Background
UN Women (UNW), 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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.
UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in Palestine since its inception in 1997. UN Women Palestine Country Office focuses its activities on one overarching goal, namely to support the implementation at the national level of existing international commitments to advance gender equality in line with the national priorities. In support of this goal and thoroughly taking into consideration the specificities of Palestinian context, UN Women concentrates its efforts and interventions towards the realization of the following strategic goals: Engendering governance, peace and security; Supporting women's economic security and rights; and Promoting women’s rights and protection against violence.
The development of UN Women’s corporate Strategic Plan (SP)- 2018-2021, takes place at an important inflexion point for the gender equality and women's empowerment agenda and for UN Women. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has reaffirmed the centrality of gender equality and women's empowerment for sustainable development both as a dedicated Sustainable Development Goal and as central to the achievement of all SDGs. The extensive 20 year review and appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, conducted in 2015, has identified key priorities for the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Platform for Action. The 15-year High-Level Review of Security Council resolution 1325 and the adoption of Security Council resolution 2242 has further deepened and strengthened the women, peace and security agenda. In addition, gender equality perspectives were successfully mainstreamed in several sectoral outcomes, thereby strengthening the scope and depth of the gender equality agenda.
As the midterm review of UN Women's Strategic Plan 2014-2017 noted that attention to the gender equality agenda has never been so high, but women and girls continue to face major obstacles to equal opportunities and outcomes in a global context marked by several major challenges. UN Women is also at a critical turning point, six years after the start of its operations. Many lessons have been learned since UN Women's establishment and while there have been remarkable accomplishments, challenges remain for the Entity to be able to fully deliver on its mandate and bring about transformative change for women and girls. A series of independent assessments and evaluations, as well as the midterm review of the Strategic Plan 2014-2017, have provided major lessons and recommendations to strengthen UN-Women's strategic focus, institutional capacity, and internal systems. These lessons and recommendations will play a key role in informing the development of the Strategic Plan 2018-2021.
In line with the UN Women global strategic plan 2018-2021, UN Women field offices are to develop Strategic Notes (SN) for the strategic cycle 2018-2021 and Annual Work Plans for the year 2018 to establish important priorities and intended results based on the strategic directions identified in the SN. Development of SN would be guided by three major components; 1- Narrative, 2- Results Framework, 3- Integrated Resource Management/Mobilization Framework. The SNs would articulate a compelling vision of what the office desires to achieve by 2021 at the country level, in response to the most urgent and important national priorities and goals, the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, normative mandate and other corporate mandates. The SN will be supported by a robust results framework with a strong theory of change to ensure that programme objectives are clearly linked with the organization’s mandate and caters to the need of the stakeholders in the host country.
In April 2017, UN Women’s Office in the State of Palestine has completed a full-bodied Country Portfolio Evaluation (CPE) which yielded important results and recommendations for the upcoming Strategic Planning Cycle. The Palestine County Office wishes to take stock of these reflections and recommendations by means of considering them in the development of the SN 2018-2021 in a way that responds to UN Women’s universal mandate, the most urgent national priorities in line with the Palestinian National Policy Agenda and the Cross Sectoral National Gender Strategy 2017-2022, the Palestine UNDAF 2018-2022 and the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, among other relevant national strategies and frameworks using the Human Rights Based Approach.
It is intended that the new SN will clearly identify the primary and secondary beneficiaries and prioritize strengthening normative-coordination-operational linkages within the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the SDGs, streamlining overall structure of the results framework, integrating priorities identified in Beijing+20, aligning the UN Women Flagship Programme Initiatives (FPIs) and identifying indicators that capture UN Women’s impact with annual milestones.
UN Women is recruiting an International Consultant to provide technical expertise throughout the process of developing the SN. During the assignment, the consultant will work closely with the Country Representative and the Program Coordinator in addition to the M&E Associate and all programme and operations teams, and provide technical expertise in shaping the SN document which would include scoping, visioning, drafting, validating and finalization. S/he will conceptualize and hold a series of stakeholder’s consultations, consolidate stakeholder’s feedback and incorporate the feedback in the final SN.
Description of the UN Women Global Strategic Plan:
UN Women Global Strategic Plan lays out UN-Women’s unique role in gender equality and the empowerment of women worldwide as envisioned in Sustainable Development Goal 5. It reflects UN-Women’s mandate and the lessons-learned during the first five years of its existence, including those of the Mid-Term Review of the previous Strategic Plan. It shows how UN-Women helps Member States establish new norms and strive for their achievement. It is founded on key intergovernmental norms and standards including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and its 20-year review and associated Political Declaration, the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals, relevant Security Council Resolutions on women, peace and security, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and Agreed Conclusions of the Commission on the Status of Women.
The plan reflects UN-Women’s interconnected and indivisible normative, coordination and operational functions. It describes how these underpin UN-Women’s collaborative advantage, and the ways in which the entity will act as enabler and partner within the UN family and beyond, an approach which has already seen gender equality become the most common theme of UN joint programmes. It articulates the ways in which UN-Women contributes to broader global agendas, addressing the centrality of youth in sustainable development, and the imperative of prevention in a world increasingly beset by long-lasting crisis and conflict.
The plan also recognizes UN-Women’s important role in supporting the UN system to “walk its talk” on gender equality, and a commitment to the Secretary-General’s conviction that, as elsewhere, it is poor corporate governance for the UN to exclude women.
In fulfilling this role, UN-Women will priorities five results:
- A comprehensive and dynamic set of global norms, policies and standards on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls is strengthened across sustainable development, peace and security, human rights and humanitarian action;
- Women lead, participate in and benefit equally from governance systems;
- Women have income security, decent work and economic autonomy;
- All women and girls live a life free from violence; and
- Crisis prevention and response and peace and security better serve and build the resilience of women and girls.
UN-Women supports the strengthening and application of a comprehensive and dynamic set of global norms, policies and standards on gender equality and the leadership and empowerment of all women and girls across sustainable development, peace and security, human rights and humanitarian action. This constitutes the first, foundational outcome of this plan (outcome 1).
UN-Women supports the full and effective implementation of these global norms and standards at the country and regional levels through four other outcomes (outcomes 2 to 5):
- Outcome 2: Women lead, participate in and benefit equally from governance systems;
- Outcome 3: Women have income security, decent work and economic autonomy;
- Outcome 4: All women and girls live a life free from violence; and
- Outcome 5: Crisis prevention and response and peace and security better serve and build the resilience of women and girls.
In addition to the outcomes above, the SP sets the organizational effectiveness and efficiency framework for UN Women through 4 main outputs:
- Output 1: Enhanced coordination, coherence and accountability of the UN system for gender equality commitments;
- Output 2: Increased engagement of partners in support of UN-Women’s mandate;
- Output 3: High quality of programmes through knowledge, innovation, RBM and evaluation; and
- Output 4: Improved management of financial and human resources in pursuit of results.
Duties and Responsibilities
Purpose of this assignment:
The main purpose of this assignment is to translate the UN Women Global SP into a four-year Country Specific Strategic Note (2018-2021) aligned with the UNDAF, national development priorities, and international norms and standards guiding UN-Women’s work. The SN will be implemented and monitored through one-year annual work plans (AWPs). The consultative development and preparation process of the SN and the AWP focuses country offices’ resources and efforts on areas of greatest need and impact. The Flagship Programme Initiatives provide an efficient and scalable modality for programming that delivers on agreed areas in partnership with other UN entities and development partners in ways that leverage other parts of UN-Women’s composite mandate, and are the basis for country programming.
Scope of the Assignment:
The four years SN will be based on the UN Women Global Strategic Plan (2018-2021) and will draw from lessons learned during the implementation of the previous SNs. The consultant is expected to align the SN with the Palestine UNDAF and draw from the Common Country Analysis, the Country Portfolio Evaluation, the current Country SN (2014-2017) and all other relevant programme/project evaluations and other relevant documents.
The international consultant is expected to conduct fieldwork in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza Strip and is expected to establish detailed boundaries for the consultation process, especially in terms of which stakeholders are to be consulted.
Assignment Design:
The assignment will be designed in such a way as to allow for a comprehensive situational analysis of Palestine in terms of gender equality and the empowerment of women, a theory of change outlining the casual analysis, a comparative advantage analysis of UN Women in Palestine, an analysis of main direction for resource mobilization and partnership strategy for UN Women in Palestine and the direction for Advocacy Strategy. An integrated results framework outlining the expected results for both the Developmental Results Framework and the Organizational Effectiveness and Efficiency Framework will also be developed by the consultant including SMART Indicators.
The assignment will be undertaken through 3 main stages. During the first stage, the consultant will undertake a desk review of all main documents related to the UN Women Global Strategic Plan including the draft Strategic Plan and the Flagship Programmes, UNCT work in Palestine including the UNDAF and the Common Country Analysis, the ongoing work of UN Women work in Palestine including the current SN and the AWPs, Country Portfolio Evaluation, and all programme/project evaluations, concept notes, and proposals. The desk review will be undertaken to assess any additional secondary data needed and to assess the quality of the existing information for developing the SN. The desk review will aim at compiling data related to the situational analysis, lessons learned, comparative advantage of UN Women in Palestine, proposed Theory of Change and the proposed results framework. The findings of the desk review stage will be highlighted in an Inception Report drafted by the consultant and presented to UN Women Senior Management and Staff. The Consultant will provide a detailed methodology and work plan for completing the assignment through the Inception Report and will submit a draft inception report to be reviewed by UN Women Staff. The draft Inception report will also be presented to UN Women Staff through a working session to validate the findings of the desk review prior to initiating the consultation with the main stakeholders.
Based on the desk review and the validation workshop with UN Women Staff the consultant will develop an action plan for the field mission that will include a minimum of three consultation sessions with main stakeholders including government counterparts, civils society organizations, private sector, UN Sister Agencies and the Donor Community. The consultation sessions will be conceptualized and conducted to verify findings of the desk review and build on these findings for developing the SN and the 2018 AWP. Stakeholders to be consulted will be based on findings of the desk review and in consultation with UN Women. The findings of the consultation sessions with main stakeholders will be presented through a validation workshop with UN Women Staff.
The final stage of the assignment will include the write up of the Strategic Note. The Strategic Note must highlight the situational background, lessons learned, comparative advantage of UN Women in Palestine, the Theory of Change, the strategic priorities and the integrated results framework, including SMART indicators at the Outcome and Output level. In addition, the Strategic Note should highlight the main direction for UN Women Resource Mobilization and Partnership Strategy and the Advocacy and Communication Strategy.
Timeframe:
The following is the suggested timeframe for the international consultant to accomplish the contractual responsibilities for the assignment. The exact timing will be determined in close consultation with the country office. The expected activities and deliverables in country and the number of work days are listed below:
Number of approximate working Days: Total 18 Days
- Inception phase: Inception meeting, desk review, inception report drafting and presentation through a workshop with UN Women Staff: 5 days
- Consultation with UN Women Team and Main Partners: 4 days
- Validation Session with UN Women Staff: 1 day
- Reporting phase: Analysis of data and preparation of draft SN in English; presentation of draft report to reference group: 5 days
- Follow up and use phase: Finalize report, include management feedback and submit final edited version: 3 days
Expected Deliverables:
The following are the expected deliverables for the international consultant:
- Inception Report 19 June
- Draft SN 30 June
- Final SN 10 July
A model SN will be provided to the international consultant based on the below outline. The assignment manager will assure the quality of the SN. The draft and final SN will be shared with the Reference Group for quality review. The main outline of the SN includes the following:
- Title and opening pages;
- Executive summary;
- Introduction;
- Situational Analysis (including CPE Results);
- Lessons Learned;
- Theory of Change;
- Strategic Priorities;
- Monitoring & Evaluation; and
- Annexes.
Management of the Assignment:
Under the overall guidance of UN Women Special Representative and the management of UN Women National Programme Coordinator, the assignment will be carried out by an international consultant. The international consultant will have the overall responsibility for the assignment and will report directly to UN Women National Programme Coordinator, in close collaboration with UN Women M&E Officer.
The assignment will have the following management structures
- National Programme Coordinator for coordination and day-to-day management;
- Reference Group for substantive technical support: UN Women Senior Management Group, with responsibilities including:
- Provide substantive comments and other operational assistance throughout the preparation of reports; and
- Where appropriate, participates in meetings and workshops with other key partners and stakeholders before finalization of reports.
Competencies
Core Value/ Guiding Principles:
- Integrity;
- Professionalism; and
- Respect for Diversity.
Core Competencies:
- Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
- Accountability;
- Creative Problem Solving;
- Effective Communication;
- Inclusive Collaboration;
- Stakeholder Engagement; and
- Leading by Example.
Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf
Functional Competencie:
- Knowledge of the relevant international frameworks pertaining to gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as gender mainstreaming and gender analysis;
- Knowledge of the development, humanitarian, women’s rights and human rights context in the Arab States region and Palestine is highly desirable;
- In-depth knowledge of gender equality and women's rights issues;
- Excellent facilitation and coordination skills;
- Ability to communicate sensitively across different focal points;
- Demonstrates excellent oral and written communication skills; and
- Knowledge and understanding of UN system and familiarity with inter-governmental processes.
Required Skills and Experience
Education
Master degree or equivalent in social sciences, gender studies, public administration, business studies, international relations, international law, public policy, or a related field.
Experience:
- At least 10 years of professional experience, at an international level in designing and facilitating strategic planning processes and developing strategic plans for development and human rights institutions;
- Proven experience of a minimum of 5 years in policy analysis, strategic planning and programme formulation, especially in the fields of gender equality and women’s empowerment is required;
- Proven experience of a minimum of 5 years in humanitarian and development programming and planning; and
- Previous experience working with the UN system and UN Women is considered a significant asset.
Languages:
- Fluent in English (written and oral) is required, and working proficiency in Arabic an asset.
Application procedure:
This application procedure is for an international consultant. This SSA modality is governed by UN Women General Terms and Conditions. UN Women will only be able to respond to applicants who meet the minimum requirements.
The following documents should be submitted as part of the application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials:
- CV or P-11 Form
long listed candidates will be requested to provide a writing sample upon request. Short listed candidates will be requested to provide a financial proposal (i.e. comprehensive daily rate).
Candidates should be able to quickly submit degree certificates, medical certification (of good health), should they be requested in consideration of this consultancy.
Evaluation of applicants:
Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. A contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer receives the highest score out of below defined technical and financial criteria. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 50 points in the technical evaluation will be considered for financial evaluation.
Technical Evaluation (70%) – max. 70 points:
Technical requirement and maximum number of points:
- Relevant Education: 10 points
- At least 10 years of professional experience, at an international level in designing and facilitating strategic planning processes and developing strategic plans for development and human rights institutions; 20 points
- Proven experience of a minimum of 5 years in policy analysis, strategic planning and programme formulation, especially in the fields of gender equality and women’s empowerment is required; 10 points
- Proven experience of a minimum of 5 years in humanitarian and development programming and planning; 10 points
- Previous experience working with the UN system and UN Women is considered a significant asset; 5 points
- Written previous samples (sample of previously developed strategies, country assessments/evaluations and sample of inception reports, etc.): 15 points
Total: 70
Financial Evaluation (30%) – max. 30 points:
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. A suggested formula is as follows:
p = 30 (µ/z)
Using the following values:
- p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated;
- µ = price of the lowest priced proposal;
- z = price of the proposal being evaluated.