National consultant to conduct three state level WASH joint sector reviews, 4 Months, Abuja Nigeria (Remote, with travel to Kaduna, Bauchi and Adamawa)

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In Nigeria, UNICEF works in a complex humanitarian and development setting to fulfill and protect children’s rights in partnership with the government, civil society, children, and families. UNICEF Nigeria is one of the largest UNICEF Country Offices globally – click the link to learn more about UNICEF in Nigeria: https://www.unicef.org/nigeria/

Background:

Nigeria faces significant challenges in providing WASH services for its population of over 210 million. According to the 2021 WASH National Outcome Routine Monitoring (WASH NORM) survey, 33% of Nigerians lack access to basic drinking water, and 68% of water sources are contaminated. Forty-eight million people (23%) still practice open defecation (OD), only 18% of Nigerians currently have access to safely managed sanitation services, and 17% of Nigerians have access to basic hygiene services. The WASH situation in Institutions is equally bad, with only 6% of healthcare facilities (HCFs) and 11% of schools with basic WASH services. Compounding this challenge is poor sustainability of WASH services. A sector-wide sustainability check conducted in 2022 found that 54% of WASH services are not sustained. At this rate of change, Nigeria will miss the SDGs for WASH unless progress is accelerated.

Purpose of Activity/Assignment:

This consultancy aims to assist the State Governments of Nigeria, specifically the Ministries of Water Resources and Sanitation in Bauchi and Adamawa, & the Ministry of Local Government in Kaduna within which WASH is situated, to conduct the first ever joint sector review (JSR) for WASH. The purpose of the proposed 2021 JSR is to review performance of the sector over the previous financial year. The timing of the JSR is linked to the preparations for the budgeting process for the 2025 financial year. The JSR outcomes shall inform prioritization of key interventions/activities to be included in the forthcoming financial budget. Actions from the review will be incorporated in the work plans and budgets of the line ministries for the next financial year as well as work plans of other implementing organizations (development partners, CSOs and private sector). The JSR also therefore serves as a platform to hold each other accountable on commitments and get consensus on priorities for the next period of implementation, for the next financial year.

How can you make a difference?

Scope of Work:

The Consultant will collaborate with the State Governments of Adamawa, Bauchi and Kaduna to conduct a JSR. They will work with a Technical Committee composed of multiple MDAs involved in WASH in each state to facilitate sub-sector and sector-wide reflections which will be pursuant to the following specific objectives:

• To assess progress and performance of the sector in relation to WASH in the state.
• To identify key sector emerging issues and provide policy and strategic guidance.
• Enhanced alignment within and across levels of government and development (and implementing) partners including the private sector, academia and research institutions.
• Benchmarking the state’s WASH sector against national, regional, and international commitments (e.g. Clean Nigeria Campaign to End OD, the N’gor commitments for sanitation and hygiene, SDGs).
• Develop undertakings and list of priority actions across identified strategic areas for the forthcoming period (2026); and
• To provide a forum for sharing experiences, lessons learnt and innovations across the sector.

Key Tasks:

It is expected that the tasks under this consultancy will be conducted over a three-month timeframe. The specific tasks (to be further elaborated during the inception phase) are as follows:

1. Prepare for and design a results-based JSR process, demonstrating how the activities will flow to achieve the expected deliverables
2. Development of a WASH Sector Status Performance Report for each state
3. Organization and facilitation of a Joint Sector Review workshop for each state. The basic structure of the workshop should allow for the following: ➔Assessment of sector progress in relation to national, regional, and international commitments (as part of the Sector Status Performance report) ➔Identification of challenges and bottlenecks ➔Agreement on solutions and commitments for improvement, with agreed timeframes and agency roles
4. Facilitate stakeholder engagement to systematically achieve the specific objectives of the JSR and allow for substantive discussions at strategic level (instead of individual projects)
5. Ensure that outcomes of discussions (particularly issues for post-JSR actions) are captured and response proposals are agreed.
6. Facilitate clear identification of necessary reform priorities separating them into policy and regulatory, funding or financial investments, organizational roles, operational structures and relations
7. Distil commitments made by different arms and levels of the state, development partners, and other key stakeholders identified for WASH in the state
8. Produce comprehensive State JSR reports, which will act as a point of reference for progress

Deliverables

• Inception report outlining the understanding of the work, key deliverables and timeline, and the JSR Process Operational plan
• Three (3) draft and final WASH Sector status performance report (one each for Adamawa, Bauchi and Kaduna)
• Three (3) WASH JSR Workshops facilitated, and agenda and presentations developed (one for each state)
• Three (3) draft and final WASH JSR Reports (one per state)
• Three (3) abridged JSR reports
• One (1) summary Powerpoint slides outlining the JSR process and key results and next steps for each state

Work Assignment Overview

Task/Milestone

1.Inception / preparatory work

Entry meetings, first with UNICEF and later with the JSR Technical Committees per state to clarify expectations and get a common understanding of the scope of the consultancy

Develop the JSR operational plan indicating activities, implementing timelines, responsibilities, results indicators and all requirements to do the JSR process.

Deliverables/ Outputs:

Inception report and JSR Process Operational Plan (outlining process and timeline for each state)

2. Production of State WASH Sector Performance Reports

Review progress on the sector indicators per state, including key WASH sector commitments (at state, national, regional and global level)

Document findings of the analytical review of sector performance over the past year per state

Facilitate one day workshops per state, sharing initial findings and getting input from State Technical Committee members

Incorporate inputs in the report.

Deliverables/ Outputs

Draft and final WASH Sector status report for Adamawa state

Draft and final WASH Sector status report for Bauchi state

Draft and final WASH Sector status report for Kaduna

3.Organize and Facilitate State Joint Sector Review Workshops

Develop Session Flow outline for JSR Workshops in accordance to agreed Thematic Areas (based on agreement at inception phase)

Identify key presenters and approaches/methodologies to be used, indicating domains of critique, ensuring appropriate speakers are identified and are invited to present at the JSR workshops

Provide guidance to speakers to support development of materials for their presentation

Organize and facilitate the JSR workshop, ensuring smooth flow and active participation, allowing time for voices to be heard, even disagreement and drawing consensus, prioritising and committing to responsibilities on key issues/solutions and undertakings

Deliverables/ Outputs

WASH JSR Workshop materials for Adamawa state

WASH JSR Workshop materials for Bauchi state WASH JSR Workshop materials for Kaduna state

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• An advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Public Policy; Local Governance; Strategic Management; Public Finance or WASH related discipline (water, sanitation engineering, public health, etc.)
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in undertaking similar analytical work e.g. strategy, policy, capacity development and reviews in a relevant discipline or sector
• Experience of facilitating high-level multi-stakeholder dialogue focused on government-based transformations for basic service delivery with or without the assistance/participation of development partners.
• International or Regional experience will be desirable;
• Proven skills in preparing and communicating high quality documents and reports for policy advocacy and lobby; and excellent report writing and communication skills
• Developing country work experience and/or familiarity with emergency is considered an asset.
• Fluency in English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language (Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish) or a local language is an asset.

To view the complete TOR, click here TOR JSR_ASWA and Bauchi.docx.pdf

If you are a committed, creative professional and are passionate about children’s rights and making a lasting difference on children’s lives, one of the global leading entities on children’s rights would like to hear from you.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, Sustainability (CRITAS), and core competencies in Communication, Working with People and Drive for Results.

UNICEF is also proud of a diverse workforce who are profoundly committed to supporting the full realization of children’s rights, and in uplifting a rights-based approach in all that we do.

The UNICEF competencies required for this post are…

(1) Builds and maintains partnerships

(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness

(3) Drive to achieve results for impact

(4) Innovates and embraces change

(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity

(6) Thinks and acts strategically

(7) Works collaboratively with others

Click here to learn more about UNICEF’s values and competencies.

UNICEF promotes and advocates for the protection of the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything it does and is mandated to support the realization of the rights of every child, including those most disadvantaged, and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, minority, or any other status.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children.

All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check, and selected candidates with disabilities may be requested to submit supporting documentation in relation to their disability confidentially.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to consultants who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their consultancy contracts.

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