Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Despite the volatility and war inside of Ukraine, UN Women remains committed to delivering results across strategic priorities, exercising its triple mandate and building key partnerships. With the war in Ukraine having dramatically shifted the immediate priorities, it remains all the more essential that rights of women and girls remain at the centre of the humanitarian response. Aligning with the UN priorities, UN Women’s future operations in the country will focus on amplifying the localization agenda and strengthening the local women-led gender-responsive humanitarian response and ensuring the experiences of displaced, at risk and vulnerable women and girls are centralized during the recovery process.

In 2023, UN Women Ukraine CO will focus on the following approaches based on its comparative advantage: 1) Strengthening partnerships with women CSO, the national machinery and UN entities to effectively respond to needs of women and girls across the Humanitarian–Development-Peace nexus; 2) Providing Thought Leadership by bringing knowledge and analyses; 3) Leveraging UN Women’s Coordination Mandate and Partnerships in Ukraine; 4) Establish and scale up field presence: Being closer to affected populations.

The UN Women project “Transformative approaches to achieving gender equality in Ukraine” aims at employing transformative approaches to the advancement of gender equality and women’s empowerment for removing the root causes, structural barriers, and restrictive social norms, that underpin the persistence of gender inequalities in various areas of life. In our case transformative approach means engaging with the key institutions at the same time: the government, women’s organizations, and the private sector. One of the focuses of the Project is to contribute to the women’s economic empowerment with engagement of the private sector.

Gender stereotypes remain a significant factor preventing the achievement of gender equality in all spheres of life, despite Ukraine’s accession to international agreements and adoption of national legislation on equal rights and opportunities for women and men.[1]

Since 2006, Ukraine’s ranking in economic participation and opportunity in the Gender Gap Index has fallen from 24th to 62nd place.[2] Gender segregation and discriminatory attitudes towards women permeate the workplace (namely, age discrimination of women over 45, women with small children and pregnant women). Employed women have less access to finances compared to men: the gender pay gap between women and men in Ukraine is 23 per cent.[3]

In 2020, women’s employment rates were lower than men: 51 per cent versus 62 per cent.[4] The socioeconomic impact of the crisis since 2014 has affected women and men’s access to paid work, increasing unemployment by 30 per cent. For internally displaced persons, the gap was even higher: according to the National Action Plan for the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (published in 2020), only 43 per cent of internally displaced women had found employment, as opposed to 58 per cent of men.[5] At the same time, there has been an expanding informal economy of which Ukrainian women have become a crucial part.[6] Existing gender norms translate into the imbalance of unpaid care work, which is predominantly performed by women. 92.2 per cent of single parents in Ukraine are mothers,[7] who often manage care, domestic and income-generating work. Restrictions related to COVID-19 caused further pressure on women to combine their professional duties with their household duties and care work.[8]

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian military invasion, Ukraine is rapidly emerging as one of the world’s most complex emergencies with over 5.5 million refugees already fleeing the country and with steadily growing humanitarian needs. (UN Women Ukraine, March 2022, Rapid Assessment: Impact of the War in Ukraine on Women’s Civil Society Organizations). The full-scale war will impact unemployment rates among all categories of the population and will most likely continue pushing women into the unprotected informal sectors of the economy. Poverty and dependency on social payments, especially among a growing number of female-headed households, will be expected to increase. Age, disability, displacement status and other characteristics further affected access to employment and financial resources in the pre-war period and are likely to impact the socioeconomic situation of the citizens of Ukraine during the war.

To contribute to the women’s economic empowerment during the full-scale Russian invasion to Ukraine, UN Women has supported services on raising awareness, providing training and aid to the women and girls affected by the full-scale war to improve their economic opportunities in Ukraine and abroad (with a special focus on IT and tech industries), as well as enhancing capacities of the private sector to respond to unemployment and career disruption of women in Ukraine caused by displacement and economic crisis. In 2022 UN Women prepared an Analytical Report of the Private Sector’s Best Practices in Women Economic Empowerment During the Full-Fledged War. Support of private companies on women economic empowerment during the full-fledged war in Ukraine will inform further work of UN Women on engagement of the private sector as well as will help private companies to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community through implementation of the Women`s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

WEPs were established by UN Global Compact and UN Women, these principles are a primary vehicle for corporate delivery on gender equality dimensions of the 2030 agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. By joining the WEPs community, the CEO signals commitment to this agenda at the highest levels of the company and to work collaboratively in multistakeholder networks to foster business practices that empower women. 20 Ukrainian business entities signed WEPs to ensure equal pay for work of equal value, gender-responsive supply chain practices and zero tolerance against sexual harassment in the workplace, among them 3 private companies and 1 business association signed WEPs in 2022 during the full-scale war.

As part of its work, UN Women is looking for a National Consultant to support private companies and business associations among actual and potential WEPs signatories on the issues of implementation of women empowerment initiatives as well as to facilitate the establishment of new partnerships with private companies, business associations and CSOs for advocacy on gender equality and women`s economic empowerment.  

[1] Ukraine (2019). National Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Available at: link to Ukrainian source.

[2] World Economic Forum (2022). Global Gender Gap Report 2022. Available at: link

[3] UNDP. “Gender Profile of Ukraine: Fast Facts.” Available at: link. 

[4] State Statistics Service of Ukraine (2021). Indicators for monitoring gender equality in Ukraine. Monitoring report, p. 31. Available at: link.

[5] Ukraine (2020). National Action Plan for the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 “Women, Peace, Security” until 2025, approved by Order No. 1544-r of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of 28 October 2020.

[6] Milana Nikolko, Samuel MacIsaac and David Carment (2021). “The Impact of Ukraine’s Informal Economy on Women: Mobilizing Canada’s Diaspora for Growth and Opportunity During Crisis”, in Political Turmoil in a Tumultuous World, pp. 295–315. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

[7] State Statistics Service of Ukraine (2018). Socio-demographic characteristics of households in Ukraine in 2018. Statistical bulletin. Available at: link to Ukrainian source.  

[8] Jurfem Association of Women Lawyers (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on women’s rights in Ukraine. Available at: link.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Representative and direct supervision by the Programme Specialist/Project Manager, the National Consultant will provide support to the private companies and business associations operating in Ukraine and those who signed WEPs with expert advice and support  on conducting self-assessment, development and implementation of Gender Action Plans. The assignment will include but will not be limited to the following tasks:

1. Adapt online-course on WEPs by adding relevant data and integrating best practices of Ukrainian companies implemented during the full-scale war;
2. Provide at least 6 capacity development sessions for the employees and top management of the private companies and business associations among actual and potential WEP’s signatories; Deliver consultancy services to the companies and facilitate self-assessment, development and implementation of Gender Action Plans by at least 8 WEPs signatories to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community;
3. Develop at least 5 templates to assist private companies and business associations in implementation of internal policies and procedures on gender equality, incl. those aimed at preventing all forms of violence and sexual harassment; ensuring well-being, equal pay, gender parity in board, flexible working arrangements, maternity and paternity leave, equal participation in education and training programs; supporting women-owned and -managed companies in supply and value chains; realizing initiatives to support women in local communities; measurement and reporting;   
4. Engage private sector companies to implement at least 3 flagship initiatives that strengthen the position of at least 20 women small-business owners who benefit from technical assistance from- and/or cooperation with WEPs companies;
5. Conduct at least 6 meetings and consultations to coordinate cooperation and build synergies between business-associations, private companies and NGOs implementing women empowerment programs to promote gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in Ukraine;
6. Elaborate tailored recommendations for the private sector partners in Ukraine on women economic empowerment during the full-fledged war and post-war recovery based on Analytical Report of the Private Sector’s Best Practices in Women Economic Empowerment During the Full-Fledged War and results of cooperation with private companies during the contract period;
7. Prepare a final report about the progress and achievements, lessons learnt, and recommendations on how to engage private sector partners to sign WEPs and implement women economic empowerment initiatives.

Assignment Deliverables:

*All reports should be submitted in English language and include the full set of supporting documents, such as results of self-assessment, Gender Action Plans, developed policies and procedures, capacity development materials etc. The supporting documents can be submitted in Ukrainian.

Inputs

• UN Women will provide the Consultant with background materials related to the assignment.
• The consultant is expected to work using her/his own computer.

Performance evaluation:

• Contractor’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, efficiency, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered. The evaluation will be carried out and cleared by the hiring manager which will also be the basis for payment on a delivery basis to the consultant.

Financial arrangements:  

• Payment will be disbursed in three installments upon receipt of the deliverables (as per the below  matrix) and their certification by UN Women Programme Specialist that the services have been satisfactorily performed.
  • First installment after submission and acceptance of the deliverables ## 1, 2 and 3;
  • Second installment after submission and acceptance of the deliverable ##4 and 5;
  • Third installment after submission and acceptance of the deliverables ## 6, 7 and 8;

Competencies

Core Values

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Competencies

Core Competencies

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Required Skills and Experience

Required Skills and Experience:

Qualifications Education:

Advanced (Masters) degree in Economics, Marketing, Sociology, Gender Studies, Social Sciences or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum 3 years of relevant work experience (after Master’s degree) in the field of labour market, private sector, gender equality and women’s economic empowerment;
• Previous experience on providing trainings and consulting for private business on women economic empowerment;
• Previous experience with contributing to the gender analysis, surveys, researches, assessments, development of policies and procedures;
• Proven experience of work with different stakeholders, including private sector, CSOs and development partners. Experience of work with UN will be considered as an asset;
• Advanced understanding of gender equality, WEPs and women’s economic empowerment.

Languages and other skills: 

• Fluency in verbal and written English and Ukrainian is required.

Evaluation of Applicants:

Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of their qualifications (including an interview) and financial proposal. A two-stage procedure is utilized in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. The award of the contract should be made to the individuals whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable.
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical criteria - 70% of total evaluation (max 45 points for technical criteria and max 25 points for interview). Total max 70 points:

• The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 45. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on desk review and following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Financial/Price Proposal evaluation:

• Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation will be further considered and evaluated.
• The total number of points allocated for the financial/price component is 30.
• The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.
• Evaluation of submitted financial offers will be done based on the following formula: S = Fmin / F * 30
• (S - score received on financial evaluation; F min - the lowest financial offer out of all the submitted offers qualified over the technical evaluation round; F - financial offer under the consideration).

Sample of Financial Proposal

The format shown on the following table is suggested for use as a guide in preparing the Financial Proposal

1. Cost Breakdown per Deliverables*

*Basis for payment tranches

UN Women applies fair and transparent selection process that would take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need. 

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check).