Recruitment of two consultants Regional Communications and Advocacy Strategic Plan (2018-2021)

Purpose of consultancy

The purpose of this consultancy is to review the Regional Communications and Advocacy Strategic Plan (2018-2021) of UNFPA West and Central Africa Regional Office, to determine its effectiveness in supporting the implementation of the corporate strategic plan, as well as the regional intervention action plan. The regional communications and advocacy strategic plan contains components of Social and Behaviour Change Communications (SBCC) which has largely been implemented through the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) project.

Background

UNFPA’s West and Central Africa Regional Office (WCARO) is based in Dakar, Senegal, and covers 23 countries in the region. There are 14 French-speaking countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Togo), five English-speaking countries (The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone), three Portuguese-speaking countries (Cabo Verde, Guinea Bissau, and Sao Tome and Principe) and one Spanish-speaking country (Equatorial Guinea).

WCARO engages national governments in the implementation of the Framework of Actions of the International Conference on Population and Development Beyond 2014 (ICPD beyond 2014). UNFPA’s 2018–2021 strategic plan, was aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. UNFPA works to promote and build transformational partnerships and alliances with member states and governments, other international organizations, regional institutions, economic commissions, civil society, faith-based organizations and the private sector. WCARO is part of the UN coordinated response within the framework of the global humanitarian response plan for COVID-19 of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC).

In West and Central Africa, UNFPA maintains its commitment to governments and partners to prioritize addressing the specific needs of women and girls, in line with the agency's goals to end unmet need for family planning, preventable maternal mortality, and gender-based violence and harmful practices by 2030.

This includes helping governments to ensure continuity in the quality of reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services. In all countries in the region, UNFPA seeks to strengthen health systems, including emergency obstetric care, routine antenatal care, and postnatal care, as well as family planning and gender-based violence services.

UNFPA WCARO’s regional communications and advocacy strategic plan provides an overarching framework and rationale to guide and support the successful implementation of the Regional Interventions Action Plan for West and Central Africa, and the corporate Strategic Plan.

In anticipation of the 2022-2025 regional communications strategic plan, the Regional Office is recruiting the services of two Communications consultants to undertake a comprehensive review of the 2018-2021 regional communications and advocacy strategic plan, including a specific focus on the Television Magazine programme, “Population d’Afrique.”

Scope of work

(Description of services, activities, or outputs)

The two consultants will undertake a comprehensive review, of the regional communications and advocacy strategic plan for UNFPA West and Central Africa (WCARO) implemented from 2018 to 2021.

The review will specifically target the interventions of Communications Unit and communications focal points from 2018 to 2021. In designing the communications strategic plan, the unit conducted in 2018 a comprehensive capacity and needs assessment, which generated qualitative and quantitative data to inform the design of the regional communication and advocacy strategic plan. The regional communications and advocacy strategic plan contains components of Social and Behaviour Change Communications (SBCC) which has largely been implemented through the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographic Dividend (SWEDD) project, implement initially implemented in six countries, and later in nine countries as the project expanded in its phase two.

The 2018-2021 regional communications and advocacy strategic plan had as vision to “Promote and position UNFPA in West and Central Africa as lead agency in sexual and reproductive health and rights by boldly, visibly and audibly communicating the three transformative results.”

In July 2019, UNFPA WCARO signed a one-year Long-Term Agreement (LTA) with the GROUPE RACECO, for the production and dissemination of 26-minutes TV magazine on TV5MondeAfrique. The LTA was renewed in July 2020 for another year. From July 2021, it was extended until December 2021, during which an in-depth assessment was expected to be carried out.

Methodology

The consultants will conduct an in-depth desk review of documentation, particularly the regional strategy document, reports, communication products, quarterly media monitoring reports by the independent service provider, Agility PR, the LTA between UNFPA WCARO and RACECO, as well as any other relevant documents. The consultants will equally conduct interviews with key stakeholders, partners, senior managements, programme, technical and communication staff. They could consider convening focused group discussions; and may also administer survey monkey to get perspective from across different target audiences.

The findings, lessons learned, conclusions and recommendations of the review will inform the 2022-2025 regional communications and advocacy strategic plan.

Duration and working schedule:

The consultancy services should be undertaken for about 15 working days, from 29th August to 16th September 2022. The proposed start date should be 29th August 2022.

Place where services are to be delivered:

Home/Office based. The two consultants will mainly work virtually. However, they may have to travel to two countries selected countries within the region. The Communications Unit will provide all relevant contact details, as requested, and may also facilitate contacts.

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.):

The following are expected deliverables of the assignment:

• An inception report following the desk-review, interviews and focus group discussions.

• A draft review report of no more than 15 pages including a 2 page - Executive Summary

• A final review report integrating the comments provided by the WCARO Management, Advisors, Country Office Reps, and Communications Team (RO & COs),

• A PowerPoint presentation summarizing the findings, conclusions and recommendation (about10 to 15 slides)

Supervisory arrangements

The Consultants will work under the direct support and supervision of the UNFPA WCARO Regional Communications Advisor.

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements

Education:

• Minimum of Master’s Mass Communication, Social Sciences, Development Studies or a related field;

• Familiarity with the UNFPA operations and interventions in the region will be an added advantage.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in information and communications programme design, implementation, management, review and reporting;

• Experience and a record in assessing and/or designing communications strategy in the context of development work;

• Demonstrated experience in effective, quantitative and qualitative data collection, processing and analysis;

• Excellent communication and facilitation skills

• Track record in conducting reviews and assessments and proven ability to produce demonstrable results and user-friendly reports;

• Excellent analytical and writing skills (the consultants will need to include a similar report/study which she/he has been the primary author);

• Ability to develop and apply Social and Behaviour Change Communications strategies, monitoring and evaluation tools;

• Excellent problem identification and solving skills;

• Experience working with the United Nations at regional and national level will be an added value;

Language:

• Excellent written and spoken English and French Language skills.

Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g. support services, office space, equipment), if applicable: