Background

The Gender Team of the Bureau for Development Policy (BDP) is the institutional anchor of UNDP’s work on gender equality and women’s empowerment. As the UN’s lead development agency, with extensive field presence, UNDP facilitates the integration of gender equality in the work of its Country Offices through core and non-core fund investments and has initiated and implemented numerous innovative initiatives that support program county work on gender equality and women’s empowerment. UNDP's work on gender is guided by the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the frameworks provided by the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

 The UNDP Gender Team works to implement gender equality as a core objective of UNDP through a two-pronged approach (i) mainstreaming gender in all core practices; and, (ii) dedicated interventions that empower women and promote gender equality. In this context, the Gender Team developed the Gender Equality Strategy (2008-13) which was prepared in conjunction with the UNDP Strategic Plan (2008-13). The Gender Equality Strategy outlines the gender dimensions of the four practice areas (Poverty Reduction and MDG Achievement, Democratic Governance, Environment and Sustainable Development, and Crisis Prevention and Recovery) and sets goals for achieving gender equality and women's empowerment. It also introduces a number of measures to better capacitate UNDP to address gender in its work and measure progress towards meeting the development results outlined in the Gender Equality Strategy. 

 In accordance with the Gender Equality Strategy, UNDP provides policy advice, technical assistance and supports building the capacity of national partners to strengthen legal frameworks and advance women’s rights in accordance with international norms and standards, including CEDAW and other international and regional treaties and protocols. Building on family law reform work that has been undertaken in the Pacific, the UNDP Gender Team is developing global policy guidance on good practice family law reform.  The policy guidance will include coverage of the content of comprehensive family law and will identify a range of good practice approaches and examples from all global regions that illustrate how different countries have approached each particular component or issue in their respective law(s).

 In this context, the Democratic Governance & CPR cluster of the UNDP Gender Team is seeking the support of a technical expert to research land tenure issues relevant to family law issues, including good practice examples reflecting approaches from diverse country contexts.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Policy Advisor & Cluster Leader, Democratic Governance & CPR, Gender Team/BDP, the successful consultant will be required to research and prepare a background paper of 7-10 pages length on achieving gender equality in land tenure systems through good practice law reform that includes:

• A brief overview of the linkages between land tenure (owning, using, accessing, controlling, and transferring land) and the realization of women’s human rights in the area of family law (in particular in the areas of property rights during a marriage or relationship, spousal and child support, property division after relationship breakdown and inheritance).
• A brief overview of the main forms of land tenure (private, public, communal, customary, religious).
• A brief overview of the main gender equality issues within each system of land tenure.

An overview of good practice approaches to achieving gender equality in each land tenure system including examples from all regions, and from a diversity of contexts, of good practice law reform measures, both constitutional and legislative.

Competencies

Corporate Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards.
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability

Functional Competencies:

• Global expertise in land tenure systems and gender equality
• Relevant research experience in the field of land law and women’s right to land evidenced by a strong publication record.
• Minimum five years of experience in the field of gender equality and women’s human rights
• Excellent writing skills as well as strong analytical aptitude and ability to present information in a succinct, simple and clear manner evidenced by previous publications

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree in law.

Experience:

• Minimum five years of experience in the field of gender equality and women’s human right.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• (i) Explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
• (ii) Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work (if applicable)

Personal CV including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references

The financial proposal will specify the daily fee. Payment are made to the Individual Consultant based on the number of days worked.

There is no foreseen travel for this consultancy. In case of unforeseen travel, UNDP will bear the costs according to its travel rules.

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodologies:

The award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.
• Technical Criteria weight; 70
• Financial Criteria weight; 30

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal: p = y (μ/z)

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated
y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal
μ = price of the lowest priced proposal
z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Global expertise and experience working on gender equality and land tenure systems in a range of countries/regions and contexts 25% Max point 25

Research experience in the field of land law and women’s right to land 25% max. point 25

General terms and conditions under IC modality.