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 centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Afghanistan is one of the world’s most complex emergencies and the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Afghan people are grappling with the impact of conflict, poverty, economic decline, and natural disasters. In this context, Afghan women and girls face unique vulnerabilities and require urgent support as gender inequality is interwoven with conflict dynamics and humanitarian needs. It is essential that Afghan women and girls can continue to shape the development of their country, and that their gains are protected. UN Women remains fully committed to supporting Afghan women and girls and to putting them at the centre of the global response to the crisis in Afghanistan.

UN Women has been in Afghanistan for two decades. UN Women’s programming approach is informed by analysis of the political, economic, and humanitarian situation, risks to and capacities of partner organisations, and needs of Afghan women and girls. UN Women Afghanistan currently has four key programme priorities: (1) Gender in Humanitarian Action, (2) Ending Violence Against Women, (3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, and (4) Women, Peace, and Security.

UN Women is committed to continue to provide life-saving services for survivors, in coordination and collaboration with development and humanitarian partners. UN Women works through partnerships at national and provincial levels, in addition to investing directly in community-based service delivery at district levels. The works focuses on strengthening capacities, building peer networks and structures at national and provincial levels to ensure a home-grown approach that can be sustained over time. 

Based on dialogues with national and provincial de-facto authorities, there is a shared recognition of the need for such services, and with an openness to approve the provision of services for women by women to respond to the pressing and critical needs of women and girls, including urgent humanitarian and social and economic empowerment needs.

Objective

UN Women Afghanistan is looking for an International Consultant on a Retainer Contract to support the EVAW unit in Research, Programme Design and Capacity Building for Ending Violence Against Women Prevention and Response, and to provide support for the effective implementation of UN Women EVAW programmes across target provinces in Afghanistan and the delivery of results in accordance with an agreed work plan.

The International Consultant will provide technical EVAW advice and strategic inputs by developing models for integrating prevention into current multi-donor response programmes of UN Women Afghanistan, developing a partner engagement strategy, and developing an EVAW programme design.  Under the supervision of the EVAW Programme Manager, the consultant will work in close collaboration with UN Women programme team and provincial coordinators, project staff, implementing partners, other UN agencies, and civil society stakeholders to coordinate a pool of international and national consultants ensuring a high quality of evidence-based VAW prevention and response strategies and knowledge products, and in ensuring successful EVAWG programme implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Ending Violence against Women Programme Manager, the following major tasks shall be undertaken by the International Consultant on Retainer:

All the deliverables will be provided in English and electronic copy.

Duration of this Assignment

The duration of this assignment will be 180 days, up to 2 years, starting in December 2022.

Management Arrangements

The International Consultant on Retainer will work under the overall guidance and supervision of the UN Women Afghanistan Ending Violence Against Women Programme Manager. The International Consultant will be provided with the necessary information, access to needed documentation, materials and logistics. Selected candidate is expected to have her/his own laptop.

Travel

The position is home-based with possible travel to Kabul. DSA and travel costs will be reimbursed by UN Women Afghanistan to the International Consultant as per standard procedure of UN Women principles and policy. 

Performance Evaluation

Consultant’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial Arrangements

Payment(s) shall be made following certification by the UN Women Afghanistan Ending Violence Against Women Programme Manager that the services related to each deliverable, as specified in the contract, have been satisfactorily performed and the deliverables have been achieved by or before the due dates specified, if any.

Payment will be made within 30 (thirty) days after receipt and acceptance of the specified deliverable and corresponding invoice but only after UN Women have certified that the services have been satisfactorily performed by the Consultant.

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

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong analytical skills
• Strong knowledge of Results Based Management
• Good knowledge of UN programme management systems

Required Skills and Experience

• Education: 

• A Master’s degree in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required. A PhD in a relevant field is an advantage.

Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of proven experience at the international level in the design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of ending violence against women programmes;
• Technical expertise in evidence-based approaches to ending violence against women and girls for both prevention and response programming;
• Strong knowledge of international standards in VAW service provision (e.g., UN Essential Services Package, GBV AoR Guides, etc.);
• Proven experience in designing and conducting participatory approaches to research, particularly in the field of EVAW is a strong asset
• Experience with facilitation, capacity development and training initiatives for UN, NGO and  community-based organisations
• Strong communication skills (ability to moderate meetings, give presentations and trainings)

Language skills:

• Excellent verbal and written English skills.

Evaluation Criteria

Technical Evaluation (70%) – max. 70 points

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

Only candidates who have attained a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation will be assessed in the second stage, the financial evaluation.

APPLICATION PROCESS AND SUBMISSION PACKAGE

Interested candidates must submit via online submission system the following documents/ information to demonstrate their qualification:

• A brief cover letter explaining your suitability for the work and indicating your relevant skills and work experience.
• A CV
• A current completed and signed P11 form/UN Personal History Form in English (blank form can be downloaded from: UN Women Personal History Form (P11) https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process
• Financial proposal - specifying an all-inclusive daily rate
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you provide all requested materials.

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from Application and recruitment process | About us: Careers at UN Women | UN Women – Headquarters  Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

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.

Inclusion Statement:

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.)