I. Organizational Context

UN Women (the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of 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.

In Turkey, in line with its global Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and Country Strategic Note (2022-2025), and the overall UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Turkey (UNSDCF) (2021-2025), UN Women works towards the overarching goal of “Women and girls including those at greatest risk of being left behind fully exercise their human rights, enjoy a life free from violence and discrimination, and lead, influence and benefit from sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development towards the advancement of gender equality in Turkey.” UN Women works in four thematic areas: (i) governance and participation in public life; (ii) women’s economic empowerment; (iii) ending violence against women and girls; and (iv) women, peace and security, humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction. UN Women contributes to three UNSDCF outcomes: 1) Women and girls have improved and equal access to resources, opportunities, and rights, and enjoy a life without violence and discrimination; 2) By 2025, Persons under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection are supported towards self-reliance. 3) By 2025, governance systems are more transparent, accountable, inclusive and rights-based with the participation of civil society, and quality of judicial services is improved.

As a state party to CEDAW, Turkey has obligations to combat VAW in line with international standards.  Law No: 6284 on the Protection of Family and Prevention of Violence against Women (VAW) from 2012 provides an essential framework for preventing violence and protecting victims/survivors. The recently released Fourth National Action Plan on Violence against Women 2021-2025 sets out a series of objectives, including Objective 1, focused on effective implementation of access to justice and legislation.

In line with the legal and policy framework in place, Turkey has established various mechanisms and initiatives to strengthen women’s access to justice in case of violence. Among the existing family courts, specialized courts are identified to hear applications under Law No: 6284. In addition, the government has established 192 Offices of Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women within the Offices of Chief Public Prosecutors, tasked with investigating VAW cases, implementing Law No: 6284, and monitoring the implementation of protective orders. In 2020, Turkey announced new regulations to establish the Department of Legal Support and Victim Services under Ministry of Justice. President of the Department directly reports to Deputy Minister.  The Department currently oversees 114 Legal Support and Victims Services Directorates located in courthouses, and is working on increasing the number of Directorates. The Directorates provide support to vulnerable groups and offer guidance about justice processes, psychosocial support, and legal aid services to victims of violence.

As has been the case globally, during the Covid-19 crisis violence against women and girls has worsened due to women being locked at home with their abusers, increased economic hardship, and difficulties accessing services. While Turkey has made various legal and policy commitments to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG), VAWG continues to be pervasive and, victims and survivors encounter barriers in accessing the justice system.

Building on these initiatives, UN Women embarked on a one-year project “Strengthening Women’s Access to Justice and Improving Response of Judicial System for More Effective Implementation of Legislation in Combating Violence against Women in Turkey” as of January 2022, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and main partner of which is the Ministry of Justice (MoJ, the Ministry) Legal Support and Victims Services Department. In addition to the overarching objective to attain efficient implementation of Law No:6284, free from gender-based stereotypes and in a survivor-centered manner, the project aims to support the realization of specific objectives in the 4th National Action Plan on Combating Violence against Women and the Human Rights Action Plan which fall under the responsibility of the justice sector and where gaps in implementation have been identified, as well as the Human Rights Action Plan, 11th National Development Plan and MoJ Judicial Reform Strategy. The Project will support increasing the effectiveness of the Ministry in the implementation Law No: 6284 in line with CEDAW and domestic, international good practices and international standards and norms.

The Project consists of two outputs;

1. Capacity development for judges of the Family Courts and public prosecutors of the Offices of Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women; and,
2. Developing tools to improve the performance of Legal Support and Victim Services Directorates and the accessibility of their services by women.

With regards to the first output; in close cooperation with a Working Group consisting of judges and public prosecutors, who are experienced in working on VAW cases through family courts and relevant investigation bureaus, a curriculum for peer-to-peer experience sharing workshops will be developed, a series of such workshops will be facilitated, and knowledge products will be formulated for the use of the MoJ, and judges and prosecutors. A study visit to observe good practices on combatting violence against women will also be organized.

With regards to the second output, a needs assessment will be conducted to Legal Support and Victim Services Directorates across selected provinces, meetings which bring civil society, public stakeholders and the Directorates together will be organized in selected provinces and a series of informative documents will be prepared and disseminated on the Directorates to increase public knowledge and accessibility of services provided by the recently established Legal Support and Victims Services Directorates.

UN Women will follow a systematic approach towards effective and results oriented capacity development with a team consisting of national and international consultants and UN Women technical staff responsible for different aspects of the capacity development activities in line with their expertise.  In this regard, UN Women is looking for a National Consultants to provide their technical support during capacity building and improvement of performance to the Project team during the planning and implementation of the “Strengthening Women’s Access to Justice and Improving Response of Judicial System for More Effective Implementation of Legislation in Combating Violence against Women in Turkey” project.

II. Functions

Within the scope of the assignment, under the overall guidance of Project Coordinator and under direct supervision of the Programme Analyst  , National Consultant for capacity development activities targeting experts working at legal support and victims services directorates under Strengthening Women’s Access to Justice and Improving Response of Judicial System for More Effective Implementation of Legislation in Combating Violence against Women in Turkey Projectis expected to provide consultancy services for the below listed tasks:

• Working in close collaboration with the project team and MoJ Legal Support and Victim Services Department, design a methodology to conduct a situation analysis including focus group discussions for experts working at legal support and victim services directorates across selected provinces, with an emphasis on the implementation of the legislative framework relating to the establishment and functioning of the directorates;
• Conduct an analysis with experts working at the directorates in selected provinces and provide an analysis of the achievements, gaps and challenges in the field;
• Providing inputs to the conceptual framework, content development, knowledge materials/products and monitoring tools for meetings which bring civil society, public stakeholders and the Directorates together will be organized in selected provinces;
• Contribute a rapid assessment and mapping of the relevant CSOs, their geographical distribution, accessibility, and availability of the locations/venues for selecting the provinces for the above mentioned meetings;
• Facilitating above mentioned meetings in selected provinces;
• Providing technical inputs to communications and advocacy materials for disseminating information on the activities for Legal Support and Victim Services Directorates among the public; and,
• Prepare workshop reports and collaborate with national and international consultants on coherent implementation of the project and reporting processes.

The consultant is expected to work closely and in coordination with the project team including other national and international consultants involved in development and delivery of all materials as well as Legal Support and Victim Services Department. The abovementioned tasks are indicative and subject to further detailing through specific service requests to be made by UN Women Turkey Office during the course of the contract duration.

III. Deliverables and Payment Schedule

Duration of the assignment is from 15 May 2022 to 31 December 2022. The Consultant is expected to dedicate approximately 6 working days per month on average for this assignment and to spend up to 50 working days on non-consecutive basis throughout the assignment.

Expected Deliverables and Payment Schedule:

The following table summarizes the main activities and expected deliverables against the targeted submission deadlines and indicative working days to be invested by the Consultant.

All deliverables shall be received and cleared by UN Women in Turkey. All reports shall be presented in English, in electronic version. All products shall be presented in Turkish.

The mentioned number of working days has been estimated as being sufficient/feasible for the envisaged volume of work to be completed successfully and is proposed as a guideline for the duration of assignment. It cannot and shall not be used as criteria for completion of work/assignment. The provision of envisaged deliverables approved by the UN Women in Turkey shall be the only criteria for the Consultant’s work being completed and eligible for payment/s.

Payment Schedule:

The amount paid to the Consultant shall be gross and inclusive of all associated costs such as travel, social security, pension and income tax etc. Payments will be made upon submission and approval of deliverables above and certification by the UN Women supervisor that the services have been satisfactorily completed.

The Consultant’s payments will be carried out on the basis of monthly timesheets presented to and approved by the supervisor. Payment shall be affected only if monthly timesheets and all the deliverables in this TOR are submitted to UN Women within the timeframes stipulated in the TOR and they are approved by the supervisor. Without submission and approval of the deliverables, the Consultant shall not receive any payment even if s/he invests time for this assignment.

During assignment’s related missions, the National Consultant may use the facilities of the office (i.e. internet access, printing, copying, local phone calls, etc.). However, s/he is expected to use his/her own personal computer.

Travel:

There will be events / trainings / workshops to be held in 2022 under this project. UN Women Turkey Office will cover the organization and the costs of the consultant’s travel as per UN Women’s rules and regulations. UN Women will not cover transporation cost within duty station including taxi costs.

Mandatory Training Courses:

The Consultant shall complete all the mandatory and other required UN training courses and modules on time. The certificates shall be submitted to the supervisor. Please note that the required training courses could vary based on contract content and duration, the nature of the work and inclusion of travel. Hence, the Consultant is obliged to follow the instructions of his/her Hiring Manager upon which training modules to complete and when to complete them.

IV. Key Performance Indicators

·Adherence to UN Women mandate, standards and rules.

·Timely and quality delivery of the training and capacity building services and technical support as stipulated under Part II.

·Willingness to shares knowledge and experience,

·Demonstration of excellent written and oral communication skills and communicating sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies,

·Ability to perform a variety of standard specialized and non-specialized tasks and work processes that are fully documented, researched, recorded and reported,

·Ability to review a variety of data, identify and adjust discrepancies, identify and resolve operational problems,

·Uses Information Technology effectively as a tool and resource

·Provision of quality and timely monthly reports and the final report.

• Positive feedbacks from UN Women’s stakeholders regarding the substantive support provided by the Consultant.

V. 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

Functional Competencies

• Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies;
• Knowledge of local administrations in Turkey
• Knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues
• Programme formulation and implementation skills
• Knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings
• Good knowledge of technical area
• Good organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to detail
• Focuses on impact and results for client;
• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.
• Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf (unwomen.org).

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, 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.)  

VI. Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Masters  degree or equivalent in law is required.
• Doctoral degree or equivalent in law is an asset.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of demonstrated professional and/or academic research experience in the area of violence against women with focus on women’s access to justice in cross-cutting public and private law and national and international human rights law dimensions is required.
• Experience and knowledge on designing and implementing needs assessment  are required.
• Professional work experience in moderating multi-stakeholder meetings relating to VAWG and undertaking information dissemination activities on VAWG is an asset.
• Experience with working with governmental and international institutions, local administrations and civil society on enhancing justice system’s capacity or any other relevant field is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in written and spoken Turkish and English is required.

VII. Application Procedure

The following documents should be submitted as part of the application:

• Cover letter to include a brief overview about which of your previous experiences makes you the most suitable candidate for the advertised assignment.
• CV in English containing the relevant educational and professional experience.
• Signed UN Women Personal History (P11) Form including past experience in similar assignments which can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment

• Financial proposal to be sent via e-mail to turkey.procurement@unwomen.org  indicating the name of the position applied in the subject line of the e-mail no later than the application deadline - Please see Annex I: Price Proposal Guideline and Template and Annex II: Price Proposal Submission Form.

When applying; the Cover Letter, CV and the signed P11 Form should be merged into one (1) single PDF document since the system will allow only to upload maximum one document. Therefore, please combine these forms and documents into one (1) single PDF document and upload them to the system.

As for the Financial Proposal, please send it separately via e-mail to turkey.procurement@unwomen.org indicating the name of the position applied in the subject line of the e-mail.  Since it is to be submitted separately via e-mail, the Financial Proposal should not be uploaded to the system or be included in the merged PDF which shall consist of the applicant’s Cover Letter, CV and Signed P11 Form. Please make sure not to include the Financial Proposal in the merged PDF document.

Should they be short-listed in consideration of the consultancy, candidates should be able to quickly submit degree certificates, medical certifications or any other requested document.

Incomplete applications such as applications without a financial proposal may not be considered. Applicants are responsible to make sure to have provided all the requested application materials before the deadline.

VIII. Evaluation of Applicants

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. The contract will be awarded to the Consultant whose offer receives the highest score out of below defined technical and financial criteria. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal. All other price proposals receive points in inverse proportion. A suggested formula is as follows:

p = 30 (µ/z)

Using the following values:

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

An interview/written test may be used as part of the evaluation procedure.

Annex I: Price Proposal Guideline and Template

The prospective Individual Consultant should take the following explanations into account during submission of his/her price proposal.

1.Daily fee

The daily price proposal should indicate a "lump sum amount" which is "all-inclusive"; All costs (professional fees, communications, consumables during field related missions, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor needs to be factored into the proposed price.

UN Women will not withhold any amount of the payments for tax and/or social security related payments. UN Women shall have no liability for taxes, duties or other similar charges payable by the Individual Contractor in respect of any amounts paid to the Individual Contractor under this Contract, and the Contractor acknowledges that UN Women will not issue any statements of earnings to the Individual contractor in respect of any such payments.

2.Travel costs

There will be events / trainings / workshops to be held in 2022 under this project. UN Women Turkey Office will cover the organization and the costs of the consultant’s travel as per UN Women’s rules and regulations. UN Women will not cover transporation cost within duty station including taxi costs.

3.Currency of the price proposal

The applicants are requested to submit their price proposals in Turkish Liras. 

Annex II: Price Proposal Submission Form

To: United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Ref:

Dear Sir / Madam,

I, the undersigned, offer to provide professional consulting services to UN Women within the scope of the referred Assignment.

Having examined, understood and agreed to the Terms of Reference and its annexes, the receipt of which are hereby duly acknowledged, I, the undersigned, offer to deliver professional services, in conformity with the Terms of Reference.

My maximum total price proposal for the assignment is given below:

I confirm that my financial proposal will remain unchanged for 120 days. I also confirm that the price that I quote is gross, and is inclusive of all legal expenses, including but not limited to social security, income tax, pension, etc., which shall be required applicable laws.

I agree that my proposal shall remain binding upon me for 120 days.

I understand that you are not bound to accept any proposal you may receive.

[Signature]

Date:

Name:

Address:

Telephone/Fax:

Email: