UN WOMEN Jobs - 61665- UN Women - International Expert for Data Review an

UN Women - International Expert for Data Review and Analysis of Albanian Elections 2009 – 2015 from a Gender Perspective with Special Focus on 2015 Local Elections

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Home based with Two Missions in Tirana,, ALBANIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

20-Nov-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

25 working days over period 1 December 2015 – 31 January 2016

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

The June 2015 local elections in Albania, the first held following a major territorial and administrative reform, were an important test for the country. This reform saw the creation of 61 new local government electoral units out of the existing 378, and brought a new, significant change in the local election structure with a number of perhaps unintended challenges, such as the agreement upon a reduced number of candidates by the parties.

Women’s participation in politics and decision-making in general is a continuous challenge in Albania. While there is a perceived growing awareness of gender issues and women representation, many stereotypes on abilities of women to play the role of decision-maker or leader persist, particularly in rural populations. Participation of women in voting has consistently been high in Albania. Turnout of eligible voters in the 2015 local elections was 47%, 42% of whom were women voters. This has not, however, appeared to translate into any substantial loosening of the barriers to women’s participation in political life and the distinction between regions is also considerable.

From UN Women monitoring of elections and mapping of women participation in the elections there were large differences between municipalities. There is also a noticeable difference between the percentage of women who managed to win in some peripheral municipalities and the national average and the percentage won in some major cities in the country. In the elections of 2015 for the first time the nomination gender quotas of 50% to 50% for the municipal councils were applied. The attempt to set candidacy quotas for the mayoral race was rejected by the Parliament. Despite the 50% nomination quota for local council, the outcome was still only 35% of women elected as council members.

The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) final election observation report for the 2011 local elections provided a number of recommendations for the improvement of elections management in Albania. With regards to women’s participation in elections, ODIHR documented a still significant rate of family voting, and the rather weak application and enforcement of the gender quotas, which contributed to the abysmal numbers of female candidates elected. ODIHR also commented on the lack of representation of women in management positions within the electoral administration, particularly at the district and voting center levels.

The phenomenon of family voting has been well documented in Albania by domestic and international observers alike. According to recent studies undertaken by UN Women Albania, family voting has shifted somewhat “behind the scenes” over the past electoral cycle. The practice occurs much more frequently at home, in terms of the preference of the woman being dictated by a male head of household, as opposed to direct casting of women’s ballots in the voting center. Combatting family voting and supporting the overall participation of women in political processes has been the subject of a number of assistance activities in Albania.

In so far as women’s participation in politics, Albania’s record is mixed. Certainly, a number of studies have shown that in recent years the perception that women can be leaders and decision makers is growing, and fairly strong. Albania’s electoral code amendments in 2008 and 2009 introduced quotas to candidate lists; however, all the major parties consistently opted to pay a nominal fine rather than comply with an approximate 30% minimum requirement. Consequently only 6% of the elected MPs were female in 2013. In local elections, women were elected Mayor in only 3 of the country’s 65 Municipalities (major towns and cities).

Several promising developments prior to these elections potentially created conditions for far better representation of women in local governance Albania.

First, amendments to the electoral code mandated that a party’s candidates for municipal assemblies be evenly divided among men and women and alternating in a fixed list. There were somewhat fewer female candidates for mayor – only 15 of 61 races featured female candidates (or 25% of races). However, the major alliances put women forward for a number of major cities – including Durres, Sarande, Girokaster, Himarre, Podragedec and Skoder (where both leading candidates were female).

Second, new technical changes or improvements will make obtaining data on gender and elections finally possible. Due to recent amendments to the electoral code, the gender of the voter will now be included on the voters list, making it possible to obtain data on voters participation by gender that had been heretofore difficult to discern. The CEC is also committed to report by gender on voters’ participation and candidates standing for office.

Based on the above, UN Women requires the support of an International Expert to be contracted under the Leadership and Political Participation Programme to review and analyze data from 2008- 2015 elections focusing especially on the last 2015 local elections through gender lenses and develop a detailed analytical report and presentation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Project Manager, in cooperation with the UN Women Representative, and in close collaboration with the Albanian Central Elections Commission, the selected individual will review and analyze in depth the data of women participation from 2008 – 2015 with main focus on the latest local elections in order to develop a detailed analytical report and presentation.

Specifically the expert will:

Phase one – data review, analysis and visualization

Familiarize her/himself fully with the context of the Albanian electoral process and system and the status of women’s participation in elections in Albania through a review of literature and relevant laws (2 days);
Review data from 2015, 2013, 2011 and 2009 on voter participation and women voters, women’s candidates and women commissioners at various levels (national, local, including by gender where available) (4 days);
Review application of quotas as per the Electoral Code since with the first introduction in 2008 and changes introduced over year before each elections until 2015 (2 days);
Review and specifically analyze women participation and quota implementation during the last 2015 local elections in light of Electoral Code Reform and new Territorial and Administration Reform (2 days);
Draft comprehensive report of key findings and recommendations from the above data and advise UN Women on priorities for future support areas of electoral assistance and the promotion and advancement of women’s participation in election (to be included in the report or as a separate document) (4 days);
Provide written analysis, charts, infographics and other friendly visualization slides to be used/uploaded from the CEC to populate its Gender Equality folder in the website (2 days).

Proposed total number of days for phase one is 16 days.

Phase two - Workshop/Presentation tasks:

Mission in Albania to verify final data analysis with the Central Elections Commission and presenting the final report to the Central Elections Commission and UN Women (4 days);
Integrate final inputs to the report and deliver to UN Women and CEC;
Prepare a presentation of main findings to be introduced during ACEEEO annual meeting that will take place in Albania in 2016 (2 days).

Proposed total number of days for phase two is 6 days and this will include two missions in Albania.

Phase three – Database specification tasks:

Based on the data review and analysis prepare a Software Resource Specifications (SOW/TOR) for the creation of a user friendly website database where election information on voters, candidates, elected and wining position as well as commissioners (by election, different levels of territorial boundaries, by gender, age etc.) can be accessed by the public, academics, election professionals, NGOs, and others. (3 days).

Proposed total number of days for phase three is 3 days.

Time frame and remuneration

The duration of the consultancy will be until January, 2016. It is estimated that the above tasks would require a maximum of 25 working days during this period. Payment will be made in installments upon certification by the Leadership and Political Participation Project Manager.

Reporting

The International Expert shall report to the Project Manager under the Leadership and Political Participation Programme, responsible for this respective assignment.

Competencies

Core values:

Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling UN values and ethical standards;
Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UN Women;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

Familiarity with election-related legislation and international standards in the elections and gender area and proven knowledge on analytical systems, statistics and IT;
Strong communication (spoken and written) skills and ability to articulate ideas in a clear and concise manner;
Ability to draft comprehensive reports using multiple source documents and data sets;
Considerable cultural and political sensitivity and an ability to meet deadlines;
Technical knowledge; Expertise in legal frameworks including provisions dealing with gender in elections;
Exhibits a good knowledge of institutional and capacity development approaches;
Familiar with issues of women’s participation in elections.

Management and Leadership:

Builds strong relationships with stakeholders, focuses on impact and results, and respond positively to feedback;
Ability to establish effective working relations in an electoral environment;
Excellent interpersonal skills;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills including the ability to convey complex concepts in a concise way;
Ability to work independently with minimal day-to-day supervision and oversight.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced university degree in one of the following disciplines - Political Science, International Relations, Law, Social Sciences, Public Administration, Public Policy, or a related field.

Experience:

A minimum of 10 years of functionally-related professional experience in elections and elections administration;
Comparative experience in election systems, with knowledge of gender and women’s participation issues in elections, and application of quota systems;
Experience/knowledge of developments and trends in Albanian elections, in particular with regards to gender;
Experience in electoral assistance and electoral management;
Experience in working on analytical reports and interpreting and visualizing data.

Language:

Proficiency in written and spoken English.

Evaluation of applications

UN Women applies a fair and transparent selection process. Applicants will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications/skills and their financial proposal.

Contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive to and compliant with the ToR; and
Having received the highest score out of below combined technical and financial criteria.

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%.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation

Application procedures

Interested individual consultants are requested to apply electronically through the following http://jobs.undp.org no later than 20th November, 2015 and to submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

Cover letter explaining the applicant’s interest in applying for the position;
Filled P11 form including past experience in similar projects and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from: http://www.unwomen.org/aboutus/employment/); Please, merge your completed Personal History form, financial proposal and cover letter, if applicable, into a single file when you submit your application via e-mail as indicated.
The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount in USD (25 working days) with clear reference to the daily consultancy fee. The two missions in Albania will also be included in the total lump sum, but specified in a separate budget line. Given the nature of the work payments will be based upon a) delivery of the services specified in the TORs, and b) certification of performance.