Background

Across the world, women and girls fear and experience various types of sexual violence in public spaces, from unwelcome sexual remarks and touching to rape and femicide. It happens on streets, in and around schools, public transportation, workplaces, parks, public toilets and other spaces in urban, rural, online, and conflict/post-conflict settings. Sexual harassment continues to occur in public spaces during the pandemic. This reality reduces women’s and girls’ freedom of movement. It reduces their ability to participate in school, work and public life. It limits their access to essential services and their enjoyment of cultural and recreational activities, and negatively impacts their health and well-being. In 2013, the United Nations Commission for the Status of Women (CSW57) identified various forms of sexual violence against women and girls (SVAWG) in public spaces as a distinct area of concern and called on governments to prevent it. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has set “the elimination of all forms of violence against all women and girls in public and private spheres” as one of its specific goals (Target 5.2). In 2016, the New Urban Agenda committed to promoting a safe, healthy, inclusive, and secure environment in cities and human settlements for all to live, work and participate in urban life without fear of violence and intimidation. Although domestic violence and workplace violence is now widely recognized as human rights violation, sexual harassment in public spaces is often neglected, with few laws or policies in place to prevent and address it.

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The Regional Office for the Arab States (ROAS) covers 17 countries in the Arab States region with a focus on advancing women rights and empowerment in the economic, political, peace, and security spheres, including by addressing all forms of discrimination and violence against women, with a strong emphasis on advancing accountabilities, data, evidence, and knowledge to support partners in accelerating results defined in globally agreed standards, including the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The ROAS is guided by its Strategic Note, which is currently being finalized for 2022-2025. The new Regional Strategy Outcome 1 is Law-makers and executive authorities in the Arab States (1) adopt and (2) implement an enabling legislative and policy environment to prevent, respond to VAW , and address negative masculinities and harmful social norms (with a focus on domestic violence and violence in public spaces)

Building on over 40 years of sustained efforts undertaken by women’s organizations, grassroots, international networks, local governments in cities around the world, UN Women launched the Safe Cities Global Initiative (SC GI). The SC GI is a flagship programme that contributes to the emerging international 

knowledge base on effective strategies to eliminate sexual violence and harassment against women and girls in urban public spaces and aims to build more inclusive, sustainable and safe cities for all.

Objective of the Assignment:

To develop the work on addressing violence in public spaces through the Safe Cities Flagship Programme, UN Women is looking to hire an independent consultant to develop a proposal on Safe Cities in the Arab States region, by mapping existing initiatives, key stakeholders and developing a multi-country proposal to address sexual harassment in the Arab States region.

The consultant will work under the overall supervision and guidance of the EVAW Programme Specialist from the Regional Offices of UN Women in the Arab States (ROAS), in close collaborations with the EVAW focal points from UN Women Country Offices in the Arab States. 

Duties and Responsibilities

To develop a multi-country proposal on Safe Cities in the Arab States region, the International Consultant will:

• Undertake desk-based research on existing initiatives and key stakeholders that address sexual harassment in public spaces in the Arab States region
• Consult with relevant stakeholders (Civil Society Organizations, UN Women country offices, other UN Agencies) to understand existing approaches and needs in the context of sexual harassment in public spaces in the Arab States region

• Deliverables	Timelines
  CN on methodology and detailed work plan and timeline produced	(2 working day) 20 December
  Report including a mapping of existing initiatives and a mapping of key stakeholders that address sexual harassment in the Arab States region	10 working days (15 January 2022
  First draft of Multi-Country proposal on Safe Cities in the Arab States region	10 working days (30 January 2022
  Finalization of Multi-country proposal on Safe Cities in the Arab States region	5 working days (15 February 2022)

Competencies

Core Values

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies

• Excellent strategic planning, goal-setting, and prioritization skills;
• Ability to conceptualize and convey strategic vision;
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Strong data analysis and visualization skills including advanced skills in the use of IT tools
• Strong interpersonal  skills
• Strong writing and communication skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Masters degree in social sciences, international development, or another relevant field;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

The candidate should have at least 5 years of demonstrable experience in:

• Developing methodology, designing and implementing research in the areas of gender-based violence, crime prevention, women’s safety, especially as a part of international projects;
• Experience in writing guidance notes and analytical reports, especially as a part of international projects in the area of ending violence against women and girls;
• Delivering reports and publications on a tight schedule and in coordination with and input from multiple project partners.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required; knowledge of French and Arabic is an asset.
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

Evaluation Criteria:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology: Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for the financial evaluation.

Criteria Weight Technical: 70% (70 points)

Financial: Lowest Financial Proposal: 30% (30 points)

The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula:

• Contract will be awarded to the technically qualified consultant who obtains the highest combined score (financial and technical);
• The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula: (Lowest Bid Offered*)/ (Bid of the Consultant) x 30;
• 'Lowest Bid Offered' refers to the lowest price offered by Offerors scoring at least 49 points in the technical evaluation.

Application:

Interested Individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• A cover letter with a brief presentation of your consultancy explaining your suitability for the work and link to portfolio of work;
• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment;
• Personal CV; and Financial proposal; Proposed inclusive daily rate.

The above-mentioned documents should be merged in a standalone file including all them, since the online application submission does only permit to upload one file per application. Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification.

Note:

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.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity, and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority, and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)