External Evaluation - Inclusive local and national-level dialogue in Lebanon

Background of the project: Inclusive local and national-level dialogue in Lebanon: supporting reform options, vision-building and concrete action for service delivery and social cohesion

The Berghof Foundation is an independent, non-governmental, and non-profit organization that supports efforts to prevent political and social violence and to achieve sustainable peace through conflict transformation.

Amid the unprecedented economic, financial and humanitarian crises in Lebanon, challenges to reaching substantive political reform remain deeply rooted in the Lebanese political system. While the post-war consociational power-sharing system may have contributed to peaceful coexistence in the years following the civil war, but it has also led to political deadlock and endemic paralysis, as well as entrenched corruption and systemic neglect of accountability. Furthermore, the political deadlock and the continued risk of escalations compound already-deteriorating service provision and poor governance. In partnership with the European Union in Lebanon, this project aims to:

1. Address the multi-layered crisis and build a more peaceful and stable future through supporting local-level stabilization, social cohesion and an inclusive future vision for Lebanon
2. Contribute to an inclusive reform discussion and support concrete initiatives to build trust, address past misconceptions and foster cooperation in service delivery and support social cohesion in Lebanon

Goals of the project

To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the project will work on three separate yet interconnected strands:

• Reform discussions: High-level dialogue process between influential figures close to current decision-making circles to discuss a future vision and prepare substantive reform options.
• Cultural and dialogue activities: Initiatives will be implemented by and in cooperation with Lebanese partner organizations to address past misconceptions/stereotypes and built outreach for future vision.
• Local-level initiatives: In four cities across Lebanon, the project will conduct inclusive local-level dialogues and concrete cooperation initiatives on service delivery, transparency and social. Neighborhood committees will be supported in developing concrete initiatives in the areas of service delivery and social cohesion to the benefit of the communities and/or specific neighborhoods.

Expected Outcomes and Impact of the project

• Opening channels of communication between an inclusive group of respected personalities representing diverse views and with access to different societal and political streams.
• Reducing prejudice and stereotypes about other groups through concrete grounded activities through Dealing with the Past (DwP) initiatives implemented in cooperation with Lebanese civil society organizations.

Creating positive examples for cooperation through developing small scale solutions for service delivery and governance problems relating to different sectors and to social cohesion measures.

Location

Four cities across Lebanon, including the South, the North, the Bekaa and Mount Lebanon

Other Partners:

Lebanese local NGOs and other agencies and institutions

Target Group:

The target group extends from the local to the national level and involves also a broader societal spectrum to allow for different societal groups to express their ideas and concerns.

Scope of Work & Deliverables of the external evaluator

During the last third of the implementation period of this project, an external evaluation is envisioned to be conducted. The aim of the external evaluator will be to:

• Assess the outcomes and impact of the project
• Collect lessons learned and possible best practices
• Provide recommendations for future and/or possible follow-up engagement

To that end, the external evaluator will be required to deliver the following:

• Assessment of how the program operated and what is the efficiency of its existing model in regards to planning, coordinating, managing and executing resources allocated for its implementation, through an analysis of its procedures and operational and institutional mechanisms. This analysis will seek to uncover the factors for success and limitations in the project, as well as collect lessons learned and reflecting on possible best practices.
• Assessment of design and relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability of the project and the level of achievement of expected results and outcomes, especially focusing on the small-scale initiatives funded by the project.
• Assessment of project’s different internal and external M&E tools developed including data collection, statistics, research and analytical outputs, databases, guidelines, etc. and assessment of project’s communication strategy, outreach activities and impact.
• Providing a list of recommendations stemming from the multi-level assessments and evaluations conducted with the aim of improving any possible future follow-up engagements
• The evaluation report should follow the OECD DAC criteria for evaluation and should be conducted in a conflict-sensitive manner as well through a gendered lense

The evaluation process is expected to contain three phases:

• Inception Phase - the External Evaluator will review documentation, agree on the meetings and field visit locations with the project team, and produce the Evaluation Inception Report with a clear evaluation work plan and tools.
• Data Collection and Field Visits – the External Evaluator will gather data through group and individual interviews and field visits. Interviews will be organized with people relevant to the project (project staff, stakeholders, externals) to be selected by the project team in order to either validate already gathered information or to deep interesting insights and develop potential orientations for the project. At the end of the mission, a presentation with preliminary findings and recommendations will be presented to the project team.
• Analysis and Reporting – the External Evaluator will prepare the draft evaluation report based on the analysis of findings and will submit the report to the project team. After a round of feedback from the team, the external evaluator will then be asked to prepare a final version of the report.

All of the above mentioned data and reports will be collected and drafted in the English language. The timeline for submitting the tasks will be agreed upon in coordination with the project team.

Required qualifications:

• Being based in Lebanon with the flexibility to make internal field visits across Lebanon (South, North, Mount Lebanon and the Bekaa)
• The position is open to individual submissions, as well as companies and/or firms

Additionally, external evaluator is required to have:

• Sound empirical social research skills, in particular in the application of quantitative and qualitative methods of empirical social research

Extensive experience evaluating projects in conflict contexts

• Extensive experience managing research, evaluations, and/or projects.
• Previous experience with EU project evaluations is a plus
• Fluency in both English and Arabic (written and spoken)
• Excellent understanding of evaluation methods
• Excellent understanding of the Lebanese context
• Very good understanding of local governance, mediation, peacebuilding and other relevant thematic areas
• A degree of openness and flexibility to receiving feedback from the project team
• Background in relevant field such as peace and conflict studies, political science, international relations or similar ( a Master’s Degree or its equivalent is a plus)
• More than 5 years of relevant work experience