Call for Expressions of Interest: Final evaluation of the project entitled ‘Revitalization of cultural institutions and services in flood affected municipalities , Maglaj and Šamac”

(Submission deadline: 15 April 2019)

The Antenna in of the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe is seeking expressions of interest from qualified and experienced individuals, to carry the final evaluation of the project entitled ‘Revitalization of cultural institutions and services in flood affected municipalities Doboj, Maglaj and Šamac”

I. Background

Brief description of the project: The main goal of the project is revitalization of cultural institutions and services in the flood affected municipalities of Doboj and Maglaj. In particular, the project aims at rehabilitating the people’s library of Doboj (Narodna Biblioteka in Doboj), the cultural centres in Maglaj and Bosanski Šamac in . These institutions, severely damaged by the 2014 floods that have struck the region, are the primary venues where the local population can access cultural resources and practice their cultural expressions - including traditional crafts, music, costumes, dance through meetings of cultural societies, poetry readings, book presentations, research works, concerts, etc. In addition, these institutions play a capital role in support of the local education system. The extraordinary rainfall that affected Bosnia and Herzegovina between 14 and 19 May 2014 was the largest precipitation in 120 years. Water retention by soil and slopes was surpassed. These effects were aggravated by pre-existing environmental degradation factors such as deforestation, intrusion in riverbeds and construction in hazardous risk exposed areas. The whole of the watershed leading to river was overwhelmed and peaked, generating flash floods and carrying debris downstream creating a path of destruction and desolation. This accumulated downstream flow of water, mud and debris caused widespread flood in the plain. As the river Sava peaked, drainage from the plain was made impossible causing the retention of water in lowlands for a long period. A large number of municipalities declared emergency immediately. Others did so at a later stage. It is estimated that a total of 81 municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered damages, losses, social or environmental impact to a different degree. About 90,000 people were displaced as their houses were affected, either destroyed or damaged, and more than 40,000 took refuge in public or private shelters or moved in temporarily with relatives or friends. Following the catastrophic floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a government-led Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) exercise was conducted at the request of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina and supported by the European Union, the United Nations system and the World Bank. As part of this process, UNESCO undertook an evaluation of the damage to cultural infrastructure. It covered 7 of the most affected municipalities, namely : Maglaj, Doboj, Šamac/ Domaljevac, , Orašje, Odžak and the Brčko district. The projects were also approved with the understanding that continuous interruption of cultural and educational services within these areas is having a severe impact, especially in human development terms, on the affected population. Access to culture and the ability to practice one’s culture are essential components of human rights. At the same time, they contribute significantly to the psychological healing of traumas caused by disaster and to strengthening the social cohesion and resilience of the affected communities. The main goal of the proposed project is to contribute to the full recovery and wellbeing of the population affected by recent floods through the re-establishment of essential cultural public services, which play also a key role in the local education system. Likewise, the following objectives should be achieved: 1. Rehabilitation of the People’s Library in Doboj 2. Rehabilitation of the Cultural Centre in Maglaj 3. Rehabilitation of the Cultural Centre Bosanski Samac 4. Enhancing cultural sector in affected municipalities, with regard to both cultural heritage safeguarding, and the promotion of creativity and the diversity of cultural expressions. Such objective shall be pursued by means of a comprehensive approach, composed of complementary and mutually reinforcing actions, including: a. development of institutional and human capacities b. raising of awareness and the production of an evidence base on the role of culture for the development.

Human and Financial Resources The project covers the period from 26 April 2015 to 30 June 2019. This project coordinated by UNESCO is funded by France. The overall budget of the project is 1.250.656 USD. The project is implemented in partnership with the local authorities, namely the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, The Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina for Cooperation with UNESCO, the Ministries responsible for culture at the entity level, the City of Doboj, Municipality of Bosanski Samac, Municipality of Maglaj, peoples Library in Doboj, Cultural centres in Maglaj and Bosanski Samac. In addition, the strong partnership established with the Embassy of France in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the French Institute in Sarajevo. Rationale for the evaluation This project, financed by the French Republic began in 2015 and will conclude in June 2019. As the project comes to an end, part of the budget has been allocated to the final evaluation of the project. The contribution agreement between UNESCO and the French Government/Embassy of France in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stipulated that an external evaluation should be undertaken at the end of the project, based on the project progress and final reports used during the monitoring process. It will be investigated whether the actions have contributed to the realization of the project’s initially set out objectives. UNESCO will communicate the evaluation’s outcome to the donor.

II. Purpose The main purpose of the evaluation is to assess the key achievements and the results of the project “Revitalization of cultural institutions and services in flood affected municipalities Doboj, Maglaj and Šamac” and the outcome of the evaluation will be communicated to the donor for accountability purposes. III. Scope The evaluation will examine the project performance following the standard evaluation criteria of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability taking into account a rights- based perspective. The evaluation of the results of activities for the whole duration of the project (26 April 2015 – 30 June 2019), covering all affected municipalities which were part of this programme, as well as the activities in relation to the revitalisation of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The primary criteria of the evaluation will be the stated expected results of the project and their specific relevance, as well as optimum efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of the results of activities related to achieving these objectives. The evaluation will primarily use qualitative research methods, but should nonetheless seek to make evidence-based recommendations focused on the aspects below: - the project’s complementarity with and contribution to UNESCO’s Culture programme; in particular in relation to PDNA, recovery processes and Disaster Risk Management; - the efficiency of the project funding modality and its fit for purpose; - the effectiveness of the project’s activities in terms of outcomes achieved; - the quality of the project’s delivery, including project planning and formulation, implementation follow-up, monitoring and evaluation; - the direct and indirect impact resulting from the project on the target groups; The main questions of the evaluation will be further refined in the evaluation’s inception report. Indicative questions are provided below. Relevance: 1. In what manner has the project been valuable and relevant to the beneficiary, as specified by the project document, to the implementing partners and the donor? 2. To what extent has the project achieved its goals in regard to its expected results? 3. How have the project activities contributed to the recovery of flood affected municipalities of Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as to the revitalisation of the National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina? 4. To what extent are the main activities related to achieving project objectives? Effectiveness: 5. How have the project initiatives been effective in attracting national and international attention and interest in the integration of culture as a sector to be prioritized within post disaster evaluation and recovery? Efficiency: 6. To what extent did the project ensure the best value for money through its interventions?

7. To what extent have the project activities been efficient in terms of a) the use of financial and human resources, b) the number and range of objectives supported, and c) the quality of monitoring? Impact: 8. What is the direct or indirect impact of the project on its target groups on a short and long term? Sustainability: 9. How likely is it that the benefits of the project continue after its support and funding have been withdrawn and to what extent are the project outcomes supported by the local and national institutions and adapted to its specific conditions?

10. A rights-based approach to development (right holders and duty bearers), based on this perspective the project should be evaluated against the following: • How did the project tackle discrimination (by sex, age, ethnicity, religion, disability and gender identity)? • To what extent has the project and its activities been designed and implemented in a gender sensitive manner?

IV. Methodology The evaluator(s) will elaborate a detailed evaluation approach and methodology in the inception report. The methodology may include the following elements:  Desk study of all key relevant documentation;  Questionnaires and/or surveys to various stakeholders, including World Heritage Centre staff, field office staff, and key partners and beneficiaries (scale to be scoped on the basis of budget raised for the evaluation);  Structured and semi-structured interviews (face-to-face and via Skype);  Case studies;  Field visits, this will include at least 3 missions to Doboj, Maglaj and Bosanski Samac, not exceeding 3 days including travels, the cost of which (i.e. travel and accommodation) will be borne by UNESCO according to its policy. A detailed methodological approach will be developed and agreed upon in the inception report to be submitted by the evaluation team at the initial stage of the evaluation assignment.

V. Roles and responsibilities An independent, external evaluation team will conduct the evaluation. The evaluator(s) will contribute specific subject matter expertise and knowledge. The evaluator(s) will prepare three main deliverables, an inception report, draft and final report. The evaluator(s) will comply with United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation and UNEG Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation. The evaluator(s) are responsible for logistics, including but not limited to office space, administrative and secretarial support, telecommunications, printing of documentation, travel arrangements and logistics for potential fieldwork. While the evaluator(s) are also responsible for the dissemination of all methodological tools such as surveys, the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe and its Antenna in Sarajevo, will facilitate this process to the extent possible by providing contact information of relevant stakeholders to be consulted during the evaluation. The IOS Evaluation Office is responsible for the overall management of the evaluation and quality assurance of the deliverables. The Evaluation Office will also act as the primary liaison between the external evaluation team and UNESCO stakeholders. The UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Culture in Europe and Antenna in Sarajevo will provide the evaluator(s) with all relevant documentation including project documents, progress reports and financial reports, and all other documentation relevant to the project.

VI. Qualifications of the evaluation team The external evaluator(s) should possess the following mandatory qualifications and experience:  At least 10 years of professional experience in an evaluation, research and/or policy- related position in the field of the identification and sustainable management of cultural heritage;  At least 10 years of professional experience designing and leading programme and policy evaluations;  Excellent language skills in English (oral communication and report writing);  Knowledge of the UN system and other international organizations; The following qualifications and experience are desirable:  Knowledge of linguistic, social, cultural and political contexts in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Verification of these qualifications will be based on the provided curriculum vitae. Moreover, references, web links or electronic copies of two recently completed evaluation reports should be provided (preferably evaluations of tangible heritage projects). The recommended composition of the evaluation team is one senior evaluator, although other proposals will be considered. The evaluation assignment is expected to require a maximum 25 working days. This will include at least 3 missions to Doboj, Maglaj and Bosanski Samac , not exceeding three days including travels, the cost of which (i.e. travel and accommodation) will be borne by UNESCO according to is policy.

VII. Deliverables and Schedule Deliverables The evaluation will take place between April and June 2019 (2 months). The evaluation will consist of 3 main deliverables: an inception report, a draft report and a final report. Schedule

Activity / Deliverable Timeline

Formal launch of the evaluation 25 April 2019

Inception report 20 May 2019

Data collection, field visits and analysis phase 10 May - 25 May 2019

Draft Evaluation Report 10 June 2019

Final Evaluation report 20 June 2019

The Draft and Final Evaluation reports should not exceed 100 pages, excluding the annexes. Furthermore, they should be written in English and structured as follows:  Executive Summary  Project description  Evaluation purpose  Evaluation methodology  Findings and conclusions  Lessons learned  Recommendations  Annexes including the Terms of Reference, list of interviewees, data collection instruments, key documents consulted

VIII. Expression of Interest and selection criteria  Expressions of interest, containing the curriculum vitae(s) of consultant(s), and a written description, maximum 3 pages, indicating the technical and financial proposal. Deadline: 15 April 2019.  Expressions of interest will be evaluated and selected based on the quality of the technical proposal, the qualifications of the experts concerned, and the competitiveness of the financial proposal.  Those short-listed will be notified no later than one week after the closing date.  The maximum compensation for this assignment would be equivalent to the fees for 25 working days, as well to the required missions 5 days in total. The final contractual amount payment will depend on the technical and financial proposal and the applicable UNESCO rules and regulations.  For additional information, if required, please contact Mr. Sinisa Sesum (E-mail: [email protected], telephone: +387 33 222 796)

Expressions of interest should be submitted in person to UNESCO, Zmja aod Bosne bb, 71.000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Un House) or by e-mail, clearly indicating “Final evaluation of the project entitled ‘Revitalization of cultural institutions and services in flood affected municipalities Doboj, Maglaj and Šamac”, to Ms. Maja Nikolic, [email protected].