded on 31 March 2025. The project included key achievements including the successful establishment of the Media and publishing courts, the judiciary council of Freedom of Expression (FoE), an AI-integrated Information and Communication Technology (ICT) platform for female journalist protection, the delivery of specialized training sessions for judges, police officers, and journalists across Baghdad, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah, and the procurement of essential ICT equipment to the women journalists digital reporting platform. Notably, the platform is now under the management of the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists in Iraq. Despite some initial delays due to procurement procedures and coordination among stakeholders.
The project aims to:
- Raise awareness and understanding of good international practices relating to protection mechanisms on freedom of expression, the mitigation of security threats (on- and offline) and effective reporting of security incidents to the relevant authorities;
- Increase the ability of Iraqi Federal and Kurdish authorities to receive and follow-up on reports of incidents, abuse, harassment and violence against journalists and media professionals through the Special Investigative Unit for freedom of expression related threats and attacks at Ministry of Interior (MoI);
- Enhance the capacity of the High Judiciary Council (HJC) staff and judges to conduct more efficient judicial follow-up on cases of threats and attacks against journalists; an improved understanding of the journalistic profession and support for media professionals in conducting their work
- Integrate efforts to address crimes against Iraqi media professionals, ensuring they operate in a coordinated fashion between security forces, the judiciary authority, and other partners.

Long Description

1.2 Beneficiaries, Partners, and Stakeholders

Primary beneficiaries include journalists, particularly those facing legal and safety threats—judges, law enforcement officials, and media institutions. Project partners include Media outlets, NGOs, and HJC which provided technical support for the AI platform, and various Iraqi government entities. Key stakeholders also include the National Committee for the Safety of Journalists, judicial authorities, police training academies, UNESCO, and civil society organizations advocating for press freedom and journalist safety in Iraq.

1.3 Project outcomes and outputs

The project’s expected outcomes are the National mechanisms established, and the capacities of stakeholders enhanced to ensure the safety and protection of male and female journalists. The project is expected to deliver the following outputs:
Output 1: Capacities of Iraqi Federal and Kurdish authorities, Human Rights defenders, civil society and journalists strengthened to report, monitor and follow-up on cases of violence against journalists Iraqi Federal and Kurdish authorities, Human Rights defenders, civil society and journalist enhanced capacities to report, monitor and follow-up on cases of violence against journalists
Output 2: Journalists and their families trust and make use of legal and additional mechanisms established to access justice for violations against journalists through enhancing the capacities of stakeholders
Output 3: Female media professionals in federal Iraq and the KRI with increased safety through awareness raising, training and advice to keep themselves safe.
Output 4: Selected media organizations in federal Iraq and the KRI with assessed security situation, mitigated (on and offline) threats, and reported incidents to the appropriate institutions.

2. Purpose and use of the Evaluation

As the project has reached the final point in its four-year life span, a formative evaluation is being commissioned by UNESCO. Conducted an independent external expert it will examine progress and achievements as well as challenges to implementation of programme interventions at the country level for the period of May 2021 to April 2025. The overall purpose of this final evaluation is to assess the progress towards the Programme’s intended outcomes and objectives. It will identify strengths and weaknesses in implementation as well as lessons learned and provide evidence-based recommendations for the refinement of the project’s approach as necessary. The findings of the evaluation will inform decision-making with regard to potential modifications to increase the safety of journalists in future projects. The findings will also serve to guide better, more effective project planning processes for future projects.

Long Description

Specifically, the main objectives of the evaluation are to:

1. Review progress based on an assessment of the project outputs and outcomes to determine the extent to which its objectives are being achieved, including identification of pathways to impact.;
2. Assess the relevance, effectiveness, and sustainability of the interventions conducted in the framework of the Joint Programme;
3. Assess the efficiency in the use of resources by assessing the scope and quality of the outputs delivered, the beneficiaries reached, and contributions to intended outcomes;
4. Identify lessons learned, and suggest action-oriented recommendations to enhance FoE and the safety of journalists based on the established safety mechanism.
The evaluation report will be shared with relevant key stakeholders. The primary users of the evaluation will be a diverse audience, including UNESCO HQ and field offices concerned, the Iraqi National Safety Journalists Committee, and the donor.

3. Scope of the Evaluation

The evaluation will cover all project components, including capacity-building initiatives, legal and policy interventions, awareness campaigns, and media safety mechanisms. The evaluation will focus on key stakeholders, including government institutions, media organizations, civil society actors, and journalists, to determine the extent to which the project has contributed to improving journalist safety, combating impunity, and strengthening public accountability. The evaluation should be conducted between May and August 2025 within 45 working days.

The evaluation should adopt a mixed-methods approach, incorporating qualitative and quantitative data collection. It should include a review of project documents, stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions, and surveys with beneficiaries. The assessment will consider both intended and unintended outcomes, identifying best practices and lessons learned to inform future interventions. Special attention will be given to gender considerations, particularly the impact of the project on female journalists. The geographic scope will cover both Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the project’s reach and contextual differences.

Long Description

A. Relevance (including Appropriateness)
1. To what extent does the project align with national and international frameworks and Iraq’s commitments on press freedom, journalist safety, and combating impunity, including the UN Plan of Action?
2. How well does the project address existing gaps in protection mechanisms, legal accountability, and the specific needs of vulnerable groups, including female journalists?
3. To what extent is the project contextually appropriate for both Federal Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, considering their distinct media environments?

B. Coherence (including Stakeholder Engagement & Coordination)
4. To what extent did coordination with UN agencies, donors, and implementing partners support coherent and synergized implementation and monitoring?
5. How did the project’s design and visibility contribute to consolidated planning, delivery, and potential replication or resource mobilization?
C. Effectiveness (Outcomes & Capacity Building)
6. To what extent have the project’s intended outcomes been achieved, particularly in enhancing journalist safety and reducing impunity?
7. What tangible improvements have been observed in journalists’ ability to report and follow up on violence, and how effective were the training activities for journalists, government, and human rights actors?
8. To what extent has the project increased trust in legal mechanisms among journalists and their families, and led to greater utilization of support systems?
9. Were there any unintended outcomes—positive or negative—and what key lessons have emerged from project implementation?
10. How effectively has the project engaged key government institutions and promoted multi-stakeholder collaboration with media, civil society, and international partners?
D. Efficiency
11. To what extent were financial, human, and technical resources used efficiently to achieve the intended results, and were timelines and budgets respected?
12. How effective were implementation and coordination mechanisms across regions and agencies, and what improvements could enhance delivery?
E. Impact
13. What are the project’s short- and pathways towards impacts on journalist protection, particularly regarding institutional responses, policy reform, and impunity?
14. What has been the specific impact on female journalists and other vulnerable groups, and what enabling factors or barriers shaped these results?
F. Sustainability
15. What mechanisms and levels of institutional ownership have been established to ensure the sustainability and scalability of project outcomes, including legal, digital, and capacity-building components?

4. Evaluation Approach and Methodology

The evaluation will adopt a mixed-methods approach, combining both qualitative and quantitative data collection to ensure a comprehensive assessment of the project. Data will be gathered through document reviews, stakeholder interviews, focus group discussions, and surveys with key beneficiaries, including journalists, government officials, and civil society actors. A comparative analysis will be conducted to measure changes before and after the project’s implementation. The evaluation will also incorporate case studies to highlight specific success stories and challenges. Triangulation of data from multiple sources will enhance the reliability and validity of findings, ensuring an objective assessment of the project’s outcomes.

4.1 Desk Review

- Analysis of monthly reports, and annual review reports.
- Review of the project documents, mission reports or summaries by UNESCO and partner agencies, minutes of the National Safety Committee meetings, minutes of the other meetings;
- Analysis of country-level logical framework in view of:

Baseline values were drawn from relevant surveys/studies conducted;
Gender equality considerations were reflected in the framework.

4.2 Reconstruction of a Theory of Change (ToC)

The ToC will be reconstructed by mapping the logical pathways that connect project activities to intended outcomes and long-term impact. This process will involve:

- Identifying the Core Problem and Context-Specific Challenges
- What are the key threats to journalist safety, freedom of expression, and media accountability in each country?
- How do political, legal, and social factors influence these challenges?
- Defining Expected Outcomes and Impact
- What changes in journalist protection, media policies, and public accountability does the programme aim to achieve?
- How will increased capacity, awareness, and institutional reforms contribute to long-term improvements in media freedom?
- Mapping Causal Pathways
- How do project activities (e.g., training, advocacy, legal support) lead to short-term outputs, such as increased reporting of violations, enhanced legal responses, and greater institutional commitment?
- What are the intermediate changes required for achieving sustainable impact (e.g., improved trust in legal mechanisms, stronger enforcement of protection policies, and media organizations adopting safety protocols)?

4.3 Field-based Data Collection

The sampling approach is recommended to ensure diverse representation among beneficiaries, including journalists, judges, and police officers across project locations. Sampling should capture gender, regional, and professional diversity. Field visits to Baghdad, Erbil, and Sulaymaniyah are suggested to assess on-ground impact, National Safety Committee of journalists, and stakeholder engagement. These missions will allow evaluators to conduct interviews, observe training outcomes, and validate reported results. Coordination with local authorities and partners will be essential. Travel, security, and logistical support will be factored into the evaluation budget to ensure comprehensive coverage and credible, context-sensitive findings.
The evaluation will incorporate field-based data collection to ensure a comprehensive and contextually relevant assessment of the project’s results. This will involve on-site visits to key locations where project activities have been implemented, allowing for direct engagement with stakeholders, beneficiaries, and implementing partners.

Data will be gathered through the following suggested methods:

4.4 Participatory Consultation

The evaluation will adopt a participatory consultation approach to ensure inclusivity, transparency, and stakeholder ownership of the findings. This approach will actively engage key stakeholders—including journalists, media organizations, government representatives, civil society actors, and human rights defenders—in both the data collection and validation processes.
Key methods will include: