Vacancy Announcement Details

Organizational Setting

The United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) is a voluntary network that brings together Units and Offices responsible for evaluation in the UN system. UNEG helps advance the effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the UN system’s work by promoting and strengthening evaluation. The group has led several initiatives aimed at strengthening the practice and value of evaluations within the United Nations system, most notably through the development of the UNEG norms and standards for evaluation, the development of guidance materials, and others. Among these different initiatives, the conduct of Peer Reviews of UN evaluation functions stands as one of UNEG’s flagship initiatives.  The UNEG Peer Review Working Group (PR WG) provides normative and practical support to the conduct of Peer Reviews of UNEG members. The FAO Office of Evaluation (OED) is an active member and one of the coordinators of the UNEG PR WG.  On behalf of the UNEG PR WG, OED is seeking a qualified senior consultant to conduct a Stock-Taking Study on the Utility of Peer Reviews.

Reporting Lines

The consultant will report substantively to the UNEG PR WG and administratively to the FAO/OED member.  

Technical Focus 

The peer review mechanism is one of the modalities that can be used to assess the functioning and results of evaluation functions in the international system. Peer Reviews focus primarily on the three critical core criteria - independence, credibility and utility - that provide a perspective on the performance of an evaluation function. The UNEG PR WG intends to revisit the UNEG Framework for Peer Reviews and the related guidance through a stock-taking study. The study will focus on the results/utility of peer reviews completed to its key stakeholders, with the intention of informing an updated UNEG Strategy on Peer Reviews, to include an expanded array of peer review modalities, as well as revisions to the current Normative Framework and guidance documents.  

The Terms of Reference of the study with more details on its purpose and approach can be found here. 

Tasks and responsibilities

The consultant will be responsible for the detailed design and the conduct of the study, and preparing a report. Specifically, the consultant will:

1. Design the details of the study, including confirming the completed peer reviews covered by the study as well as the suitability of the approach, given that some of the peer reviews have been completed long ago and in view of  staff turn-over in UN agencies. 
2. Conduct the study through: 
   • Document reviews (peer reviews; management responses; reporting documents on follow-up actions to the peer reviews; lessons learned documents; UNEG peer review related references)
   • A survey, focus group discussion and interviews of stakeholders of peer reviews using virtual platforms. 
3. Prepare a report which will draw lessons on the experience over the past 7 years and include an analysis of the uses and users of peer review, factors that have hindered or enabled use, and contribution of peer reviews to changes in UN evaluation functions.
4. Make recommendations to UNEG to enhance the utility of peer reviews to be integrated in a UNEG strategy for peer reviews as well as in its Framework and guidance documents.

The study will be undertaken in accordance with the United Nations Norms and Standards for Evaluation, and the UNEG Ethical Guidelines.

The consultant will be supported by a junior analyst who will help with the collection of data, organization of meetings, interview notes and document library.

Full details available on the FAO website. Deadline for applications 22nd April.