Consultant for Baseline Study - Lesotho

OVERVIEW

Parent Sector : Field Office

Duty Station: Lesotho

Job Family: Culture

Type of contract : Non Staff

Duration of contract : From 1 to 6 months

Recruitment open to : External candidates

Application Deadline (Midnight Duty Station Time) : 04-JUL-25

UNESCO Core Values: Commitment to the Organization, Integrity, Respect for Diversity, Professionalism

OVERVIEW OF THE FUNCTIONS OF THE POST

The project “Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture: Promoting Culture and Heritage-based Sustainable Tourism in Southern Africa”, supported by the European Union and implemented by UNESCO aims to enhance the contribution of culture and heritage to sustainable development. The project focuses on strengthening culture and heritage-based tourism development, diversifying tourism offerings and delivering high-quality visitor experiences at selected UNESCO-designated sites and cities. The efforts are designed to improve livelihoods of the communities across the region, including youth, women and indigenous peoples, through capacity building and the creation of opportunities for income-generation and jobs. 

Each of the six countries selected one site that will participate in the project, based on a criteria established by UNESCO. In Lesotho, following consultations with the relevant stakeholders, the government identified Morija Precinct heritage site to participate in the project.  

Morija was founded as the first mission station in July 1833 by the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society. Initially, the area was referred as Makhoarane because of the mountain but the missionaries named the place Moriah meaning, “God will provide”. Morija is dubbed “the well spring of education” in Lesotho because if presents the origins of western education which subsequently spread throughout the country. It can be divided into two heritage and tourism categories: the mission and the village. The Mission which is under the jurisdiction of the Lesotho Evangelical Church in Southern Africa (LECSA) is composed of numerous heritage institutions and schools. The village which is situated around the mission is run by the Chief with the help of Makhoarane Community Council members. The village has pony trekking facility, traditional dances performers as well as historical sites that fall outside the mission. The historical sites are associated with Basotho-Boer wars of 1858 and the 1860s. The caves at Makhoarane Mountain protected villagers and missionaries during these wars. Additionally, the Mountain has dinosaur footprints that attracts both local and international tourists, as well as a variety of researchers. 

Long Description

As part of the inception phase of this project, UNESCO seeks the services of experienced consultant(s) to conduct a baseline study at Morija Precinct heritage site. The purpose of the study is to assess existing conditions and inform the refinement of the project's Theory of Change and Monitoring and Evaluation Framework.  

The baseline study seeks to assess the following: 

• Tourism trends at the site including current tourist arrivals.  
• Effectiveness of the Site’s Marketing and Tourism Strategy (if it exists). 
• Current sustainable tourism practices at the site. 
• Existence or non-existence and effectiveness of a Destination Management and Marketing Organisation (DMMO) (or alternative structure). 
• Site Management structure and its effectiveness. 
• Existence or non-existence of critical strategic documents such as the Site Integrated Management Plan, Disaster Risk Management Plan, Disability Inclusion Plan 
• Interpretation and visitor facilities including analysing current interpretation and storytelling frameworks and content. 
• Key stakeholders to be involved in project implementation, particularly at local level. 
•  Number of tourism players/operators operating in the World Heritage site 
• The level of community involvement in tourism activities at the site and any gaps that exist. 
• General perception of the site by tourists (based on visitor feedback surveys, testimonials etc).  
• Cultural groups and artists working at the site or its vicinity and their levels of income. 

The contractor shall undertake the following activities to fulfil the purpose of the baseline study: 

• Study the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework of the “Africa-Europe Partnerships for Culture” project to get a better understanding of the baseline information required. UNESCO will avail the appropriate project document sections to the winning contractor at contracting stage.  
• Work closely with the national and site authorities and conduct a desk review of all the necessary documents to gather relevant information especially on tourism trends, management of the site, interpretation and storytelling etc. Ensure that the desk review responds to the purpose of the baseline study, drawing some comparisons between site-specific data and the national-level data (or that of other sites).  
• Design, develop and implement the appropriate data collection instruments to collect all the relevant information. The type of data to be collected should be guided by the Project M&E Framework.   
• Engage all the relevant stakeholders including site managers, local communities and national authorities as part of data collection. 
• Analyse and present the data providing the appropriate baselines to each indicator defined in the Project M&E Framework. To the extent possible, the data should be disaggregated by sex and age).  

Long Description

The contractor will be expected to deliver the following: 

Methodology and data collection tools by 1 August 2025. 

Baseline Study Report with the following sections by 15 September 2025: 

• Executive summary 
• Project description 
• Purpose and objectives of the baseline study 
• Methodology 
• Findings 
• Conclusions 
• Recommendations 
• Annexes (including list of stakeholders consulted, key documents and online sources reviewed etc).  

COMPETENCIES (Core / Managerial)

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APPLICATION PROCESS

All interested candidates are required to submit a Technical and Financial proposal separately via email. The technical proposal should be no more than 10 pages, and will be assessed on the following:  

• Approach to assignment that demonstrates extent to which the Contractor understands the requirements as set out in the TOR.  
• Feasible and technically sound methodology, appropriate for fulfilling the overall purpose of the baseline study.  
• Realistic work plan with specific treatment of key deliverables and priorities. UNESCO expects the assignment to take up to 45 days. 
• Qualifications (minimum relevant master’s degree in M&E, Project Management, Development Studies or other relevant fields).  
• At least 2 years of relevant work experience 
• Submission of at least 2 samples of similar research work conducted in the past 
• Submission of at least 2 traceable references with their e-mail addresses.  

The financial proposal should be no more than 2 pages and should detail the following:  

• An appropriate Price Schedule which includes, as a minimum, the consultancy rate per day, and number of workdays per main activity to assist the Contracting Unit to determine, which items may be negotiated, if applicable, or which items can be modified as per the budget. All prices shall be quoted in US dollars. 

Candidate(s) must also submit the following documents with their dossier:

• Copy of Passport or National ID and Academic certificates. 
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae for the consultant(s). 
• Letter from the Bank confirming account details.

SELECTION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS

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