Background
In June 2014, a UN Guidance Note of the Secretary General on Reparations for Conflict Related Sexual Violence was published providing policy guidance and eight guiding principles on how to establish an effective and fair reparation program. UN agencies in the Western Balkans and other conflict and post-conflict zones have started applying this guidance note with governmental and NGO partners. In Ukraine, UN Women and OHCHR would like to support the Government in applying the Guidance Note principles as relevant to Ukraine, and support with the development of a comprehensive framework of action, including legislation, policy, capacity development and operational.
In pre-conflict Ukraine, sexual and gender-based violence were under-reported due to stigma and a culture of silence, broken referral pathways, inefficient legal system, limited medical and psychosocial support services for victims and survivors, limited capacity among government and non-government actors in the documentation of cases. All these problems have been exacerbated by the conflict and while conflict-related sexual violence may be on the rise, there is still only limited information regarding the scale and scope of the problem. The gaps in the legislation, particularly absence of clear definitions, low capacity of law-enforcement to document and investigate cases of sexual violence, limited forensic services affect any possible future prosecution for sexual violence crimes in relation to the conflict.
On 16 February 2017, OHCHR published the thematic report on conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine which covers the period between 14 March 2014 and 31 January 2017. The report highlights the trends and patterns of sexual violence committed in the context of the conflict in the east, the ongoing impunity enjoyed by perpetrators, and the lack of a comprehensive programme to ensure that all survivors receive prompt and adequate access to an effective remedy, including gender sensitive rehabilitation, restitution, compensation, satisfaction and guarantees of no recurrence. The report highlighted that cases of conflict-related sexual violence are under-reported, due to stigma, trauma and the fear of retaliation. Based on the documented cases, there are no grounds to believe that sexual violence has been used for strategic or tactical ends. At the same time, some documented cases may amount to war crimes.
The majority of the documented cases occurred when people, both men and women, were deprived of liberty by Government forces and armed groups in the east of Ukraine; it was possible to document some cases in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Beatings and electrocutions on the genitals, rapes, threats of rape, and forced nudity were used as methods of torture and ill-treatment to punish, humiliate, or extract confessions. Numerous checkpoints and the presence of Ukrainian Armed Forces and armed groups in populated areas have also increased the risk of sexual violence against civilians, mainly women. The deterioration of the economic situation, breakdown of community ties and displacement further contribute to the risk of sexual violence and trafficking; however, these cases are difficult to verify and document.
Due to shortcomings in national legislation and lack of capacity in law enforcement agencies and the judiciary, survivors often face inaction from the State authorities, causing them to be victimised twice. There is a significant lack of medical and psychological services available for victims, with little or no assistance available in rural areas. Access to services for survivors living in the areas controlled by armed groups is further limited due to restrictions imposed by armed groups.
The report contains 29 specific actionable recommendations to all parties to the conflict, as well as to the international and donor community. Overall, recommendations pertain to the following areas: need to change legislation and legal practice, strengthen capacity to investigate and bring perpetrators to account, take necessary steps to prevent sexual violence and create comprehensive system of services.
The Government of Ukraine has expressed the commitment to undertake the necessary steps to design and operationalize effective measures to address conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). The technical support required by the Government at this stage is strategic guidance on how to combat impunity, ensure prevention of CRSV and protection for survivors, provide multi-sectoral assistance/reparations for survivors, carry out documentation and reporting of crimes related to CRSV and integrate attention to CRSV in security sector reform.
UN Women and HRMMU/OHCHR seek to hire a local consultant on CRSV whowill work together with an international consultant to provide strategic advice to the Government, Parliament, civil society organizations and the UN System on preventing and addressing the CRSV, including through the development of a reparations program.
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Country Programme Manager and Head of Human Rights Monitoring Mission and in close cooperation with the Government of Ukraine, the incumbent shall be responsible for implementation of the below tasks: | ||||||||||||
Tasks: Facilitate strategic discussions with key counterparts about the strategy for prevention and multi-sectoral response/reparations to CRSV. The task will include but will not be limited to the following activities:
Key Deliverables and Timeframe The selected consultant shall be responsible for delivering the following outputs, comprising the main milestones:
All the deliverables should be agreed and endorsed by UN Women Country Programme Manager and the Head of the HRMMU. The timeframe for the work of the National Consultant is tentatively planned from 1 September to 30 November 2017, with an estimated total volume of work not to exceed 40 working days, including field mission, coordinated in advance with the UN Women and HRMMU Ukraine management, upon contracting. Note: The mentioned number of working days has been estimated as being sufficient/feasible for the envisaged volume of work to be completed successfully and is proposed as a guideline for the duration of assignment. It cannot and shall not be used as criteria for completion of work/assignment. Management arrangements Organizational Setting: The Contractor will work under the direct supervision of the UN Women and OHCHR management and in close collaboration with UN Women international consultant on CRSV, and will participate in all working meetings appointed by UN Women. Contributions: UN Women and HRMMU will put at the contractor’s disposal all available materials and necessary information for tasks achievement and will facilitate, as needed. UN Women will provide the consultant with the office space and transportation. HRMMU will organize the mission to the territories controlled by armed groups and organize the meetings with interlocutors there. Travel All envisaged travel costs related to the mission in Ukraine must be included in the financial proposal. In general, UN Women should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the contractor wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and contractor, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. Performance evaluation Contractor’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered. Financial arrangements Payments will be disbursed in 2 (two) installments:
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Competencies
Core Values:
- Respect for Diversity
- Integrity
- Professionalism
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: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
Experience:
Language skills:
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 and 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:
Technical criteria and interview, 70% of total evaluation – max 45 points for technical criteria and max 25 points for interview. Total max 70 points:
The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on desk review and following technical qualification evaluation criteria: Criterion A – Relevant education: Advanced university degree in human rights, international law, gender studies or related field. Maximum obtainable points- 5. Criterion B – Language skills: Fluency in verbal and written English and Ukrainian, Russian. Maximum obtainable points- 5. Criterion C (total points) - 35:
Total Obtainable Score for technical criteria and interview- 70 points.
Application and submission package: The candidate’s application should include:
* Completed and signed UN Women Personal History (P-11) form, that can be downloaded from: http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment Interested candidates are requested to apply no later than 12:00 am EET 22 August 2017 by submitting online application with a message subject “Local Consultant on CRSV”, including:
Applications without financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. 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. WINNING CANDIDATE The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring and interview + financial scoring). |
Sample of Financial Proposal
The format shown on the following tables is suggested for use as a guide in preparing the Financial Proposal
Cost Breakdown per Deliverables*
| Deliverables | # of days and Percentage of Total Price (Weight for payment) | Price, US$ (Lump Sum, All Inclusive) |
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| Total | max. # of working days (100%) | US$ …… |
*Basis for payment tranches