Background
Over the past 15 years, UNDP has been working with the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MoWA) to put in place and strengthen national institutional capacity to develop, implement, and monitor gender related policies, plans and programme. Through the supports, the Neary Rattanak (I, II, III, IV), the Cambodia Gender Assessment (2004, 2008, 2014), and sector level gender mainstreaming action groups and plans were developed and implemented. Coordination mechanism was also established, including the Technical Working Group on Gender and its sub-groups.
In addition to these important gender related policy, advocacy and capacity development works, strategy and programme on women’s economic empowerment (WEE) are areas that UNDP and the Ministry are exploring. The women’s economic empowerment is not only about women’s and their family’s well-being, income and right to decent job, but it also has a strong correlation with the country’s economic growth. In EU countries, a study reveals that “a more gender equal EU would have strong, positive GDP impacts growing over time, higher level of employment and productivity and could respond to challenges related to the ageing population in EU.[1]” On the other hand, economic growth does not systematically translate into gender equality. Close to home, a study in Vietnam in 2016 shows that pattern of growth is a determining factor and some patterns build on gender inequalities rather than reduce them. For instance, the export oriented semi-industry relies on low cost female labor yields short-term benefit for women, yet it is not gender-equitable nor sustainable[2]. This type of policy-oriented researches not only sheds light on the gender equality and growth nexus but calls for a re-think of our traditional approaches to policy and programme, if they are going to be inclusive, sustainable and have greater impact on gender equality.
[1] Economic Case for Gender Equality in the EU: https://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/policy-areas/economic-and-financial-affairs/economic-benefits-gender-equality/economic-case
[2] Making Inclusive Growth Work for Women, UN Women, 2016
Duties and Responsibilities
The main objective of the assignment is to develop a programme proposal/document on women’s economic empowerment in Cambodia. Specifically, through desk review of policies, existing initiatives, and other relevant literatures, and through interview and consultations with relevant stakeholders, including women business/entrepreneur groups/associations, the consultant will:
Identify key issues and challenges that women face and opportunities for them to advance their economic status and improve their livelihoods.
Identify key stakeholders currently implementing WEE related initiatives in Cambodia, identify their gaps, and analyze their challenges, patterns of success, and lessons learnt.
Facilitate consultative co-design workshop with relevant women association/groups, key stakeholders, UNDP and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs a) to identify potential areas of supports and interventions, b) to identify as approaches and strategies within the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and/or UNDP’s mandate and comparative advantage, and c) to develop Theory of Change for WEE.
Based on the above, develop WEE related strategies for the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and for UNDP based on its relevant mandates (5 pages maximum each) and draft WEE programme document that includes but not limited to context/situation analysis, approaches, strategy, Theory of Change, Resources Results Framework, budget, governance structure, implementation arrangement, partnership, and Term of References of core staff and consultancies. The draft programme will be consulted and appraised by Local Programme Appraisal Committee (LPAC) where relevant stakeholders will be invited.
Important Notice: Interested offeror must read the Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice, which can be viewed at http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=55567 for more detail information about term of references, instructions to offeror, and to download the documents to be submitted in the offer through online
Competencies
Strong analytical skills and ability to communicate and summarize this analysis in writing.
Good facilitation and presentation skill.
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively with various partners including the Government, UN and other development.
Strong interpersonal skills, ability to work with people from different backgrounds to deliver high-quality products.
Excellent organizational and time management skills.
Commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values.
Be flexible and responsive to changes and demands.
Be client and development results oriented, honest, discreet, and open to feedback.
Excellent computer literacy.
Required Skills and Experience
Education: Master’s degree in economics, business, gender studies, arts, social science, or other relevant fields of study.
Experience:
At least 7 years of solid experiences in managing and providing technical advice to development programme/project related to women’s economic empowerment.
Solid experiences in formulation/design of development programme/project with demonstrated success in resource mobilization.
Previous working experiences in Cambodia or Southeast Asian countries with similar contexts and proven solid understanding of local context.
Experience working with UNDP, UN agencies, or other development agencies.
Language Requirement: Full proficiency in English
Interested Offerors must visit this link http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=55567 to download Individual Consultant Procurement Notice, Terms of Reference, and Document Templates to be included when submitting this online application.
UNDP reserves right to reject any applications that is incomplete.
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Any request for clarification/additional information on this procurement notice shall be communicated in writing to UNDP office or send to email sereyvattana.chan@undp.org and cc procurement.kh@undp.org . While the Procurement Unit would endeavor to provide information expeditiously, only requests receiving at least 5 working days prior to the submission deadline will be entertained. Any delay in providing such information will not be considered as a reason for extending the submission deadline. The UNDP's response (including an explanation of the query but without identifying the source of inquiry) will be posted in Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice page as provided above. Therefore, all prospective Offerors are advised to visit the page regularly to make obtain update related to this Individual Consultant (IC) Procurement Notice