Background

Background/Context

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 Zimbabwe Country Office (ZCO) developed its Strategic Note (SN) 2022-2026 in 2021 with the following priority areas: Ending Violence against Women (EVAW), Governance and Participation in Public Life, Economic Empowerment and Resilience (WEE) and Women, Peace and Security, Humanitarian Action, and Disaster Risk Reduction. Institutional Strengthening, Inter-Sectionality (HIV & AIDS, rural women, youth, key populations) and Gender Statistics are the cross-cutting areas. The SN is aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), the Common Country Analysis (CCA), the UN Women Global Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and to the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS 1) 2021- 2025. Due to its coordination mandate within the UN, the CO also prioritised advocacy and lobbying for a gender mechanism within the UN system and led the implementation of the UN Gender Mainstreaming Strategy that provides insights into how the agency can carry out its coordination mandate effectively in the context of the new UNSDCF.

 

Since the development of the UN Women Zimbabwe Country Office’s Strategic Note (SN) 2022-2026), there have been several significant shifts in Zimbabwe’s political, economic, social development and humanitarian contexts. System wide, the UN has identified six transitions, key transitions that can have catalytic and multiple effects across the SDGs. UN Women has introduced gender equality accelerators. Internally, the CO also has seen pivotal changes in programmes and projects with the successful implementation and ending of the Zimbabwe Spotlight Initiative to Eliminate Violence against Women and Girls (2019-2023) and the Japanese Supplementary Budget Programme (JSBP) on Prevention of COVID 19 Infection among Vulnerable Women & Girls, which initiated the CO’s humanitarian programming. The conclusion of these initiatives within the SN period has a net result on the availability of financial resources for sustaining the work and gains in the programme strategic priority of Ending Violence against Women (EVAW). The CO continues to implement a robust programme in the strategic priority Governance and Participation in Public Life, Women Peace and Security and it has embarked on strategic actions to pro-actively contribute to the development of a strong conceptual programme framework for Economic Empowerment and Resilience.

 

The year 2024 therefore, provides a strategic and opportune time for reviewing progress and making strategic adjustments to improve the CO’s performance to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, and to address the ongoing and emerging needs of women within the new context.

 

The UN Women Zimbabwe CO therefore seeks to contract an Individual Consultant (national) to facilitate its SN Mid-Term Review processes as outlined in the following sections.

 

Organizational Setting, Reporting and Collaborators

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of and report to the UN Women Deputy Country Representative, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues. The CO SN Midterm Review task team will provide added support

Duties and Responsibilities

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The individual consultant recruited will be expected to carry out the following:

• CO SN MTR Research and Review as outlined in the Section on Methodology.

• Travel to interview beneficiaries (travel outlined in Travel below).

• Prepare the required documentation and presentations which will guide the SN reflection/stakeholders engagements.

• Facilitate the SN engagements with stakeholders.

 

Deliverables

 

? Inception Report which gives the (1) consultant’s perspectives, insights and understanding of the assignment based on the desk review of key documents and discussions with UN Women key team; (2) set’s out the plan of action and timeline for accomplishing the assignment; and (3) includes the proposed tools for Key Informant Interviews & Beneficiaries Focus Group Discussions.

 

?Key Informant interviews completed

 

?Beneficiaries Focus Group Discussions completed

 

 ? A preliminary comprehensive structured report that (1) presents and analyzes the information and data gathered;(2) includes the detailed working agenda and approach for conducting the review/reflection meetings with the UN WOMEN CO team and identified stakeholders.

 

? Facilitation of the UN Women CO and Stakeholders engagement meetings completed.

 

?Final report, inclusive of overall findings, highlights and key inputs from the CO SN MTR stakeholders’ consultations/engagements completed.

 

 

Deliverables

No of days/duration

%Allocation and amount

Inception Report

4

30%

Key Informant interviews, FGDs completed

10

70%

Preliminary Comprehensive Structured Report

7

 

Facilitation of CO and Stakeholder Engagements completed

2

Final Report

2

 

 

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

•The contracted Individual Consultant must have her/his own equipment and working space.

• UN Women will own all rights to the evidence and information gathered during the research, reports, and all documents produced for this assignment, and UN Women must be credited in perpetuity

 

Travel

Travel to conduct Focus Group Discussions with beneficiaries, in districts to be selected in consultation with the CO SN Mid-Term Review Task Team, in the following areas will be required: Harare (Epworth & Hopley); Manicaland (Chipinge); Mashonaland Central (Bindura, Guruve or Mbiri), Matabeleland South (Umzingwane). UN Women CO will provide the transport with driver and Daily Subsistence Allowance (where required) for travel.

 

This is a home-based consultancy.

 

 

Competencies

Core Values: 

  • Respect for Diversity 
  • Integrity 
  • Professionalism 

UNEG Norms and Standards and Ethical Code of Conduct

The Mid-Term Review will be conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the UNEG ‘Ethical Guidelines for Evaluation’. The consultant must safeguard the rights and confidentiality of information providers, interviewees and stakeholders through measures to ensure compliance with legal and other relevant codes governing collection of data and reporting on it. The consultant must also ensure security of collected information before and after the evaluation and protocols to ensure anonymity and confidentiality of sources of information where that is expected. The information knowledge and data gathered in the evaluation (in this case the SN MT Review) process must also be solely used for the review and not for other uses with the express authorization of UN Women and partners. For more information, follow the link: UNEG Norms for Evaluation in the UN System.

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/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values 

 

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES: The following functional competencies are required:

  • Technical credibility in gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment. 
  • Research and gender analysis skills. 
  • Planning of stakeholder engagement seminars/workshops.
  • Facilitation of Reflection and Planning Seminars.
  • Report writing & editing skills.

Required Skills and Experience

 

Education and Certification:

 

Specialist/Advisor levels:

• Master’s degree or Ph.D.

 

Experience:

  • At least 15 years of progressively responsible work experience in the gender equality and women’s empowerment sector.
  • Experience in research is required.
  • Experience in strategic planning, facilitation is required.
  • Excellent analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently.
  • Excellent English communication and writing skills; (Samples of previous work will be required.)
  • Experience in doing similar work with UN agencies is an added advantage. (Applicants should include this experience in their CV and/or cover letter (motivation letter)

 

Languages:

  • Fluency in English is required. Fluency in Shona & Ndebele is an added advantage.

 

 

V. How to Apply