Evaluation of the Project “Fostering Positive Social Transformations in AlUla”

UNESCO is seeking an experienced evaluation team led by a senior evaluator, to conduct the mid-term evaluation. The evaluator/team should combine strong evaluation expertise with relevant thematic and contextual knowledge related to social inclusion, sport for development, youth employability, intercultural dialogue, heritage interpretation, community engagement and/or cultural site-based learning.
The evaluation team leader/senior evaluator must have:
• Advanced university degree in social sciences, or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of experience evaluating large-scale projects, preferably in the Arab region or involving partners from the Arab region.
• Proven experience using theory-based evaluation, mixed-methods approaches, evaluation matrices, triangulation, and evidence-based analysis, and knowledge of OECD-DAC criteria.
The evaluation team must collectively cover:
• Expertise in social transformation and social inclusion; expertise specifically in evaluating sport or intercultural dialogue projects is desirable. Proposals demonstrating comprehensive coverage of both components will be highly advantages.
• Strong analytical and reporting skills.

•Fluency in English is required; fluency in Arabic is desirable. Arabic language capacity must be available within the evaluation team to enable meaningful engagement with local stakeholders, youth, Rawis, visitor-facing groups and Arabic-language materials.
• Commitment to UN values of non-discrimination based on race, gender, economic status, or religion.
• Knowledge of UNEG norms and standards6, ethical guidelines7, and human rights and gender equality principles in evaluation.
• Prior experience conducting evaluations for UNESCO, other UN entities, or intergovernmental organizations is desirable.
• Experience evaluating multi-stakeholder partnerships or projects involving government, cultural institutions, communities, youth and/or private-sector actors is desirable.

The evaluator/team members must be independent from the design, implementation, management and direct delivery of the project under evaluation. No proposed team member should have been directly involved in project implementation, training delivery, technical assistance, communications, publication development, or other activities that could compromise the independence or perceived impartiality of the evaluation. All bidders must submit a declaration of independence and disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest.