External evaluation of the Regional Cooperation Program – Disaster Risk Management in the South-West Indian Ocean zone At French Red Cross

Introduction

• Context of the consultancy mission

The French Red Cross is involved in international solidarity actions. It actively intervenes in the field of health and disaster risk management (DRM), alongside the National Societies of the countries of intervention, to protect and strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable populations.

The Indian Ocean Regional Intervention Platform (PIROI), located in Reunion, constitutes a regional tool of the French Red Cross, operating in the prevention, preparation and response to disasters in the south-west zone of Indian Ocean. Its scope of action includes the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the South-West Indian Ocean (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles), the French departments (Reunion and Mayotte) as well as two coastal countries. East Africa, exposed to the risk of natural disasters (Mozambique and Tanzania). This densely populated region is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Created in 2000 by the Saint Denis Agreement, the PIROI brings together the 7 National Societies of the countries in its area of ​​intervention and has 9 signatories, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross Societies. the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC). Its role was officially recognized in 2012 by a cooperation agreement between the French Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Furthermore, the partnership agreement established in 2012 and renewed in 2016 with the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), makes PIROI a central player in disaster risk management on a regional scale.

PIROI implements a regional cooperation program whose main objective is to mitigate the impact of disasters linked to natural hazards, health crises and climate change on the populations of the Indian Ocean. Its actions are aligned with international disaster risk management strategies, encompassing the training of response teams, prepositioning of equipment, capacity building of National Societies and DRM actors, risk awareness and support for local communities.

Following a reflection carried out from 2019 to 2021, the PIROI established a strategic framework for the period 2021-2025 (following a 2017 – 2020 action plan), structured around 4 axes, 5 commitments and a facilitating action:

• Axis 1: Improving the knowledge and skills of disaster risk management stakeholders regarding the risks linked to natural hazards, health crises and climate change.
• Axis 2: Strengthening the capacities of stakeholders to face the risks linked to natural hazards, health crises and climate change.
• Axis 3: Raising awareness and preparing populations for the risks linked to natural hazards, health crises and climate change.
• Axis 4: Provision of emergency aid to populations affected by disasters linked to natural hazards and health crises.

These strategic actions integrate island particularities, multiple hazards and the specific needs of National Societies.

To expand its network, during this strategic programming period, PIROI is developing its action with the construction of the PIROI Center, a regional center of expertise, training and innovation dedicated to risk management and climate change. This tool, which will be operational at the end of 2024, aims to play a facilitating role in the scale of intervention desired by the PIROI.

Furthermore, PIROI has defined 5 commitments in its strategic framework:

1. Ensure the Nexus link “Prevention, Preparedness and Response”
2. Adopting an integrated approach to resilience
3. Engage communities and take individual specificities into account
4. Becoming climate-smart
5. Rely on sustainable and balanced partnership relationships

This consultancy mission takes place in a context of evolution of the regional cooperation program with a view to “commissioning” of the PIROI Center in the 2nd half of 2024. This transition involves evaluating the implementation of the 2021-2025 strategic framework. on the basis of the OECD DAC evaluation criteria (I), to assess existing and uncovered needs (II), in order to have strategic, financial and operational recommendations for the next programming (2026-2030) ( III).

This evaluation is part of a process marked by several other consultancies with which a link must be made:

Consultancy – Standardized regional emergency procedures for the Movement, from March to November 2024.

Intermediate evaluation of the Paré pas Paré natural risks awareness project, from April to September 2024.

Update of cooperation agreements between PIROI members, from April to September 2024.

Consultancy for a study on the development of the PIROI Center training offer, from May to October 2024.

Evaluation of the regional cooperation program, from June to December 2024.

• Project Overview

PIROI is actively engaged in capacity building, coordinating actions and providing expertise to local partners, mainly National Societies members of its network, involved in disaster risk management.

The current program includes the following components:

• The preparation of actors, in particular the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, for disaster risk management, including training, capacity building workshops, provision of intervention equipment as well as support for coordination and implementation of emergency responses. *
• Support for disaster risk reduction in the Indian Ocean region, involving training and technical and financial support for carrying out population awareness activities by National Societies. As such, in the territory of Reunion Island, the program has been implementing the “ Paré pas Paré ” project since 2011, dedicated to raising school and general public awareness of natural risks.
• The training component since 2017, with the establishment of a Training department for the development of the offer and the expansion of target audiences
• The Research and innovation component through partnerships with scientific organizations (e.g. network of Movement research centers, Météo France), the awarding of research grants or even collaborations with the private sector.

The PIROI Regional Program also includes a dimension of coordination and support for state actors aimed at ensuring favorable conditions for disaster management by National Disaster Management Offices, local authorities, etc.

* Support sectors in distribution modality: NFI, Shelter, WASH, epidemiology and specialization in Cash modality

General and specific objectives of the consultancy mission

• General objective of the consultancy mission

This consultancy mission aims to evaluate the regional cooperation program. The emphasis is placed on identifying PIROI’s expertise.

• Specific objectives of the consultancy mission

Specific objective 1 – Evaluate the PIROI regional cooperation program defined by the 2021-2025 Strategic Framework, based on the OECD DAC criteria. * This will also involve evaluating the implementation of the five commitments of the PIROI strategic framework.

The different fields of analysis that must be covered by the evaluation are as follows:

1.1 An analysis of the relevance of the strategy used, the objectives of the program, the choice of beneficiaries: the objectives of the program correspond to the priorities, needs and expectations of the beneficiaries, the policies of the country, of the partners (and in particular the member National Societies) and donors.

1.2 An analysis of the consistency or contradiction of the intervention strategy with the country’s policies and other actors including authorities, humanitarians and donors.

1.3 An analysis of the effectiveness of activities in qualitative and quantitative terms.

1.4 An analysis of efficiency (cost/effectiveness ratio) in the implementation of activities in the following areas:

• Planning and carrying out activities (notably the number of beneficiaries)
• The strategy implemented
• The major components of the program such as staff, logistics, account keeping, selection of beneficiaries, relevance of aid in the context of local practices

* Relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability.

1.5 An evaluation of the degree of coverage of the activities in relation to the needs initially identified and the needs proven during and at the end of the activity.

1.6 An analysis of the impact of the program on the beneficiaries and the long-term effects, positive and negative, direct or indirect, induced by the program, directly or not, intentionally or not.

1.7 An analysis of the sustainability and interconnectivity of program activities.

Specific objective 2 – Assess the needs and challenges encountered by GRC actors, with a view to identifying the issues, themes and tools that PIROI should take charge of during its next programming (2026-2030) as part of the PIROI Center.

Specific objective 3 – Propose strategic recommendations for the period 2026 – 2030, covering in particular:

• the strategic axes of the regional program
• the services provided by the PIROI Center, in particular training and logistics
• the integration of the PIROI Center in the environment of the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement including that of the French Red Cross (I), on the territory of Reunion within the Franco-French framework (II) and in the area South-West Indian Ocean and even French-speaking Africa (III)
• the articulation of the expertise of the PIROI Center (internal organization)

These strategic recommendations must include an appropriate financial strategy.

Methodology of the consultancy mission

The consultant is free to propose the methodology that appears suitable and in line with the objectives and expected deliverables.

The methodology should include:

• interviews and focus groups with partners including National Societies and external partners
• interviews and focus groups with the PIROI team and resource people identified at the FIU headquarters
• documentary analyses, field visits

This approach will make it possible to collect qualitative and quantitative data to assess the impact of the activities of the regional cooperation program implemented by PIROI and guide its evolution, taking into account the opening of the PIROI Center.

The complete proposed methodology must be detailed in the offer.

Expected results of the consultancy mission

Expected results :

• An in-depth evaluation of the regional cooperation program, in the light of the 2021-2025 Strategic Framework, carried out according to the OECD DAC criteria, allows PIROI to identify and quantify its successes, its expertise and its challenges, in order to effectively guide its future actions.
• An analysis of the major external factors which may have influenced the regional program during this period
• A detailed analysis of the needs and challenges of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) stakeholders provides PIROI with a clear vision of priorities and intervention opportunities for the next programming (2026-2030), thus making it possible to strengthen its role as a key player in the RCMP.
• Solid strategic recommendations, supported by internal and external mapping from the PIROI Center, allow PIROI to maximize the effectiveness of its interventions and optimize its impact in the South-West Indian Ocean region.
• An adapted financial strategy integrated into the strategic recommendations provides PIROI with the necessary resources to support and sustain the activities of the PIROI Center, thus strengthening its capacity to respond to the growing needs in terms of disaster risk management and climate change.

Expected deliverables

> Scoping report:

> Detailed description of the methodology

> Chronogram

> List of people to interview

> Corpus of documents / publications used in the documentary review

> Data collection tools

> Currently being consulted:

> Invitations and agenda concerning COPILs to be organized regularly

> COPIL report

> Final report:

Final report of the consultancy mission, document in French of 30 A4 pages maximum in Word (.docx) and PDF formats. including:

• a table of contents,
• a list of acronyms,
• a 2-page executive summary,
• the evaluation report of the regional cooperation program,
• the analysis report of the major external factors which may have influenced the program
• the prospective analysis report of the needs of GRC partners,
• strategic recommendations for the period 2026 – 2030

Annexes to the Final Report:

• Questionnaires and/or interview guides completed during the evaluation and other evaluation tools
• List of people interviewed
• Summary brochure favoring the use of visual supports for wide distribution

> Refunds:

> Restitution support summarizing the conclusions of the evaluation in Powerpoint format (.ppt)

> Workshop to report the evaluation internally at PIROI accompanied by presentation support (powerpoint type)

> Interim assessment restitution workshop for project partners (1 hour intervention on November 19 or 20, 2024, in person or online, to be confirmed) accompanied by presentation support (powerpoint type).

Organization of consultancy and timeline

Consultancy phases

Phase 0 – mission framing

Phase 1 – Field investigations

Phase 2 – Writing

Phase 3 – Restitution

The consultancy must be carried out between June 24 and December 15, 2024.

Processing of offers

Consultant profile

Given the cross-cutting issues of this consultancy, a multidisciplinary team is expected which brings together the following skills:

• Knowledge of disaster risk management and climate change within the framework of international cooperation programs
• Proven experience in cooperation program evaluation
• Crowdsourced data collection, analysis and visualization capabilities
• Ability to lead and mobilize a team
• Ability to develop cooperation program strategies
• Good understanding of the CRF ecosystem
• Mastery of the diversity of ESS financing methods: subsidies, self-financing, etc.

Administrative clauses

• The bidder accepts that his contact details are listed in the French Red Cross Consultants Database
• The bidder must provide proof at the time of submission of the regularity of his economic activity (tax documents, registration, registration as a self-employed worker – depending on the reference country where the bidder is established).
• The service provider must provide the means necessary to carry out its service, whether material or human: plane tickets, computer, professional liability insurance, visa.
• He can delegate part of the mission, within his teams, to the employee of his choice, but he remains the sole hierarchical and disciplinary authority concerning his employees. The service provider must ensure security, and as such insure the consultants sent on mission.