Background

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of 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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, 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.

In the framework of UN Women Strategic Note 2018-2022 (2018–2022) (Impact Area 3) ” Impact Area 3: Women and girls live a life free of all forms of violence” Outcome 3: Palestinian national actors are better able to prevent violence against women and girls and deliver quality essential services to victims and survivors “, also in alignment with UNDAF (2018-2022) focus on leaving no one behind; more specifically to UNDAF Strategic Priority 2:  Outcome 4: “State and national institutions promote and monitor gender equality and enforce non-discrimination for all” and Strategic Priority 4: Outcome 1 “The Palestinian population, especially the most vulnerable, benefit from safe, inclusive, equitable and quality services”. Additionally, in alignment with the National Strategy to Combat Violence Against Women 2011-2019, specifically referring to the need to “increase the number and develop services of safe homes and institutions offering legal and social protection services and ensure their wide geographic distribution throughout the oPt”; and building on its long time programmatic support to anti-violence centers (also shelters for women victims and survivors of violence) in Palestine, UN Women is implementing the project “Holistic Approach to Sheltering Services for Women Victims and Survivors of Violence in Palestine” (December, 2016 - June, 2018) generously supported by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.

Through the project, UN Women continues to support anti-violence centres services, anti-violence centres staff capacity building, development of minimum sheltering standards and advocacy for the sustainability and effectiveness of sheltering services in Palestine. Through this project UN Women provides support to the anti-violence centres/shelters building on the achievements and lessons learnt in the West bank and the Gaza Strip. UN Women’s approach involves interventions that are designed to increase knowledge of VAW issues and change attitudes and behavior while at the same time improve access to services for survivors, including GBV case management, medical/healthcare psychosocial support and legal services. Awareness-raising initiatives are also implemented aiming at changing attitudes and behavior towards gender-based violence.

There are three centres which provide essential multisectoral services (including sheltering services) to protect women from violence in the West Bank; two of them are supervised by the Ministry of Social Development following different models of supervision; namely the “Mehwar Centre” and the “Nablus Safe Home” and the third is the Jericho shelter, which is an emergency centre that is supervised by the Women’s Centre for Legal Aid and Counseling (WCLAC). There is one centre in Gaza (Hayat Centre) that offers similar services and is supervised by the Centre for Women’s Legal Research and Consulting (CWLRC), which is supported by this project.

To ensure that lessons learned and good practices developed through the work of all centers, and in the framework of the project “Holistic Approach to Sheltering Services for Women Victims and Survivors of Violence in Palestine” (December, 2016 - June, 2018) generously supported by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation there is  a need to develop a comprehensive assessment of the services of all the existing centres (Nablus shelter, Jericho centre, the Mehwar Centre, and the Hayat centre). The assessment will provide valuable lessons learned on and recommendations, based on the best practices and on the existing gaps, for improving the quality, sustainability, efficiency, and cost effectiveness of the multi-sectoral VAW services as well as providing an evidence base for advocacy and development of policy choices/approaches on how to strengthen and standardize sheltering services in Palestine. The assessment will also provide recommendations on how to build VAW service providers’ capacity to institutionalize and standardize the services in the area of VAW protection and prevention. 

Purpose of the Assessment:

The comprehensive assessment for the anti-violence centres’ multisectoral services including sheltering services in the West Bank and Gaza is intended to assess the quality, efficiency, sustainability and inclusiveness of the multipurpose essential services provided for VAW victims and survivors as well as responsiveness to women needs and expectations. This comprehensive assessment aims to provide actionable recommendations for the improvement of VAW services to better suit the needs of women survivors of VAW. The assessment will serve as practical guidance to different actors including but not limited to humanitarian actors, civil society, women NGOs, government, researchers and academics on  VAW programming on VAW prevention and response.

The assessment will be carried out over a period of four months, from January 2017 to May 2018 and will follow a comprehensive and participatory assessment method that includes literature review, quantitative and qualitative data collection methods and analysis approaches.

Objectives of the Assessment:

• Map essential services provided to victims and survivors of violence by the assessed centres/shelters (Mehwar Centre, Nablus Safe Home, the Jericho shelter, the Safe House governed by MoSD in Gaza  and the Hayat Centre) also analyzing geographical outreach and context;
• Assess the level to which the centers adopt the following principles:
  • a rights-based approach
  • advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment
  • culturally and age appropriate and sensitive
  • victim/survivor centered approach
  • safety is paramount
  • perpetrator accountability
• Assess foundational elements that ensures high quality essential services and service delivery including:
  • legislation and legal frameworks
  • governance, oversight and accountability
  • Referral system
  • Risk Assessment and management
  • Appropriately trained staff and workforce development
  • resources and financing
  • monitoring and evaluation
  • gender sensitive policies and practices

• Assess services provided by the centers with regards to the following core elements:

  • accessibility
  • adaptability
  • appropriateness
  • safety
  • confidentiality
  • effective communication and participation by stakeholders in design
  • implementation and assessment of services
  • data collection and information management
  • linking with other sectors and actors through coordination
• Assess the relevance of the multisectoral VAW services at the national level and in light of the needs of the targeted beneficiaries and communities, including how the centres are perceived by the community;
• Assess the organizational efficiency, including management and administration systems of the protection centers/shelters in relation to delivering quality services;
• Shed light on the different experiences, capacities and challenges of all four centres/shelters involved in the assessment;
• Assess the effectiveness related to the achievement of the desired results of VAW/sheltering services of preventing and responding to VAW;
• Assess the cost effectiveness of VAW/sheltering services;
• Assess the sustainability of the VAW/sheltering services provided by the anti-violence centres;
• Assess centres’ SOPs and how far they are aligned with internationals standards for GBV case management and sheltering services;
• Document lessons learnt and good practices with regards to sheltering service provision at individual level, community level, and institutional level;
• Reach at concrete context-specific recommendations with regards to improving and standardizing sheltering services at a national level;
• Assess reintegration of victims and provide recommendations on how it can be better tailored to address needs of women survivors;
• Assess referral efforts among centres/shelters and with other service providers;
• Assess referral efforts in light of the national referral system in the West Bank and referral pathways system developed in Gaza by humanitarian actors; and
• Provide recommendations with respect to future work related to VAW prevention and response.

Duties and Responsibilities

Assessment Scope:

The assessment will assess the services of all four centers/shelters (Mehwar Centre, Nablus Safe Home, the Jericho shelter and the Hayat Centre) that offer anti violence services to women survivors/victims of VAW in Palestine.  The assessment will include the role of national government in institutionalizing the centers’ sheltering services and coordinating their services within the national strategies on eliminating violence against women. The assessment will also examine how the services in Gaza are contributing to humanitarian response.    

The assessment will be undertaken in line with the “Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence” guidelines developed by UN Women, where relevant, and will assess all services provided by the centers.

The assessment should be developed in alignment with priorities outlined in the National Strategy to Combat VAW and the GBV sub cluster GBV strategy. The assessment should also be developed factoring in and examining alignment to national referral efforts and GBV sub-cluster SOPs and referral pathways.

Assessment Methodology:

The assessment methodology envisaged promotes inclusion and participation utilizing approaches with focus on utilization and empowerment.  The assessment shall apply mixed-methods (quantitative and qualitative data collection methods and analysis approaches) to account for gender relations and to ensure participatory and inclusion processes that are culturally appropriate.  Moreover, the assessment methodology must ensure a gender responsive assessment, i.e. the processes and methods must embrace gender equality and human rights principles.

The assessment methodology (which should be detailed in the inception report) will:

• Utilize a combination of instruments and methods for data collection (literature review, surveys, knowledge tests, site visits, semi-structured interviews, focus group sessions, group meetings, etc.) and identify a wide range of data collection sources (documents, archive, institutional information systems, administrative records, financial records, UN Women senior staff members, centres/shelters team members (including staff members of the responsible parties), donor representatives, experts, government officials in the targeted directorates and community groups, intended and unintended beneficiaries);
• Be appropriate and relevant for both women and men, girls and boys;
• Ensure collection of disaggregated data when appropriate;
• Understand the constraints and challenges of the informants;
• Explore gender roles and power relations; and
• Be context and culturally sensitive.

The methodology will be developed by the Assessment Consultant and presented for approval by UN Women during the inception phase along with a detailed work plan for the assessment, clearly indicating timing of activities, deliverable deadlines and resources in line with the signed contract between UN Women and the consultant.  The methodology should detail the data collection methods and participatory tools for consultations with the different stakeholders.  The methodology should identify how the consultant will guarantee the respect of confidentiality of the different stakeholders, identify a sampling frame (area and population represented, rational for selection, mechanisms for selection), and identify measures to be taken to ensure quality, reliability and validity of collected data. 

Stakeholders Participation:

In order to facilitate a comprehensive review of the assessment products and to ensure the participation of key stakeholders in the assessment, UN Women will establish an Assessment Reference Group.  The reference group is an integral part of the assessment management structure and is constituted to facilitate the participation of relevant stakeholders in the design and scope of the assessment, raising awareness of the different information needs, quality assurance throughout the process and in disseminating the assessment results.

The Reference Group will comprise members of UN Women Staff, staff members of the responsible parties, donors, duty bearers and right holders. 

Assessment Management:

Under the overall guidance of UN Women Special Representative and the direct supervision of UN Women Assessment Task manager (ATM), the assessment will be carried out by an external consultant recruited by UN Women for this specific assessment.  The external consultant contracted by UN Women will act as the Assessment Team Leader (ETL) and will be the sole accountable person for the assessment.  The assessment consultant or Team Leader will report directly to UN Women ATM. The Assessment Consultant will be responsible for all logistics (office space, administrative and secretarial support, telecommunications, printing documentation, travel. etc) and the development and dissemination of methodological tools.

UN Women will form an Assessment Support Group to support the Assessment Task Manager who will lead the day-to-day management of the process.  The assessment support group is constituted to oversee the assessment management, make key decisions and assure quality of the different deliverables.

Assessment Timeframe and Deliverables:

The suggested timeframe to accomplish the assessment is as follows:

• 25 January 2018: Inception Report includes Assessment Methodology and Workplan;
• 15 March 2018: Submit first draft of the assessment report;
• 30 March 2018: Submit second final draft addressing UNW feedback; and
• 15 April 2018: Presentation of draft report, debriefing Assessment to Stakeholders ( e.g Management Group, partners , beneficiaries…etc.)

The consultant is expected to deliver the following: 

• A draft inception report, in accordance with UN Women guidance notes, which describes the assessment methodology, including the assessment questions and detailed timeframe;
• Power Point Presentations of the Inception Report to be presented to UN Women Management Group and the Assessment Reference Group;
• A Final Inception Report incorporating UN Women Management Group and the Assessment Reference Group comments;
• A draft assessment report, in accordance with UN Women approved template;
• Power Point Presentation on the initial findings, which is presented to the Assessment Reference Group;
• The Final Assessment Report, incorporating feedback from the Assessment Management Group and the Assessment Reference Group, including the following:
  • Executive Summary (2-3 pages)
  • Introduction including background information related to the assignment
  • Development context under which the assignment was implemented
  • Purpose, objectives and scope of the assessment
  • The methodology used for the assessment
  • Assessments according to the criteria and questions defined
  • Conclusions and recommendations
  • Assessment tools (questionnaires and analysis reports)
  • Any other relevant document

The report will form a basis for learning and reflection on future interventions and scale-up phase of VAW services.  The report will be disseminated by UN Women to national stakeholders and international donors, as relevant.  The report will not be considered final unless discussed with the Assessment Reference Group who has the right to request making amendments. Any disagreement or opposing view shall be included as an annex to the report, while any factual errors should be corrected in the report itself.

Competencies

Core Value/Guiding Principles:

• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity

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

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent understanding of gender equality principle
• Excellent theoretical and practical understanding of VAW/GBV prevention and response
• Excellent training, facilitation and communication skills
• Excellent assessment skills
• Good understanding and practice of capacity development
• Good understanding of the underlying issues related to VAW/GBV in the State of Palestine
• Outstanding knowledge of gender, women’s rights, the different challenges in regards to gender equality and CEDAW
• Good understanding of the humanitarian work and coordination mechanisms by different stakeholders in Palestine
• Good understanding of international frameworks governing humanitarian action
• Good understanding of the context of Palestine

Required Skills and Experience

Education: 

• A master’s degree in social science, development, and/or related areas

Experience: 

• A proven record of 3 years at least of evaluating interventions related to gender equality and the empowerment of women
• A proven record of at least three assignments on evaluating VAW/GBV related interventions;
• Five years of experience in gender responsive evaluation is a core asset
• Two years of experience in evaluation of multi-sectoral projects/programs;
• Experience with the UN is an asset.
• 3 years’ experience working with Palestinian Civil Society actors and Women CBOs, and grass roots organizations.

Languages:

• Fluent in Arabic and English.

Ethical Code of Conduct

The evaluation will be conducted in line with the following:

UNEG Ethical Guidelines

(http://www.uneval.org/document/detail/102)

Code of Conduct for Evaluation in the UN System (http://www.unevaluation.org/document/detail/100)

Application procedure

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.

Candidates should clearly indicate how they meet the above mentioned criteria in their applications.

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 including a cover letter on how they meet the above mentioned qualifications (uploaded at once in the system)

Only long listed consultants will be contacted to provide a concept note, methodology, work plan for conducting the evaluation and 2 evaluation report samples

Candidates should have the ability to quickly submit degree certificates, medical certification (of good health), and will be requested to provide a financial proposal should they be short-listed 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 mentioned above; 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 50/70 points in the technical evaluation will be considered for financial evaluation.

Technical Evaluation (70%) – max. 70 points:

• A master’s degree in social science, development, and/or related area, max 5
• A proven record of 3 years at least of evaluating interventions related to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Five years of experience in gender responsive evaluation is a core asset max 20
• A proven record of at least three assignments on evaluating VAW/GBV related interventions max 20
• Two years of experience in evaluation of multi-sectoral projects/programs, max 5
• Experience with the UN is an asset, max 5
• 3 years’ Experience working with Palestinian Civil Society actors and Women CBOs, and grass roots organizations max 5
• Submission of full evaluation methodology and 2 evaluation samples; max 10 points

Financial Evaluation (30%) – max. 30 points:

The consultant will be paid on lump-sum basis. The lump sum amount shall be inclusive of all incurred costs, including but not limited to: consultant fee, local transportation, field work…etc.  

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