UN Women: International Evaluation Expert for the Country Portfolio Evaluation of UN Women Albania Country Office Strategic Note 2022-2026, Tirane Albania, Consultancy contract

Background:

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls, the empowerment of women, and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. Placing women's rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. 

UN Women Albania has been at the forefront of support for Albania’s continuous commitment to implement international norms and standards on women’s rights[1], and the enhancement and implementation of relevant national legal and policy frameworks. Active in Albania since it set up its Country Programme in 2007, UN Women works closely with government institutions, civil society and international partners to support the design and implement of laws, policies, programmes and services to improve the status of women and achieve global standards for gender equality. 

The Country Office Strategic Note 2022-2026[2] is the main planning tool for UN Women’s support to normative, coordination and operational work in Albania. It outlines the strategy for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment in Albania during this period. The Strategic Note is linked to the UN Women Global Strategic Plan 2022-2025[3] - contributing along its 4 Strategic areas: Governance and participation in public life, Women’s economic empowerment, Ending violence against women and girls, Women, peace and security, humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction. It is also linked to the National Strategy on Development and Integration II[4] and the new National Strategy on Gender Equality (2021-2030)[5] and country-level United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2022-2026 (UNSDCF) [6]. 

The SN was developed in alignment with the UNSDCF which for the first time includes a stand-alone gender equality outcome. UN Women Albania contributes programmatically to three of the four UNSDCF Outcomes, to which SN Outcomes are aligned: 1) By 2026, government institutions ensure increased and more equitable investment in people to remove barriers and create opportunities for those at risk of exclusion; 2) By 2026, all persons benefit from, and contribute to, innovative and integrated policy solutions that accelerate sustainable, productive and inclusive development, enhanced climate change adaptation and mitigation and transition to a green and blue economy; 3) By 2026, all persons contribute to, gender-responsive governance that strengthens equality and non-discrimination, promotes women’s empowerment and human rights, and reduces violence against women and children. 

II.2 Context

Albania is an upper middle-income country of about 2.4 million people according to the 2023 Census, with a high level of human development. It has a GDP per capita of current USD of almost 8,368 at the end of 2023. EU-SILC estimates that at-risk of poverty rate in Albania, in 2023, was 19.7 %, experiencing a decrease by 2.3 percentage points compared with 2021, whist the average of at-risk of poverty rate for EU countries (27 countries) is 16.5 %.[7] The average of at-risk of poverty rate is higher for women and girls than for men and boys, across all age groups. The highest risk of poverty is observed among the youngest population group, aged 0-17 years old, for both sexes. However, girls and women in this age group face a higher risk of falling into poverty compared to men. This suggests that gender-based disparities in economic outcomes start at an early age, linked to family structures, gender roles, or limited access to resources and opportunities for girls. 

Albania's economy is based on the three key sectors: services (54.1% - with tourism representing half of it); agriculture (21.7%), and industrial (24.2%) sectors, with construction also being prominent. Unemployment remains high, with a national rate above 10% in recent years. In 2023, unemployment was slightly higher for women (10.9%) than for men (10.5%). Youth unemployment is particularly severe: 25.6% for ages 15–24 (26.6% for women, 24.8% for men), and 19.6% for ages 25–29 (16.5% for women, 22.6% for men)[8]. These figures suggest that young women face greater barriers to entering the workforce, potentially due to gender discrimination, limited access to certain sectors, or sociocultural norms. The informal sector, estimated at 26%, further limits access to secure employment and social protections.

The 2023 Population and Housing Census[9] revealed that the resident population of Albania is 2,402,113 persons, marking a decline of approximately 420,000 people compared to the 2011 Census. The total number of children under 18 is 457,974 - representing 19 percent of the population. This figure represents a 38.7 percent decrease from Census 2011. This decline continues a trend observed since 1990, primarily driven by emigration. The sex ratio stands at 98.2 males per 100 females. This minor gender imbalance reflects various societal factors, such as gender-specific migration patterns which disproportionately affect women and girls. Notably, approximately one-third of the population, 31.6%, resides in the prefecture of Tirana, underscoring the capital's centrality in the nation's demographic distribution. The census also shed light on the prevalence of disability. Women have a higher prevalence of disability (7.2%) compared to men (5.9%). This suggests that women may be more likely to experience functional limitations, which could be related to various factors, such as health issues more common among women or the fact that women generally have a longer life expectancy and thus may face more age-related disabilities. 

The latest United Nations Sustainable Development Report 2024 was released in June 2024, which catapulted Albania from the rank of 54 in 2023 to 42[10], a jump of 12 places (building on a jump of 7 places last year, and a jump of 3 the year before). The third National Strategy for Development and European Integration (NSDEI) 2022–2030[11] has been prepared, supported by the UN, in consultations with all stakeholders, and launched at the start of 2023. A Roadmap for SDG acceleration[12] was prepared by the State Agency for Strategic Programming and Aid Coordination (SASPAC). These initiatives have the potential to enhance the alignment between socio-economic and environmental targets, as well as to support ongoing governance reforms in good governance, the rule of law, and anti-corruption requirements of the EU accession process and Albania’s commitment to enter the EU by 2030.

Albania's EU accession process continued to accelerate during 2024-2025. The Government of Albania (GoA) officially opened negotiations with the European Union (EU). The screening process has been completed and 24 out of 33 EU acquis chapters have been opened thus far[13]. Albania’s EU integration process is a key driver of reform, with gender equality embedded in the EU acquis and the EU Gender Equality Strategy. The country is aligning its legal and policy frameworks with EU standards, including directives on equal pay, work-life balance, and combating gender-based violence. The new EU Growth Plan and the Reform and Growth Facility further emphasize gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment as prerequisites for socio-economic convergence.

II.3 Description of the UN Women country portfolio [14]

The work of UN Women in Albania is focused on responding to the entity’s three core mandates:

1. Normative work: to support the formulation of policies, global standards and norms; 
2. Operational work: to help Member States to implement international standards and to forge effective partnerships with civil society; and
3. Coordination work: entails both work to promote the accountability of the United Nations system on gender equality and empowerment of women (GEEW), including regular monitoring of system-wide progress, and more broadly mobilizing and convening key stakeholders to ensure greater coherence and gender mainstreaming across the UN.

As framed in the Strategic Note, and in response to the key gender equality challenges, UN Women Albania has focused on three strategic priorities (outcomes) in the 2022-2026 period and carried out programmes and projects in partnership with central and local, government institutions, civil society, private sector, media, academia, etc.  In doing so, UN Women leveraged its comparative advantages and its unique positioning to:  1) support the translation of international gender norms and standards and the EU gender equality acquis into national policies and legislation; 2) influence gender-responsive governance systems and sustainable financing for gender equality across sectors, including through strengthened gender-responsive budgeting and improved gender statistics; 3) promote a strong feminist agenda to transform social norms, challenge gender stereotypes, and end violence against women, including through its work with women CSOs at central and local levels; and 4) introduce a gender lens across programmatic interventions and sectoral areas, ensure the application of the “leave no one behind” approach, and nurture synergies amongst its programme areas as well as with other partners and UN agencies.

Strategic Note Theory of Change

The Strategic Note Theory of Change (ToC) is provided above, which will be reviewed by the evaluation team through a participatory process during the inception phase of the evaluation. As per the corporate requirement, UNSDCF Outcome statements were verbatim as the outcomes of the SN.

In line with UN Women’s commitment to Results Based Management, a Development Results Framework (DRF) was developed with performance indicators The Strategic Note includes an Organisational Effectiveness and Efficiency Framework (OEEF) with performance indicators The evaluation is expected to use this to assess organizational performance.

The Country Office is based in Tirana, with a workforce of 22 personnel, as of 19 May 2025. In addition to this, UN Women Albania Country Representative participates and contributes as relevant in UN coordination and other related activities in Montenegro where UN Women is a non-resident Agency.

The total available resources budget of the UN Women Albania Strategic Note has been USD 13.8 million for 4 years period 2022-2025, including mainly non-core resources amounting 76% of total budget. Sweden, Italy, European Commission, Switzerland, UK, and the UN Peace Building Fund are the main donors of the projects and programmes carried under the Strategic Note. 

The list of interventions under the Strategic Note 2022-2026 period include the following:

Name Modality Status[15] Ending violence against women in the Western Balkans and Turkey, Phase II  Regional programme Completed “Transformative Financing for Gender Equality towards more Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in the Western Balkans” Regional Programme On-going Earthquake recovery support through the UN SDG Acceleration Fund Earthquake Window Joint Programme Completed Gender Rural Equality and Tourism (GREAT) Country Project Completed EU for Gender Equality - Implementation of the EU Gender Equality acquis Joint Programme Completed "Leave No One Behind" Phase 2 (LNB 2)  Joint Programme On-going Strengthening the role of youth in promoting increased mutual understanding, constructive narrative, respect for diversity, and trust in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo Joint Programme On-going Ending Violence Against Women in Albania Phase II Joint Programme On-going Implementation of the UN Women Strategic Note 2022-2026 Strategic Note Direct Funding On-going Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress towards gender equality in Albania Country Project On-going Empowering women for rural development in Northern Albania Country Project On-going EU 4 Gender Equality II - Gender Equality Facility in Albania Country Project On-going LEAP Albania-Lifelong Empowerment and Protection in Albania  Joint Programme – through UN-to-UN agreement On-going

 

II.4 Evaluation approach, objectives and intended use

A Country Portfolio Evaluation (CPE) is a systematic assessment of the contributions made by UN Women to development results with respect to gender equality at the country level. The UN Women portfolio responds to three core mandates, which include normative, operations and coordination work. The CPE focuses on their individual and combined success in advancing gender equality in Albania. It uses Strategic Note as the main point of reference. 

It is a priority for UN Women that the CPE will be gender-responsive and will actively support the achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment. The key principles for gender-responsive evaluation at UN Women are: 1) National ownership and leadership; 2) UN system coordination and coherence with regard to gender equality and the empowerment of women; 3) Innovation; 4) Fair power relations and empowerment; 5) Participation and inclusion; 6) Independence and impartiality; 7) Transparency; 8) Quality and credibility; 9) Intentionality and use of evaluation; and 10) Ethics. 

The UN Women Evaluation Policy, and the UN Women Evaluation Strategy 2022-2025  are the main guiding documents that set forth the principles and organizational framework for evaluation planning, conduct and follow-up in UN Women. These principles are aligned with the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Norms for Evaluation in the UN System, and UNEG Ethical Guidelines.

This CPE is conducted by IES as a primarily formative (forward-looking) evaluation to support the Country Office (CO) and national stakeholders’ strategic learning and decision-making for the next Strategic Note, due to be developed in 2025. The evaluation is expected to have a secondary summative (backwards looking) perspective, to support enhanced accountability for development effectiveness and learning from experience.

The specific evaluation objectives include:

1. Assess the relevance and coherence of UN Women contribution to the intervention at national level and alignment with international agreements and conventions on gender equality and women’s empowerment;
2. Assess effectiveness and organizational efficiency in progressing towards the achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment results as defined in the Strategic Note;
3. Support UN Women Albania CO to improve its strategic positioning to better support the achievement of sustained gender equality and women’s empowerment;
4. Analyze how human rights approach and gender equality principles are integrated in the design and implementation of the Strategic Note;
5. Identify and validate lessons learned, good practices and examples of innovation that supports gender equality and human rights;
6. Provide insights into the extent to which the UN Women Albania CO has realized synergies between its three mandates (normative, coordination and operations);
7. Provide actionable recommendations with respect to the development of the next UN Women Albania CO Strategic Note. 

The primary intended users of this evaluation are: 

• UN Women Albania CO, ECA Regional Office, and UN Women HQ 
• Target groups, their households and community members, programme/project partners  
• National and local government institutions 
• Civil society representatives 
• Donors and development partners 
• UN Albania Country Team and the Gender Thematic Results Group

Primary intended uses of this evaluation are:

1. Learning and evidence-based decision-making to support the development of the next Strategic Note;
2. Accountability for the development effectiveness of the next CO Strategic Note in terms of UN Women’s contribution to gender equality and women’s empowerment;
3. Capacity development and mobilization of national stakeholders to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women.

II.5 Evaluation criteria and key questions

The evaluation will apply five OECD/DAC evaluation criteria (relevance, effectiveness, coherence, efficiency, and sustainability) and Human Rights and Gender Equality as an additional criterion. The evaluation will seek to answer the following key evaluation questions/sub-questions[16] which will be further tailored during the inception phase of the evaluation: 

Relevance: Is the CO doing the right things?

• Is the portfolio aligned with UN Women Strategic Plan, national policies and priorities and international human rights norms in the area of GEWE?​
• Is the choice of partners most relevant to the situation of women and marginalized groups?​
• Is the design of the Strategic Note and interventions most relevant to the context of Albania?
• How can the relevance be sustained in the next Strategic Note in a context of changing government’s and donor priorities and shrinking funds for gender equality and women’s empowerment?

Coherence: How well do the interventions fit?​

Internal coherence:​

• Do interventions achieve synergies within the UN Women portfolio?​
• Is the balance and coherence between programming - operational, coordination and policy‐normative work optimal?​
• What should be strengthened in the new Albania Country Office Strategic Note and in regards to the new UN Women Strategic Plan?

External coherence:​

• Is the Country Office able to strategically position itself and leverage its coordination mandate on GEEW in the country? Who are the key partners and which strategies have worked best to do this? Are there any organizations Country Office aspires to collaborate with moving forward?
• What are the key results of UN and external coordination and what are the challenges? What should be the priorities in the next Strategic Note?

Effectiveness: Are the things we are doing working?

• What were the key Country Office’s results in pursuing gender equality and empowerment of women through its integrated mandated and what were the most effective strategies?
• What are the key programmatic results? Have there been unexpected or underreported results, that should have been given more attention in future? 
• What are programmatic strengths that the Country Office should leverage in future Strategic Note or unexplored areas that should be introduced?

Human Rights and Gender Equality: Do women, girls and most vulnerable benefit?

• Has the portfolio been implemented according to human rights and development effectiveness principles (Participation / empowerment; Inclusion / non-discrimination; National accountability / transparency).​
• Is the portfolio addressing the root causes of gender inequality, social norms? How it supports the most vulnerable?​
• Is the design tailored to target the underlying causes of gender inequality and address LNOB principle?
• To what extent is the portfolio changing the dynamics of power in relationships between different groups, including backlash on gender equality?​
• To what extent disability inclusion is embedded across the activities within the threefold mandate?​
• What are the steps taken to address backlash to gender equality, degradation of achieved results in gender equality and women’s empowerment and how those can be fostered in the future?

Efficiency: Are we doing things right?​

• How efficient is collaboration across operations and programmatic work? What should be done to optimise the structure?
• What internal policies and procedures are particularly supportive/challenging and what needs to improve?
• How effective are Country Office’s own resource mobilization strategies? 
• Given the reduction in development aid and the shifting landscape of international priorities, how is UN Women Country Office adjusting its focus and setting new priorities?

Sustainability: Will the changes last? 

• To what extent was capacity developed in order to ensure sustainability of efforts and benefits?​
• Is there national ownership and are there national champions for different parts of the portfolio?​
• What local accountability and oversight systems have been established?​
• What are the potentials for replication, upscaling of the results?
• To what extent has UN Women Albania Country Office managed to ensure sustainability/stability for the implementation of its threefold mandate in the country? 
• Have there been some underfunded but important programmatic areas?

The evaluation is expected to take a gender-responsive approach. Gender-responsive evaluations use a systematic approach to examining factors related to gender that assesses and promotes gender equality issues and provides an analysis of the structures of political and social control that create gender equality.

II.6 Evaluation scope and limitations

The CPE covers the implementation of the UN Women Albania Strategic Note 2022-2026; however, considering the final evaluation report needs to be timely ready to inform the next Strategic Note planning process, the period assessed by evaluation will be January 2022 – January 2026 and the plans for 2026. The CPE will assess the implementation of the threefold mandate of UN Women in Albania during this period, including general support to normative policy, UN coordination and programmatic work which will be considered in relation to the thematic areas established by the UN Women Strategic Plan 2022-2025.

The evaluation team is expected to establish the boundaries for the evaluation, especially in terms of which stakeholders and relationships will be included or excluded from the evaluation. These will need to be discussed in the Inception Period.

The evaluation is expected to consider the main cultural, social and economic differences when analysing the contributions of UN Women. 

CPEs focusses on outcome level results. Accordingly, they are not expected to:

• Collect output monitoring data (however, ensuring this is available should be part of the evaluability assessment).
• Analyse the achievement of impacts as defined by UNEG [17]. Impact evaluations should instead be achieved through a dedicated Impact Evaluation;
• Focus on evaluating UN Women’s corporate management or systems outside of the country context (although they may make observations in this area, particularly in terms of how corporate systems enable or hinder, which may contribute to other IEAS efforts).

II.7 Evaluation design and methodology

UN Women evaluations are gender-responsive meaning that both the process and analysis apply the key principles of a human rights-based approach: they are inclusive, participatory, ensure fair power relations, and transparent; and they analyze the underlying structural barriers and socio-cultural norms that impede the realization of women’s rights. UN Women evaluations are also utilization-focused, which means that it will be tailored to the needs of the organization through a participatory approach from the inception through to the development of recommendations, which will facilitate production of a useful evaluation.

The evaluation will be based on gender and human rights principles and adhere to the UNEG Norms and Standards (2016), the UNEG Ethical Guidelines (2020) and  UN Women Evaluation Policy and Handbook.

The evaluation will be employing a non-experimental, theory-based[18] approach. The performance of the country portfolio will be assessed according to the theory of change stated in the Strategic Note 2022-2026. The evaluation team is expected to undertake a rapid evaluability assessment in the Inception. This should include the following: 

1. An assessment of the relevance, appropriateness and coherence of the implicit or explicit theory of change, strengthening or reconstructing it where necessary through a stakeholder workshop; 
2. An assessment of the quality of performance indicators in the DRF and OEEF, and the accessibility and adequacy of relevant documents and secondary data; 
3. A review of the conduciveness of the context for the evaluation;
4. Ensuring familiarity with accountability and management structures for the evaluation. 

The evaluation will undertake a desk-based portfolio analysis that includes a synthesis of secondary results data for the Development Results Framework and the Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency Framework of the Country Office. This will cover all activities undertaken by the Country Office.

The portfolio analysis will be triangulated through a mixed methods approach that will include: 

1. Desk review of additional documentary evidence; 
2. Consultation with all main stake holding groups; and 
3. An independent assessment of development effectiveness using Contribution Analysis.

The evaluation is expected to be informed by the relevant evaluations conducted during the strategic note period, namely:

• Final evaluation of the regional project “Transformative Financing for Gender Equality towards more Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in the Western Balkans”
• Mid-term evaluation of UN Joint Programme “Leave No One Behind” Phase 2
• Final Evaluation of UN Joint Programme Ending Violence Against Women Phase I 
• Final evaluation of the project “Gender Rural Equality and Tourism (GREAT)” 
• UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2022-2026 independent evaluation.

The evaluation is expected to assess the strategic position of UN Women. It is anticipated that mixed qualitative/quantitative cases of different target groups will be developed, compared, and contrasted. The evaluation team will identify which factors, and which combinations of factors, are most frequently associated with a higher contribution of UN Women to expected and unexpected outcomes. 

The method should include a wide range of data sources (including documents, field information, institutional information systems, financial records, beneficiaries, staff, funders, experts, government officials and community groups). 

The evaluation is particularly encouraged to use participatory methods to ensure that all stakeholders are consulted as part of the evaluation process. At a minimum, this should include participatory tools for consultation with stakeholder groups and a plan for inclusion of women and individuals and groups who are vulnerable and/or discriminated against in the consultation process. 

The evaluation team should detail a plan on how protection of participants and respect for confidentiality will be guaranteed. The evaluation is encouraged to use the following data collection tools: secondary documents analysis, surveys, interviews, focus group discussions and observations. 

The evaluation is expected to assess, and in case it is required to reconstruct, the theory of change using a participatory process during the Inception Phase of the evaluation. This should be based on feminist and institutional analysis. The evaluation will apply Contribution Analysis (CA) to assess the effectiveness of UN Women’s country portfolio. This will use a model template to be provided to the evaluation team.

The evaluation is expected to consider the main cultural, social, and economic differences when analyzing the contributions of UN Women. Data should be systematically disaggregated by sex and age and, to the extent possible, by geographical region, ethnicity, disability and migratory status. Specific guidelines should be observed[19]. 

II.8 Stakeholder participation 

The evaluation team should ensure participation of stakeholders during the evaluation process, with a particular emphasis on rights holders and their representatives considering limitations imposed by the pandemic which may limit the ability to ensure engagement of stakeholders as per normal practice.

Stakeholders should include:

1. Target groups, their households and community members;
2. Programme and project partners;
3. National and local government institutions;
4. Internal UN Women stakeholders;
5. Civil society representatives;
6. Private sector representatives;
7. Political leaders and representatives;
8. Donors and development partners;
9. UN Country Team members and key staff from UN sister entities;

It is important to pay particular attention to participation of rights holders—in particular women and vulnerable and marginalized groups—to ensure the application of a gender-responsive approach. It is also important to specify ethical safeguards that will be employed.

The evaluators are expected to validate findings through engagement with stakeholders at stakeholder workshops, debriefings, or other forms of engagement.

The evaluation team is expected to establish the boundaries for the evaluation, especially in terms of which stakeholders and relationships will be included or excluded from the evaluation. These will need to be discussed during the inception phase of the evaluation.

II.9 Ethical code of conduct

UN Women has developed a UN Women Evaluation Consultants Agreement Form for evaluators that must be signed as part of the contracting process, which is based on the UNEG Ethical Guidelines and Code of Conduct. These documents will be annexed to the contract. The UNEG guidelines note the importance of ethical conduct for the following reasons:

1. Responsible use of power: All those engaged in evaluation processes are responsible for upholding the proper conduct of the evaluation;

2. Ensuring credibility: With a fair, impartial and complete assessment, stake- holders are more likely to have faith in the results of an evaluation and to take note of the recommendations;

3. Responsible use of resources: Ethical conduct in evaluation increases the chances of acceptance by the parties to the evaluation and therefore the likelihood that the investment in the evaluation will result in improved outcomes.

Specific safeguards must be put in place to protect the safety (both physical and psychological) of both respondents and those collecting the data. These should include:

1. A plan is in place to protect the rights of the respondent, including privacy and confidentiality. As well in case on missions in the fields will be allowed the health protection measures to be envisaged;

2. The interviewer or data collector is trained in collecting sensitive information, and if the topic of the evaluation is focused on violence against women, they should have previous experience in this area;

3. Data collection tools are designed in a way that are respectful and culturally appropriate and do not create distress for respondents;

4. Data collection visits are organized at the appropriate time and place so as to minimize risk to respondents;

5. The interviewer or data collector is able to provide information on how individuals in situations of risk can seek support.

The evaluation’s value added is its impartial and systematic assessment of the programme or intervention. As with the other stages of the evaluation, involvement of stakeholders should not interfere with the impartiality of the evaluation.

The evaluator(s) have the final judgment on the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation report, and the evaluator(s) must be protected from pressures to change information in the report.

To avoid conflict of interest and undue pressure, the members of the evaluation team need to be independent, implying that they must not have been directly responsible for the design, or overall management of the subject of the evaluation, nor expect to be in the near future. In addition, evaluators must have no vested interest and must have the full freedom to conduct their evaluative work impartially. They must be able to express their opinion in a free manner.

II.10 Evaluation time frame and deliverables 

The evaluation is expected to be conducted according to the following time frame: 

Task Time frame Responsible party

Virtual inception meeting

 

A one-day virtual inception meeting between evaluators and CO staff will take place in October 2025

 

Evaluators/UN Women CO

 

Inception report and EMG comments

 

Submission 2 week after the virtual meeting 

 

Evaluators, EMG, IES

 

Data collection[20]

 

4 weeks – January-February 2026

 

Evaluators

 

Data analysis and presentation of preliminary findings)

 

 4 weeks (post final data collection) February 2026

 

Evaluators, ERG, EMG

 

Independent Evaluation Service, Evaluation Reference Group and Evaluation Management Group validation 

 

 

March 2026

 

ERG, EMG, IES

 

Final Report and final validation 

March 2026

 

Evaluators

 

Use and follow-up

 

Within 6 weeks after endorsement of final report

UN Women CO 

 

II.11 Management of the evaluation

The evaluation process will be led by UN Women Independent Evaluation Service and the management structure for this evaluation will include:

1. ECA Regional Evaluation Specialist (RES), who is a member of the UN Women Independent Evaluation Service, will be the evaluation team lead and the task manager for this evaluation and will be supported by the UN Women Albania CO M&E Focal Point during the evaluation process.

2. Evaluation Management Group (EMG) for administrative support and accountability will include: Country Representative, M&E Focal Point; ECA RES (who will lead the group);

3. External Evaluation Reference Group to foster stakeholders’ ownership and participatory approach; CSOs, state partners; development partners (including donors); representative of the UNCT.

4. Internal Evaluation Reference Group integrated by key UN Women Albania CO personnel and key RO staff, including ECARO Planning Specialist and ECARO Coordination Specialists, to foster ownership of the process and use of its results by the CO’s personnel. CO personnel are expected to be closely engaged during the entire evaluation process; personnel will be consulted during the inception and data collection phases of the evaluation (all personnel are expected to participate in the inception workshop and in the presentations of the preliminary findings and the final report). Regional Director and key ECARO personnel will also be invited to join the final presentation of the evaluation. 

5. Since this is an independent evaluation service led evaluation, Independent Evaluation, Internal Audit, and Investigation Service leadership will provide oversight and quality assurance evaluation  the TOR, the inception and final reports and will issue the final report. 

The main roles and responsibilities for the management of the evaluation reports are as follows:

Evaluation team leader (UN Women ECA RES) 

 

1. Leads the conceptual and methodological approach and other aspects of the evaluation design;
2. Leads the quality assurance of deliverables;
3. Reviews the feedback on the draft and final report from the

management and reference groups;

1. Leads the production of all evaluation deliverables

Evaluation team members (external consultants)  Under the guidance of the evaluation team leader the evaluation team prepare all deliverables, which should reflect an agreed- upon approach and design for the evaluation from the perspective of the evaluation team. CO appointed Evaluation Focal Point 

To maximize stakeholder participation and ensure a gender-responsive evaluation, under the guidance of ECA RES, the appointed Evaluation Focal Point should support the evaluator(s) during data collection process in the following ways:

1. Liaise with CO staff, including Country Representative.

2. Consult partners regarding the evaluation and the proposed schedule for data collection.

3.Manage logistics for the field mission. Ensure the stakeholders identified through the stakeholder analysis are being included, the most vulnerable or difficult to reach, and provide logistical support as necessary contacting stakeholders.

Internal and External Evaluation Reference Groups (ERG) 

1. Provide substantive comments and feedback to evaluation deliverables;

2. Participates in meetings and workshops;

3. Provide relevant information, as needed. 

Independent Evaluation and Audit Service Leadership 

1. Provide substantive comments and feedback to evaluation deliverables;

2. Clear and issue the final evaluation report. 

UN Women Albania Country Representative 

1. Provide substantive comments and feedback to evaluation deliverables;

2. Participates in meetings and workshops;

3. Provide relevant information, as needed.

4. Endorse evaluation management response to evaluation recommendations within six weeks after the final evaluation report is endorsed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

II.12 Evaluation team composition

This CPE will have the following team composition with required skills and experiences:

The team lead (ECA RES who is a member of UN Women IES), an International Evaluation Expert and a National Evaluation Expert.

While the Team Leader is expected to lead the overall conduct and analysis of the evaluation process and lead the evaluation team to ensure the CPE deliverables are met, the different evaluation experts are expected to provide key contextual information and perspective to design a robust gender-responsive, utilization-focused CPE. The different team members will be responsible for key analytical tasks, systematization of information and contribution to analysis and report and presentation preparation.

All members of the team are required to have significant experience in designing and conducting gender-responsive evaluation. In addition, all evaluators should have proven commitment to the core values of the United Nations, in particular respecting differences of culture, gender, ethnicity, nationality, language, age, HIV status, disability and sexual orientation. 

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work/Roles and responsibilities   

Under the supervision of the evaluation Team Leader, the International Evaluation Expert is expected to contribute to:   

1. Design a robust gender-responsive, utilisation-focused CPE, conduct an inception workshop, draft and support the validation of the inception report;  
2. Manage the data collection, including the document review, field visits for data collection;  
3. Analyse of all the data collected to develop preliminary findings and drafting of final report, including annexes;  
4. Develop the draft final 2-page brief outlining the overview of the evaluation process, including key findings, conclusions, lessons and recommendations;  

Level of effort by the International Evaluation expert: 40 days of engagement

Initial data collection and preparation of inception report

 

10 days

Data collection 10 days Preparation of draft report 10 days Preparation of final report and associated evaluation outputs 10 days

 

 

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. As part of this assignment, there will be a maximum of one trip to Albania for data collection.
 

[1] Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Beijing Platform for Action, UN Security Council resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security, etc.

[2] UN Women Albania Strategic Note 2022-2026 https://albania.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2022/02/un-women-albania-strategic-note-2022-2026 

[3] UN Women Strategic Plan 2022-2025. https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2021/09/un-women-strategic-plan-2022-2025 

[4] National Strategy for Development and Integration 2022-2030  https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fs3albania.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F07%2F1b.-NSDEI-2022-2030-Final-English-Version-23-Jan-1.docx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK

[5] National Strategy on Gender Equality 2021-2030 https://shendetesia.gov.al/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/WEB_Strategjia-Kombetare-EN.pdf 

[6] United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2021-2026 in Albania https://albania.un.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/PRINT_Shtator_Eng_new_Updated_Albania%20CF%202022-2026%20OK_1.pdf 

[7]https://www.instat.gov.al/media/14644/matja-e-t%C3%AB-ardhurave-dhe-nivelit-t%C3%AB-jeteses-2023.pdf

[8] https://www.instat.gov.al/al/publikime/librat/2024/tregu-i-punës-2023/ 

[9] Albanian Population and Housing Census 2023 https://www.instat.gov.al/en/publications/books/2024/albanian-population-and-housing-census-2023/

[10] https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/profiles/albania 

[11] https://s3albania.org/portfolio-item/national-strategy-for-development-and-european-integration-2030/

[12] Agjencia Shtetërore e Programimit Strategjik dhe Koordinimit të Ndihmës (SASPAC). (2024, November). Roadmap for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Albania (Draft, machine-translated version).

[13] May 28, 2025.

[14] A detailed description of the UN Women Albania Country Office SN 2022-2026 Outcomes is included in Annex I

[15] Status by May 2025.

[16] The evaluation team will revise and refine the evaluation question during the evaluation’s inception phase

[17] UNEG Guidance on impact evaluation can be accessed at http://www.uneval.org/document/detail/1433

[18] A theory-based design assesses the performance of the Strategic Note based upon its stated assumptions about how change happens. These assumptions can be challenged, validated or expanded upon by the evaluation.

[19] namely the UNEG guidance on Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluations (2014) and UN Disability Inclusion Strategy Evaluation Accountability (2019). 

[20] Tentative dates, considering informants may be on winter break.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Strong analytical, writing and reporting abilities;
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, ability to lead a team and negotiate amongst a wide range of stakeholders;
• Commitment to quality products and deadlines;
• Builds strong relationships;
• Focuses on impact and results and responds positively to feedback;
• Approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates/safeguards ethics and integrity;
• Demonstrated corporate knowledge and sound judgment;
• Acts as a team player and facilitates team work;
• Facilitates and encourages open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
• Learns and shares knowledge and encourages learning of others;
• Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling UN values and ethical standards;
• Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments; observing deadlines and achieving results;
• Displays cultural, gender, nationality, religion and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Education and Certification:

At least a master’s degree in gender/women studies, social science, sociology, international development, or related area. 

Experience:

• At least 7 years of experience in conducting evaluations; A minimum of 5 years as evaluation team leader designing and leading evaluations;
• At least 5-years of practical experience in conducting gender-responsive evaluations of development strategies, policies and programs; 
• Extensive knowledge of, and experience in applying, qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods; 
• Proven knowledge of the role of UN Women and its programming, coordination and normative roles at the regional and country level; 
• Country or regional experience in the concerned region/country will be considered a strong asset; 
• Any relevant GEWE thematic expertise will be considered a strong asset.   

Languages:

• Language proficiency in English (written and spoken) mandatory   

How to apply

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• Previous evaluation reports

Annex I Description of UN Women Albania Country Office Strategic Note Outcomes 

Outcome 1: Equitable investment in people

Under this outcome, the CO has built upon the progress achieved during the previous SN by advancing social inclusion and supporting the reform of social protection through the second phase of the UN joint programme “Leave No One Behind (LNOB2)” LNOB2 emphasized reinforcing the foundations of social care reform and enhancing the outcomes of earlier efforts. Adopting a comprehensive strategy, the CO has aimed to empower marginalized individuals and communities by ensuring fair access to public gender-responsive services that uphold their social rights, promote inclusion, and enhance well-being. It also has sought to amplify their voices in shaping public policies that impact their lives and to foster accountability among policymakers.

To achieve these objectives, the CO has collaborated with national institutions at both central and local levels to ensure that social services were properly funded and effectively monitored. Additionally, the CO has focused on building the capacity of key stakeholders—such as civil society organizations, grassroots movements, and the broader public—to actively participate in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of gender-sensitive and evidence-informed social services.

Moreover, the CO has engaged directly with vulnerable and marginalized women, helping them access the knowledge, skills, and opportunities needed to advocate for justice and social protection. This outcome aligned with UNSDCF Outcome 4 (C2), particularly in relation to gender-responsive budgeting and inclusive local-level processes, as well as the improved collection and use of disaggregated data. UN Women leveraged its unique strength in addressing the intersection of gender with other social divisions and in tackling the root causes of gender inequality and the layered exclusion faced by disadvantaged women and girls.

The interventions under this outcome have aimed to support the achievement of UN Women’s Global Strategic Plan Outcome 1, which focuses on global standards and gender-responsive legal and policy frameworks, and Outcome 4, which promotes equitable access for women to services, goods, and resources.

Outcome 2: Productive and inclusive development

This outcome has built on previous efforts to expand programmatic interventions into emerging areas identified by the UNSDCF, such as climate change and the shift toward a green and blue economy. The CO has contributed to 1) develop the capacity of Government institutions, civil society organizations, and the private sector have to design, implement, and monitor policies and programs focused on the digital and innovative economy, contributing to women’s economic empowerment (Output 1.2.1); 2) strengthen planning and coordination mechanisms to support climate change adaptation and mitigation, including disaster risk reduction (DRR), while integrating gender equality commitments (Output 1.2.2 & UNSDCF 2.4); and 3) improve the access of women and youth to productive and financial resources, information, and skill-building opportunities to enhance their participation in the labour market (Output 1.2.3).

These efforts have involved collaboration with public institutions, the private sector, and CSOs to foster a supportive environment for gender-responsive policies, budgeting, financing, and the use of sex-disaggregated data to drive innovative and integrated solutions—particularly for women and young people. Activities have focused on enhancing capacities and systems for gender-responsive climate action and disaster and emergency management, with a particular emphasis on rural women.

These efforts have aimed to contribute to the achievement of UN Women’s Global Strategic Plan (SP) Impact 2: Women’s Economic Empowerment, supporting income security, decent work, and economic autonomy for women. It has also supported Impact 4: Women, Peace and Security, Humanitarian Action, and Disaster Risk Reduction.

Outcome 3: Gender-responsive governance 

This outcome represents the largest portion of CO’s programmatic portfolio, aiming for gender-responsive governance that strengthens equality and non-discrimination, promotes women’s empowerment and human rights, and reduces violence against women and children.

To achieve this outcome, UN Women Albania has leveraged its efforts to: 

These efforts have aimed to contribute to the achievement of UN Women’s Global Strategic Plan (SP) Outcome 1 Global normative frameworks and gender-responsive laws, policies and institutions, Outcome 2 Financing for Gender Equality, Outcome 3 Positive social norms,

including through engaging men and boys. Outcome 4 Women’s equitable access to services, goods & resources, Outcome 5 Women’s voice, leadership and agency, SP Outcome 6 Production, analysis and use of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data and knowledge.

 

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

 

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.