Information Management (IM) Consultant Barometer of the localization of humanitarian aid Democratic Republic of Congo At International Council of Voluntary Agencies

Description of the consultation: Analysis of data relating to the barometer of the location of humanitarian aid in the DRC.

Areas of expertise: Information and data management

Location: Goma – DRC

Contract: Consultancy

Consultation period: December 2024 – February 2025

Number of consultation days: 20 days

About ICVA

Founded in 1962, the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) is a global network of more than 160 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in 160 countries. Its mission is to make humanitarian action more effective and principled by working collectively and independently to influence policy and practice. ICVA promotes and facilitates effective NGO engagement in the humanitarian sector, focusing on the issues of forced migration, humanitarian coordination, humanitarian financing and systems strengthening.

About the CONAFOHD

Founded in 2021, the National Council of Humanitarian and Development NGO Forums of the DRC (CONAFOHD) is a national network of more than 500 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), united within 5 regional platforms that constitute it, operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its vision is: to see the materialization in the DRC of the localization of humanitarian aid, allowing local actors to play the leading role in the humanitarian response, participate in the leadership of humanitarian coordination and be fully involved in the transition to development. CONAFOHD promotes the promotion of local humanitarian leadership

Context of the consultation

Localization has become a key issue in humanitarian aid in recent years. Since the Grand Bargain commitments, particularly in West and Central Africa over the last two years, several initiatives have been undertaken to improve the role of national actors in humanitarian responses, including:

• Permanent seats in the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) and key coordination forums.
• More partnerships and capacity building initiatives.
• Improved direct access to financing.
• Localization forums and working groups.

However, without clearly established targets and measurable benchmarks, it remains difficult to assess progress on localization and identify remaining challenges. ICVA and its partners have developed a regional methodology to quantitatively and qualitatively assess the degree of localization of humanitarian responses, monitor progress, and identify successes and challenges in West and Central African countries. This methodology aims to:

• Ensure a system of best practices and lessons learned.
• Advocating for evidence-based policies.
• Improving the localization agenda in countries with concrete proposals.

The project is regional to ensure harmonization, benchmarking and constructive exchanges of good practices between countries. However, it relies heavily on national leadership (via the National Project Steering Committee) to ensure alignment with the needs and expectations of national stakeholders, full ownership of the project and long-term sustainability.

Given recent advances in localization, CONAFOHD will lead the project in the DRC in collaboration with ICVA.

Scope of work

The GI consultant will implement the methodology and tools developed at the regional level in the country. He will be supported by an analyst consultant in the country. A regional consultant (Regional Information Management Advisor) will provide support and advice on the technical aspects of the project (tools, methodology, etc.).

Each country will have to appropriate the methodology and tools developed to adapt them and ensure the best possible ownership of the project. Under the direction of CONAFOHD, the GI consultant will therefore have to liaise with the regional consultant and the country analyst consultant to ensure (i) that the project fits into the regional framework and (ii) that as many people as possible take ownership of the project at the country level.

Methodology and deliverables

The steps below follow the full methodology, but only some of them will be performed by the GI consultant.

Step 1 : Indicator Library and Scoring Methodology (0 days)

This step will be carried out by the regional consultant. No days are planned for the country consultant. However, it is important to be aware of this for the smooth running of the project.

Building on the indicators developed by NEAR and HAG and included in the IASC localization policies, the regional consultant, with the help of ICVA and CONAFOHD, will develop a library of indicators based on the 6 components of localization: 1) Partnerships, 2) Financing, 3) Capacities, 4) Coordination and complementarity, 5) Policy, influence and visibility and 6) Participation.

To this end, it will develop framework tools to facilitate country ownership. This will consist of an exhaustive matrix of existing and available indicators, accompanied by their collection methods and questionnaires. These elements will serve as essential supports during methodological definition workshops in the countries.

A scoring methodology will be developed to ensure that spatial and/or temporal comparisons can be made within each component.

Step 2 – Synthesis: choice of indicators and methodological definition at the national level (4 days)

The National GI Consultant will assist CONAFOHD in organizing a 2-day workshop based on the indicator library developed in Step 1 to:

• Determine the components to be assessed and the ambitions (“what success looks like”).
• Select and contextualize the most relevant indicators.
• For each indicator, define the target audience and the evaluation measure.

During this stage, the national GI consultant will be responsible for adapting the collection method and tools, while maintaining a closer link with the regional consultant to ensure methodological consistency at the regional level. This will be done in particular through closer engagement with the various stakeholders at the national level.

Step 3 – Primary and secondary data collection (10 days)

• Primary Data Collection: The template forms will be revised and adapted by the regional consultant, with the assistance of the national GI consultant, for online surveys. These online surveys will be intended for a broad audience, potentially including national and international NGOs, the UN, donors, etc. In order to maximize the number of respondents, they will be sent by email to the mailing lists of CONAFOHD, INGO Forum, OCHA and other NGO forums and presented and conducted in real time during a plenary meeting of each forum.
• The collection of secondary data (retrieval of minutes, attendance lists, financial data, etc.) will be carried out by the country’s GI consultant.

The country GI consultant will be responsible for monitoring and supervising the primary and secondary data collection process at the country level (emails/reminders/response rates, direct data collection, etc.) in direct liaison with CONAFOHD and with the technical support of the regional consultant.

The country GI consultant will be trained in primary and secondary data collection by the regional consultant.

Step 4 – Data processing and provision (6 days)

The national GI consultant is responsible for supporting the national analyst consultant through:

• Processing and provision of data.
• Support data manipulation to facilitate analysis.
• Development of graphics of interest to the national consulting analyst.

Commitment to CONAFOHD and ICVA

Under the direction of CONAFOHD, the Information Management Consultant will report to CONAFOHD and the ICVA regional team in West and Central Africa and will work closely with the regional consultant, the analyst consultant, the NGO forums and the project steering committee. He/she may be required to present the progress of the analysis to the project steering committee upon request.

The GI consultant will meet with the team and provide regular updates on progress at each stage of the project.

Expected deliverables

• Indicator matrix, key questions, collection methods and weighting adapted following the initial country workshop.
• Databases.
• Graphic visuals.

Consultant Requirements, Skills and Abilities

Mandatory skills

• Experience in information management, data collection, KII.
• Experience in document analysis and documentation of results.
• Proven ability to work independently and/or in a virtual work environment and meet agreed deadlines with limited direct supervision.
• Availability and flexibility to work at least 2 days per week on this assignment for the duration of the project: October 2024 – mid-February 2025, with possible peak and slow periods.
• Excellent command of French.

Preferably

• Experience in the humanitarian sector.
• Expertise in humanitarian coordination.
• Proven understanding of localization issues.