UN Women intervenes globally to support governments, national institutions, UN agencies and civil society organizations in the conceptualization, planning and implementation of policies and interventions supporting women’s economic empowerment and equality between women and men.

Globally, women’s leadership and political participation are restricted. Women are underrepresented as voters, as well as in leading positions, whether in elected office, the civil service, the private sector or academia. This occurs despite their proven abilities as leaders and agents of change, and their right to participate equally in democratic governance. Women face several obstacles to participating in political life. Structural barriers through discriminatory laws and institutions that still limit women’s options to run for office. Capacity gaps mean women are less likely than men to have the education, contacts and resources needed to become effective leaders.

Numerous research studies on peacebuilding in Libya express a critical concern about the lack of data, including gender- and age-disaggregated data on conflict and violence, among other categories. Most data available today is based on surveys, which, while valuable, show only an incomplete picture of the economic situation of Libyan women and barely reflects the situation.

In response to a lack of data on the subject of the experiences of young women in peacebuilding in Libya, UN Women together with GPPAC carried out surveys on people’s experiences of peacebuilding Libya, disaggregated by age and gender. The research so far incorporates key findings from a survey reaching 160 Libyans involved in peacebuilding. It documents and makes visible the lived experiences of Libyans within peacebuilding processes and activities, which only about half feel reflects their views and priorities.

UN Women is recruiting a research consultant to concretize the findings from the surveys into a publishable research paper on how Libyans across genders, age groups and geographic locations are participating while determining what the various barriers and enablers of that participation are, in particular as they pertain to accessibility and meaningful inclusion in decision-making. Centering the expertise and ownership of women and youth, the paper will outline Libyans perspectives, challenges and ideas for ways to enhance their inclusion and leadership and identifies key recommendations and ways forward.

UN Women is looking to recruit a researcher with expertise in qualitative research to concretize the findings for a publishable research paper in English on the experiences of youth involvement in peacebuilding in Libya. The data collection and analysis process has been concluded. The findings are currently in rough draft format and need to be concretized to the Libyan context and reviewed for publication.

Under the guidance of the WPS Programme Officer and overall supervision of the Head of Programmes, the consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

• Produce a research paper on the experiences of youth peacebuilders in Libya based on qualitative data (surveys and interviews) that has been collected by enumerators across Libya;
• Describe the differential experiences of peacebuilders as disaggregated by age and male/female, contextualizing these findings within the Libyan context;
• Explain how the experiences of young Libyan peacebuilders relate to relevant international frameworks, including but not limited to the Youth, Peace, and Security Agenda (based on UN Security Council Resolution 2250) and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda;
• Explain the relevance of the research findings to national frameworks and institutions intended to support youth involvement in decision-making spaces;
• Distil the findings into specific guidance for future programme development for local, national, and international organizations supporting young peacebuilders, in particular young women peacebuilders;
• In consultation with the UN Women Libya team, ensure that the research produced aligns with UN language and formatting as contextualized to the national context;

Material required

• The consultant must be equipped with a fully functional laptop, which must comfortably run Office 365 programs, using operating systems Microsoft Windows 10/11, or Mac OS X 10.11 or upward. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based (WhatsApp, zoom, teams, email) is required. 

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: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Functional Competencies

• Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies
• Strong understanding of production, graphic design and photography standards
• Strong knowledge of social media platforms and experience in social media outreach
• Strong oral and written communication and editing skills
• Strong communication, networking and advocacy skills
• Ability to provide advice and be strategic and analytical
• Good knowledge of local country media landscape
• Knowledge of gender and human rights issues is desirable

Education

• Master’s degree or equivalent in human rights, law, gender equality, social sciences or other related areas is required; a first-level degree in combination with two additional years of experience on top of those outlined below, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience

• At least 3 years of work experience in research, analysis, or related fields is required;
• Proven knowledge of qualitative research methods is required;
• Proven knowledge of the Libyan political context is required, experience working in research in the MENA region is preferred.

Language Requirements

Fluency in Arabic and English is required.

Evaluation Criteria

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology: Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for the financial evaluation.

Criteria Weight Technical: 70% (70 points)

• Criteria 1: Experience in research, analysis or related fields (25)
• Criteria 2: Experience and/or academic background in gender, Women, Peace and Security and Youth, Peace and Security (25)
• Criteria 3:  Knowledge of the Libyan/MENA region context (20)

Financial: Lowest Financial Proposal: 30% (30 points)

The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula:

• Contract will be awarded to the technically qualified consultant who obtains the highest combined score (financial and technical);
• The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula: (Lowest Bid Offered*)/ (Bid of the Consultant) x 30; 'Lowest Bid Offered' refers to the lowest price offered by Offerors scoring at least 49 points in the technical evaluation.

Application

Interested Individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment;
• Personal CV; and Financial proposal; Proposed inclusive daily rate.

The above-mentioned documents should be merged in a standalone file including all them, since the online application submission does only permit to upload one file per application. Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification.

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.

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.)