Background
Over the last two decades, rural women in Albania have experienced an increasing array of economic problems and losses in terms of equal rights and opportunities. The legacy of the land reform and a strong customary land tenure system, created a male governed agriculture and very weak institutions for the equal engagement of women in rural areas.
A “feminization of agriculture” is witnessed in rural Albania. Although the share of family farms owned by women is very small (similar with the share of women-headed households) the majority of women are “hidden farm leaders”. Data show that women are more engaged in farm activities (32% compared to 22% of men), have equal roles on planting decision and conduct most of everyday activities related to farm important operations. However it appears that women are more isolated, in the house and on the land, and perform most of the manual work while men are more likely to manage cash and engage in trade relationships with input suppliers, purchasers and third parties-state bodies, local institutions, advisory services.
Furthermore there is a low access of rural women to state or donor financial support. Lack of networks and advocacy, and the existence of male dominance in information channels decreases women’s access to financial support or even subsidy schemes. Women are considered as “wives of farm heads” instead of farmers in their own right. While only 3% of women in a comparative survey (Rural Women and Economic Diversification in Rural Areas in Albania) UN Women showed that they have applied for grants, the share of men is much higher (10%). Moreover, official figures show that the number of women beneficiaries is 5 times lower than men, in the best case.
UN Women in cooperation with Ministry of Agriculture Rural Development and Water Administration (MARDWA) conducted in 2015 a National Study on Rural Women and Economic Diversification in Rural Areas in Albania. The study carried a thorough diagnosis of the socio-economic status of rural women in Albania and identified capacity building and access to finance as key components that need to be addressed immediately if sustainable change is aimed for women’s engagement in the economy of rural livelihood.
As a follow up, this year UN Women will continue working towards institutionalizing support for rural women in Albania. Efforts for the capacity building of Ministry of Agriculture Rural Development and Water Administration will be intensified so that any policy in support has the ownership of the public institutions. In that regard UN Women will provide technical assistance to this Ministry to design and budget one dedicated subsidy scheme for women engaged in economic activities in rural areas. Furthermore in collaboration with and through outreach of the extension services UN Women will provide skills and knowledge to women groups on agro-processing and technology to help them move up the value chain.
Overall a holistic approach will be followed in expanding economic empowering services (farming and non-farming) and complementing them with information provided at the local level. There is a need for expanding tailored financial support and services for empowering rural women. To this purpose UN Women is seeking the support of a national consultant to provide technical assistance to MoARDA to design one dedicated subsidy scheme for women engaged in economic activities in rural areas.
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the National Programme Coordinator for Women Economic Empowerment and in in day-to-day cooperation with the European Integration Directory at MoARDWM, the National Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:
Prepare a work plan and methodology for assessing the potential activities for women economic empowerment in rural areas and designing one dedicated subsidy scheme for women engaged in economic activities in rural areas;
Assess data availability and data needs in order to prepare the up-date of sector analysis;
Carry a structural description of the subsectors where women potentials are considered to be biggest;
Map main activities and women inclusion in these activities and where possible reflecting regional contrasts;
Prepare sector specific SWOT analyses in close dialogue with central stakeholders in order to identify important challenges and needs for women entrepreneurship in rural areas;
Prepare– through a few carefully selected case studies – detailed descriptions of best practices of women projects and investments (technology levels, facilities, know how, quality standards, bottle necks and weak points in the value chain);
Estimate required investments for strengthening women economic empowerment by describing types of investments, scale of investments, eligibility and selection criteria for the National Support Program and budgeting figures required for a determined period;
Draft outline of potential sub measures within and overall measure for women entrepreneurs by summarising for each sub measure the rationale, objective, priorities, type of activities to be supported, eligible investments, ranking criteria, etc.
Provide policy recommendations to fine tune the measure in line with the overall policy agenda, reduce possible overlaps with other measures or National and International requirements, reduce possible transaction costs on procedures, provide proper budgeting, implementation and monitoring;
Provide monthly reports, time-sheets and respective outcomes to MoARDWM and UN Women on the implementation of activities as it will be specified in the consultancy Work-plan.
Expected Outputs and Deliverables:
Work plan and Methodology: One week after initiation of the assignment;
First section: description of subsectors and SWOT: 2 weeks after initiation of the assignment
Second section: case studies or project ideas which would be eligible for funding through the measure: 12 weeks after initiation of the assignment
Third section: early draft of the sub measures for discussions and comments: 16 weeks after initiation of the assignment
Fourth section: revised draft of the dedicated subsidy scheme for women and final outline for each potential sub measure: 20 weeks after initiation of the assignment;
Final report in Albanian with the three before mentioned sections including policy recommendations and issues for further considerations
Report in Albanian will be shared with UN Women and MARDWA after presenting, discussing and circulating it with stakeholders-24 weeks after initiation of the assignment
Institutional Arrangement:
The National Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the National Programme Coordinator for Women Economic Empowerment, and in day-to-day cooperation with the European Integration Directory at MoARDWM, who will be responsible for approval/acceptance of outputs, timesheets and performance evaluation. Ultimate oversight rests with the National Programme Coordinator for Women Economic Empowerment.
The contractor is required to submit Deliverables in a highly responsive manner and as agreed with UN Women and European Integration Directory at MoARDWM.
Duration of the Work:
The National Consultant will be contracted for a maximum of 10 (ten) working days per month for a period of 6 months to perform specified tasks from 4th July – 31st December 2016.
Duty Station:
The successful contractor will perform tasks based at MoARDWM and from home (desk-based when possible).
Competencies
Core values:
- Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modeling UN values and ethical standards;
- Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results;
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Core competencies:
- Communication: Excellent communication skills, including the ability to pose questions, listen, evaluate and capture opinions, suggestions and comments, both orally and in writing, in a clear and persuasive style tailored to match different stakeholders.
- Client orientation: Ability to establish and maintain productive partnerships with national partners and pro-activeness in identifying of beneficiaries and partners’ needs, and matching them to appropriate solutions.
Functional Competences:
- Knowledge of women economic empowerment issues;
- Knowledge of rural women producers /small holders situation in Albania;
- Knowledge of relevant legal and policy documents related to rural development and rural economy in Albania and internationally;
- Knowledge of subsidy schemes and related institutional set up;
- Ability to conduct economic research & analyses;
- Excellent writing skills, ability to produce high quality reports.
Required Skills and Experience
Education/Academic Qualification:
Advanced degree in economics, business administration rural development
Academic or professional qualifications in gender studies and development related fields are considered an asset.
Work Experience:
Minimum of 10years of country based experience in working in rural economy and gender development issues;
experiences in addressing issues of rural women and economic diversification in rural Albania;
Experience in drafting subsidy schemes and/or financial instruments targeting rural population is an asset;
Demonstrated experience in preparing policy papers in related areas on behalf of government and international organisations in related area of work;
Knowledge and previous experience with rural women producers’ groups is an advantage;
Previous Work with UN agencies is desirable;
Language requirement:
Strong analytical, writing and communication skills in both English and Albanian, and excellent drafting skills.
Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:
Financial Proposal specifying the daily fee and the overall amount in Albanian Lek for the tasks and anticipated number of days specified in this announcement.
Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services).
Payment will be made as per the payment schedule in the contract upon (i) satisfactory completion of tasks; (ii) provision of deliverables specified in the ToRs; (iii) submission of and approval of monthly-based Time-Sheets and Consultancy Reports; (iv) submission of the respective invoice.
Recommended Presentation of Offer:
Qualified and interested candidates are asked to submit their application no later than 29 June 2016. Applications should include:
A Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability including a brief description explaining why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment.
P11 including past experience in similar assignment. Can be downloaded at: http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment.
A list with links and titles of research documents/papers/publications produced by the applicant.
Financial Proposal specifying the daily fee and the overall amount in Albanian Lek for the tasks and anticipated number of days specified in this assignment. For travel missions please identify separately from the daily fee estimated travel costs
Note: Failure to submit financial proposal will result in automatic disqualification.
Evaluation of applicants:
Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. Contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
Having received the highest score out of below defined technical and financial criteria.
Applications will be assessed according to the following Technical Criteria:
Advanced degree in economics, business administration rural development as well as academic or professional qualifications in gender studies and development related fields; (weight 10, max. points 10);
Minimum of 10 years of country based experience in working in rural economy and gender development issues; (weight 10, max. points 10);
experiences in addressing issues of rural women and economic diversification in rural Albania; (weight 10, max. points 10);
Experience in drafting subsidy schemes and/or financial instruments targeting rural population is a must ;( weight 20, max. points 20);
Demonstrated experience in preparing policy papers in related areas on behalf of government and international organisations in related area of work; weight 10, max. points 10);
Previous Work with UN agencies would be considered an asset. (weight 10, max. points 10);
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.
The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal. All other price proposals receive points in inverse proportion. The calculation formula applied is as follow:
p = 30 (µ/z); where: p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated; µ = price of the lowest priced proposal; z = price of the proposal being evaluated.