UN WOMEN Jobs - 48771- International Consultant for Undertaking Analysis

International Consultant for Undertaking Analysis on Regional Trends in Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) and Moderating the Sub-Regional Consultation on the BPfA Implementation in Central Asia

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Home-based with one-time travel to Almaty, Kazakhstan (3 days)

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Sep-2014

Application Deadline :

20-Aug-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

21 working days within 1 September – 30 October 2014

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Within the framework of preparations for the 20-Year Review of implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA+20) and the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and contribution to the regional reviews conducted by UNECE and UNESCAP in November 2014, UN Women MCO Kazakhstan (Central Asia) plans to undertake a comprehensive sub-regional review of implementation of BPfA targeting Central Asian (CA) countries.

Following this purpose, UN Women MCO Kazakhstan (Central Asia) plans to initiate public discussions with the national governments and civil society in order to ensure visibility of CA region in the regional and global reviews of BPfA. The main aim of the meeting is to discuss the progress achieved by the countries in gender equality in the areas of concern indicated by the BfPA, reflect on challenges and pitfalls as well as identify plans for the next period. A particular goal of the meeting is to ensure that Central Asia is vocal and represented in the regional and global agenda with its region and country-specific contributions. Therefore, a special focus will be put on identification of regional trends in the implementation of BPfA and of regional platforms, as applicable, of common concerns among countries and sub-region, and of successful strategies for addressing those.

It’s expected that the discussion will result in the identification of regional trends in the implementation of the Platform for Action and of regional platforms, as applicable, of common concerns among countries and sub-regions, and of successful strategies for addressing those. It should contribute to accelerated implementation, the sharing of experiences and lessons learned, and opportunities for up-scaling such interventions. The outcome document will summarize the regional trends in achieving gender equality, analyzing success, challenges and current priorities for gender equality in Central Asia. Through the outcome document, the CA countries will be able to both (a) reconfirm commitment to concerted action on the 12 "Critical Areas of Concern" of the BfPA, (b) identify region-specific trends and challenges; and (b) highlight priority actions for the coming years. Thus, the meeting will provide a platform for civil society to review achievements, remaining obstacles and ways forward with respect to the implementation of the MDGs for women and girls in Central Asia and provide inputs to the Geneva NGO Forum in Geneva.

Therefore, UN Women MCO Kazakhstan (Central Asia) is looking for a competent and experienced international consultant to provide technical expertise of the sub-regional consultation to be held in October 2014 in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the UN Women MCO Kazakhstan (Central Asia) Programme Specialist International Consultant will be responsible for supporting the UN Women MCO Kazakhstan (Central Asia)in finalization of the concept note, agenda and materials for the sub-regional review meeting which is scheduled for the end of October 2014 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, facilitation of the review and development of the outcome document listing key sub-region-specific impediments in achieving BPfA and development of a final report of the review. In particular, the duties include:

To undertake comprehensive analysis of the national and regional reviews of the BPfA implementation, based on the most recent international covenants reviews and recommendations, i.e. national reports to CEDAW (official and alternative), national MDG reports, Universal Periodic Reviews, recent visits of the UN Special Rapporteurs, etc. vis-à-vis 12 areas of critical concern of BPfA;
To develop a draft outcome document on the current regional trends on the BPfA implementation, with focus on common gaps and barriers, existing solutions and suggestions to improve address of these barriers – this draft will be distributed among the participants and will serve as a key resource paper for discussion and as a ground for further consultations to develop the final outcome document to be used for the participants of the regional consultations;
To design and finalize the agenda of the meeting including design of parallel sessions in the way enabling participants to identify priorities;
To develop an appropriate facilitation methodology that delivers the objectives of the meeting and contains questions to each thematic session, including a guidelines for speakers, moderators, key note speakers and working groups discussions and support UN Women MCO Kazakhstan (Central Asia) Programme Specialist to work with the speakers in preparation of their presentations and statements;
To present the findings of the analysis, including critical areas of concerns, and strategic objectives and actions of the BPfA, sharing best practices and good examples with participants of the sub-regional consultation in Almaty;
To provide overall facilitation during the 2-day sub-regional consultation, including but not limited to keynote speech, framing and group discussions and wrap-up of the meeting;
To conduct a one-day workshop immediately after the consultation to strengthen capacity of CSOs from Central Asia on how to engage effectively for the regional reviews to be able to provide meaningful inputs into the CSO statements and support CSOs in developing;
To finalise the outcome document based on the findings of the discussions during the consultation;
To develop a final report from the review and workshop for CSOs.

Expected Deliverables

Deliverable / Timeframe / Number of working days

Agenda, concept note and list of necessary materials finalized in consultation with UN Women MCO Kazakhstan (Central Asia) Programme Specialist - By 10 September - 5 working days;
To develop guidance note for moderators, speakers and key note speakers, work in groups - By 20 September - 3 working days;
Draft outcome document on the current regional trends on the BPfA implementation, with focus on common gaps and barriers, existing solutions and suggestions to improve address of these barriers prepared - By 30 September - 5 working days;
To provide overall facilitation during the consultation, including but not limited to keynote speech, framing and group discussions and wrap-up of the meeting - towards the end of October (the exact date will be decided by mid-August) in Almaty, Kazakhstan - 2 working days;
To conduct a one-day workshop immediately after the meeting to strengthen capacity of CSOs from Central Asia on how to engage effectively for the regional reviews to be able to provide meaningful inputs into the CSO statements and support CSOs in developing - immediately upon the sub-regional consultation in Almaty, Kazakhstan (pls see #4) - 1 working day;
Outcome document finalized incorporating recommendations by participants - By 30 October - 2 working days;
Report from the consultation and the workshop developed - By 30 October - 3 working days.

Evaluation Process:

The candidates must possess the minimum required qualification criteria to be eligible for further technical evaluation. The minimum qualification criteria include Education, Experience and Language requirements. The second stage of the evaluation will be comprised of cumulative evaluation of the technical proposal (70%) and a financial proposal (30%) of the technically qualified candidates.

Criteria 1. Education:

Master’s degree in social sciences, political sciences, international development, communication or related field - 50 points;

Criteria 2. Experience:

A minimum of 10 years relevant working experience in the area of gender and development, including international experience advising on implementation of CEDAW and Beijing Platform for Action, ICPD or other similar international normative frameworks - 60 points;
Relevant working experience with civil society organizations in Central Asia - 30 points;
Experience in coordinating or facilitating national review processes of CEDAW, BPfA or other similar international normative frameworks - 40 points;
Prior experience working for the United Nations agencies would be desirable - 20 points.

Criteria 3. Functional competencies:

Knowledge of government processes, national strategies, national plans for gender and international frameworks such as CEDAW, BPfA, MDGs and others - 20 points;
Ability to effectively facilitate and moderate international conferences, workshops, side events and/or seminars - 30 points;
Excellent presentation and public speaking skills - 30 points;
Excellent writing and analytical skills - 30 points.

Criteria 4. Corporate Competences:

Demonstrate integrity, values and ethics in accordance to UN Women norms, vision and objectives – 10 points;

Show respect regardless the race/colour, sex, religion, nationality and age as well as be sensible to cultural adaptation capacity - 10 points.

Criteria 5. Language requirements:

Fluency in written and spoken English, Russian is an advantage - 20 points.

Only candidates who reached at least 245 points will be qualified for financial evaluation, and will be requested to submit:financial proposal aggregated and with breakdown (remuneration, travel expenses including per diem (3 working days in total), ticket to/from Almaty, Kazakhstan, lodging and terminal expenses, etc.). In addition, together with the financial proposal, the candidates (who obtained minimum points for technical evaluation) will be asked to provide the samples of the outcome documents, position papers, analytical reports preferably in the area of human rights and/or gender issues.

Evaluation of the submitted financial offers will be done based on the following formula:

S = Fmin / F * 150, where S - score received on financial evaluation; Fmin - the lowest financial offer out of all the submitted offers qualified over the technical evaluation round; F - Financial offer under the consideration.

Winning candidate:

The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring + financial scoring).

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge of government processes, national strategies, national plans for gender and international frameworks such as CEDAW, Beijing Platform for Action, MDGs and others;
Ability to effectively facilitate and moderate international conferences, workshops, side events and/or seminars;
Excellent presentation and public speaking skills
Excellent writing and analytical skills.

Corporate Competences:

Demonstrate integrity, values and ethics in accordance to UN Women norms;
Promote the vision, mission and strategic objectives of UN Women;
Show respect regardless the race/colour, sex, religion, nationality and age as well as be sensible to cultural adaptation capacity.

Required Skills and Experience

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree in social sciences, political sciences, international development, communication or related field

Experience:

A minimum of 10 years of working experience in the area of gender and development, human rights, including international experience advising on implementation of CEDAW and Beijing Platform for Action, ICPD or other similar international normative frameworks;
Experience coordinating or facilitating national, regional or global review processes of CEDAW, BPFA or other similar international normative frameworks;
Relevant working experience with civil society organizations in Central Asia will be an added advantage;
Prior experience working for the United Nations agencies would be desirable.

Language:

Fluent in English;
Russian would be an added advantage.

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

All online applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: http://www.unwomen.org/~/media/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/P_11_form_UNwomen%20doc.doc

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.