Background
Civil registration is defined as the continuous, permanent and compulsory universal recording of the occurrence and characteristics of vital events pertaining to the population (including live births, deaths, foetal deaths, marriages, and divorces), in accordance with the legal requirements in each country, with full respect for the rules regulating the protection and privacy of individual information. Vital statistics system refers to the holistic process of harnessing the data generated through civil registrations by compiling, analysing, evaluating, presenting and disseminating these data in statistical form. Motivated by the need to improve and have a complete civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) system, and with support from UNFPA, the ministries of Labour and Home Affairs, Health and Administration of Justice and Statistics Botswana undertook a comprehensive assessment in 2013 to among others: a) determine the extent of coverage and completeness of the CRVS system; b) assess the relevance of governing policy and legal instruments; c) generate knowledge products on the processes and practices for civil registration at various levels; and d) identify gaps and opportunities for system strengthening. Consistent with evidence-based policy formulation the findings of and recommendations from this comprehensive assessment provided the basis for the development of the CRVS Strategic Plan [SP] 2016 - 2020. Noting that two years have lapsed since the end term of the SP, it becomes imperative that considerations be made for a next generation SP, including an end-term review of the 2016 - 2020 SP. Even though the CRVS system in Botswana is strong as measured by birth and death registration, there are opportunities for further system strengthening. With birth and death registration coverage of 100% and 80%, respectively, based on 2019 estimates 1 Botswana has achieved the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target 17.19.2. This is in comparison to South Africa, similarly an upper middle-income country, which has achieved a birth and death registration of 92.6%2 and 80%, respectively in 2019. At the continental level, just over half of all children under five years of age have their births registered 3 . Notwithstanding the achievements realised by the Botswana CRVS system, some challenges remain. For example, while the country recognises three types of marriages being common law, customary and religious marriages, the civil registration system currently only records common marriages, but coverage and data completeness are suboptimal. Similarly, divorce registration and vital statistics generation remain weak. Marriage and divorce registration can contribute to women’s empowerment by providing a basis for joint ownership of assets, legal protection from unilateral transactions, transfers and sale of common properties and assets and inheritance. Therefore, considering that: a) a decade has lapsed since a comprehensive assessment of the CRVS system was conducted; b) significant coverage gaps exist for some vital events c) the latest CRVS SP has expired; and d) there is an increased need for granular data for monitoring the SDGs and other national and regional development frameworks, it is crucial to review the performance of and identify opportunities for strengthening the CRVS system in Botswana. . It is against this background that the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs in collaboration with UNFPA is seeking the services of a team of consultants to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the CRVS system. This assignment consists of two components: a) review of the CRVS SP 2016 – 2020; and b) an overall assessment of the CRVS. The evidence generated is expected to be used to inform the development of a new CRVS Strategic Plan for the country.
Objectives
The specific objectives of the undertaking are to;
a) Assess the progress made towards achieving the strategic objectives and targets of the CRVS SP 2016 - 2020.
b) Identify the enablers and barriers to implementation of the SP, including lessons learnt and best practices
c) Review the structural design, business processes, infrastructure, management and operations of the systems for vital event registration, issuance of legal documents and compilation of vital statistics.
d) Conduct a system quality assessment on several dimensions, including completeness, accuracy, ability to generalise results, relevance, comparability, timeliness, and availability and accessibility of vital statistics and data
e) Assess the different ways vital statistics are used by policy makers, health, social and economic professionals, civil society and other actors
f) Recommend key areas for strategic action or direction that can be integrated or considered in the development of a new CRVS SP.
Scope of work
Activities to be carried out by the consulting team include, but are not limited to:
a) Review available literature on various policies, guidelines, programmes on the CRVS SP 2016 - 2020 and the CRVS system in general, and document successes, strengths, gaps and opportunities.
b) Document achievements against the targets and indicators of the CRVS SP 2016 - 2020.
c) Conduct in-depth key informant interviews with, but not limited to, representatives of government agencies and other stakeholders at national and sub-national levels involved in CRVS systems, including the agencies handling registration of marriages and divorces, to assess the CR and VS production, dissemination and usage processes and influencing factors
d) Synthesise the findings of existing assessments, reports and other documents and provide an integrated appraisal of the system.
e) Make a presentation on the findings of the assessment to a broad stakeholder base for validation purposes.
f) Generate clear action oriented recommendations focusing on strategies, targets, programmes and policy actions for consideration in the development of the successor strategic plan.
Methodology and approach
a) The assignment is expected to use a mixed methods approach including an extensive review of strategic documents, including the Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System (United Nations, 2014), secondary data analysis and key informant interviews as applicable.
b) An inclusive and participatory approach is anticipated that will be informed by a detailed stakeholder analysis.
c) The consulting team will be required to propose a detailed methodology for addressing the stated objectives in an inception report, which will be reviewed and approved by the technical working group overseeing the assignment.
d) The consultancy team will be required to present the findings to stakeholders for validation and endorsement.
Expected Deliverables
a) An inception report outlining a detailed methodology, work schedule and task allocation within the team.
b) Draft detailed analytical assessment report that responds to all the specific objectives outlined above.
c) Final and approved analytical assessment report that responds to all the specific objectives outlined above.
d) Final and approved MS PowerPoint presentation for dissemination of the findings of the comprehensive assessment.
The assignment will be completed between the months of March and May 2023 where the lead and local consultants will be engaged for 35 and 25 working days respectively. (payment will only be towards the working days indicated). Below is an indicative work plan of how the workload may be distributed across the team. However, it is expected that the team will develop a detailed work plan for the approval of the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs and its partners.
Only submissions comprising a complete team composition of two (lead and local consultant) will be considered. No submissions will be reviewed that are from individuals. See the TORs attached for more information.
How to apply: Interested applicants should send a technical and financial proposal, letter of motivation and a detailed CV with the subject clearly stated "Consultancy – Policy Brief on integrating SRHR into UHC policies" to mollentze@unfpa.org.
