Vacancy Announcement Details

Result of Service

The main purpose of this evaluation is to provide an assessment of the project performance and extent to which the Project’s objectives and expected accomplishments were achieved. The evaluation is conducted at the request of UN-Habitat and is part of UN-Habitat’s effort to perform systematic and timely evaluations of its projects and to ensure that UN-Habitat evaluations provide full representation of its mandate and activities.

Work Location

Home-based with possible travel to Yangon, Myanmar

Expected duration 

1 Month

Duties and Responsibilities

UN-Habitat, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. It is the focal point for urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system. Pursuant to its mandate, UN-Habitat aims to achieve impact at two levels. At the operational level, it undertakes technical cooperation projects at global, regional and country levels. At the normative level, it seeks to influence governments and non-governmental actors in formulating, adopting, implementing and enforcing policies, norms and standards conducive to sustainable human settlements and sustainable urbanization. 

This Terms of Reference (TOR) concerns the independent end-term evaluation of the “Project for the urgent improvement of solid waste management in Yangon City”, Myanmar. The project is funded by the Government of Japan with total budget of US$5,631,000. It was initially planned to start in April 2019 and be completed in March 2021.  Due to Covid-19 pandemic and difficult operating environment caused by the political event on 1 February 2021 in Myanmar, , the project was  delayed and  extended twice  at no cost extension until March 2023.

In Yangon City, there are two large open dumping Finals Disposal Sites (FDS).  The Htein Bin FDS is the largest in the city.  It is spread over 150 acres of land of which 70 acres are already used. It receives about 1,080 tons of waste every day. The site in located in the township of Hlaing Tharya.  Pollution Control and Cleaning Department (PCCD) of the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) is responsible for Solid Waste Management (SWM) in the municipal areas.

On 21 April 2018, fire outbreak erupted at Htein Bin dump site.  It spread quickly consuming more than half of the dump. The blaze was fueled by methane produced by decaying organic and other waste, as reported by PCCD. It was brought under complete control after three weeks, in  May 2018.  Eight hundred personnel from the Myanmar Fire Services Department (MFSD), Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC) and Yangon Military Command were deployed to fight the fire which was finally brought under control using 1,850 gallons (about 8,182 liters) of special foam imported from Thailand.

Smoke from fire resulted in a noticeable deterioration in air quality in areas near the dump site and dozens of people, including children, were hospitalized with respiratory problems. Rehabilitating the fire gutted areas within the site required urgent response. 

In Yangon city, there are several problems associated with SWM. Some of them include rapid increase in volume of waste generation but also limited know-how and capacity on suitable technologies adopted to the local condition, limited resources including finance and expertise to invest for new technologies, and limited research and practical application on new technologies. Due to these serious challenges, there was an urgency to deal with waste management as there was  risk of  fire breaking out again in the hot summer of 2019. 
In response to problems created by fire outbreak in the Htein bin dumpsite, UN-Habitat, Fukuoka City and Solid Waste Management Advisors Network Fukuoka (SWAN-Fukuoka)used the Fukuoka Method which refers to mechanisms where leachate (wastewater) is swiftly removed from waste materials. The process leads to faster decomposition of waste material, improves quality of the wastewater and reduces emission of methane gas. The method emerged from joint research by Fukuoka University (who are the major members of SWAN-Fukuoka) and Fukuoka City, Japan, in the 1970s, on the structure for sanitary landfills that present no environmental problems. 

The evaluation serves purposes of accountability, learning and decision making. It is intended to strengthen accountability by providing the Government of Japan (the donor), the project team, UN-Habitat management, other implementing partners (Fukuoka City, SWAN and PCCD),  and other key stakeholders with a credible evidence of what the project achieved in terms of the planned results with the resources used.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Chief, Evaluation Unit, UN-Habitat, the Evaluation Expert will: 

(i) Assess the design, implementation and achievement of results at the objective, outcomes and output levels of the project.  This will entail analysis of actual versus planned results in the project document.

(ii) Assess the project’s performance in terms of relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, coherence and emerging impacts caused by the project.

(iii) Assess appropriateness of working modalities, coordination,  partnerships, and management;; and assess the effects of Covid-19 pandemic and political event on 1st February 2021 in Myanmar on the project.

(iv) Assess the quality of implementation, adequacy of resources, financial management/ feasibility, and how they impacted on the effectiveness of the project.

(v) Assess how social inclusion issues of gender equality, youth, human rights, disability as well as social and environmental safeguards were integrated and impacted by the project.

(vi) Taking into account intended users of the evaluation, identify lessons learned and provide recommendations for scaling up the pilot project or improving future programming of  similar projects

Full details available on the UN website. Application deadline 17th March