Background

Roma represent one of the most vulnerable groups in the Republic of Moldova. Roma face discrimination and multiple barriers to social inclusion, employment, education, health care and other services. There is a high degree of intolerance and hostility towards Roma held by the majority population.
 
Statistical and analytical data on human rights and social exclusion issues facing Roma in general and Roma women in particular, is for the most part missing, despite regular requests by UN and Council of Europe review bodies. Roma women’s interests, concerns and needs are almost never a part of the national or local policy making.
Romani women encounter multiple discrimination - as Roma, as women and in many cases also as persons belonging to a low socio-economic class. Romani women experience greater risks of social exclusion and poverty than men of their community and women from the ethnic majority. The lack of equality is seen in violence against women, access to employment, education, decision making positions and social services. Romani women rarely benefit from reproductive health services that are available at the community level, and often are not even aware about the availability of such services.
 
The situation of Roma – and in particular Romani women -- has been raised extensively by international review bodies such as the UN Treaty Bodies and, most recently by the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women in Law and in Practice.   Moldova made extensive commitments to combat discrimination against Roma in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).   Moldova also committed itself as participating State to the OSCE to implement relevant OSCE commitments relating to Roma and Sinti particularly the 2003 Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area (1) and its subsequent Ministerial Council Decisions (2).
 
In 2011 the Government of the Republic of Moldova approved the Action Plan to Support Roma Ethnic Group in the Republic of Moldova for 2011-2015, which was elaborated with the support of the UN family in Moldova and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE ODIHR). The plan includes inter alia a set of actions to address the needs of Roma women in such areas as employment, education, health care, social inclusion, participation in decision making. 
 
To support on-going initiatives, strengthen the existing knowledge base in advance of the 2013 review of the Republic of Moldova by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), as well as to identify the potential areas of joint UN Women interventions with OHCHR and UNDP on Romani Women’s Empowerment, UN Women is seeking to recruit an international consultant that in cooperation with UN Women will conduct a study of the situation of Romani women in the Republic of Moldova. The study should further provide for more information and qualified data on the situation of Roma women to support the Moldovan authorities in their efforts to implement activities/measures of the Action Plan to Support Roma Ethnic Group in the Republic of Moldova for 2011-2015 targeting equal participation and full inclusion of Roma women.

(1) See: http://www.osce.org/odihr/17554
(2) Ministerial Council Decision No. 6/08, “Enhancing OSCE Efforts to Implement the Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti Within the OSCE Area” (Helsinki, 2008) and Decision No. 8/09, “Enhancing OSCE Efforts to Ensure Roma and Sinti Sustainable Integration” (Athens, 2009). See further: http://www.osce.org/mc/35488 and http://www.osce.org/cio/40707

Duties and Responsibilities

Overall objective of the assignment:

The main objective of this consultancy is to conduct a Study, aiming to present an overall comprehensive view on Roma women situation in Moldova and opportunities for their empowerment.

Focus and scope of the Study:

The Study should consist of the two key parts:
  1. Analysis the current situation of Romani women around the following key dimensions: family, education, work and occupations, social protection, health, participation in public life, domestic violence and early/child marriages, tendencies and needs. Particular attention will be paid to analyzing facts of discriminatory practices and treatment of Roma women in political, social and economic spheres and in public delivery as well as to extent of sensitivity of the national and local policies and legislation to the needs and rights of Romani women.
  2. Analysis of opportunities for Romani women in gaining access to power (as an essential part of empowerment) across the following four dimensions:
  • Power over: relationship of domination or subordination Roma women are having in their community and in the society in general;
  • Power to: the ability of Roma women to make decisions, have authority, and find solutions to problems, and which can be creative and enabling. This dimension refers to abilities (knowledge and know-how) as well as economic means, i.e. to the ability to access and control means of production and benefit.
  • Power with: social or political power which highlights ability to get together to negotiate and defend a common goal (individual and collective rights, joint lobbying, community mobilization, networking). Here the extent to which Romani women collectively feel they have power when they can get together and unite in search of a common objective, or when they share the same vision with regard to their situation and rights.
  • Power within: awareness, self-esteem, identity and assertiveness (how Romani women, through self-analysis and internal power, can influence their lives and make changes).
Description of Responsibilities:

Under the overall supervision of the JILDP/UN Women International Gender Specialist, and in close collaboration with the UN Human Rights Adviser in Moldova (OHCHR) and UNDP team, the consultant will be responsible for implementation of the following responsibilities:
  • Make a desk review of available statistical, analytical and other information resources as well as key policy documents and legislation;
  • Conduct initial consultative meetings with government, CSOs, UN Agencies and other international development partners working with human rights, and women’s rights in particular, gender equality, minority rights and Roma issues to collect information about previous, current and planned interventions;
  • Develop the structure of the report and annexes, list of groups and individuals to be interviewed at central and local levels;
  • Conduct a study including individual interviews and focus group discussions with the following groups:
  • National level: executives and decision makers of the key government institutions, including Ministries of Labor, Social Protection and Family, Education, Interior, Health, Prosecutor, Bureau of Interethnic relations and others; representatives of CSOs and activists, working with women’s rights, gender equality, minority rights and Roma issues.
  • Local level: Romani women in at least 5 Roma and mixed Roma and non-Roma communities; Romani men in at least 5 Roma and mixed Roma and non-Roma communities; Roma community mediators, mobilizers and representatives of community-based organizations; mayors, councilors, officials of the health, education, employment and social protection public institutions.
  • Present draft Study report to key stakeholders;
  • Finalise the Study with consideration of the received comments.
Deliverables and timelines:

The assignment deliverables shall be:
  • Deliverable 1: Draft structure approved by UN Women, OHCHR, UNDP - deadline for completion: two weeks after contract start (20% of assignment);
  • Deliverable 2: Mission report and 1st draft study report, including the Study Executive Summary submitted - deadline for completion: 10 September 2012 (40% of assignment);
  • Deliverable 3: Final Study Report submitted and approved - deadline for completion: 20 October 2012 (40% of assignment).
All the deliverables should be agreed with the JILDP/UN Women International Gender Specialist and be provided in English, hard and electronic copy.

Duration of the assignment:

The total duration of the contract will be 30 working days within a 4-months period, of which up to 5 days mission in Moldova coordinated in advance with JILDP/UN Women International Gender Specialist.

Management arrangements:

The Consultant will perform tasks of the leading consultant and will work in cooperation the local consultant (to be hired by UNDP, in consultation with Human Rights Adviser (OHCHR) and UN Women), whose primary responsibilities will include but not limited to collection of data for analysis, organizing meetings, conducting interviews with relevant stakeholders in Moldova.
The work of International Consultant will be supervised and certified by the JILDP/UN Women International Gender Specialist and in close collaboration with the UN Human Rights Adviser in Moldova and UNDP team

Travel:

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to join duty station/repatriation travel. In general, UN Women shall not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the consultant wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses would be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Performance evaluation:

Contractor’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial arrangements:

Payments for the deliverables will be made in three installments upon submission and approval of deliverables and certification by the JILDP/UN Women International Gender Specialist that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

Competencies

  • Integrity and fairness - embodies UN values and promotes the well-being of all individuals regardless of gender, religion, race, nationality, or age;
  • Cultural sensitivity and adaptability - communicates effectively with and relates to people of different cultures, demonstrating an ability to see issues from other perspectives;
  • Strong corporate commitment - works to achieve the goals of UN as a whole making significant contributions to corporate priorities or initiatives led by other UN offices and bureaus;
  • Ability to build strong relationships with external actors – cultivate productive relationships with donors, partners and other stakeholders;
  • Excellent oral and written communication skills;
  • Ability to anticipate and understand client needs, formulate clear strategic plans, prioritize interventions, and allocate resources according to priorities;
  • Ability to develop innovative solutions - encourages and contributes creative solutions to address challenging situations.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:
  • University Degree in Law, International Law, Human Rights, social, economic or political studies or other relevant field;
  • Advanced degree is an advantage.
Experience:
  • At least 5 years of practical work with human rights, women’s, minority and Roma rights;
  • In-depth knowledge of gender equality, women's and minority rights and empowerment;
  • 3 to 5 years of proven experience in producing analytical reports in the area of human rights, women’s and minority rights;
  • Knowledge of regional and relevant international best practices and experiences on minority rights and empowerment;
  • Proven experience in consulting, research and critical assessment.
Language and other skills:
  • Excellent command of English;
  • Knowledge of Romanian, Romani and/or Russian is an advantage;
  • Competence in one or more of the minority languages relevant for Moldova, including Gagauz, Ukrainian, Bulgarian or other languages is an asset;
  • Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, ability to use Internet and email.
Selection process:

Initially, prospective candidates will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:
  • University Degree in Law, International Law, Human Rights, social, economic or political studies or other relevant field;
  • At least 5 years of practical work with human rights, women’s, minority and Roma rights;
  • 3 to 5 years of proven experience in producing analytical reports in the area of human rights, women’s and minority rights.
The short-listed individual consultants will be further evaluated based on a cumulative analysis scheme, with a total score being obtained upon the combination of weighted technical and financial attributes. Cost under this method of analysis is rendered as an award criterion, which will be 30% out of a total score of 500 points.

Evaluation of submitted offers will be done based on the following formula:
B= T+Clow/C*X,
where:
T- is the technical score awarded to the evaluated proposal (only to those proposals that pass 70% m 350 points obtainable under technical evaluation);
C - is the price of the evaluated proposal;
Clow - is the lowest of all evaluated proposal prices among responsive proposals; and
X - is the maximum financial points obtainable (150 points).

Technical evaluation will be represented through desk review of applications and further interview will be organized if needed, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications.

Technical Evaluation (350 points): The technical part is evaluated on the basis of its responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR).
  1. University Degree in Law, International Law, Human Rights, social, economic or political studies or other relevant field (under Master’s – 10 pts, Master’s – 20 pts, PhD - 30 pts) – max. 30 pts
  2. In-depth knowledge of gender equality, women's and minority rights and empowerment – max. 70 pts
  3.  At least 5 years of practical work with human rights, women’s, minority and Roma rights (<5 years - 0 pts, 5 years - 30 pts, each year over 3 years - 10 pts per each additional year up to a maximum of 60 pts
  4.  3 to 5 years of proven experience in producing analytical reports in the area of human rights, women’s and minority rights (3 years – 20 pts, each year over 3 year – 5 pts, each year over 5 year – 10 pts up to a maximum of 60 pts
  5.  Knowledge of regional and relevant international best practices and experiences on minority rights and empowerment – max. 25 pts
  6. Proven experience in consulting, research and critical assessment – max. 25 pts
  7. Excellent command of English (up to 15 pts), Romanian (up to 15 pts), Russian language (up to 10 pts), Romani (up to 10 pts) – max. 50 pts
  8. Competence in one or more additional languages relevant for Moldova, including Bulgarian, Gagauz, Romani, Ukrainian or sign language (each language up to 5 pts, up to a maximum of 20 pts)
  9. Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, ability to use Internet and email – max. 10 pts
Financial evaluation: 

In the Second Stage, the financial proposal of candidates, who have attained minimum 70% score in the technical evaluation (at least 245 points), will be compared.
 
Winning Candidate:
The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring + financial scoring).

Submission of Application:

Interested and qualified candidates are requested to submit electronic application by visiting http://jobs.undp.org/ no later than 15 June 2012.

All applications must include (as an attachment) the following:
  • A completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment.
  • Letter of Interest containing the statement on candidate’s experience in the field of recruitment;
  • Financial proposal*
* The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount, and payment terms around specific and measurable (qualitative and quantitative) deliverables (i.e. whether payments fall in installments or upon completion of the entire contract). Payments are based upon output, i.e. upon delivery of the services specified in the TOR.  In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal will include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (including travel, per diems, and number of anticipated working days).
 
Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Please note that only applicants who are short-listed will be contacted.
 
Terms of Service:

This is a non-staff contract under the Contract for Consultancy modality of hiring of the UN Women. Individuals engaged under a Contract for Consultancy serve in their individual capacity and not as representative of a government institutions, corporate body or other authority external to UN Women. The incumbent shall not be considered as staff of UN Women, the UN common system or the government and are therefore not entitled to any diplomatic privileges or any other special status or conditions.
 
The United Nations in Moldova (UN Women) is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply.