Call for expressions of interest for Final Evaluation of the project “Development of Rural Craft and Cultural Hubs in West Bengal to support inter-generational transmission of rural craft and performing arts”, funded by the Department of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises and Textiles (MSME&T), Government of West Bengal, and implemented in partnership with UNESCO New Delhi and Contact Base.

UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka is seeking expressions of interest from qualified and experienced individuals, to conduct the final evaluation of the project titled “Development of Rural Craft and Cultural Hubs in West Bengal to support inter-generational transmission of rural craft and performing arts”.

1. PROJECT BACKGROUND

Context

While West Bengal is rich in performing arts and crafts, the continuity of such traditions is at stake due to the low socio-economic status of the practitioners in general that does not encourage the younger generation to pursue the practices. The reduced opportunities for practice has also led to the deterioration in the quality of knowledge and skills of the practitioners. Absence of public exposure has not allowed them to tap into opportunities in the contemporary context. In light of the above, UNESCO and the Department of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises and Textiles (MSME&T), Government of West Bengal, signed a Funds-in-Trust (FiT) Agreement for a duration of 30 months in August 2016 to promote community well-being through the safeguarding of performing arts and crafts in West Bengal. The project called Rural Craft and Cultural Hubs (RCCH) is being implemented by UNESCO in partnership with Contact Base (also called Banglanatak), a NGO based in Kolkata. This project is the second phase of the earlier project between UNESCO and MSME&T Department signed for the period September 2013-March 2016 and was called ‘Art for Life: Applying Art for Life methodology towards development and promotion of village enterprise with crafts of Bengal’. While the earlier project was focused on handicraft artisans, the current one i.e. RCCH includes both performing arts and handicrafts.

The project is in line with UNESCO’s 38 C/5 to safeguard intangible cultural heritage (ICH) by supporting Member States in the effective implementation of the 2003 Convention (https://ich.unesco.org/en/convention). As the project beneficiaries include communities with very low-income opportunities, it also seeks to demonstrate the contribution of ICH to relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as SDG 1 (no poverty and zero hunger, respectively) and SDG 8 (inclusive and sustainable economic growth and decent work). The project implementation began in November 2016 and the project will close on 31 December 2019. The total budget provided by Department of MSME&T, Government of West Bengal, for the project is USD 2,557,583 or INR 171 million. Direct beneficiaries of the project RCCH covers 12091 practitioners (8725 folk artists and 3366 handicraft artisans) from 15 districts of West Bengal. 13 folk arts (Jhumur, Khon, Mukha, Raibenshe, Baul & Fakiri, Bhatiyali, Bhawaiya, Bonbibirpala, Chau, Darjeeling folk dances, Domni, Puppetry, Purulia Patachitra) and 6 handicrafts (Bamboo works, Medinipur Patachitra, Dhokra, Pottery, Sholapith, and Folk Instruments) are covered in the project.

The specific project objectives are to:

1. Build capacity of ICH practitioners covered under the project to:

a) Work collectively to address the challenges related to the transmission of their ICH skills to younger generation b) Improve and safeguard the knowledge on and skills embedded in their ICH form(s) c) Promote their ICH form(s) in the contemporary context d) Understand their entitlements and benefits from government schemes 2. Sensitize public in West Bengal and India in general on the ICH form(s) to create new demand/ audience 3. Link the beneficiary communities of practitioners to relevant government schemes to support their ICH practices and socio-economic well-being.

The expected results or outcomes of the project are:

1. ICH communities are capacitated to work collectively through community mobilisation and consultation, improved knowledge and skills, improved awareness of and access to infrastructure and other support. 2. Awareness on rural ICH of West Bengal is created among wider public and recognition and new demand for ICH-related products is created. 3. New/improved support mechanisms are available for ICH practitioners through better synergy among government departments/schemes. 4. The viability of safeguarding ICH for the livelihood improvement of rural communities of West Bengal is demonstrated.

2. PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION

The main purpose of the evaluation is to assess the performance and results of the project Development of Rural Craft and Cultural Hubs in West Bengal to support inter- generational transmission of rural craft and performing arts for learning and accountability. The project results will be assessed based on its stated expected results framework to identify achievements, challenges, and recommendations.

3. SCOPE OF THE EVALUATION

The evaluation will examine the project performance following the standard evaluation criteria of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability, and the additional criterion of accountability, taking into account a rights-based perspective. The evaluation will be based on the stated expected results of the project and will cover almost the whole project duration (November 2016 – November 2019).

The evaluation will primarily use qualitative research methods and will make evidence-based analysis on the aspects below:

- 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; - if possible, the direct and indirect impact resulting from the project on the target groups; - the project’s complementarity with and contribution to UNESCO’s Culture programme;

The main questions of the evaluation are below and will be further developed and refined in the evaluation’s inception report.

Relevance

. Did the project outcomes address the target beneficiaries’ identified needs within a long- term perspective? . Has the results framework and project design been relevant for achieving the objectives and results related to the project? . To what extent has the project and its activities been designed and implemented in a gender-sensitive manner? . To what extent was the project coherent with UNESCO’s C/5, the 2003 Convention Goals, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Government’s development priorities? . Did UNESCO have a comparative advantage in designing and implementing this project?

Efficiency

. Were the outputs and related activities delivered as intended, with quality, and in timely manner? . What measures were taken during implementation to ensure that resources were efficiently used?

Effectiveness

. To what extent are the beneficiaries satisfied with the project and results? . What are the key project achievements and challenges that may have limited results achievement? . Based on a rights-based approach to development, how has the project contributed to issues relating to livelihoods, gender equality, youth involvement, skills transmission, involvement of disadvantaged communities, etc.? . Are there external factors (positive/negative) that may have affected the implementation of the project? . To what extent has the project achieved its objectives and outcomes, and contributed to UNESCO’s C/5 and 2003 Convention Goals?

Accountability

. What are the project management and governance mechanisms and their effectiveness, for instance Steering Committee or any other mechanism, composition of such groups, team composition, etc.? . What was the articulation of exchanges and reporting between the donor, UNESCO and the implementing partner? . How have stakeholders, including the primary beneficiaries, been involved in decision making? . How does the implementation agency on the ground coordinate with the targeted communities? What are the participatory mechanisms for the same? How are conflicts if any addressed?

. To what extent have relevant collaborations and networks – financial as well as others - been created for sustained positive impact on beneficiaries?

Impact

. To what extent has the identified impact been contributed by the project? . What, if any, are the opportunities missed by the project? . Have capacities been strengthened to ensure long-term impact?

Sustainability

. What is the likelihood that the benefits from the project will be maintained for a reasonably long period of time? . How likely are the project activities and outputs to lead to sustained impact in terms of community well-being, youth involvement, gender equality, or reducing migration? . What added-value can UNESCO and the donor contribute to sustain impact beyond the completion of the project?

4. 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 discussions/interviews with various stakeholders, including key partners and beneficiaries, UNESCO New Delhi Culture staff, Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) staff at HQ.  Structured and semi-structured interviews (face-to-face and via Skype, and as feasible);  Case studies (as feasible);  Visit to folk art /craft clusters in West Bengal where the project is being implemented, not exceeding 13 days including travel, 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.

The evaluation team will have to comply with United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms and Standards for Evaluation, UNEG Guidelines for Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluations and UNEG Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation and take into account UNESCO’s Priority Gender Equality Action Plan 2014-2021. In line with UNESCO’s Evaluation Policy (2015), IOS aims to ensure that human rights and gender equality principles are integrated in all stages of the evaluation process.

5. 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 report and final report.

. 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 fieldwork. While the evaluator(s) are also responsible for the dissemination of all methodological tools as applicable, the UNESCO New Delhi Office will facilitate this process to the extent possible by providing contact information of relevant stakeholders to be consulted during the evaluation. The UNESCO

New Delhi Office will also act as the primary liaison between the external evaluation team and project stakeholders. . The UNESCO New Delhi Office is responsible for the overall management of the evaluation and quality assurance of the deliverables. . The UNESCO New Delhi Office 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.

6. DELIVERABLES AND SCHEDULE

The evaluation will take place between November 2019 and January 2020 (2.5 months). The evaluation will consist of 3 main deliverables: an inception report, a draft report and a final report.

Schedule

Activities/ Deliverables Timeline

Formal Launch of the evaluation: Call for 29 October 2019 Expressions of Interest

Inception Report 24 November 2019

Data collection, field visits and analysis phase 11 December 2019

Draft Evaluation Report 31 December 2019

Final Evaluation report 20 January 2020

The Draft and Final Evaluation reports should be in English and not exceed more than 40 pages, excluding the annexes. The report needs to include the following:

 Executive Summary (no more than 4 pages)  Project description  Evaluation purpose  Evaluation methodology  Findings and conclusions (analysis should be supported by both quantitative and qualitative data, and disaggregated data by gender. Photographs and quotes from beneficiaries and other stakeholders should be included. Case studies can be included optionally).  Lessons learned  Recommendations  Annexes The report should follow the template provided by UNESCO IOS Evaluation Office.

Note: The evaluator may be required to present the findings of the evaluation at a review meeting for the donor in Kolkata, West Bengal.

7. REQUIRED PROFILE OF THE EVALUATOR(S)

The evaluator(s) (institution/individual submitting the proposal) should possess the following mandatory qualifications and experience:

. At least a master’s degree in either development studies, rural development, sociology, or any other relevant discipline. . At least 10 years of demonstrated experience in evaluation of development projects, particularly related to livelihoods in rural areas in India using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. . Demonstrated experience in evaluation of programmes/projects of United Nations agencies. . Experience in evaluation of projects in the area of culture, and culture based livelihoods in rural areas would be highly preferred. . Should have no previous involvement in the development and/or implementation of the project being evaluated.

8. REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Interested applicants should include the following in their proposal:

. A technical proposal: including a methodology on how they propose to undertake the assignment, a work plan and timeline . Financial proposal: a detailed cost in USD . Curriculum vitae of all team members in the proposed evaluation team . One example of a recent evaluation report, preferably relevant to the subject of this evaluation.

9. HOW TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

The technical proposal and the financial proposal, in two separate files, should be sent by 5 November 2019 at this email address: [email protected]

The proposal needs to be submitted only by email. For any clarification, please email at: [email protected] or [email protected].