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.

The work of UN Women in Moldova is guided by its new Country Strategic Note 2023-2027, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Moldova (2023-2027), UN Women Global Strategic Plan, National Programs and Strategies, and aims to contribute to the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Strategic Note focuses on four main areas: 1) Ending Violence against Women, 2) Women’s Leadership and Governance, 3) Women’s Economic Empowerment, and 4) Humanitarian and Peace development nexus and UN Coordination on Gender equality.

Through its programmes and projects, UN Women provides technical assistance to national partners (governmental and non-governmental), including the private sector, in the implementation of existing international and national commitments to women’s rights and gender equality; it facilitates networking and exchange of good practices and advocates for women’s rights and gender equality in all areas of life.

Moreover, UN Women Moldova mobilizes other actors of the society including youth, religious leaders, judicial staff, police, service providers, members of the artistic community, and former perpetrators, so that under the leadership of survivors of violence, the ‘whole society’ can produce long-overdue results for women and gender equality. In this regard, it is increasingly recognized that engaging boys and men in the promotion of gender equality produce positive health and development outcomes for all. Indeed, widespread and rigid gender norms and stereotypes, predominantly affecting women and leading to the violation of their human rights, can also affect boys and men and lead to negative social and health consequences (e.g. occupational or mental health issues, etc.). Thus, the researchers confirmed that gender equality could reduce pressure on men and boys to conform to damaging traditional forms of masculinity and, consequently, improve the relationships among themselves and with women and girls.

On the other hand, the obsolete gender roles and responsibilities and the associated toxic and patriarchal forms of masculinity sustain unequal power relationships between men and women and, thus, often justify male violence and gender-based violence. It is noted that such attitudes and stereotypes are the core causes of the (1) disadvantaged position of women in political and public life in the state party; (2) violence against women in the state party; and (3) gender segregation, as reflected in the educational choices of women and girls and the options for job selection. This is corroborated by the available national statistics, which show that 6 out of 10 women from urban areas and 7 out of 10 women from rural areas have experienced at least one form of violence (psychological, economic, physical, and/or sexual) at the hands of their current or former partner during their lifetime, and 1 out of 10 has been exposed to all forms of violence (“Violence against Women in the Family”). Furthermore, 41.1% of men either completely or partially agree that there are instances where a woman deserves to be physically assaulted, and 27.7% of men believe that a woman should endure violence to preserve the family. Disturbingly, more than 40% of men hold the woman responsible for rape cases, suggesting that if a woman has a negative reputation or does not resist physically during rape, it cannot be considered as rape ("Men and Gender Equality in the Republic of Moldova").

Hence, involving boys and men in promoting gender equality and ending violence against women and girls not only leads to the creation of an inclusive and respectful society for all individuals, regardless of their gender but also contributes to reducing violence against women, which men against women predominantly perpetrate. Men and boys should be regarded as partners and beneficiaries in reshaping entrenched societal perceptions regarding women and girls. The inclusion of boys and men in efforts to eliminate violence against women can serve as an effective and sustainable approach to combatting gender-based discrimination. Therefore, it is crucial to take sustainable action and collaborate across genders, with women and girls, men and boys, in order to dismantle traditional gender roles that serve as significant obstacles to achieving a gender-equal and healthy society.

In this context, UN Women Moldova is firmly dedicated to exploring, conceptualizing, and expanding its initiatives in the Elimination of Violence Against Women (EVAW), specifically emphasizing engaging men and boys (EMB). The organization acknowledges the intersectionality between patriarchal and transformative masculinities and the social determinants of health, understanding their influence on the effectiveness of community-based interventions.

Rationale

UN Women brings gender equality and human rights perspectives into its work on empowering women and promoting gender equality. We spearhead strategies entailing clear links with factors propelling the epidemic of gender inequality, such as gender norms and stereotypes, patriarchal and transformative masculinities, gender-based discrimination, and violence against women and girls. Our most important strategy is empowering women and girls, promoting gender equality and respectful relationships, which is in line with the UN Women Generation Equality campaign and Gender Based-Violence Action Coalitions.

In this context, UN Women CO intends to contract an international consultant to support UN Women in designing and implementing activities intended for engaging men and boys in promoting transformative masculinity and contributing to the eradication of gender stereotypes that will help create more equal gender relations, as well as address some issues that men themselves experience. The expected result of this activity is to develop a UN Women Strategy on Masculinity for 2023-2027 and operational work plans in line with the UN strategic Note and objectives under the National Programme for accelerating gender equality in the Republic of Moldova for the years 2023-2027 and in line with recently approved National Program for Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence for 2023-2027.

The selected international consultant will be responsible for the provision of technical support, including but not limited to providing analysis on developed resources, providing technical support to the UN Women Moldova team as well as to designated community partners and stakeholders on how to most effectively engage Men and Boys to work towards EVAW and promoting GE. The team members will also work by applying UN Women’s self-learning booklet Understanding Masculinities and Violence Against Women and Girls and other relevant UN Women resources, including the material developed under the UN Women HeforShe campaign.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work

In this context, UN Women Moldova office intends to contract an international consultant to support in the designing and implementing activities intended for engaging men and boys in promoting transformative masculinity and contributing to the eradication of gender stereotypes that will help create more equal gender relations, as well as institutionalizing men and boys’ engagement within the key stakeholders of UN Women Moldova office and broadly. The expected result of this action is to contribute to gender equality through raising awareness on men and boys’ engagement and masculinity and effectively responding to ending VAWG.

The selected international consultant will be responsible for the provision of technical support, including but not limited to the existing desk review of available literature in the area, capacity building, trainings, etc. to UN Women Moldova office team as well as to designated community partners and stakeholders on how to most effectively engage men and boys to work towards Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) including promoting GE.

In addition to this, the consultant will take into consideration the learning process which is conducted by UN Women HQ on using transforming patriarchal masculinities (TPM) approach to guide UN Women work on male engagement, supported by the Government of Iceland under the Action Coalition on GBV. This encompasses a technical mentorship for UN Women Moldova team, including peer-review of relevant documents produced under the local interventions.

Contributions: UN Women will put at the disposal of selected individuals all available materials and necessary information for task achievement and will facilitate the meetings as needed.

In case of assignment’s related missions, the International Consultant may use the facilities of the office (i.e. internet access, printing, copying, etc.).

Under the supervision of the UN Women Moldova Programme Analyst on EVAW and the relevant colleagues from the team, the international consultant will be responsible for the implementation of the following main tasks:

• Provide technical support to UN Women Moldova Country Office to develop and implement the male engagement strategy.
• Providing analysis and reports on emerging issues, holding consultations with stakeholders, and attending related meetings and workshops as per UN Office’s request.
• Provide support in the conceptualisation and development of local awareness-raising, advocacy and communication activities aiming at men’s and boys’ engagement.
• Delivering training and workshops specifically for men and boys, targeting governmental and non-governmental institutions, the private sector, professional associations, local authorities, universities, and bar associations.
• Providing technical support to innovative approaches to encourage behavioural change among men.

Deliverables and Timeframe 

During the implementation of this assignment, the consultant shall be responsible for delivering of the following outputs, comprising of the main milestones:

All written deliverables, including supporting materials, should be agreed with UN Women and be provided in English language, as appropriate, in electronic copy.

Duration of the assignment

It is expected that the consultant shall begin work in August 2023 with work being completed by Mid-December 2023, in conformity with the indicative timeframe described under the “Expected deliverables” section.

The timing and format of activities within the assignment should be agreed upon with UN Women project Team and may be adjusted in dependence on internal and/or external factors.

Note: The mentioned number of working days has been estimated as being sufficient/feasible for the envisaged volume of work to be completed successfully and is proposed as a guideline for the duration of the assignment. It cannot and shall not be used as a criterion for the completion of work/assignment. The provision of envisaged deliverables approved by the UN Women Programme Analyst shall be the only criteria for the national consultant’s work being completed and eligible for payment/s.

Travel and other logistic arrangements

UN Women will provide an airline ticket for the mission in Moldova, or if not, the consultant will be entitled to reimbursement of airfare for UN Women authorized travel, upon presentation of used airline stubs in an amount not to exceed the economy class fare or excursion fare, if applicable. For UN Women authorized travel, the consultant will receive a daily subsistence allowance at United Nations authorized rates when traveling.

Throughout the assignment, the International Consultant is expected to have up to 2 missions to Moldova up to 10 working days (non-consecutive).

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 will be disbursed upon submission and approval of the activity reports on deliverables and achieved results, with corresponding annexes, a timesheet, and certification by the supervisor that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

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:

• Mature judgment and initiative; 
• Ability to think out-of-the-box; 
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN Women;  
• Ability to work in multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural teams; 
• Ability to work under pressure against strict deadlines; 
• Ability to present complex issues persuasively and simply; 
• Flexible and open to learning and new experiences; 
• Displays cultural, gender, religion and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Focuses on impact and result for the partners and responds positively to feedback.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced University Degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Gender Studies, Social Sciences, Political Sciences, International relations, International law, or related field.

Experience:

• At least 5 (five) years of relevant professional experience in the area of human rights, gender equality, women’s empowerment, ending violence against women area and engaging men and boys in gender equality;
• At least 3 (three) years of experience of developing advocacy documents such as technical reports, briefing notes, background papers, and presentations in the field of critical masculinities and male engagement in gender equality.
• At least 3 (three) years of proven experience in raising awareness/delivering trainings on gender equality, masculinity, and men’s and boys’ engagement;
• Minimum (2) years of proven experience in conducting qualitative sociological research with a particular focus on behaviors and attitudes would be considered an asset;
• Proven successful experience in working with international organizations, including UN agencies, is an asset.

Language skills: 

• Excellent verbal and written English skills. Knowledge of Romanian is an asset.

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.

The United Nations in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply.

Note: To see the full Terms of Reference wtih detailed description of the application and evaluation procedure as well as the template of the Financial Offer pelase visit the below link: 

International Consultant on Men and Boys’ Engagement