Background

Since the onset of the Syria Crisis, UNDP has played a critical role in supporting those most affected, both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries. In Syria itself, UNDP continues to implement a country programme focused on the resilience of both individuals and local communities; while, in neighbouring countries UNDP has developed programmes to support national efforts in managing the refugee influx and host communities.

In a note to the Secretary General, the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura, provided in April very detailed information on the situation of sexual violence in the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Iraq, with a focus on the ever larger number of refugees in Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan of which 80% are women and girls.

UNDP continues to be at the forefront of support to what is possibly the most pressing international crisis of the moment- not least for Syrians inside the country and in neighbouring countries - which have generously received some 4 million Syrians to date. On 9 November, UNDP organized a UN-led Ministerial level Resilience Development Forum (RDF) hosted by the Government of Jordan to better assess new, collective international efforts around the formulation of a Resilience Roadmap for Syria and Neighbouring Countries.

In the meantime, UNDP has also produced a user friendly online tool that identifies all the projects that require funding in Syria and the neighbouring countries to strengthen livelihood opportunities, social cohesion and municipal/social service delivery. The tool provides

information on project objectives, budgets and activities within Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and Turkey, and showcases some of our most recent achievements in building resilience within these countries.

While life is difficult for all refugees escaping the ongoing violence in Syria, for women and children it can be particularly harsh. Women who are separated from their communities and families often face a higher risk of exploitation, ranging from human trafficking to underage marriages, as well as violence and abuse. The problem is further exacerbated by weak legal protection, low awareness among women of their rights and, in many cases, cultural attitudes. With the loss of husbands and fathers in the conflict, Syrian women have become the sole providers for their families and will be pivotal for the reconstruction of the country. For this reason, investing and empowering women now is of urgent and strategic importance. 

A UNDP Integrated Project Portfolio – in coordination with the Syria Response Plan- will play an important role in closing the gap between the enormous needs of those affected by the Syrian crisis and the reality of funding levels to date.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the BPPS regional Gender advisor in Cairo, and in close collaboration with the sustainable development cluster team in the Regional service center in Amman, the consultant will be responsible for the development of a Project Document that is aimed at addressing the vulnerability of Women affected by the Syrian conflict (both Syrian and host community) with a view to empowering them economically and improving their economic resilience and social status. In preparation, the following tasks will be undertaken:

  • Review any past or ongoing assessments programmes or studies on gender-sensitive vulnerability and livelihoods of women affected by the Syrian crisis (Syrians and women within the host communities) in order to identify options for recovery and sustainable socio-economic programs to help both women regain or establish sustainable livelihoods.
  • Review any past or ongoing assessments programmes or studies on the current situation with regards to access to services and women’s access to those services
  • Mapping of current livelihoods and economic empowerment projects in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, and Turkey and identify pilot and innovative best practices for scale up and replication. The mapping will include projects in those countries that are currently working on services provided to women survivors of sexual-based violence and other types of violence.
  • Analysis of the entry points to address current vulnerabilities and economic entry points to empower women and girls. This analysis should take into account the current needs of women (Syrian and host community) and their skills to match market demands.
  • Based on the above, propose structural reforms that will reduce vulnerabilities and empower women economically in a way that will be sustained (Syrian and host community).
  • Review UNDPs implementation of crises response packages and ensure the gender dimension is adequately addressed to empower women.

Assess the viability and opportunities and entry points for community-based projects / gender sensitive local resilience plans attentive to the needs of the most vulnerable women affected by the conflict.

Key Deliverable:

  • Develop a Project document aiming to address the vulnerability of Syrian Women affected by the conflict from both host and refugee communities and help them improve their livelihoods, economic resilience and social status.

Competencies

 Corporate:                              

  • Commitment to UNDP’s core values.
  • Ability to work in a multicultural environment.

Functional:

  • Solid understanding of the current Syrian crisis.
  • Strong analytical and policy development skills.
  • Good organizational and project management skills.
  • Knowledge of the UN system.
  • Strong written and oral communications skills.
  • Strong advocacy skills.

Managerial

  • Ability to work independently and manage competing priorities.
  • Ability to work effectively with UNDP Staff members in various regions and offices.
  • Ability to contribute to building and nurturing partnerships.
  • Ability to coordinate multiple units and teams to achieve a common objective.
  • Ability to manage multiple tasks under pressure.

Behavioral

  • Strong interpersonal skills required to ensure cultivation of the daily working relationship and promote effective coordination among the UN family of agencies.
  • Strong networking skills required to support UNDP positioning and relationship building with development partners.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Master’s degree in a development related field (Economics, Public or Business Administration, Political Science or other Social Sciences).

Work experience:

  • At least 7 years of relevant professional experience, including experience in designing and formulating programmes on displacement/migration, jobs/resilience and livelihoods, women’s economic empowerment, and or development issues and in the UN System;
  • Experience of working and networking with counterparts in international organizations, governments, civil society organizations and the private sector;
  • Experience in producing or facilitating knowledge products and services;
  • Field experience with UNDP or other development organization desirable.

Languages:

  • Fluency in English with excellent drafting skills;
  • Written and spoken knowledge of an additional UN language is desirable.

Duration of Work:

  • Estimated to no more than 40 working days between December 2015 and March 2016.

Duty Station:

  • Home based, with travels to the region.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

Applicants must quote a lump sum remuneration in their proposal.

The consultant will be paid a lump sum per milestone as stipulated in the schedule above:

  • Upon approval of workplan for the consultancy: advance of 30%;
  • Upon submission of draft project proposal: 30%;
  • Upon approval of final project proposal: 40%;

Criteria for Selection of Best Offer:

Evaluation

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicant's qualifications and financial proposal. The method is as follows:

Technical evaluation: 70% of total evaluation (maximum 70 points):

Technical proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Experience in programming /policy advice on crises and women’s economic empowerment (including country office support) (max 30 points)
  • Experience in knowledge management (max 15 points)
  • High level of communication, writing and publications (max 10 points)
  • Experience in partnership building /networking (max 15 points)

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 (70%) points on technical part would be considered for the Financial Evaluation

Financial evaluation: 30% of total evaluation (maximum 30 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal: p = y (µ/z),

Where:

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated
y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal
µ = price of the lowest priced proposal
z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Application Instructions:

Submission of Applications

Recommended Presentation of Offer:

The submission of application is a two-step process. Failing to comply with the submission process may result in disqualifying the applications:

Step 1: Interested individual consultants must include the following documents when submitting the applications in UNDP job shop (Please note that only 1 (one) file can be uploaded therefore please include all docs in one file):

  • Personal History Form (P11), indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of at least three (3) professional references (the template can be downloaded from this link: http://europeandcis.undp.org/files/hrforms/P11_modified_for_SCs_and_ICs.doc).
  • Brief description of why you consider yourself as the most suitable for the assignment.

Step 2: Submission of Financial Proposal

 Applications received after the deadline may be rejected. In order to assist the requesting unit in the comparison of financial proposals, the financial proposal should be all-inclusive and include a breakdown. The term ‘all-inclusive” implies that all costs (professional fees, travel related expenses, communications, utilities, consumables, insurance, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor are already factored into the financial proposal.