Background

UN Women is the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. 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.

As the UN agency with the mandate to work on gender equality, UN Women is responsible for leading and coordinating United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world and at the country level. UN Women is also expected to provide strong and coherent leadership in support of countries’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society, the nodal government agency, the private sector, and other relevant actors.

UN Women India Country Office is currently implementing a Programme in the state of Assam to forge and strengthen multi-stakeholder partnerships in the tea sector to effectively respond to the impact of COVID-19 and the pandemic on women. The goal is to ensure that women and girls are socially, economically and politically empowered in rural spaces which are free from sexual harassment and other forms of violence against women and girls. The Programme through targeted interventions is mitigating the impacts of the pandemic and enhancing women workers’ health, wellness, and safety in the tea sector.  The Programme is now being extended to include the states of Rajasthan, Kerala as well as Assam with an additional focus on the spice supply chains as an additional sectoral intervention.  The following are the intended Outcomes:

  • Capacity of partners enhanced on women’s health and well-being and on measures to respond to VAWG in the Tea and Spices Sector.
  • Multi-stakeholder partnerships established and strengthened to implement women’s health, wellness and safety solutions in the Spices Sector.
  • Local data available on the impact of COVID-19 on women and girls in selected intervention areas in the Spices Sector.

The Programme will generate best practices and lessons learned to inform a gender-responsive COVID-19 recovery through:

  1. Improved health outcomes for women in the Tea and Spices Sector through increased access to basic health services, promotion of nutrition, and addressing the specific health needs of women and girls, including sexual and reproductive health.
  2. Enhanced well-being of women in the Tea and Spices Sector through increased access to opportunities for women addressing their specific needs and challenges and promoting their rights and agency.
  3. Reduced instances of gender-based violence against women in the Tea and Spices Sector through effective measures to prevent and respond to violence against women, such as training for workers, creating safe reporting mechanisms and working with local law enforcement agencies.
  4. More gender-responsive systems in the Tea and Spices Sector through the integration of gender considerations into the budgeting and planning processes of the tea gardens and spices sector, with a particular focus on addressing gender-based violence and promoting gender equality.

In this context, UN Women seeks to hire a consultant who under the guidance and supervision of the EVAW Programme Specialist and Programme Manager, UN Women will undertake the following key tasks and responsibilities.

Duties and Responsibilities

  • Develop a methodology and corresponding tools and session plans to conduct the trainings for the executives of select tea estates in Assam and spice plantations/trade centres in Rajasthan and Kerala.
  • Produce a training needs assessment questionnaire and conduct needs assessment of the training participants (as needed). Online trainings will be approved based on exceptional circumstances.
  • Develop a detailed agenda and training modules, presentations and relevant training material.
  • Develop modules for the trainings on gender and gender sensitization and produce handouts for the participants
  • Develop a methodology and corresponding tools and session plans to conduct the trainings for the executives of select tea estates in Assam and spice plantations/trade centres in Rajasthan and Kerala.
  • Produce a training needs assessment questionnaire and conduct needs assessment of the training participants (as needed). Online trainings will be approved based on exceptional circumstances.
  • Develop a detailed agenda and training modules, presentations and relevant training material.
  • Develop modules for the trainings on gender and gender sensitization and produce handouts for the participants.

Deliverable 1: (15% of the total contract amount)

Background documentation and final work plan:

  • A detailed work plan for the assignment/s submitted to UN Women.
  • A session plan for the workshop on the select gender laws, along with a PowerPoint presentation, training module and handout for participants.

Deliverable 2: (70% of the total contract amount)

The number of training sessions and number of participants will be determined by management at the Tea and Spice sector along with UN Women. The number of trainings will not exceed 2 per site of intervention. Conduct trainings in select locations in Assam, Rajasthan, and Kerala.

  • Conduct training workshops for management executives from select tea estates in Assam and spice plantations in Rajasthan and Kerala
  • Conduct training workshops for field staff and office personnel stationed at the tea estates and spice plantations.
  • Conduct training for factory workers and assistants.
  • Conduct training for health staff and frontline workers under the management of tea and spice plantations.

Deliverable 3: (15% of the total contract amount)

Documentation and Reporting

  • Training needs assessment questionnaire developed, assessments conducted and analysed (as required by UN Women).
  • Detailed agenda and modules, presentations and relevant training materials, including pre and post training assessments submitted.
  • Pre and post training tests conducted and analysed.
  • The training reports in English, outlining the training process, results of the pre-and post-training assessments and recommendations for follow up actions, including on further capacity development needs of the participants written and submitted to UN Women within 3 working days from the training sessions.

Competencies

 Corporate Competencies:

  • Demonstrates commitment to UN Women’s mission, vision and values.
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
  • Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills.
  • Focuses on impact and result for the partners and responds positively to feedback.

Knowledge Management and Learning:

  • Shares knowledge and experience;
  • Actively works towards continuing personal learning, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills.

Development and Operational Effectiveness:

  • Ability to perform a variety of specialized tasks related to design, planning and implementation of the programme, managing data, and reporting;
  • Ability to provide input to and use new IT based systems.

Leadership and Self-Management:

  • Focuses on results for the client and responds positively to feedback;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
  • Remains calm, and in control even under pressure;
  • Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
  • Good understanding of gender and development in South Asia;
  • Demonstrable ability to work in a team;
  • Ability to work under pressure;
  • Good writing and communication skills;
  • Excellent computer literacy and skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Minimum Bachelor of Law (LLB).
  • Master’s Degree in Law/ Social Work /Gender Studies is an asset.

 Experience:

  • Minimum 7 years of demonstrated experience as a trainer on gender laws and gender sensitization.
  • Demonstrated experience in working on gender-related issues is desirable.
  • Experience in the development sector is desirable.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English and Hindi is required
  • Knowledge of Assamese and Malayalam is an asset

Application:

Interested applicants should apply to this announcement through the UNDP jobs site: jobs.undp.org

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

  • Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment, please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment
  • Applications received after the close date will not be accepted
  • Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

Evaluation and Selection Criteria

Criteria for shortlisting CVs will be based on the following assessment:

  • Required Degree and Qualification (5 points)
  • Minimum Experience relevant to the assignment (10 points)
  • Working knowledge and experience of working on women related legislations and EVAW projects/programmes (5 points).

The evaluation process for the selection of the candidate will be based on the following assessment:

  • Interviews – 80 Points
  • Writing Samples Evaluation - 20 Points

Please Note:

  • For an assignment requiring travel, consultants of 65 years or more require a full medical examination and a statement of fitness to work to engage in the consultancy.
  • Due to a large number of potential applicants, only competitively selected candidates will be contacted for the remaining steps of the service procurement process.

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.