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.

One of the key areas of UN Women work in Ukraine is implementation of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. UN Women supported Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine with development of the second National Action Plan for Implementation of UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security for 2021-2025 (NAP 1325), which was adopted in October 2020, and committed to provide technical support with development of tools and capacity of the staff of the Ministry and selected Regional Administrations[1] in monitoring of its implementation. In 2022 the NAP 1235 is undergoing revisions to reflect the new reality and emerging priorities, in response to the escalation of war.

To support the consolidated efforts of the Parliament, Government, women’s groups and civil society organizations (CSOs) to meet the state commitments on gender equality and women’s rights, including UNSCR 1325, CEDAW and SDGs, through governance reforms and peace and security processes, UN Women launched the project “Building democratic, peaceful and gender equal society in Ukraine – Phase II”, funded by Norway. The project’s goal is for women to meaningfully participate in and equally benefit from peace and security processes at all levels in Ukraine. This will be achieved via supporting meaningful participation of women and their organizations in conflict prevention, resolution, and recovery and by supporting government at all levels in implementing and monitoring WPS commitments in sustainable and inclusive ways.

The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 raised new challenges and needs in protecting women’s and girls’ rights and ensuring their equal and meaningful participation in peace processes.  To support the efforts of the local authorities in the Project target communities of Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts to advance gender equality and localize WPS commitments, the UN Women project will provide technical and expert assistance via the work of the 3 National Consultants. 

The Consultants will work alongside the Project’s Specialists on mentoring the representatives of local authorities who are responsible for gender equality and women, peace and security commitments in their communities. Support will be provided to develop relevant strategic documents for the communities, including gender-responsive local recovery plans and policies, as well as local action plans on 1325 (based on the revised NAP 1325 and upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine) and/or integrate gender-sensitive peace and security commitments into the existing documents such as strategies of socio-economic development (plans of socio-economic development), target social programmes and/or plans ideally supported by budgets. The development of all deliverables outlined below as part of the assignment should be done in a highly participatory manner, with the aim of developing institutional capacity of the local executive bodies to take forward localization of NAP 1325, its monitoring and evaluation, effectively and sustainably. Specialists from the local executive bodies responsible for implementation of the NAP 1325 in the relevant bodies will be involved into the training cycle on human rights and gender equality basics, the global Women, Peace and Security Agenda, localization of NAP 1325 and the Women, Peace and Security /Youth Peace Security commitments. 

[1] Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Chernihiv, Kirovohrad, Sumy

The goal of this call is to enhance capacities of the local authorities on the advancement of gender equality and NAP 1325 localization by providing on the job mentorship and technical input to authorities in the selected Project hromadas.  The support aims to mainstream the Women, Peace and Security perspective into local policies, based on the identified needs and priorities of women and men living in these hromadas.

The capacitated representatives of the local self-government will have a stronger understanding and committment to develop relevant documents for the communities, including gender-responsive local recovery plans and policies, as well as local action plans on 1325, or integrate elements from the NAP 1325 into the local policies ensuring proper monitoring, evaluation, reporting and, if possible, budgeting of the activities planned.

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Project Manager and direct supervision of Programme Specialists, the national consultants will provide technical and expert support to the local authorities in the selected project communities of Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Chernihiv and Sumy oblasts (up to 5 communities per consultant).

The assignment will include but not be limited to the following tasks developed and agreed in coordination with the local authorities at hromada level and UN Women:

• Mainstream and integrate Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE), Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA), and Protection and Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) across the Project’s work with authorities in 4 target regions.
• Support local authorities in analyzing and updating existing local documents particularly whether and how gender equality, women’s rights, as well as peace and security aspects are integrated into them.
• Support local authorities to consult with women’s groups and civil society on their needs and priorities, to help inform their decision making. This could include support to arrange dialogue meetings or conducting local gender assessments together with local women’s groups.
• Develop the capacities of the local executive bodies responsible for GE policy implementation ensure that gender equality, women’s rights, as well as peace and security aspects are integrated in the local strategic planning documents, ideally in the local action plan (LAP) on 1325, for further effective implementation. This includes participation in and co-facilitation of informational sessions and workshops on WPS commitments and NAP localization, and the development of local action plans for the selected communities and regional authorities (upon their availability).
• Provide support to the local executive bodies mainstreaming gender into the specific thematic areas such as humanitarian aid; labor; education; political participation; emergencies; peace and security; sexual and reproductive health; sexual and gender diversity and human rights; and violence against women at hromada level.   

  Assignment Deliverables

• All reports should be submitted in Ukrainian language and final report both in English and Ukrainian and include the full set of supporting documents, such as developed documents, elaborated propositions, organized events’ agendas and methodologies, handouts, lists of key informants, transcription of the interviews etc. The supporting documents can be submitted in Ukrainian.

Inputs

• UN Women will provide the Consultant with background materials related to the assignment.
• The consultant is expected to work using her/his own computer.

Performance evaluation:

Contractor’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, efficiency, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered. The evaluation will be carried out and cleared by the hiring manager which will also be the basis for payment on a delivery-by-delivery basis to the consultant. (The schedule of payments is provided further.)

Financial Arrangements

• Payment will be disbursed in four installments upon receipt of the deliverables and their certification by UN Women Programme Specialist that the services have been satisfactorily performed. The payment will be made in the following timeline:

• First installment after acceptance of the deliverables ##1 and 2;
• Second installment after submission and acceptance of deliverable #3;
• Third installment after submission and acceptance of deliverables # 4;
• Fourth installment after submission and acceptance of deliverable #5.

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

Academic Qualifications:

• Advanced (Masters) degree in Gender/Women’s Studies, Social Sciences, Conflict Studies, Development Studies, Human Rights, Sociology, or related field.

          Experience:

• Demonstrated previous at least 3 years work experience with the local authorities in providing the consultations linked to good governance and decentralization.
• Knowledge and understanding of gender equality, HRs and WPS agenda.
• Extensive experience in strategic planning, development of the local policy documents, M&E frameworks.
• Demonstrated previous experience in conducting trainings, workshops or coaching / mentoring.

        Languages and other skills:

• Fluency in Ukrainian, basic knowledge of English.
• Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, ability to use Internet and email, Microsoft Office.

1. Submission of application

The candidate’s application should include:

1. P11 with the indication of relevant experience in line with the ToR requirements. Completed and signed UN Women Personal History (P-11) form can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc
2. Financial proposal: The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount with a breakdown of a daily professional rate per number of anticipated working days, and other related costs (e.g. telecommunication). Applications without a financial proposal may be treated as incomplete and may not be considered for further assessment.
3. Cover letter, briefly outlining the candidate’s experience and interest in the position, and indicating which regions they are preliminarily available to support.

Sample of Financial Proposal

The format shown in the following table is suggested for use as a guide in preparing the Financial Proposal.

Cost Breakdown per Deliverables

*Basis for payment tranches

1. Evaluation of Applicants

Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of their qualifications and financial proposal. A two-stage procedure is utilized in evaluating the proposals, with the evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. The award of the contract should be made to the individuals whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable.
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical criteria -70% of the total evaluation. Total max 70 points:

• The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 70.  The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based  on  desk  review  and the following  technical  qualification evaluation criteria:

Financial Evaluation:

• Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation will be further considered and evaluated.
• The total number of points allocated for the financial/price component is 30.
• The maximum number of points will be a allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.
• Evaluation of submitted financial offers will be done based on the following formula:

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

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.)