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, humanitarian action and peace and security.

Timor-Leste has developed a strong policy response against gender-based violence (GBV) through its national laws and policies, namely the 2010 Law Against Domestic Violence and the subsequent development, approval and implementation of National Action Plans to address GBV (2012-2016 and 2017-2021) using a coordinated and multi-sectorial approach.

Timor-Leste’s National Action Plan on Gender Based Violence (BAP GBV) recognizes the role of the education sector in preventing violence against women and girls (VAWG). Considering the high prevalence of VAWG in the country, with 34% of women 15-49 experiencing physical or sexual violence in their lifetime and 24% of women aged 15-19 experiencing physical or sexual violence[1], the need to prevent violence before it begins is critical. There is also significant evidence of the linkages between violence against women and violence against children and the effectiveness of investing in prevention of violence before it begins to reduce both violence against women and children.

In support of the NAP GBV (2017-2021) and Timor-Leste’s broader commitments to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, there have been a variety of efforts to promote gender equality and ending VAWG by different stakeholders, including the Government, national civil society actors and development partners. Different institutions and actors have also taken steps to raise the visibility of the issue and promote action to end violence against children.

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS), in line with these frameworks, has taken steps to include messages and activities to mainstream gender equality and respectful relations as part of its Basic Education curriculum reform from 2013-2015, with materials and inputs provided by various partners, including UN Women. Since 2018, with the generous support of the Governments of  Australia and the Republic of Korea, UN Women has partnered with the MoEYS to pilot extra-curricular sessions for pre-secondary and secondary students based on the Connect with Respect curriculum developed through a collaboration with various partners under the UN Girls Education Initiative. In 2021, these sessions are being expanded to reach additional schools through the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative. The sessions contribute a component of a whole-school approach which aims to engage teachers, parents and students in understanding the consequences of violence against women and girls, work with schools to promote respectful relationships and gender equality and raise visibility of the issue in schools and communities.

Comprehensive school-based interventions and parenting programmes are recognized as a promising area of investment for preventing violence against women and girls[2]. These complement UN Women’s ongoing work to support the women’s machinery (Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion- SEII) in its role of leading the prevention pillar and leading the monitoring and coordination of the NAP GBV 2017-2021. It also reinforces prevention activities by sister UN agencies and other development partners collaborating with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport.  

In support of these efforts and in support of UN Women’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, and recognizing the growing evidence on the effectiveness of whole- of school approaches and the need to complement curriculum-related interventions with actions at the school system and engaging parents and community members, the Timor-Leste Country Office developed and validated in 2020, a parenting programme that can be implemented alongside the Connect With Respect extra-curricular sessions. The sessions will be implemented through a partnership between the NGOs Fundasaun Alola (Alola Foundation) and Mane ho Visaun Foun (Men with a New Vision) through a partnership supported by the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative.

In support of the roll-out of the parenting sessions and adaptation, UN Women is seeking technical assistance to accompany the NGO partners and provide mentoring to their facilitators. Plans for 2021 are to implement the sessions in three municipalities (Ermera, Bobonaro, and Viqueque) with three schools chosen in each municipality. This will be adapted to the COVID-19 context as needed

[1] General Directorate for Statistics, Ministry of Health and ICF, 2018. Timor-Leste Demographic and Health Survey 2016, p310. Dedicated VAW Surveys in Timor-Leste show even higher rates of prevalence.

[2] See Kerr-Wilson, A.; Gibbs, A.; McAslan Fraser E.; Ramsoomar, L.; Parke, A.; Khuwaja, HMA.; and Rachel Jewkes (2020). A rigorous global evidence review of interventions to prevent violence against women and girls, What Works to prevent violence among women and girls global Programme, Pretoria, South Africa

The main objective of this consultancy is to support UN Women, as part of its collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and the NGOs Fundasaun Alola and Mane ho Visaun Foun, in the roll-out of comprehensive parenting sessions, as part of a whole-of-school approach to eliminate violence against women and children.

1. Scope of work and tasks

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Head of Office, and supervision from the National Programme Officer on Violence Prevention, in collaboration with the NGOs Fundasaun Alola and Mane ho Visaun Foun (MHVF), the international consultant will perform the following tasks:

Task 1: Conduct training and mentoring to initiate roll-out of the parenting sessions

1. Conduct training for facilitators to use the modules with parents, based on the final modules. This will be planned and implemented in collaboration with Melbourne University, which is providing technical assistance and guidance on the implementation of Connect with Respect programming.
2. Review the plan for testing the parenting modules to eliminate violence against women and children, which will include practical and interactive adult learning methodologies, and develop adaptations for remote roll-out of the parenting sessions in the context of COVID-19
3. Support NGOs Fundasaun Alola and MHVF to develop a training schedule to support the parenting sessions with at least 15 schools’ communities to be completed by 2021.

Task 2. Accompany the roll-out and monitoring of the sessions with local facilitators and synthesize lessons learned

1. Provide periodic mentoring and debriefing to facilitators in the delivery of the pilot parenting sessions
2. Provide support for UN Women and facilitators to monitor and track progress from the sessions
3. Adapt the parenting modules, guidance and monitoring tools based on the lessons learnt
4. Prepare a summary report of the implemented activities for presentation to MoEYS and wider sharing with other EVAWG practitioners and partners.

Duration of the assignment

The total duration of the assignment will from 19 April 2021 to 14 December 2021. This includes both in country and home-based assignments.

Due to the current Covid-19 situation in the country, preferably international consultant within the country.

1. Expected Deliverables

The International Consultant will produce the following deliverables:

All the deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports 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 of the review is one week after receipt.

1. Inputs

•   UN Women will provide the Consultant with background materials relevant to the assignment and identify stakeholders to be consulted and facilitate the linkages with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, Fundasaun Alola and Mane ho Visaun Foun.

• The Consultant is expected to work using his/her own computer and can work remotely.

UN Women will cover costs of the training for facilitators and parenting pilot, including translation of materials in Tetun, refreshments, venue, and other logistical support

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• 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:

https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

• Strong commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women, with demonstrated experience of researching or working on gender issues;
• Strong research and writing skills, with strong analytical skills and creative thinking;
• Ability to think and work logically and work precisely with attention to detail;
• Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Previous experience (also volunteer experience) from the non-profit sector is an advantage.
• Ability to multi-task and address competing priorities
• Ability to produce quality deliverables in a timely manner
• Strong computer skills, including Word, Excel, and Power Point

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

1. Required experience and qualifications

The Consultant should fulfill the following requirements:

1. Education

Master’s degree in Gender Studies, law, social science or other related fields

1. Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in the field of gender equality, human rights, or women’s rights.
• Previous proven experience in designing parenting education curricula, materials for positive parenting, non-violent discipline, or healthy communication, ideally with a focus on gender-equitable practices.
• Proven experience in providing trainings on human rights, gender equality or women’s empowerment to government, civil society and community-based facilitators, using adult education methodologies.
• Proven familiarity of international evidence on parenting programmes for prevention of violence against women and children.

1. Language and other skills:

• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Proficiency in oral and written English
• Knowledge of Tetum, Portuguese or Indonesian is an advantage
• Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, Internet and email. 

1. Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit electronic application to UNDP Job site no later than 9 April 2021.

Submission package:

1. Cover letter and Copy of the latest academic certificate.
2. CV, including contact information for 3 references;
3. Financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount per each deliverable, including a round-trip travel from/to home country if in-person approaches are proposed. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation. The actual payment will be payable based on the stated lump sum for each satisfactorily achieved deliverable.

All applications must include (as an attachment) the CV and the financial proposal. Applications without 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 to the interview.

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

1. UN Women P-11 form, available from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
2. A statement from a medical doctor of ‘good health and fit for travel’.
3. For any travel outside of Dili, UN Women will require the consultant to provide the certificate proving completion of BSafe training (see trip.dss.un.org).

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 allocated for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Only the candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically-qualified candidate.

Financial/Price 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 allocated 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 technical 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:

The lump sum costs should include a round-trip travel from/to home country (if in-person approaches are proposed) 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.