Background

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, peace and security and humanitarian action.

UN Women’s goal in Liberia is to promote women’s human rights and gender equality which are key in sustaining and furthering achievements in stability and development. In this regard, its programming in the Country is connected to five corporate priority areas: women’s leadership and political participation; enhancing women’s economic empowerment (WEE); engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes, advancing women’s rights to live free from violence (VAW) and Gender Responsive Governance. In addition, UN Women coordinates and promotes the UN system’s joint work in advancing gender equality.

The year 2020 will be a pivotal for  accelerating the achievement of   gender equality and the empowerment of  women and girls.  The    global community will mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995)[1], and the five years of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development[2].. To prepare for such an occasion, the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women is calling upon all States to undertake comprehensive national-level reviews of the progress made and challenges encountered in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action (BPfA) and  further  the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly held in 200[3]. Undertaking  this exercise  in Liberia is equally important since it contributes to the promotion  of   women empowerment and gender equality.

[3] Resolution S-23/2, annex, and resolution S-23/3, annex.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.Objectives of the assignment

 The main objective of this consultancy is to support the Government of Liberia to conduct a thorough national review and prepare a comprehensive report on  the implementation of the twelve critical areas of BPfA and SDG 5  and   further  provide  recommendations. 

1. Scope of work and tasks

Under the overall guidance and management of the UN Women Peace and Security Specialist and supervision from the Program Specialist on Gender and Peacebuilding in collaboration with the Deputy Minister for Gender, the Consultant will perform the following tasks:

2. Develop   Beijing+25 Review Report based on  inputs on progress  made by  the Government

Conduct a desk review of existing relevant documents;

Analyze stakeholders' input and provide recommendations for final Beijing+25 Review Report drafting

Draft the National Report on the implementation of the PBFA and SDG 5 as per provided guidance note

Draft a power point presentation with information from the National Report

More specifically, the International Consultant will use the following guideline which have been provided to facilitate the national review and prepare the report: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw64-2020/preparations#national-level-reviews

Based on this guideline, the report  should be informed by reviews conducted in past years and should consist of four sections as follows:

Section one – should consist of  an overview and analysis of achievements and challenges encountered . Ideally this should capture information dating back to   the adoption of the BPfA as well as  SDGs  progress indicators. ;

Section two –  should address progress  made in the implementation of the twelve critical areas of the Platform for Action and the targets u outlined in  SDGs .

Section three – should discuss statistical related information/ data .

Section four – should address key emerging issues in terms of opportunities and challenges encountered in the  implementation of  the BPfA. It should further discuss priorities,  recommendations for  strengthening gender equality and the empowerment of women.Financial/Price 3.3. Proposal evaluation:

• Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation will be considered and evaluated.
• The total number of points allotted for the price component is 100.
• The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technically qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

• Annex I: Financial Proposal

  BREAKDOWN OF COSTS SUPPORTING THE ALL-INCLUSIVE FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

  Breakdown of Cost by Components:

  Deliverables	Percentage of Total Price (Weigh) for payment)	Fixed price	Due Date
  Consultancy work plan		22nd	April 2019
  Report on the Institutional Gender Assessment		22nd	May 2019
  Validated Gender Policy and Implementation Plan for the MoD/AFL. The policy will incorporate goals and targets and will further describe tasks and responsibilities, monitoring and reporting frameworks and and indicative budget;
  Training report containing results, changes in knowledge and skills, and recommendations, as well as annexes (pre- and post-tests questionnaires)			9 June 2019

   

  The lump sum costs should include all travels and administration costs and expenses related to the consultancy. All prices/rates quoted must be exclusive of all taxes. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.

Competencies

Expected Deliverables

The International Consultant will produce the following deliverables:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               All  deliverables, including annexes, and notes  should be submitted in writing in English.

Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the first installment, the deliverables and related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women. The period for  review is one week after receipt.

1. Inputs
2. UN Women will provide the Consultant with background materials relevant to the assignment
3. he Consultant is expected to work using his/ her own computer.

2.Performance evaluation:

Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of  deliverables .

Required Skills and Experience

Education

Required experience and qualifications

Advanced university degree in Gender Studies, social and economic sciences or other related fields

Experience

1. At least 5 - 7 years of experience in analytical work geared to support rights-based social and economic development;
2. Previous experience in a similar assignment will be considered an asset.
3. Proven experience in conducting research in the area of gender equality and women empowerment;

Language and other skills

1. Proficiency in oral and written English
2. Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, Internet and email.
3. Excellent writing and facilitation skills

Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit electronic application to liberia.procurement@unwomen.org no later than  20th April 2019

Submission of package            

1. Cover letter;
2. CV, including contact information of 3 referees.;
3. Financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount per each deliverable based on the template in Annex 1. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.

All applications must include (as an attachment) a CV and financial proposal. Applications without a financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further processing.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be invited for interview.

Selected candidates will need to submit prior to commencement of work:

1. A copy of the latest academic certificate
2. UN Women P-11 form, available via  http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
3. A statement from a medical doctor of ‘good health and fit for travel’

1. Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis.

• Technical Qualification (100 points) weight; [70%]
• Financial Proposal (100 points) weight; [30%]

A two-stage procedure is utilised in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the technical qualification evaluation will be evaluated.

Technical qualification evaluation criteria:

The total number of points allotted for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Only candidates who fit the minimum requirements will be longlisted, and additional documentation may be requested. Candidates with a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically-qualified candidates and will be shortlisted for potential interview.