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’s work in Ukraine focuses on supporting the government and civil society in advancing gender equality and implementation of national and international commitments on gender equality and women’s human rights. UN Women Ukraine implements interventions on the following four thematic priorities: Peace and Security, Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction; Ending Violence Against Women and Girls and Women; Women’s Economic Empowerment; and Governance and Participation in Public Life. UN Women works closely with the UN Country Team in the 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.

The full-scale armed invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation on 24 February 2022 is a grave violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the UN Charter. It caused untold destruction, displaced millions, and resulted in unacceptable violations of human rights and international humanitarian law and the most significant modern challenge to global peace and security.

Cooperation with and expert support to the Ministry of Social Policy, as an institute of the National Women’s Machinery, responsible for gender equality legal and policy framework development, is a priority for UN Women in the sphere of gender-responsive recovery in Ukraine, as the Ministry plays a pivotal role in addressing the consequences of the war are disproportional, with the most significant effects on women, children, and people with disabilities[1]. Women have been particularly vulnerable during this crisis, facing increased caregiving responsibilities, economic instability, and heightened risks of gender-based violence. They also face a myriad of other challenges to accessing housing, food, sexual and reproductive health, and employment. To respond to these uneven impacts and perform early recovery in a way so that all diverse groups of men and women benefit equally, gender-responsive approaches should be mainstreamed in all phases of governance at all levels and early recovery processes. The involvement of the Ministry of Social Policy is essential to ensure recovery policies and programs are tailored to address these specific challenges.

Gender-responsive recovery is not just a matter of social justice; it is an imperative for sustainable development. The Ministry of Social Policy is uniquely positioned to design and implement policies that promote women's economic participation, well-being, and empowerment. Women make up a significant portion of Ukraine's workforce and hold crucial roles in families and communities. When women are economically empowered, and have access to quality healthcare, education, and social support, the entire society benefits.

The Ministry's active role can serve as a catalyst for inter-agency collaboration and coordination, ensuring that gender and human rights considerations are integrated into various aspects of the recovery process. Its participation in gender-responsive recovery in Ukraine is a reflection of Ukraine's commitment to achieving gender equality and building a more inclusive and equitable society. By actively engaging in these efforts, the Ministry can contribute significantly to the recovery process, promote social cohesion, and foster long-term stability and development. The Ministry's involvement is integral to fulfilling international commitments and agreements related to gender equality, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Ukraine-EU Association Agreement.

Thus, UN Women Ukraine is looking for a National Consultant to provide expert advice to the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine to ensure that gender equality and human rights are mainstreamed in recovery processes, as well as to contribute to developing institutional capacity for gender-responsive and community-based recovery.

[1] Rapid-Gender-Analysis-of-Ukraine-en.pdf (unwomen.org)

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Representative and direct supervision by the Programme Specialist, the National Consultant will provide expert advice for gender and human rights mainstreaming of the recovery policy framework, as well as will contribute to developing institutional capacity, in particular of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, for their guidance of gender-responsive community-based recovery processes in Ukraine. The assignment will include but not be limited to the following tasks:

1. Provide expert support to the Ministry of Social Policy and UN Women Office in Ukraine to develop a strategic vision of cooperation/programmatic support for gender-responsive recovery to ensure that the reconstruction and development of regions and communities affected by the war are sustainable and planned according to the "build better and equal" approach, principles of human rights and gender equality, and "leaving no one behind" concept.
2. In coordination with UN Women Office in Ukraine, provide expert support to the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine and women's CSOs at the national and local levels in:

• exchange of best practices and experiences in gender-responsive recovery;
• analysis of the current legal framework and draft legal acts on stabilization of the situation in the de-occupied territories and recovery, and determining the directions of gender-responsive recovery;
• development of proposals for implementation of Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) to the Ninth Periodic Report of Ukraine and their monitoring in terms of gender-responsible recovery;
• development of draft normative and legal acts to ensure gender-responsible recovery;
• development and implementation of programs/projects of gender-responsible recovery;
• development and application of tools for gender-responsive recovery.

1. In coordination with the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine and UN Women Office in Ukraine, make inputs to the organization and conducting of capacity development training for all stakeholders at the national and local levels on gender-responsible recovery.
2. Provide support in the organization of multilateral, multisectoral, and interagency meetings/consultations/workshops/conferences organized by the Ministry of Social Policy and UN Women on gender-responsive recovery.

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 three installments upon receipt of the deliverables (as per the 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

Qualifications Education:

• Advanced (Masters) degree in social sciences, law, public policy/administration, economics, development studies, gender studies or similar.

Experience:

• At least 2 years of relevant experience in gender mainstreaming within governance at the national and/or local level;
• Proven experience conducting gender mainstreaming training for government policy-makers and other stakeholders;
• Proven experience in gender analysis of national legislation and policy documents;
• Proven knowledge of international practices and instruments on the protection of human rights/women’s rights;
• Experience with participation in high-level dialogues, consultations, including with the members of parliament, government, etc.;
• Previous professional experience with development agencies and the United Nations would be considered 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 (including an interview). A two-stage procedure is utilized in evaluating the proposals, with the evaluation of the technical proposal (including an interview) 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 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 the following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Application and submission package:

All applications must include 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

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment.

Interested candidates are requested to apply no later than 23:59 EEST 25 February 2024.

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

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).