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. 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: governance and participation in public life, women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women and girls, women, peace and security, humanitarian action, and disaster risk reduction. UN Women works closely with the UN Country Team in integration of women’s rights and gender equality in all spheres of UN work. The 2023 Strategic Note is aligned with the UN Transitional Framework covering the following areas: humanitarian response; humanitarian-development-peace nexus; and early recovery.

Gender stereotypes remain a significant factor preventing the achievement of gender equality in all spheres of life, despite Ukraine’s accession to international agreements and adoption of national legislation on equal rights and opportunities for women and men.[1] Gender segregation and discriminatory attitudes towards women permeate the workplace (namely, age discrimination of women over 45, women with small children and pregnant women). Employed women have less access to finances compared to men: the gender pay gap between women and men in Ukraine is almost 19%.[2]

In 2021, women’s employment rates were lower than men: 50% versus 62%.[3] The socioeconomic impact of the crisis since 2014 has affected women and men’s access to paid work, increasing unemployment by 30%. For internally displaced persons, the gap was even higher: according to the National Action Plan for the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (published in 2020), only 43% of internally displaced women had found employment, as opposed to 58% of men.[4] At the same time, there has been an expanding informal economy of which Ukrainian women have become a crucial part.[5] Existing gender norms translate into the imbalance of unpaid care work, which is predominantly performed by women. 92% of single parents in Ukraine are mothers,[6] who often manage care, domestic and income-generating work. Restrictions related to COVID-19 caused further pressure on women to combine their professional duties with their household duties and care work.[7]

The full-scale war impacts the unemployment rates among all categories of the population and will most likely continue pushing women into the unprotected informal sectors of the economy. Age, disability, displacement status and other characteristics further affected access to employment and financial resources in the pre-war period and are likely to impact the socioeconomic situation of the citizens of Ukraine during the war. In Ukraine, women and girls face exacerbated forms of gender inequalities and discrimination, especially in terms of livelihoods. As of July 2022, according to information collected by UNCHR, 61% of registered unemployed persons are women.[8] 53% of Ukrainians ready to accept a risky job offer that could lead to exploitation or violence are women. Poverty and dependency on social payments, especially among a growing number of female-headed households, will be expected to increase.

Rebuilding and sustaining inclusive economic growth will be a fundamental priority for early and postwar recovery of Ukraine, and the equitable inclusion of women in these efforts will define the country's ability to rebuild and recover. Ensuring income generation opportunities and rebuilding women’s livelihoods and women-led localized economies will be another important driver to prevent further displacement and escalations of tensions. For displaced women and for those returning to their homes, finding new livelihoods is a considerable challenge. As men join the army and care infrastructure is sparse, many women are increasingly facing additional burdens as both caregivers and breadwinners. Targeted support to war affected women in accessing livelihoods will need to address their specific needs, including in areas of displacement and return.

Equal pay is also essential to achieving full gender equality in the world of work and a fairer, more inclusive world in general. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim at achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value by 2030 (Target 8.5).

The Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) was founded on the recognition that no single actor can solve this challenge alone and that progress can only be accelerated through cooperation and collaboration between a diverse range of stakeholders. While the EPIC Secretariat comprises the ILO, UN Women and the OECD, the EPIC parties include the Government, Workers’ Organizations, Private Sector and International and Civil Society organizations. By joining the Coalition, different stakeholders demonstrate their commitment to achieving SDG Target 8.5 and gain access to an invaluable network of support and expertise as they work to achieve equal pay and reduce gender pay gaps in their country or region.

Ukraine joined the EPIC in 2020 as a reference point, a community of like-minded states and a source of extremely important knowledge: namely, effective practical mechanisms and tools to reduce the gender pay gap, methods of gender-neutral job evaluation, ensuring equal opportunities to balance family and work responsibilities, as well as realization in policy-making and in executive positions, regardless of gender. To synergize the efforts on reducing the gender pay gap that has been 18,6 per cent in 2021, in September 2023 the Government of Ukraine approved the National Strategy on Decreasing the Gender Pay Gap until 2030. It is a part of the long-standing ambition to close the gender pay gap, framed under the Biarritz Partnership and EPIC commitments.

UN Women Office in Ukraine contributed to the development of the Strategy, in particular through participatory consultations and strategic sessions with national stakeholders 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.

As part of its work to support the Government of Ukraine to implement initiatives for women economic empowerment for increasing their participation in decision making, enhancing their economic opportunities, supporting women owned business, etc.  during the recovery and EU accession, UN Women is looking for a Gender Advisor to provide expert support to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine on developing and realization of the women economic empowerment interventions, in particular through implementing the National Strategy and Action Plan for Bridging the Gender Pay Gap until 2030.

[1] Ukraine (2019). National Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Available at: link to Ukrainian source.

[2] State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Average monthly wages by sex and type of economic activity over the quarter in 2021. Available at: link. 

[3] State Statistics Service of Ukraine. Employed population in 2021, by age group, sex and place of residence. Available at: link.

[4] Ukraine (2020). National Action Plan for the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 “Women, Peace, Security” until 2025, approved by Order No. 1544-r of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine of 28 October 2020.

[5] Milana Nikolko, Samuel MacIsaac and David Carment (2021). “The Impact of Ukraine’s Informal Economy on Women: Mobilizing Canada’s Diaspora for Growth and Opportunity During Crisis”, in Political Turmoil in a Tumultuous World, pp. 295–315. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

[6] State Statistics Service of Ukraine (2018). Socio-demographic characteristics of households in Ukraine in 2018. Statistical bulletin. Available at: link to Ukrainian source.  

[7] Jurfem Association of Women Lawyers (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on women’s rights in Ukraine. Available at: link.

[8] Data from the State Employment Services’ report: The situation on the labor market and the activities of the State Employment Service in January-June 2022.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Representative and direct supervision by the Programme Specialist/Project Manager, the Gender Advisor will provide technical support to the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine on developing and realization of the women economic empowerment  (WEE) interventions, in particular through implementation of the National Strategy and Action Plan for Bridging the Gender Pay Gap until 2030 (the Strategy). The assignment will include but not be limited to the following tasks developed in coordination with the Ministry of Economy and UN Women:

1. In consultations with representatives of the Ministry of Economy and UN Women, contribute to the development of WEE initiatives, which will include concept notes, the work plan/roadmap for implementing the interventions on WEE, including under the National Strategy and Action Plan for Bridging the Gender Pay Gap until 2030;
2. Facilitate consultations with national stakeholders, including all four EPIC parties, to validate the WEE interventions activities, including the National Strategy and Action Plan for Bridging the Gender Pay Gap until 2030.
3. Provide expert support to the Ministry of Economy on the implementation of WEE initiatives, including under the National Strategy and Action Plan for Bridging the Gender Pay Gap until 2030
4. Provide expert support to the Ministry of Economy to organize and conduct communication campaigns for WEE, including in partnership with the contracted Media Organization/Company which will conduct an informational campaign “Of course you can!” for counteracting gender stereotypes in the labour market and implementation of the National Strategy on Decreasing the Gender Pay Gap in Ukraine and respective Action Plan;
5. Coordinate and contribute to organization of different events, conferences, meetings, workshops, strategic sessions to be organized by the Ministry in partnership with UN Women within WEE initiatives and to achieve the Strategy goals and implement the respective Action Plan;
6. Facilitate and contribute to the organization of the capacity development seminars, workshops, learning sessions and exchange of experience on WEE for the Ministry of Economy and other related partners.

Assignment Deliverables:

*All reports should be submitted in English language and include the full set of supporting documents, such as analytical briefs, meeting notes, concept notes and agendas, handouts and lists of participants, 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 two installments upon receipt of the deliverables (as per above matrix) and their certification by UN Women Programme Specialist that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

Competencies

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

Required Skills and Experience

Required Skills and Experience:

Qualifications Education:

• Advanced (Masters) degree in Law, Economics, Gender Studies, Public Policy and Administration, Social Sciences or related field

Experience:

• Minimum 2 years of relevant work experience (after Master’s degree) in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Proven experience on the development and implementation of the women economic empowerment initiatives;
• Previous experience of providing advisory/technical support to governmental institutions, including central executive bodies;
• Experience with support of coordination of multiple stakeholders’ activities and liaise with governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, including development partners, and civil society;
• Experience with UN Women and other UN agencies will be considered as an asset;

Languages and other skills: 

• Fluency in verbal and written English and Ukrainian is 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).

Application and submission package:

All applications must include as one attachment:

1. Completed and signed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unwomen.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2FHeadquarters%2FAttachments%2FSections%2FAbout%2520Us%2FEmployment%2FUN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK

1. Financial proposal (sample is provided below) completed and signed: The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount with a breakdown of a daily professional rate per number of anticipated working days to include all costs (e.g. tele-communication, etc).

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment.

Interested candidates are requested to apply no later than 23:59 EEST 29 December 2023

Applications without P11 and financial proposal may be treated as incomplete and may not be considered for further assessment.

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).