Background

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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997. UN Women Palestine Office focuses its activities on one overarching goal, namely, to support the implementation at the national level of existing international commitments to advance gender equality in line with the national priorities. In support of this goal, and thoroughly taking into consideration the specificities of the Palestinian context, UN Women concentrates its efforts and interventions toward the realization of following strategic goals:  Mainstreaming gender in governance, peace and security; Supporting women's economic security and rights; and Promoting women’s rights and protection against violence.

UN Women, as part of its’ global goals and commitments towards empowering women and enhancing gender equality and women’s access to justice is exerting efforts towards supporting the furthest left behind groups of women and girls’ victims and survivors of violence who face intersectional and compounded forms of Gender-Based violence (GBV), including physical, legal, psychosocial, economic, and sexual violence, which increase their marginalization and vulnerability. Deeply rooted discriminatory social norms and stereotypes reinforce the marginalization of the excluded groups within their families and the society at large. These norms and stereotypes are also reflected and translated into discriminatory laws and policies that reinforce exclusion and discrimination against them, in addition to the complete lack of responsive services to meet their needs, and the existence of non-responsive services that have not been adapted to the needs of the most marginalized, excluded and furthest left behind groups of women and girls’ victims and survivors of violence.

Under its work within SHAML Programme -  Enhancing the Protection and Reintegration of Furthest Left Behind Groups of Women and Girls, UN Women will capitalize on the ongoing efforts exerted by the different actors, particularly the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA), and the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) in relation to realizing the rights of women , and enhancing the status and the quality and accessibility of services provided to the furthest left behind groups of women and girls’ victims and survivors of violence, and further support  related national and local initiatives.

The furthest left behind groups of women and girls targeted by  this programme are the seven groups of women and girls who are denied access to sheltering services as per the Cabinet’s decision of 2011 on Protection Centers for Women Victims of Violence: women who have committed crimes (misdemeanours and felonies) and are executing court sentences, women with physical and mental disabilities, substance abuse cases, women accused of prostitution, women or girls who have infectious diseases, women who form a threat to other women, and girls who are below the age of 18, in addition to elderly women particularly those with mental or physical disabilities.

Shaml- Enhancing the Protection and Reintegration of Furthest Left Behind Groups of Women and Girls Victims and Survivors of Violence- 2020-2022 Generously funded by Sweden, Shaml Programme aims to enhance the protection and reintegration of furthest left behind groups of women and girls’ victims and survivors of violence.  It focuses in its piloting phase on three interrelated levels of interventions, including:

The first level concentrates on encouraging favourable attitudes amongst decision/ policy makers towards the rights of the furthest left behind groups of women and girls’ victims and survivors of violence, with the aim of increasing their readiness to introduce policy- changes. More specifically, under this level, the programme capitalizes on the ongoing efforts exerted by the MoSD and MoWA in this aspect, supporting them in leading inter-ministerial and sectoral discussions on the rights of the furthest left behind groups.

The second level of intervention focuses on responsive and quality service provision to the three identified groups of the furthest left behind groups of women and girls victims and survivors of violence, including: girls in conflict with the law  and victims and survivors of violence, elderly women with disabilities and women and girls victims and survivors of drugs abuse.The protection and re-integration services that will be established and provided through the programme’s  support for the first two groups include sheltering,  psycho- social support, guidance and empowerment,  working with families and referral to medical facilities in case of need. For women and girls drug addicts, upon assessing their needs, a multisectoral case management plan will be developed that includes individual psychosocial support, medical checkup/assessment, referral to specialized medical services for drug addicts, follow up during medical treatment with women victims and their families, providing GBV counseling and referral to legal clinic if needed.

The third level concentrates on increasing the community’s awareness on the rights of the furthest left behind groups of women and girls while at the same time work on ensuring that women and girls victims and survivors of violence are aware of their rights and can claim them and access services. The awareness component will be implemented through partnership with CSOs, CBOs and MoWA’s media network on gender equality issues. The work on the three levels of interventions contributes to ending violence against the furthest left behind groups of women and girls’ victims and survivors of violence.

Against this background, UN Women is planning to contract a national consultant to develop a Review and Learning Report for Shaml programme piloting phase.

Objective of the Assignment:

The assignment aims to develop a Review and Learning Report for Shaml programme Piloting Phase, to support UN Women, Sweden, and the programme’s partners in improving the programme’s approaches, methodologies, and tools of implementation, and guide the development of the Prodoc of the next phase of the programme. More precisely, this assignment has the below specific objectives:

1. To review, analyze and document the programme’s successes, failures, lessons learned, challenges and opportunities.
2. To draw out key recommendations for scaling up inclusive change in the protection and reintegration policies and services for the furthest left behind groups of women and girls’ victims and survivors of violence and foster a wider enabling environment.
3. To support the articulation of a UN Women corporate approach on supporting the realization of rights of furthest left behind groups of women and girls’ victims and survivors of violence.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of UN Women Special Representative in the State of Palestine the direct supervision of UN Women SAWASYA II Programme Specialist, and working in close cooperation and coordination with UN Women technical team, the selected consultant will undertake the following tasks, duties, and responsibilities:

1. Inception phase:

• To develop an inception report that includes a detailed description of the work plan, methodology, including consultations plan and tools, and a list of stakeholders who will be consulted, and share it with UN Women for review and approval, following the below tasks.
• To meet with UN Women’s technical team, and stakeholders as advised by UN Women, to discuss the assignment’s objectives, methods and tools that will be used, and the main deliverables.
• To develop a methodology and a detailed work plan and share it with UN Women for feedback and approval.

2. Implementation phase:

Development of a Review and Learning Report:

• To document and highlight the programme’s achieved milestones, lessons learned, good practices, and challenges. As part of the documentation, to include a description of the piloting model that the programme adopted.
• To document and highlight the programme’s opportunities for scaling up.
•  To facilitate discussions with the programme’s team, UN Women senior management, Sweden’s focal points, and stakeholders’ focal points on lessons being learned and their implications for future directions and priorities.
• To look into and analyze the cost effectiveness and efficiency of the programme, including aspects related to the complementarity perspective of the programme.
• To look at how the log frame allows or hinders the flexibility aspect in the programme; exploring what flexibility is useful for the programme’s future interventions and directions.
• To present and facilitate the discussion on the findings to UN Women and Sweden.
•  To provide a final report of the review including key actionable recommendations to inform and guide the design, planning and implementation of the next phase. The report should include as annexes lists of consulted stakeholders; material consulted and other related documents as relevant.

The Report shall be structured as follows:

• Executive Summary
• Introduction including Programme’s objectives and summary of outcomes
• Review the Programme Logical Framework
• Methodology used
• Consultations and review analysis and results
• Lessons Learned: inclusive protection and reintegration for women and girls’ victims and survivors of violence
• Practical examples of exploration approaches
• Recommendations and Way Foreword (including overcoming challenges).
• Annexes: Key resources

As part of the work on the Report, the consultant has to consult and refer to the Monitoring Reports that the programme is currently working on to document progress and achievements. 

Deliverables:

• Deliverable 1: An approved inception report in English that includes the work plan, the methodological framework, and the timeline for the deliverables, in English. (Expected delivery date:  two weeks after the signing of the contract)
• Deliverable 2: An Approved draft Review and Learning Report in English, detailing significant milestones and successes, lessons learned, good practices, challenges, and opportunities for scaling up; and key recommendations for scaling up inclusive change and foster a wider enabling environment to support the realization of the rights of the furthest left behind groups of women and girls’ victims and survivors of violence.  (Expected delivery date:  2 months after the signing of the contract)
• Deliverable 3: A final approved Review and Learning Report in English that includes a description of the assignment, methodology used, list of consulted stakeholders, consultation reports, and related annexes, including key points discussed in the session with UN Women and Sweden on the final report. (Expected delivery date:  3 months after the signing of the contract)

Competencies

Core Values

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies

• Awareness and sensitivity regarding gender, disability and elderly people 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: UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf (unwomen.org)

Functional Competencies

• Extensive knowledge of, and experience in applying, qualitative and quantitative research methods, including assessment design, data collection, and analysis.
• Proven competency in production of analytical reports in qualitative and quantitative research methods is required.
• Process strong facilitation skills.
• Good knowledge about the rights of the furthest left behind groups of women and girls victims and survivors of violence;
• Ability to manage time and meet tight deadlines;
• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
• Proven networking, organizational and communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• A Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in social or political sciences, international development studies, gender/ women’s studies, or related field 

Experience:

• At least 7 years of relevant work experience in monitoring and review of development projects, evaluation of strategies and development programmes,  preferably on violence against women, and experience in MEAL.
• At least 5 years of proven experience in the field of ending violence against women. Experience in the area of furthest left behind groups of women and girls’ victims and survivors of violence is an asset.
• At least 3 years proven experiences/ assignments in carrying out reviews of complex, multi-stakeholder programmes and analytical reviews.
• Previous experience with the UN or international organizations is an asset

Language Requirements:

• Professional knowledge of English, and fluency in Arabic

Evaluation Criteria: 

This SSA modality is governed by UN Women General Terms and Conditions. UN Women will only be able to respond to applicants who meet the minimum requirements.

Candidates should clearly indicate how they meet the above-mentioned criteria in their applications.

The following documents should be submitted as part of the application. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials:

• UN Women P11 including experience in similar assignments; the P11 form can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted;
• A sample of previously developed Review Report or Evaluation Report

Note: Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Please upload as one attachment of the documents as mentioned above online through this website.

Candidates should have the ability to quickly submit degree certificates, medical certification (of good health) expression of Interest (EoI).

Evaluation of applicants:

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications mentioned above, and financial proposal. A contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer receives the highest score out of below defined technical and financial criteria. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 50 points in the technical evaluation will be considered for financial evaluation.

Technical Evaluation (70%) – max. 70 points:

• A Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in social or political sciences, international development studies, gender/ women’s studies, or related field. (max. 5 points)
• At least 7 years of relevant work experience in monitoring and review of development projects. (max. 15 points)
• At least 5 years of proven experience in the field of ending violence against women. Experience in the area of furthest left behind groups of women and girls’ victims and survivors of violence is an asset. (max. 10 points)
• At least 3 years proven experiences/ assignments in carrying out reviews of complex, multi-stakeholder programmes and analytical reviews. (max.15 points)
• Previous experience with the UN or international organizations is an asset. (max. 5 points)
• A sample of previously developed Review Report or Evaluation Report (max. 20 points)

Financial Evaluation (30%) – max. 30 points.

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

Only long-listed candidates will be contacted.

Financial proposal. Shortlisted candidate will be requested to submit a financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount breaking down a daily professional fee, proposed number of working days and any related expenses, i.e. travel and communications expenses.