Background

UN Women, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women has been created to accelerate up the process of meeting the needs of women and girls across the world. UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programs and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. UN Women is at the forefront of the global drive to remove gender barriers and end discrimination, because we believe in a world of justice and human rights for everyone.

In 2023, Tajikistan will officially submit the 2nd voluntary national review (VNR). VNR is a process through which countries assess and present national progress in the implementation of Agenda 2030. As part of a follow-up and review mechanism, member states are encouraged to "conduct regular and inclusive reviews of progress at the national and sub-national levels, which are country-led and country-driven". These national reviews serve as a basis for regular reviews by the high-level political forum (HLPF) that meets under the auspices of ECOSOC. The VNR seeks to strengthen policies and institutions to mobilize multistakeholder partnerships for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The VNR process also aims to facilitate the sharing of experiences, including successes, challenges, and lessons learned.

Tajikistan undertook the first VNR in 2017 with an objective to assess the mainstreaming of Agenda 2030 in the national policy framework. With an overall focus on the eradication of poverty and improving living standards, Tajikistan 2017 VNR looked into nationalizing the SDGs in the context of two key goals articulated in the National Development Strategy 2030 (NDS 2030): 1. Energy security and efficient use of electricity, and 2. Food security and access to good quality nutrition. The 2017 VNR also delved into cross-sector themes such as gender equality, industrialization, access to water, and climate change. In preparing the VNR, a series of consultations at the national and regional levels were carried out to seek input on the state of development in Tajikistan. As part of the analysis, survey and administrative data from official sources was used along with a review of studies conducted by international organizations, expert evaluations, and monitoring results of regional development programs. Besides NDS 2030, the Mid-term Development Program 2016-2020 (MTDP 2020) served as a reference for the nationalization of the SDGs.

All the Central Asian Republics have reported at least one VNR. Kazakhstan reported its second VNR in 2022, whereas Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan are preparing their second VNR for submission in summer 2023.

The preparation of the VNR requires national leadership, advanced planning, and a clear set of timebound deliverables. It is important to note that the VNR is not simply a technical process of preparing a progress report on SDGs. VNR is much more than that. It is a process for countries to periodically take stock, reflect on the development trajectory of the country, gain a better understanding of regional and global developments, and identify innovative policy solutions to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs. A broad range of consultations are needed alongside an objective and thorough technical analysis.

In addition, to support UNCT in UNSDCF gender mainstreaming, the Consultant shall prepare the Country Gender Brief, which will serve as a reference document to assess recent dynamics and trends, reflect the realities and needs of women and girls in the country, and thus also support the UN country programming priorities on gender equality.

Having pointed above statements, UN Women is planning to hire the National Consultant for two assignments:

1. To provide support in preparation of 2nd Voluntary National Review Tajikistan

2. To provide support in preparation in preparing the Country Gender Brief.

Goal and objectives of the consultancy:

The overall goal of the proposed consultations is: Ensure gender mainstreaming of the 2nd Voluntary National Review Tajikistan and prepare the Country Gender Brief for UNCT Tajikistan

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the UN Women Country Programme Manager and/or Program Coordinator, the consultant will perform the following tasks, that include but are not limited to the following: 

Preparing the Country Gender Brief for UNCT Tajikistan

• Compile information about GEWE situation in the country, key achievements, gaps, challenges and problems from the viewpoint of the CEDAW Convention.

• Assess implementation of the CEDAW concluding observations:

• Brief country-specific analysis of the broader political and economic context (including the most critical issues impacting women’s enjoyment of their human rights);
• Analysis of the legal and policy environment (including recent or impending legislative or constitutional changes in respect of women’s human rights);
• Information on the status and content of national strategies, plans and legislation (to what extent these are operationalized/implemented, coordinated, sufficiently resourced (budgeted, human resources, etc.), and supported by effective data collection and monitoring systems);
• Statistical data on the extent of women’s enjoyment of their human rights (on an equal basis with men);
• Specific challenges, constraints and issues of concern.

Preparation of 2nd Voluntary National Review Tajikistan

• Contribute to the 2nd Voluntary National Review Tajikistan by analyzing all parts, their relevance with the global trends and recommendations on gender mainstreaming.
• Review the structure of the document and suggest changes relevant to the subject of consultancy, if deem necessary
• Conduct a gender analysis of the 2nd Voluntary National Review Tajikistan
• Suggest approaches to strengthen relevant data collection and analysis.
• Suggest sex-disaggregated and gender indicators into the Matrix of Indicators to assess gender and green growth intervention and impacts are measurable at all levels

NOTE:  Public sources of data/information should be used and references to the source made.

Expected deliverables

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration

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:

• Possesses the ability to work independently, under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Good knowledge of technical area;
• Good organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to detail;
• Analytical and research skills
• Experience in report writing.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• University degree in education, gender or social development, human rights, law, humanitarian sciences, social studies, or related field.

Working Experience:

• At least 5 years of work experience in gender equality issues, policy research/analysis in the fields of gender equality, migration, political science, social sciences, or related field
• At least 3 years of experience in document revision, strategy development, report writing,
• Experience in working in an area that covers legislation of the Republic of Tajikistan.
• Experience working on the National Strategies of RT.
• Knowledge on UN Human Treaty Bodies reporting (incl. CEDAW)

Language:

Proficient knowledge of Russian and/or Tajik languages; knowledge of English language is an asset.

ICT requirements:

• Good knowledge of MS Office

Application Process 

The application should include:

• Letter of Interest;
• Personal History Form (P-11 form) - including past experience in similar assignments; can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment  a signed [scanned] copy should be submitted;
• Financial Proposal:  Specify a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this Terms of Reference. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount per deliverable.  No extra payments will be made. 

Payment Schedule

Payment for the services provided will be made by deliverables as per the below table upon achievement of expected results and approval of the deliverable and acceptance of services by the UN Women (PERF) that the services have been satisfactorily performed.  

1. First payment upon submission and approval of the 1st deliverable.  
2. Final payment upon submission and approval of the 2nd deliverable