Consultancy - Gender-based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS) Global Inter-Agency Initiative

The Gender Based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS) is an inter-agency initiative established in 2006, and is the global level forum for technical oversight and coordination on GBV administrative data management systems in GBV prevention and response in humanitarian settings. The Steering Committee is comprised of representatives from UNFPA, UNHCR, IRC, UNICEF and IMC, while UNFPA is the designated lead Agency of the GBVIMS. The GBVIMS Steering Committee works with the aim of improving the humanitarian community’s implementation of GBV Case Management, and the safe and ethical management and analysis of case management data and GBV incident data to help inform and strengthen GBV prevention and response programming, while promoting the survivor-centred approach.

An evaluation of the GBVIMS conducted in 2014 found that the GBVIMS had been highly relevant and effective in offering a safe and ethical solution for GBV data collection, management and sharing, but ongoing technical and funding support was required to maintain momentum. Since 2014, the GBVIMS initiative has grown to encompass new workstreams and new technologies, while expanding to cover many more countries and contexts. In 2022, globally, the GBVIMS initiative is implementing GBVIMS, Primero/GBVIMS+ and GBV Case Management Capacity building in around 30 contexts, with many more requesting support. Conversely, the capacity of the global Team to respond to demand has reduced and the governance and coordination structure does is not fully fit for purpose in its current iteration. Moreover, with the introduction of Primero/GBVIMS+, the global Team must manage implementations through a more complex coordination and product management structure centralised through UNICEF. At the country level, integration of GBVIMS workstreams through GBV sub-clusters has improved but remains under-resourced, with an over-reliance on the UNFPA surge mechanism, and often fraught with misconceptions around the purpose of the system, and lacking in long-term sustainability planning. In addition, the growing demand of implementation of the system by state services represents both a key opportunity and an additional burden.

The GBVIMS global team has a unique structure for advocacy and field support, with a global Steering Committee and Technical Team. Some key milestones achieved by the GBVIMS since 2006 include the development and deployment of the GBVIMS ‘core tools’ to more than thirty countries; the development and rollout of Primero/GBVIMS+ - the online GBV case management and incident monitoring system -, and the rollout of the GBV Case Management Capacity Building Initiative to more than 20 countries.

As of December 2022, the GBVIMS global team was providing support to 32 countries, while a further 20+ have requested support. 141 unique service provider organisations (86 NGO and 46 INGO) benefited from support in 2022, as well as a further 380 personnel certified as GBV Case Management trainers were supported with ongoing coaching,  including local actors and government counterparts in addition to UN and INGOs. The GBVIMS interagency team is located in New York, Geneva and other remote work locations. In 2022-2023, UNICEF led an evaluation of Primero/GBVIMS+, which this external review will seek to complement and build on.

UNFPA is seeking a consultant/ or team of consultants to conduct a review dedicated to the GBVIMS, building on and going beyond the scope of the 2014 evaluation to consider the current landscape and additional workstreams, with a focus on sustainability.

Based within the Programme Support Unit of UNFPA’s Humanitarian Response Division the Consultant will report directly to the PSU’s Head of Unit.   Humanitarian Response Division consultancies are under the overall guidance and supervisory of the HO Director. All final products and deliverables need to be approved by the Director

The Consultant will ensure that the GBVIMS Inter-agency Steering Committee and Technical Team members from UNICEF, UNHCR, IRC and IMC, and other regional and country-level project stakeholders from UNFPA and end-user/service providers are engaged in consultation and included as key informants to achieve the project deliverables. The consultant will engage country- and regional-level colleagues to collect and verify data to ensure all products reflect field realities. The Consultant/s will also work closely with a Consultant recruited to perform a specialised analysis of The Primero/GBVIMS+ product management coordination and sustainability for UNFPA and the GBVIMS Steering Committee, incorporating those findings into the final report.

The review will cover :
1) Analysis of how UNFPA is fulfilling its mandate as lead agency for the GBVIMS and reviewing how it has acted on the recommendations made in the evaluation of 2014.

2) Description of and assessment of the development and evolution of the GBVIMS inter-agency initiative since the 2014 evaluation and important changes regarding the resources, structure, approaches, coordination mechanisms, and the technical support (including field deployments) of the GBVIMS Steering Committee.

3) Analysis of the relevance, perceived benefit (based on analysis of existing monitoring and evaluation data and qualitative analysis through key informant interviews), and sustainability, and identify key areas of added value of the GBVIMS inter-agency initiative and areas for improvement and development  including both information management and case management work streams. The consultant will focus the analysis on the financial and technical sustainability of the system in countries highlighting bottlenecks and potential solutions.

4) An analysis of the degree of institutionalisation of the GBVIMS and recommendations towards sustainability, including recommendations on the relevance for the initiative to be housed in UNFPA HRD or elsewhere in the organisation.

Oversight and management of the review will be conducted so as to promote objectivity and impartiality in the review process. The consultant will be supervised by the Head, Programme Support Unit while working collaboratively with HRD technical experts assigned to this initiative. S/he will have to participate on minimum weekly calls and provide updates in line to the agreed work plan she/e will be submitted at the beginning of the consultancy.

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.  UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Job Purpose:

Based within the Programme Support Unit of UNFPA’s Humanitarian Response Division and reporting directly to PSU’s GBV Specialist (IM), the Consultant will work closely with the GBVIMS Technical Team and Steering Committee on the project deliverables. The Consultant will engage country- and regional-level colleagues to collect and verify data to ensure all products reflect field realities. The Consultant/s will also work closely with a Consultant recruited to perform a specialised analysis of Primero/GBVIMS+ product management coordination and sustainability for UNFPA and the GBVIMS Steering Committee, incorporating those findings into the final report.

The review will cover :
1) How UNFPA is fulfilling its mandate as lead agency for the GBVIMS and reviewing how it has acted on the recommendations made in the evaluation of 2014.

2) Description of and assessment of the development and evolution of the GBVIMS inter-agency initiative since the 2014 evaluation and important changes regarding the resources, structure, approaches, coordination mechanisms, and the technical support (including field deployments) of the GBVIMS Steering Committee.

3) Analysis of the relevance, efficiency, and sustainability of the GBVIMS inter-agency initiative including both information management and case management work streams. The consultant will focus the analysis on the financial and technical sustainability of the system in countries highlighting bottlenecks and potential solutions

4) An analysis of the degree of institutionalisation of the GBVIMS and recommendations for improving scalability.

The consultant/team of consultants will also develop a 15-Year Anniversary Report documenting the evolution, progress and achievements of the GBVIMS interagency project for the past 15 years, for communications, advocacy and fundraising purposes.

You would be responsible for:

The consultant (s) will provide the following deliverables: