Background

The United Nations 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.

The incidence of violence against women and girls in the Pacific Islands is amongst the highest rates in the world. For example, 64% of women in Fiji who have ever been in an intimate relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a husband or intimate partner over the course of their lifetime[1]. Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a central barrier to gender equality and a cause of widespread violation of human rights across the Pacific[2].

In Fiji, the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre in partnership with women’s organisations and the women’s rights movement have led the work on prevention and responding to violence against women and girls for over the past 30 years and have been crucial in advancing local understanding of women’s and girls’ rights, getting the issue onto the public agenda, and providing much-needed services.

To respond to the rates of violence in the Pacific, UN Women has developed a comprehensive EVAWG programme which takes a transformative approach to prevent violence against women and girls at multiple levels (regional, national and community), and to improve survivors’ access to quality response services. 

UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office’s (MCO) EVAWG programme is implemented primarily under the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls (hereafter referred to as ‘Pacific Partnership’).  The Pacific Partnership brings together governments, civil society organizations, communities and other partners to promote gender equality, prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG), and increase access to quality response services for survivors. The programme aims - through innovative approaches to education, access to essential services, and policy development - to transform the social norms that allow violence against women and girls to continue and to support national and regional institutions meet their gender equality commitment. The first phase of the Pacific Partnership (2018 – 2023) supported the development and launch of the Fiji National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against All Women and Girls (Fiji NAP) with UN Women as a technical partner to the Government of Fiji. With ongoing support from the Government of Australia, UN Women will continue targeted support for the Fiji NAP from 2023 to 2027. The Pacific Partnership is funded primarily by the European Union, with targeted support from the Governments of Australia and New Zealand and UN Women.

The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection (MWCSP) is the Fiji Government’s agency that administers services and programmes aligned to the empowerment, care and protection of women and children, provision of income support to families, who fall within the category of the poorest of the poor and promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women. The role of the Ministry is to:

• Provide care and protection for children through programmes as stipulated under the relevant legislations.
• Alleviate poverty through social protection programmes for the disadvantaged.
• Administer the poverty alleviation programmes.
• Empower women and mainstream gender.

Both UN Women Fiji MCO and the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection of Fiji are guided by the United Nations Pacific Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework which is a multi-country sustainable development framework.

UN Women Fiji MCO has been providing extensive support to MWCPA towards the implementation of the Women’s Plan of Action, National Gender Policy and the National Development Plan, through the EVAW Task Force, including work on the Service Delivery Protocol, and shelter standards. Within this joint partnership, multiple projects have been delivered together, including the Women’s Expo, GBV trainings and consultations, and humanitarian response work as part of the national Service Deliver Protocol and GBViE Working Group.

In 2020 Fiji embarked on a historic mission to develop a National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against All Women and Girls, making it the first Pacific Island Country, and one of the only two countries globally along with Australia, to have whole of government, inclusive, evidence-based approach to prevent violence against women and girls. The Fiji NAP is led by MWCSP alongside a Secretariat and a Technical Working Group that steers and guides the implementation of the Fiji NAP alongside advocacy and strategic communications. The working group of civil society and government ministries has been instrumental to ownership and endorsement of this national action plan. On 2 June 2023, the five-year Fiji NAP was launched with a commitment of 1 million Fijian Dollars for fiscal year 2023 – 2024 and 4 million AUD committed by the Government of Australia via the Pacific Partnership with UN Women.

[1] Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre. (2013). Somebody’s Life, Everybody’s Business. Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre. Suva, Fiji.

[2] The Situation of Women in Fiji, Governments 2nd, 3rd and 4th report to the CEDAW Committee

Objectives of the assignment

In coordination with the Director of Women of MWCSP, the Fiji NAP Secretariat and Technical Working Group, the Fiji NAP Coordination and Implementation Unit, UN Women’s Fiji Prevention Coordinator and the direct supervision of UN Women’s EVAWG Technical Advisor, the consultant will be responsible for the following major tasks:

Task 1: Provide high-quality technical assistance, capacity-strengthening, strategic planning and support to 13 settings to develop and implement key essential actions outlined in the Fiji NAP.

Task 2: Support the development and implementation of a national M&E framework for the Fiji NAP including collecting and analysing information and data on progress of key benchmarks from targeted settings.

Task 3: Facilitate linkages between implementation work plans for the Fiji NAP and the Service Deliver Protocol to Respond to Cases of GBV; and the Gender Transformative Institutional Capacity Development initiative.

Duration of the assignment

The duration of the assignment will be up to 210 working days over a 12 months’ work assignment as per the schedule of deliverables with an anticipated start date from 15 September 2023.

Expected deliverables

Specifically, the following major tasks shall be undertaken:

The assignment should be carried out within a period of 12 months, not exceeding 210 working days, with the incumbent being responsible for delivering the following outputs:

• Monthly reports on major tasks performed and results matched against a detailed workplan;

• Monthly time sheet;

• Supporting documents of the month’s activities including any minutes, workplans, briefs, analytical work papers etc;

• Deliverables as outlined above.

• Mid-term 6-month and 12-month report on carried out activities, achievements and challenges.

Upon receipt of the final deliverables and prior to the payment of the instalment, the deliverables, related reports, and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women within two weeks.

All the deliverables shall be agreed with UN Women’s and the MWCSP, and UN Women will be provided in English hard and electronic copy.

Inputs

The selected consultant will work under the overall coordination of MWCSP, Fiji NAP governance bodies, UN Women Fiji Prevention Coordinator with direct supervision of the UN Women EVAWG Technical Advisor. The consultant will work closely with the members of the Fiji NAP National Coordination and Implementation Unit.

The selected candidate is expected to have her/his own laptop, cell phone, internet access and communication equipment.

Performance Evaluation

The Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial Arrangements

Payment will be disbursed within 30 (thirty) days after receipt and approval of deliverables, monthly timesheets aligned to each payment instalment, and corresponding invoice and certification by the MWCSP and UN Women EVAWG Technical Advisor that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

It is estimated to have 12 monthly installments to be paid to consultants as per deliverable schedule.

Travel

The position is Suva-based without travel.  In the case of unforeseeable travel, all travel must be agreed upon between UN Women and the consultant prior to travel with approved travel costs including tickets, daily subsistence allowance and terminal expenses paid for by UN Women.

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

Functional Competencies:

• Good programme formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills
• Good knowledge of Results Based Management
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings and recommendations
• Good analytical skills

Required Experience and Qualifications

The Consultant should fulfil the following requirements:

Education:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required;
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s Degree) in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Other formal education relevant for the assignment will be an advantage.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years (with Master’s degree) or 7 years (with first-level university degree) of proven EVAWG or gender experience working/collaborating with national stakeholders in coordinating/facilitating and/or implementing action plans/policy recommendations/ or programmes for EVAWG or gender equality.
• Minimum 3 years of proven work experience in the area of EVAWG in Fiji.
• Proven experience working with diverse group of men, women, boys and girls in all their diversity with sensitivity and inclusivity.
• Proven experience providing technical assistance and capacity-strengthening support with diverse national stakeholders including civil society and government.
• Proven experience with developing and overseeing M&E frameworks for policies and/or programmes related to EVAWG and/or gender.
• Proven experience facilitating programme management, report writing and documentation.

Language and other skills:

• Fluency in verbal and written English is required.
• Working knowledge of one or more Fijian languages (i-Taukei and/or Hindi) is required.

Evaluation procedure

Initially, individual consultants will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required.  A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s Degree) in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience will be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.  Other formal education relevant for the assignment will be an advantage.
• Minimum 5 years (with Master’s degree) or 7 years (with first-level university degree) of proven EVAWG or gender experience working/collaborating with national stakeholders in coordinating/facilitating and/or implementing action plans/policy recommendations/ or programmes for EVAWG or gender equality.

The shortlisted individual consultant will be further evaluated based on a cumulative analysis process, with a total score being obtained upon the combination of weighted technical and financial attributes.

Cost under this method of analysis is rendered as an award criterion, which will be 30% out of a total score of 100 points.

Evaluation of submitted offers will be done based on the following formula:

where:

Technical evaluation will be represented through desk review of applications. Interviews and/or written tests will be organized if needed only, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications.

Technical Qualification Evaluation Criteria: The technical part is evaluated based on its responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR).

Financial Qualification Evaluation Criteria: In the Second Stage, the financial proposal of candidates, who have attained minimum 70% score in the technical evaluation (at least 49 points), will be compared.

WINNING CANDIDATE

The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring + financial scoring).

Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit fully completed application on the UNDP Vacancy Site. 

Submission Package:

1. Cover letter explaining the suitability of the consultant: applicants are encouraged to address experience and qualifications listed in the ‘criteria for technical evaluation’.
2. Duly filled Personal History Form (P11) and/or Curriculum Vitae (CV) of Consultant including records of experience in similar assignments and specific outputs obtained; P11 can be downloaded at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
3. Financial proposal – specifying 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 (daily rate and number of anticipated working days and any other possible costs).
4. Please read, use and complete ANNEX I and ANNEX II below to provide your financial proposal.

Applications without a complete financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.  UN Women reserves the right to accept or reject any bid.

The consultancy recruitment process will be governed by the rules and regulations of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

UN Women Statement on Diversity and Inclusion:

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).

Deadline of all submission: 24th September 2023.

Annex I

Price Proposal Guideline and Template

The prospective Individual Contractor should take the following explanations into account during submission of his/her price proposal.

1.Lump Sum Amount

The price proposal should indicate a "lump sum amount" which is "all-inclusive"; All costs (professional fees, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Individual Contractor needs to be factored into the proposed price.

UN Women will not withhold any amount of the payments for tax and/or social security related payments. UN Women shall have no liability for taxes, duties or other similar charges payable by the Individual Contractor in respect of any amounts paid to the Individual Contractor under this Contract, and the Contractor acknowledges that UN Women will not issue any statements of earnings to the Individual contractor in respect of any such payments.

Contract price is fixed to activities/deliverables indicated in the ToR, regardless of the changes in the cost components (such as days invested for completion of the deliverables.)

2.Travel costs

As this is a Suva-based consultancy, no travel costs are envisaged for this assignment.

3.Daily Subsistence Allowance

Not applicable.

4.Currency of the price proposal

The applicants are requested to submit their price proposals in FJD$.  

In case of proposals in other currency, these shall be converted into FJD$ using the official UN exchange rate for currency conversion at the date of applications’ submission deadline.

Annex II

Price Proposal Submission Form

[ Mandatory document for the Consultant to complete and submit]

To:          United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Ref:         IC/SSA Individual National Consultant –VAWG Prevention Technical Specialist to support Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection on coordination of the FIJI NATIONAL ACTION PLAN TO PREVENT VIOKENCE AGAINST ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS, UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office

Dear Sir / Madam,

I, the undersigned, offer to provide professional consulting services to UN Women within the scope of the referred Assignment.  Having examined, understood, and agreed to the Terms of Reference and its annexes, the receipt of which are hereby duly acknowledged, I, the undersigned, offer to deliver professional services, in conformity with the Terms of Reference.

My maximum total price proposal for the assignment is given below:

Estimated Costs (in FJD$)

*** Please be informed that for shorter assignments than a full day, the daily rate will be pro-rated into hourly rate.

I confirm that my financial proposal will remain unchanged.  I also confirm that the price that I quote is gross, and is inclusive of all legal expenses, including but not limited to social security, income tax, pension, etc., which shall be required applicable laws.

I agree that my proposal shall remain binding upon me for 60 days.

I understand that you are not bound to accept any proposal you may receive.