Pakistan: Situation Analysis Consultant (SitAn), Islamabad, Pakistan

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Purpose of SitAn:

The 2016 SitAn exercise aims to conduct a human rights-based, equity-focused, gender-sensitive and child-focused review and analysis of situation of children and women in Pakistan. It aims to assess and analyze the situation of the country with respect to the fulfillment of the rights of children and women. The information collected through this assessment shall contribute to the validation of the strategic direction of the new country programme 2018-2022, in line with Pakistan’s One UN Programme III.

Objectives:

The SitAn is aimed at:

• Improving the understanding of decision-makers, partners and all other stakeholders of the current status of children’s and women’s rights in Pakistan and the causes of shortfalls and inequities, as the basis for recommending actions for future programmes;


• Strengthening national and sub-national capacities to monitor the situation of children and women, principally regarding vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and how their specific rights are being met;


• Contributing to national research on disadvantaged children and leverage UNICEF’s convening power to foster and support knowledge generation with development, civil society and private sector stakeholders;


• Assessing and analysing social budgeting and expenditure, legal and policy framework, institutional/system capacities and environmental factors which influence the fulfilment of the rights of children and women in Pakistan at national and sub-national level; and


• Identifying the course of action based on analytical evidence produced above.

SitAn Framework and Process:

1. 
   

   The formulation of the new generation of UNDAFs is based on a set of four core programming principles for Integrated Programming which are considered critical to ensure substantive, coherent and integrated support by the UN System to the implementation of the new Agenda. Same will provide framework for SitAn as the processes are interlinked:

   
   


2. 
   

   Human rights and addressing inequalities and discrimination, including for gender equality;

   
   


3. 
   

   Sustainability, reducing environmental risks and increasing resilience;

   
   


4. 
   

   “Leave no one behind”; and

   
   


5. 
   

   Accountability, underpinned by strengthened national capacities, robust data and results-based management.Using a human rights framework as the starting point for programming ensures greater integration and coherence of activities, underpinned by clear standards and guidance. Emphasis is placed on understanding the root causes of gaps in the realization of human rights, including in relation to all forms of discrimination, inequality, marginalization and exclusion, as well as on gaps in capacities to respond, including with respect to the willingness to address inequalities and discrimination in a manner consistent with international human rights obligations. Such analysis should make use of recommendations from the international human rights mechanisms, which help to identify the most marginalized, their corresponding rights and claims, and the obligations of Member States to fulfil them, especially for women and children. The situation analysis for the new country programme will focus on child rights (mainly under CRC) and deprivations. Child deprivation profiling will involve interrogating ‘who the most deprived children are, where they are and why’ such deprivations persist. The probing logic entails data mining from multiple sources to elaborate the situation, the coverage of key interventions and social services which children and women are entitled to, analysis of stakeholders and bottlenecks, including capacity gaps, supply, demand and enabling environment. Well prepared profiles on major themes (child deprivations) will replace the old-style SitAn, sharpening focus of UNICEF resources and accountability during the country programme prioritization exercise and subsequent implementation. Key interventions linked to specific child deprivation themes rationally feed into the theory of change (ToC) and the Strategy Notes on how UNICEF/partners aim to address priority results of the CP. Such analyses require rigorous inputs by UNICEF staff already working on key themes. To undertake foundational analysis on child deprivations vis-à-vis child rights, resulting in a ‘menu’ of associated interventions to address those deprivations, UNICEF Pakistan conducted a workshop in early June in order to help support the SitAn process along with other objectives. In identifying deprivations vis-à-vis child rights as defined by the CRC, the workshop has been the forerunner of the SitAn and has helped in laying foundations for analysis for each programme to:

   
   


6. 
   

   Take stock of what rights children have that each programme is mandated to uphold and work for in order to ensure that children receive their entitlements under certain rights (rights and entitlement analysis)

   
   


7. 
   

   Identify ‘who’ those children are and ‘where’ they are (including gender analysis).

   
   


8. 
   

   Undertake initial analysis to determine why the deprivations exist. This involves causal, bottleneck and stakeholder analysis

   
   


9. Identify a list of possible interventions, based on a systems approach, to address the deprivations and restore entitlements. The interventions include risk analysis.

The discussions, workshop’s notes and analysis are the first set of information given to the individual consultant to exploit along with other complimentary secondary analyses, which would be further required. The SitAn will focus on factors and issues needed to produce national and sub-national level profiles of the most vulnerable children. Furthermore, the process of developing the SitAn will:

1. Use available data and other information to accurately identify trends, patterns, incidence and causes of key deprivations (e.g. child mortality, stunting, low levels of birth registration, low school enrolment and achievement or violence against children), disaggregated by relevant segments of the population. c) Analyze the extent to which gender inequalities and the fulfillment/non-fulfillment of the rights of women affect overall inequalities and deprivations, including those affecting children. e) Analyze the extent to which the evidence-based interventions and services needed to address deprivations are prioritized in national policies, laws, strategies, plans and budgets, and supported by UNICEF and partners. This would include an analysis of the extent to which there is an enabling environment for the realization of the rights of all children including the promotion of positive social norms and behaviors, organization of services, institutional capacities at national, sub-national and community levels.


2. d) Assess the current or potential presence of emergency risks, including conflict, disaster risks, and other potential shocks; the likelihood of their occurrence, the underlying vulnerabilities, the nature of the hazard and the particularly vulnerable groups that will be affected. The capacities and coping mechanisms of families, communities, local and national institutions to mitigate these risks and deal with shocks should also be assessed.


3. b) Identify and analyze the barriers and bottlenecks that prevent disadvantaged children and families from benefiting from required interventions and services, including the social, political and economic conditions that result in shortfalls in the creation of an enabling environment for the realization of children’s rights.

Methodology:

The SitAn process will be highly consultative and participatory involving all key stakeholders. All UNICEF programmes will be consulted at various stages of the Assessment and will have a leading role in the deprivation analysis. The main bulk of the work would be desk based involving thorough and comprehensive secondary research through desk review. In order to learn directly from the key stakeholders, qualitative methods such as FGDs and round table discussions would also be used. An individual consultant would be required mainly to put together various kinds of data and analyses available as well as fill out the data gaps where existed.

The SitAn methodology, questions, process and deliverables will draw on the standard guidance provided under the UNICEF’s Guidance Note on Conducting a Situation Analysis of Children and Women’s Rights (attached as Annex I). The consultant is expected to read and comply with the guidance and prepare inception report as per the guidance in consultation with UNICEF management. The assessment and analyses of the situation of children and women in Pakistan will consist of multiple analyses of existing and newly collected data at sub-national, provincial and federal levels. The focused areas of the assessment will include: child protection, health and HIV/AIDs, nutrition, early childhood development and education, water, sanitation and hygiene, child poverty, gender equality and mainstreaming, equity and disparities; emergencies (disaster, conflict, etc.), and other related areas that strongly pertain to the aforementioned areas, including the rights-based approach that will run throughout the analyses. As a general guidance, the consultant is expected to use the following methods and may apply to provinces/ districts as well as to the federal level to the extent they are relevant. Nevertheless, the consultants will prepare a detailed methodology keeping in view the UNICEF guidelines on SitAn and feedback from PMER and programme managers that shall be presented in the inception report:

• Desk Reviews (of existing surveys, administrative records, studies, research, publications of the federal and provincial governments and other relevant documents) using secondary research methods; especially looking at the notes, presentations etc. of UNICEF’s planning workshop to elicit the Deprivation Analysis conducted by all programmes;


• Assess the federal and provincial approaches of using Child Deprivation analysis and equity profiling or any other innovative approaches for district prioritization/geographical focus and integration of UNICEF programs in order to address the equity issues, i.e., to reach the most vulnerable and excluded children and women. Consultant will benefit from UNICEF programme staff’s analysis for respective sectors and will engage with staff and partners to elicit this data.


• Comparative analyses of existing legislation, social policies with the CRC and CEDAW relevant to UNICEF Pakistan’s mandate;


• Key informant interviews and/or focus group discussion at federal and provincial levels with those who develop, budget and implement public policies at federal and provincial levels;


• Participatory workshop to validate the SITAN findings.

Assignment Tasks:

This particular situation analysis will have two-phases with a range of tasks that would need to be accomplished in a series. The primary set of tasks under this contract is to undertake different spells of data collection, review, analyze and prepare a situation analysis report for UNICEF Pakistan. Bidding consultants should submit a detailed proposal including both phase I and II. All major decisions, including the final selection of evaluation consultant/s need to be discussed with and endorsed by the Reference Group that will be set us at the outset of the SitAn exercise and will oversee and quality assure all the deliverables including the final SitAn report.

Indicative tasks: phase I (design and inception)

During phase I, the following tasks should be carried out:

1. Read and review the notes, presentations and reports from the June Planning workshop conducted by UNICEF in Bhurban from June 05-08 and prepare a report with detailed notes on Deprivation Analysis, Bottleneck Analysis and Causality Analysis, etc. conducted by programmes.


2. Prepare an overall management plan for the situation analysis exercise that should include detailed timelines covering all expected milestones.


3. List of existing data which can be used for specific assessment/analyses of the SitAn along with the list of data gaps and agreed plan on how to address these gaps.


4. Conceptual and analytical framework to be used in the SiTAn (that will be prepared in consultation with PMER as per the current framework of deprivation analysis).


5. Report on the deprivation analysis based on planning workshop in June.


6. Prepare inception report of the situation analysis exercise with detailed proposal and comprehensive methodology. This will require formative work in the field and key stakeholder interviews.

Indicative tasks: phase II (preparation and finalization of the SitAn report)

During phase II, the following tasks should be implemented:

• Comparative analysis of available legislation, social policy, budget allocation and expenditure documents in conformity with provisions of the CRC


• Desk review and conceptual and analytical secondary research on selected topics published in existing studies, research and survey reports.


• Background notes on specific topics where UNICEF and other actors working with and for children do not have the required knowledge for a comprehensive Situation Analysis (e.g. disabilities; injuries, violence and social discord, armed conflict, communal violence, religious discrimination; human trafficking, displacement and migration; gender analysis of disparities; climate change and its impact on children; and adolescent participation and civic engagement).


• Provincial/Key informants consultations with those who shape and implement public policies


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  Socio-demographic trend analysis at the most possible disaggregated level on the basis of micro data sets.

  
  


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  Validation of the SITAN findings (participatory workshop)

  
  


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  Produce complete draft of SitAn report

  
  


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  Final SitAN Report, which consists of (1) main report; (2) Separate summary reports for AJK, Balochistan, GB, KPK, Punjab and Sindh. The main report should give a comprehensive synthesis of the regional reports (for UNICEF and programme partner use) (3) Summary report (for external use), (4) Power Point presentations on the major findings and processes.

  
  

SitAn Ethics Quality Assurance:

1. The SitAn exercise will follow UNEG Norms and Standards and UNEG Ethical Guidance. Moreover, the exercise will abide by and comply with UNICEF procedure on Ethics. UNICEF Pakistan will ensure ethical review of all deliverables for ethical quality assurance either by UNICEF Pakistan’s Forum on Research and Evaluation Ethics Review (FREER) or through guidance and oversight by UNICEF’s Office of Research. The final SitAn report will be reviewed and cleared by an independent Ethical Review Board/Committee before public dissemination. Further guidance and oversight, where necessary, will be sought from either the global ethics focal point at OoR or from the ROSA.

Workplan and SitAn Management:

1. A proposed workplan will be finalized with consultation between consultant and UNICEF management. The consultant is expected to work independently and is expected to solicit inputs or quality assurance reviews from sector specialists independently. UNICEF will support the field work and provincial offices will lead the work on that. Regular overhead costs relating to office space and equipment as well as sector specialists should be included in the financial proposal. The consultant would be directly accountable to UNICEF Pakistan and will work under the supervision of Research and Evaluation Specialist, who will act as the SitAn task manager.

A reference Group will be formed by involving other PMER staff in provinces and focal persons from programmes. All major decisions, will be discussed with and endorsed by the Reference Group. The work will be supervised by the Research and Evaluation Specialist with the help of focal persons from each participating section. All important decisions relating to the process and management of outputs must be cleared by the Reference Group. It may include academics as well as government and civil society representatives. The Reference Group has an advisory function and acts as the Principal external quality assurance mechanism. UNICEF Pakistan’s standard ToR for Reference Group will apply to the Group. Tasks to be performed are as follows;

• Agreed work plan with clear timeframe for the assignment


• Define the conceptual and analytical framework to be used in the SiTAn


• List of existing data which can be used for specific assessment/analyses of the SiTAN along with List of data gaps and agreed plan on how to address these gaps


• Inception Report.


• Situation Analysis Desk Review.


• Provincial consultations.


• Situation Analysis draft report (including the desk review and consultations).


• Presentation on main findings and recommendations for UNICEF.


• Situation Analysis main report with provincial summaries.

Expected Deliverable:

• Work plan with timeline.


• Conceptual framework.


• List of existing data and data gaps.


• Inception Report.


• SitAn desk review report.


• Provincial consultation reports.


• Draft report.


• Presentation delivered at UNICEF’s prioritization workshop.

Qualifications, Specialized Knowledge and Required Experience of Successful Candidate;

• Master’s degree in the social sciences (sociology, anthropology, development studies), Economics/Statistics or related fields relevant for the assignment


• At least 10 years of research and other relevant professional experience


• In-depth knowledge of child rights including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), World Fit for Children (WFFC), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)


• Institutional knowledge of the UN and UNICEF


• Excellent facilitation and coordination skills


• Knowledge and Demonstrated experience with Human Rights Based Approach to Programming (HRBAP)


• Proven experience in writing analytical papers on children and gender issues.


• Extensive experience in designing and managing complex reviews at the national level based on desk analysis and secondary research;


• Experience in conducting reviews/assessments of Pakistan’s national situation/policies/plan of action.


• Demonstrated knowledge of issues related to child protection, education, health, nutrition and WASH, as well as experience in conducting reviews/assessments/evaluations on such issues.


• Demonstrated ability to supervise and quality assure the work of other experts in a context that is politically and culturally sensitive and involves substantial security risks.


• Demonstrated ability to work with the government and at the community level and to conduct analyses and pitch recommendations at both the operational and policy levels.


• Demonstrated ability to engage with human subjects, specifically children in an appropriate and ethical manner.

Candidates are requested to submit the following;

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