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.

UN Women work in Ukraine focuses on supporting the government and civil society in advancing gender equality and implementation of the national and international commitments on gender equality and women’s human rights. UN Women Ukraine implements interventions towards the realization of following strategic goals: elimination of violence against women and girls; implementation of women, peace and security agenda and gender responsive governance. UN Women works closely with the UN Country Team in integration of women’s rights and gender equality in all spheres of UN work.

Since the beginning of Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, National Police investigators have initiated about 58,484[1] criminal proceedings based on the facts of crimes committed on the territory of Ukraine by Russian servicepersons and their accomplices. In the front-line territories, Ukrainians, including war-affected women and girls are under constant shelling, they do not have basic means of subsistence: water, electricity, heat, and a roof over their heads.[2]

While men’s lives are deeply impacted by the conscription requirement, the multisectoral impact of the crisis is affecting women disproportionally. Women constitute the majority of those displaced within and outside of the country, and they face significantly increased safety and protection risks. Incidents of gender-based violence (GBV), particularly domestic violence and conflict-related sexual violence, are reportedly increasing.[3]

On the initiative of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, with the assistance of the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy, with the support of  the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and local authorities in Ukraine, a network of survivor assistance centers is being created. Professional teams of psychologists, lawyers, and social workers have been already working in the centers in four Ukrainian cities — Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Lviv, and Kyiv. Specialists qualitatively and free of charge help people get out of stress, find inner support, and understand what to do specifically to adapt to new conditions and return to a normal life. It is planned to open another survivor assistance center in Chernivtsi soon.2 Psychological, legal and information assistance is provided to victims of any kind of violence, including conflict-related sexual violence.

UN Women Office in Ukraine will contribute to support the work of the survivor assistance centers, in particular within its project “Transformative Approaches to Achieving Gender Equality in Ukraine”, funded by Sweden, aimed at employing transformative approaches to the advancement of gender equality and women’s empowerment through removing the root causes, structural barriers, and restrictive social norms, that underpin the persistence of gender inequalities in various areas of life. The project partners with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and engages the following key institutions at the same time: the government, the parliament, women’s organizations, media and the private sector.

As part of its work within the above project, UN Women is looking for a National Consultant to Assist the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration in Communications Related to the Work of the Survivor Assistance Centers.

[1] Ministry of Internal Affairs Portal. Crimes committed by the Russian servicemen during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine as of 16.01.2023. Available at: link to the Ukrainian source.

[2] Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration with the assistance of the UN Population Fund in Ukraine — UNFPA Ukraine (11 January 2023). Survivor Assistance Centers: how to get comprehensive support during wartime. Available at: link.  

[3] UN Women and CARE International (4 May 2022). Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine, p. 8. Available at: link.

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Representative and direct supervision by the Programme Specialist/Project Manager, the National Consultant will provide assistance to the Office of the Deputy Prime-Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration (DPMO) in communications related to the need to increase awareness about services provided by the survivor assistance centers.

The assignment will include but not be limited to the following tasks developed and agreed in coordination with the DPMO and UN Women:

1. To assist the DPMO with the support of the work  of the web-platform containing the key information about the work conducted and the services provided by the Survivor Assistance Centers following the 3 main UN principles: Human Rights-Based Approach, Leave No One Behind, Gender Equality and Women`s Empowerment.
2. To assist the DPMO in the coordination of the work of the information agency implementing the all-Ukrainian communication campaign devoted to increase awareness about services provided by the survivor centers (which might include meetings, inputs to the communication campaign, written communication etc).
3. Provide assistance to the DPMO to strengthen and increase coordination between the survivor assistance centers, as well as to involve more stakeholders to support the work of the centers.

Assignment Deliverables:

Note that all the deliverables can be done simultaneously.

*All reports should be submitted in English language and include the full set of supporting documents, such as analytical briefs, developed documents, elaborated recommendations, organized events’ agendas, lists of participants and reports 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.

Financial arrangements:  

Payment will be disbursed in three 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:

o First installment after acceptance of the deliverables ##1 and 2;

o Second installment after submission and acceptance of the deliverable #3;

o Third installment after submission and acceptance of deliverables ## 4 and 5.

Core Values

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Competencies

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

Qualifications Education:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s university degree in human rights, journalism, communications or similar.

Experience:

• At least 4 years of relevant work experience with Bachelor’s degree or at least 2 years of relevant work experience with Master`s degree in the field of communications, including development and implementation of the informational campaigns, communication strategies;
• Previous experience of managing the websites/web platforms content;
• Experience with support and facilitation of multiple stakeholders’ activities and liaise with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, including development partners, and civil society organizations; experience of work with UN agencies will be considered an asset.

Languages and other skills: 

• Fluency in verbal and written Ukrainian, working knowledge of English are required.

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 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 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 following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Financial/Price Proposal 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 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: S = Fmin / F * 30
• (S - score received on financial evaluation; F min - the lowest financial offer out of all the submitted offers qualified over the technical evaluation round; F - financial offer under the consideration).

Sample of Financial Proposal

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

1. Cost Breakdown per Deliverables*

*Basis for payment tranches

UN Women applies fair and transparent selection process that would take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals.

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).