Background
For 18 years, AidWatch reports have provided a comprehensive assessment of the state of play of the EU’s ODA. With an ever-evolving methodology and yearly innovations, we have been able to keep our analysis fit for purpose, despite significant changes in ODA rules and the evolution of trends affecting development aid levels.

However, a more exhaustive review is now necessary as the field of international cooperation has gone through deep changes.

Objectives and scope of the work
Based on our analysis, we have identified several aspects of the AidWatch methodology where an exhaustive review is needed, as it might not be entirely capturing the dimension of the changes:

–Review of the Equality-focused section: in line with the focus on inequalities as a central thread to our work, we will review the way we approach its analysis in the report. Special attention will be paid to the analysis of EU ODA going to climate finance, gender equality and civil society.
–Review of the ‘Effective ODA’ section: we will analyse the possibility of coming up with specific indicators to measure aid effectiveness. The focus will be, on the one hand, on the recent policy developments at the EU level in relation to international cooperation, that is, the introduction of the Team Europe approach and Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs), the NDICI-Global Europe implementation, and the Global Gateway strategy. On another hand, we will explore how to enhance the monitoring of ODA effectiveness at the MS level looking at the examples from current frameworks.
–Review of the methodology for measuring aid inflation: inflated aid is one of CONCORD’s main contributions to the monitoring and assessment of EU ODA. Over the last few years, the main trends driving aid inflation have changed, so we will seize the opportunity of this methodological review to renew our approach to measure inflated aid by assessing elements currently covered as well as the possibility to include new drivers of aid inflation. For this, we will need to explore different sources of information that can provide us more detailed information on some of the aspects covered. We will therefore include an analysis of at least the following issues: securitisation, migration, special drawing rights and private sector instruments, and climate.
–General review of the 4Es approach: based on the aspects above, we will finally conduct an assessment of the relevance and adequacy of the current structure of the report. We will assess whether the current division of contents is the best way of presenting the findings, and whether different issues could be included in each of the sections.

Job description
The main tasks of the work would include:

• Conducting extensive desk research on the issues described above
• Interviewing external stakeholders, especially EU officials, for both the methodological review and the AidWatch report drafting processes.
• Consulting with CONCORD members in order to gather input along the process
• Organising, together with CONCORD Secretariat and members, a series of 4-5 ‘expert meetings’ on the main issues covered in the review. These meetings should take place around the month of March.
• Develop a methodological framework report that can guide the analysis for the next AidWatch report, containing all the aspects covered in the review.
• Deliver a full bibliography with the resources consulted and used.
• Conducting the data analysis for the AidWatch 2023 report based on the methodological framework previously developed.
• Developing a questionnaire for quantitative and qualitative data collection from CONCORD’s National Platforms. This task will be done with the support of a statistician consultant and in consultation with FFSD Policy group and the AW National Platforms focal points.
• Developing, based on the outcomes of the methodological review process, the structure of the AidWatch 2023 report.
• Conducting consultations with CONCORD members on different aspects of the report when needed.
• Developing a first draft of the AidWatch 2023 report.
• Integrate CONCORD Secretariat, members and partners’ feedback in order to develop a final draft for the AidWatch 2023 report.

Please note that, due to the nature of the work, a team of consultants is highly encouraged.

Candidate(s) profile

• Excellent knowledge of ODA databases and strong analytical skills. Good understanding of the OECD DAC database is essential, but the ability to conduct research on other platforms (IATI, EU Aid explorer, other sources collecting and analysing data on ODA thematically and climate financing… ) is also required.
• Proven understanding of ODA reporting rules and current debates around their reform.
• Sound knowledge of the EU’s international cooperation landscape and policy framework.
• Good understanding of inequalities.
• Excellent English writing skills, with the ability to write about complex issues in an engaging and punching way.
• Very good understanding and knowledge of the aid/development effectiveness agenda.
• Ability to coordinate a large and diverse group of stakeholders.
• Experience working in the NGO environment is an advantage.

Timeline
The assignment should be carried out between February and September 2023. For the methodological review, a first draft should be submitted by the end of April for testing against the 2022 ODA figures published yearly around this date. The final product should be delivered by mid-May 2023, in order to start with the drafting process of the AidWatch 2023 report.

Budget

Please note that project proposals should not exceed EUR 40.000 (VAT included).

How to apply

To apply for this post, please upload the following documents to the portal below:
-The CV of all the applicants outlining their relevant expertise to meet this assignment (2 pages recommended);
-Your proposal on how you will undertake this research, including a suggested number of days and their distribution between the different tasks and phases of the work and your day rate (2 pages max).

If you are submitting a group application, please provide the CV for each of the candidates and one single proposal.

In case of any difficulties or questions, you may contact Salvatore Nocerino.

The deadline for applications is 16 February at midnight CET. However, applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the interviews will be scheduled accordingly.