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Consultant

Terms of Reference for Review of Ethnic Minority Strategy & Programming

Embassy of Ireland to Vietnam

August 2020

 

 

Background

 

Ireland, through its Embassy in Hanoi, has supported ethnic minority development policy and programming in Vietnam for over 10 years. The Embassy has invested Irish Aid funding in the Government of Vietnam’s Programme 135, technical assistance to the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs (CEMA), and projects implemented with Vietnamese and international NGOs and multilateral organisations. The Embassy also coordinates development partners through its co-chairing of the Ethnic Minority Working Group and actively contributes to the strategic dialogue and policy development at the national level.

 

The Mission Strategy of Ireland in Vietnam and the Mekong sub-region 2017-2020 recognised that promoting the inclusive and sustainable development of ethnic minority communities is a complex issue requiring collective action by government, development partners and communities themselves. In this context, the Embassy advanced a new way of working together under this Strategy to maximise the impact of the support provided. The Ethnic Minority Partnership for Resilience and Opportunity (EMPRO) partnership brings together Government, Vietnamese and international NGOs and multilateral organisations funded by the Embassy of Ireland to multiply the impact of their work by sharing experience, learning from each other and working towards joint results where possible.

 

Embassy Hanoi will conduct an evaluation of its Mission Strategy in 2020-2021. To feed into this process and to support the design of the subsequent Strategy, the Embassy intends to engage a consultant to conduct a review of the EMPRO approach, to provide management with an evidence-based and quality assured assessment/review of the partnership’s added value, to assess the continued relevance of the approach in the current ethnic minority policy context in Vietnam, and to make recommendations for the future orientation of ethnic minority programming and engagement.

 

Purpose and objectives

 

The purpose of the consultancy is to:

 

  1. 1.       Review the performance of the EMPRO partnership, with a focus on the added value of the broader approach, beyond individual project funding;
  2. 2.       Undertake a mapping and analysis of the current ethnic minority policy context in Vietnam, with a focus on key changes in the previous five years and their implications for the relevance of the EMPRO approach and Embassy programming;
  3. 3.       Identify lessons learned and considerations for the future orientation of ethnic minority programming and engagement by the Embassy;
  4. 4.       Facilitate consultations with the EMPRO partnership group on the future orientation of the Embassy’s ethnic minority programming and engagement.

 

Methodology

 

The work will begin with a mapping and analysis of the current ethnic minority policy context and donor engagement in Vietnam. This will be conducted alongside a review of the EMPRO Strategic Paper and related documentation, including monitoring visit reports and minutes of meetings. The consultant may also refer to EMPRO partner organisation reports and evaluations to examine the approach being taken and results delivered by partners. This desk review will be supplemented by key informant interviews, including EMPRO partners and other informed stakeholders, to gain a deeper understanding of the added value of the EMPRO approach, how it fits within the broader ethnic minority context work in Vietnam and its contribution to the national response. At this stage a draft report will be compiled. Following this it is proposed that the consultant facilitate a workshop with the EMPRO partnership group to interrogate the findings of the draft report and gather inputs on the future orientation of the Embassy’s ethnic minority work. Adjustments will be made to the report following the workshop.

 

Required competencies

 

  • Facilitation skills
  • Excellent English writing and documenting skills essential
  • Experience in evaluation work
  • Familiarity with the ethnic minority development context in Vietnam
  • Ability to critique independently and objectively
  • Fluency in Vietnamese an advantage

 

Management arrangements

 

The consultant will report in the first instance to the Head of Development, Embassy Hanoi. The consultancy will be based out of Hanoi, Vietnam. Travel outside of Hanoi may be required for key informant interviews, especially local authorities. The feasibility of travel will be assessed with the Embassy at the time. Contact with stakeholders may be in person or remotely, depending on prevailing public health guidance. The consultant is required to be available in person to conduct the workshop in Hanoi in November, public health guidance permitting.

 

Language

All key deliverables shall be delivered in English. Communication with the Embassy management team will be in English. Key informant interviews may be conducted in English or Vietnamese, depending on the interlocutor. Interpretation can be provided by the Embassy for key informant interviews which are required to take place in Vietnamese.

 

Timeframe

 

A maximum of 20 working days will be available for this assignment. The context mapping and desk review will be conducted between 1st and 15st October 2020. The key informant interviews will take place between 15th October and 15th November.  The workshop will take place in mid- November and the final report will be completed by 30th November 2020.

 

Outputs

(i)                  A report mapping the ethnic minority policy context and donor engagement in Vietnam, reviewing the added value of the EMPRO approach and proposing directions for the Embassy’s future work in this area – max 15 pages

(ii)                Workshop with EMPRO partners

 

Application

Interested consultants should submit an updated CV, and a detailed consultancy proposal including a tentative work schedule and a cost estimate. Please address correspondence to Ms. Nguyen Pham at Nguyen.Pham@dfanet.ie. The deadline for submission is Friday 25th September 2020.

 

 

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