Background:
The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (the Mission) is currently in the final stages of implementing the Extra Budgetary (ExB) Project Dialogue for Reconciliation: Building Capacity, Assessing Opportunities, and Strengthening Co-ordination - Amendment 4 (hereafter \" Project\"). The Project started on 1 July 2022 and is ending on 30 June 2025.
The Project Objective is to provide more effective and tailored support to Bosnia and Herzegovina in advancing the reconciliation process, throughout the following results:
ยท Result 1: The capacity to provide effective support to reconciliation processes through dialogue facilitation is enhanced;
ยท Result 2: Areas of engagement for facilitating dialogue and promoting reconciliation across BiH are identified and supported;
ยท Result 3: Dialogue facilitation and reconciliation through the OSCE-UN paper on peace-building initiatives is advanced.
Much of the ongoing work of the Mission collectively supports reconciliation, for example on high-level and policy issues such as war crimes processing, combatting hate crimes, and education reform. This project seeks to complement this largely institutional work with strategic initiatives at the community level, where the Mission is uniquely placed to make an impact with its network of field offices (FOs) across the country. Through the FOs, the Mission has initiated and/or advanced reconciliation processes, achieving important breakthroughs in some communities. However, the impact of these initiatives has usually been locally limited.
As such, through this Project, the Mission seeks to integrate these activities into a larger framework, both within the Mission and the international community. Preliminary efforts at paving the way for such a framework are already underway in selected locations with a higher political receptiveness towards reconciliation. As a prelude to ultimately advancing the process of reconciliation in BiH, this Project has aimed to strengthen the Missionโs capacities in dialogue facilitation, establish a framework and relevant structures for dialogue activities, and enhance co-operation and co-ordination with other international and regional organizations in the areas of reconciliation, trust-building, and constructive dialogue.
Project activities related to dialogue facilitation and reconciliation are squarely in line with the Missionโs mandate and complementary to its Unified Budget Proposal. The Dayton Peace Agreement established the Mission as one of the bodies responsible for helping to secure lasting peace in BiH and thus to build a stable, secure, and democratic state. The Project Objective falls clearly under the Human Dimension Programme Objective, โTo promote stability and reconciliation in BiH by developing systems of governance, justice and education that uphold human rights and the rule of lawโ, and is fully in line with a key statement in the first paragraph of the Missionโs General Operational Outlook in the 2020 Unified Budget: โThrough its field offices, the Mission will implement local reconciliation and confidence-building initiatives aimed at fostering trust and increasing inter- and intra-community co-operationโ. In addition, this Project, building on the work of the OSCE Conflict Prevention Centre/Mediation Support Team, contributes to the operationalization of MC 3/11 on elements of the conflict cycle, related to enhancing the OSCEโs capabilities in early warning, early action, dialogue facilitation and mediation support, and post-conflict rehabilitation.
Since July 2022, the Project has completed a series of activities including in-house trainings on dialogue facilitation, identification of areas of engagement for facilitating dialogue and promoting reconciliation across BiH, meetings with OSCE staff as well as number of meetings with international community representative and local stakeholders, a country-wide survey and focus groups, and a number of sub-activities supporting potential reconciliation entry points with timely and strategic interventions.
The Project is fully in line with the OSCEโs comprehensive and multi-dimensional concept of security and, through a people-centered approach to building sustainable peace, it broadly contributes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, in particular the Goal 16: โPromote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levelsโ.
Objective of Assignment:
The Mission is seeking to hire a national evaluation expert to conduct a final external evaluation of the Project to assess the effectiveness of completed activities following the most pertinent standards and criteria.
Evaluation findings should identify insights and lessons learned about implementation, including any negative outcomes/unintended effects. They will provide recommendations for improving performance for the potential future efforts of the Mission in the area of reconciliation.
The final external evaluation should focus on the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, and impact of the overall Project as well as of individual completed activities in the period from July 2022 until May 2025.
The primary stakeholders of the Project are:
Local authorities Local NGOs and citizens Various international organizations
Duration of Assignment:
This is a consultancy assignment with an expected duration of approximately 11 working days.
Tasks and Responsibilities:
The evaluation consultant will work closely with the Evaluation Management Team of the OSCE Mission to BiH [the Project Manager and the Program Planning and Evaluation Unit (PMEU)] throughout the evaluation process.
The consultant will perform the following tasks listed below under the supervision of the Project Manager and in close coordination with Mission PMEU.
Task 1. Inception phase, including desk research:
a) Online briefing meeting with the Mission PMEU and Project Manager
b) Developing evaluation design and methodology
c) Elaborating a detailed work plan and evaluation matrix
d) Conducting desk research using all materials provided by the Project Manager related to the project documents and activities
e) Developing and submitting a questionnaire for survey and interview purposes
Task 2. Data collection phase:
a) Conducting field visits to relevant facilities
b) Conduct surveys and interviews with the representatives of the OSCE, beneficiaries, and those involved in project activities (including representatives of local authorities, NGOs, international organizations, etc.)
c) In-person bilateral meetings with specific representatives from the beneficiaries
Task 3. Reporting:
a) Analyse the results of the desk research, survey, and interviews
b) Elaborate and submit preliminary findings
c) Draft and submit the final evaluation report
Deliverables:
Detailed Evaluation Design and Methodology: This document outlines the framework and approach that will be used to conduct the evaluation. It defines the research methods, data sources, and analytical techniques that will be employed to assess the project's progress. The evaluation design and methodology ensure that the evaluation is conducted systematically and rigorously. Detailed Work Plan: The detailed work plan for the evaluation outlines the schedule and sequence of activities to be carried out. It specifies when and how each evaluation task will be conducted, providing a clear roadmap for the entire evaluation process. This includes deadlines, responsible parties, and key milestones. Questionnaires for Survey and Interview Purposes: These questionnaires are essential tools for gathering data from project stakeholders, beneficiaries, and other relevant parties. They are designed to elicit specific information and insights related to the project's impact, effectiveness, and sustainability. Final Evaluation Report: The final report is the culmination of the evaluation process. It presents a comprehensive analysis of the project's achievements, challenges, and impact. The report includes detailed findings, conclusions, and recommendations based on the evaluation's findings. It provides valuable insights and lessons learned for the Mission in planning future work in this area. The final report should not be less than 20 pages, without annexes.
For more detailed information on the structure and work of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, please see: https://www.osce.org/mission-to-bosnia-and-herzegovina .
Necessary Qualifications:
First-level university degree in project management, political science, social science, or related field.
Minimum eight years of experience in project implementation and evaluation including three years in monitoring and evaluation.
Experience with projects on reconciliation and trust building and/or best practices related to reconciliation and trust building initiatives.
Ability to gather and interpret information from various sources.
Proven record of working with minimal direct supervision, exercising independent judgment, and taking the initiative in several complex and sensitive areas.
Strong analytical and interpersonal skills.
Demonstrated gender awareness, sensitivity, and ability to integrate a gender perspective into tasks and activities.
Professional fluency in English with excellent verbal and written communication skills and knowledge of the BCS languages.
Relevant experience in evaluating national project financed by various donors. Computer literate with practical experience using Microsoft applications.