Background
Over the past few years, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNFIEM) has been supporting government and non-governmental organizations in Macedonia in advancing women’s rights and promoting gender equality. One of UNIFEM priority areas of work in the country is to support the incorporation of gender equality considerations in policy-making and budgetary processes at both national and local level. Work in this area has taken place in the framework of a sub-regional programme on Gender Responsive Budgeting in South East Europe, initiated in late 2006. The Programme in Macedonia aims at establishing understanding, capacity and commitment for integration of gender in budgetary processes and improving civil society capacity to monitor government budget from a gender perspective.
UNIFEM work on gender responsive budgeting at the local level has been initiated in December 2008, and is implemented with financial support by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Two municipalities, Tetovo and Bitola, are being supported in pilot initiatives, focused on identification of gender-related priorities and citizen needs, and reflecting them in local strategies and budgets, as well as developing mechanisms for tracking implementation from gender perspective. In this context, UNIFEM has signed Memoranda of Understanding with the two Municipalities, which reflect agreement for cooperation in the following areas: 1) Strengthening capacities of government officials involved in policy and budget making on integration of gender into local policy and budgetary processes; 2) Strengthening capacities of local gender equality commission and non-governmental organizations in the Municipality to monitor government policies and allocations for their responsiveness to women’s needs and gender issues; 3) Expanding partnerships between gender equality advocates from local self-government, gender commissions, local Council and non-governmental organizations from the Municipality; 4) Strengthening informal network of actors working on gender budgeting at local level in South East Europe through exchange of experiences and best practices.
As a first step in the implementation of the local GRB initiatives, a representative survey has been carried out to identify citizen’s needs and priorities in areas within the competencies of local government, as well as women and men’s satisfaction with local government provided services. The survey has been carried out by local non-governmental organizations and covered 2,200 respondents in each municipality. Initial analysis of the findings has been carried out by the NGOs, and more in-depth analysis is expected be conducted in the months of September and October. The latter will seek to shed light on the particular situation of women and men from different groups (for example, in accordance with place of residence, age and ethnicity). The survey results, together with additional analysis of current municipal programs and budgets as explained below, should serve as basis for advocating for more gender-sensitive formulation and implementation of local policies.
In the framework of these initiatives, and in order to create stronger understanding among local counterparts in the two municipalities on the gender aspects of current municipal programs and budgets, UNIFEM will commission analysis of selected municipal strategies, programs and budgets from gender perspective.
To carry out the analysis, UNIFEM is seeking to recruit two local consultants.
Duties and Responsibilities
Working under the supervision of the UNIFEM Project Manager in Skopje, and in close collaboration with the Commissions for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men and Coordinators for the Commissions in the two municipalities, the consultants will be responsible for the following:
a) Develop rationale for the selection of strategies, programs and budgets for analysis based on the survey results as explained above and on other available information;
b) Develop methodology for analysis of selected municipal strategies, programs and their budgets for gender perspective. The methodology should be developed in close consultations with UNIFEM and the local stakeholders, in particular the Commissions for Equal Opportunities.
c) Review selected municipal strategies and programs, and their related budgets, and analyze to what extent gender equality issues have been considered in the development and implementation of these programs. The analysis should be done through both desk review and interviews with local role-players (in particular, municipal officials responsible for design and implementation of the programs). Some interviews/focus groups with beneficiaries might be required as well, if available data are not sufficient. The analysis should take into consideration the results of the survey on citizens’ priorities/needs/satisfaction with services, as explained above. It should examine budget allocations within the particular program over the past 3 years, as well as what is proposed for the coming year, focusing on adequacy of specific allocations, trends and variation over years, and level of priority given to the programs. If possible, the research should also document output/delivery statistics. The final reports should include realistic suggestions as to what additional information should be generated and provided by the municipality to be able to track these services/programmes more effectively from a gender perspective.
d) Present the findings of the analysis during training on gender responsive budgeting for local level stakeholders, to be organised by UNIFEM in November.
Deliverables:
- Methodology note including all key questions to be investigated and sources of information (including interviews, focus groups, etc.)
- Two analytical reports (one per municipality) which includes analysis of the selected programs from gender perspective and recommendations for improvement. The reports should be prepared in English language. It is expected that first draft reports are developed and shared with UNIFEM and local stakeholders for comments. On the basis of the feedback, final reports are to be produced.
- PPP presentation for the training
- Brief final report to UNIFEM on implementation of the assignment (with focus on lessons learnt and recommendations for future steps)
Duration, payment and application procedure:
The consultants are expected to perform approximately 50 working days each for this assignment in the period September 15-November 30, which would include regular travel to the two municipalities. Longer stays in the towns of Bitola and Tetovo might be required for completion of all needed field work. Payment for travel will be released upon signature of the contract, and final payment will be made upon satisfactory completion of the assignment.
Application Procedures:
Qualified and interested candidates are requested to apply on-line through this site, no later than 25th of August 2009
The application should contain:
Filled P11 form, which can be downloaded at: http://www.undp.org.mk/datacenter/files/files02/P11.doc
Please note that the omission to submit P11 form may result in exclusion of the application from selection process.
UNIFEM applies fair and transparent selection process that would take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals.
Due to large number of applicants, UNIFEM regrets that it is unable to inform the unsuccessful candidates about the outcome or status of the recruitment process.
Qualified women and members of social minorities are encouraged to apply.
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
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
Core competencies:
- Communication: Excellent communication skills, including the ability to convey complex concepts and recommendations, both orally and in writing, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different audiences.
- Client orientation: Ability to establish and maintain productive partnerships with national partners and stakeholders and pro-activeness in identifying of beneficiaries and partners’ needs, and matching them to appropriate solutions
Required Skills and Experience
- University degree in a relevant field (i.e. policy analysis, gender studies, economics, social sciences, etc.); Advanced degree at the Masters or Ph.D. level is an advantage.
- Minimum 5 years of relevant professional experience
- Recognized expertise and specialized knowledge in policy and budget analysis, from gender perspective and gender mainstreaming tools and techniques
- Familiarity with Macedonian policy making and decentralization systems and processes, as well as on the position of women and gender equality
- Excellent oral and written communication skills in Macedonian and in English
- Availability to perform in-country travel on a regular basis