Background

The global agenda on protection and empowerment of women in conflict situations predated the UNSC resolution 1325 on Women and Peace and Security, adopted in 2000. However, the UNSC adoption of resolution 1325 linking gender equality to the maintenance of International Peace and Security was the first to deliberately link women to peace and security. The resolution acknowledges the fact that armed conflict impacted women and girls differently from the ways it impacted men and boys. Equally, it recognises the roles and contributions of women both in war time and peace-making as well as fundamental rights of women to be included in peace processes. 

While UNSCR 1325 stresses the importance of women’s equal and full participation as active agents in peace and security processes, there are seven further UNSC resolution and three additional General Assembly resolutions that reinforce, renew, and complement the commitments made in UNSCR 1325.

UN Women South Sudan based on the aforementioned, therefore has the institutional responsibility of emphasising in-line with the UNSC resolution 1325, and other resolutions to further put into focus the centrality of women in mediation, monitoring of peace agreements and human rights issues in post conflict South Sudan. This is particularly important given that previous peace agreements in South Sudan did not include women’s participation, and have often focused on power-sharing arrangements for the protagonists of the conflicts. For instance, the 2015 Peace Agreement included provisions to respond to the specific needs of women with the inclusion of 25% affirmative action in executive positions, the establishment of institutions for women’s economic recovery and on transitional justice, especially on conflict related sexual violence; however, the Peace Agreement was not implemented, and certainly not the gender provisions in the Agreement.

A new Revitalized Peace Agreement was recently signed in September 2018, the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of Conflict in South Sudan (R – ARCSS) with women’s active participation, and gains in achieving 35% affirmative action in all positions as indicated in the ‘Principles Agreement’, and opportunities for engendering key reforms, i.e. constitution making, electoral reforms, security sector reforms, states’ creation, reparations, oil wealth management, etc., and providing new and important opportunities for a post conflict South Sudan that has women and girls as critical part of its sustainability. 

This presents an opportunity to more effectively support women’s engagement in post conflict resolution and management, and in monitoring the implementation of the peace process at all levels. While the formal processes of the negotiations and designing of the peace agreement have happened in Addis Ababa and Khartoum where the majority of women of South Sudan could not participate, supporting their engagement in the monitoring of the implementation of the peace agreement in their communities, playing active roles as conflict mediators, including in identifying key drivers of conflict, supporting rapid responses in the homes and communities and facilitating community dialogues on gendered aspects of conflict, will ensure a more management and resolution for the post conflict South Sudan settings. With this approach millions of people will be able to participate in a sustainable way of ensuring the peace agreement principles are adhered with, and take focus away from power sharing among few individuals as a way of resolving conflicts, to people centred governance and stability. 

As women and children, and in particular girls, continue to be the most affected by conflict, it is important to work with them at the community level as a way to bridge aspirational global goal of UNSCR 1325, to incorporate the lived experiences of women and put community- based women at the heart of the implementation of the peace agreement. 

With support from the Government of Canada, UN Women South Sudan seeks to engage an international consultant to develop a simplified Curriculum for the training and establishment of Community Women Mediators in South Sudan. The Curriculum will be used to train identified women leaders, including young women in communities and who will then go on to be supported to establish networks of ‘women mediators’ to take responsibility for tracking the implementation of the peace agreement in their communities, to engage with relevant individuals, structures and institutions on peace building, to undertake human rights monitoring, including on sexual- related violence in their communities, to facilitate community dialogues on gender roles and women’s contributions. This will not only ensure women’s continued participation in the peace processes, but will be one of the strategies used in identifying women potential leaders in the governance of their communities, in fulfillment of the 35% affirmative action. This will also strengthen the overall Peace Agreement and Human Rights monitoring in communities, enhancing and strengthening mediation and monitoring capacity within South Sudan.

Objectives

The main objective of this assignment is to develop a mediation and human rights monitoring curriculum aligned to the R – ARCSS for the training of women in their communities, in line with United Nations Guidance on Gender and Inclusive Mediation Strategies and the UNSC resolutions 1325. Specific objectives of the assignment are as follows:

1. To build the leadership capacities of community- based women to resolve community conflicts, including on personal conflicts (domestic violence, dowry- related conflicts, etc.) peacefully and develop skills for equitable relationships;
2. To provide community- based women skills to analyze conflict early warnings with ability to replicate knowledge and skills to their community;
3. To provide skills in mapping conflicts, develop community- based tools for helping understand conflicts, its types, causes, and upscaling community village peace building interventions;
4. To strengthen community women’s leadership and voice in local governance;
5. To support the establishment of community and gender- based community peacemaking structures in South Sudan;
6. To promote community mediation, negotiation and facilitation as alternative tools to violent conflicts in South Sudan with women’s leadership at the center;
7. To build a strong pool of community women mediators with developed activities’ plans, to engage in, and participate in community women, peace and security initiatives. 

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UNSC Resolutions 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2106, 2122 (2013), and 2242 (2015)

United Nations action on sexual exploitation and abuse (2018) (A/RES/72/312);

Women, disarmament, non-proliferation and arms control (2016) (A/RES/71/56);

Strengthening the role of mediation in the peaceful settlement of disputes, conflict prevention and resolution (2016) (A/RES/70/304)

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of Work and Specific Tasks:

1. Develop a short inception report (3 pages) on understanding of the TORs and how the tasks will be accomplished, including timelines together with the financial proposal;
2. Review relevant legal and normative frameworks, including the United Nations Department of Political Affairs Guidance on Gender and Inclusive Mediation Strategies, Guidance for Mediators: Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Ceasefire Agreement (2012), UNSC Resolution 1325 (2000), UNSCR 1820 (2008) relating to prevention and addressing conflict related sexual violence when used as a method or tactic of war, The Geneva Conventions (1948) specifically, article 27, Article 76(1) of Additional Protocol I and Article 4(2) of the Additional Protocol II to Geneva Convention adapted 1977; African Union Charter on People and Human Rights;  the Peace Agreement and other relevant documents;
3. Consult UN Women and other stakeholders’ existing training manuals on dialogue and mediation, if any;
4. Develop draft training manual and conduct the expert review/validation workshops for the manual;
5. Finalize the draft training manual as a standard TOT curriculum to support community mediation for women peacemakers (target groups of women are from religious institutions, CSOs, women leaders, young women, women living with disabilities) with key modules responding to the objectives, specifically;
   1. Module on Understanding of the R – ARCSS and simplified process of how women can monitor its implementation in their communities, especially on the gender provisions, affirmative action and on human rights monitoring, in particular on violence against women/girls/sexual and gender- based violence;
   2. Module on tools for women to record and track mediation efforts;
   3. Certification process for trained mediators and modalities for establishing the community women mediation network

Expectd Deliverables

1. The key deliverable is the validated curriculum developed for the target groups;
2. Power point presentation on the draft manual during the review/validation workshops.

Mode of Engagement and Payment of Consultant Fees

The consultant will work closely with the Programme Specialist of UN Women South Sudan and will be ultimately responsible to the UN Women Country Representative in South Sudan.

The payment of the consultancy will be made into two installments through bank transferring with the following milestones.

• A drafted training manual and the plan for validation workshop - 70% of the contract
• Final validated training manual - 30% of the contract

Duration of Assignment and Duty Station

Duration of Assignment: The tentative contractual period is for 1 month.

Duty Station: Homebased with travelling to South Sudan to conduct the review/validation workshops.

Reporting Arrangement

The expert/consultant will report to the UN Women, South Sudan.

Competencies

Competencies & Values

• Accountability
• Building Trust
• Client Orientation
• Communication
• Creativity
• Ethics and Values
• Integrity
• Judgement and Decision-making
• Knowledge Sharing
• Managing Performance
• Planning and Organizing
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications

1. Master’s degree in Gender and Peace and Conflict Studies, Social Sciences or related fields, preferably including Gender Studies;  
2. A minimum of 10-year relevant working experience in the area of gender, peacebuilding, conflict mediation, and monitoring of peace agreements and/or human rights; 
3. Experience in providing training on community mediation and monitoring of human rights;
4. Prior experience in working with the UN agencies will be an advantage..

Language

The Curriculum is to be prepared in English language.

Evaluation Criteria

The applicant will be evaluated based on technical capacities (70%) and financial proposal (30%). Technical evaluation will be based on the following criteria stated below.

Criteria and points

• Master’s degree in Gender and Peace and Conflict Studies, Social Sciences or related fields, preferably including Gender Studies     30 points
• A minimum of 10-year relevant working experience in the are of gender, peace building, conflict mediation and moniroting of peace agreements and/or human rights       40 points
• Prior experience in working with the UN agencies will be an advantage.         10 points
• Experience in providing training on community mediation and monitoring of human rights        20 points

A two-stage procedure is utilized in evaluating the submissions, with evaluation of the technical components being completed prior to any price proposals being opened and compared. The price proposal will be opened only for submissions that passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the evaluation of the technical component.

The technical component is evaluated on the basis of its responsiveness to the Term of Reference (TOR).

Technically qualified consultants may be selected for an interview before financial evaluation.

Maximum 100 points will be given to the lowest offer and the other financial proposals will receive the points inversely proportional to their financial offers. i.e. Sf = 100 x Fm / F, in which Sf is the financial score, Fm is the lowest price and F the price of the submission under consideration.

The weight of technical points is 70% and financial points is 30%.

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on Cumulative analysis; the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

1. Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
2. Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Application Procedure and Deadline

Interested applicants must submit the following document/information (in PDF format) to demonstrate their qualifications. 

Technical component:

1. Letter of interest explaining why they are the most suitable for the work
2. A short inception report (3 pages) on understanding of the TORs and how the tasks will be accomplished, including timelines
3. Signed Curriculum vitae (P11 Form) with contact details of 03 clients for whom you have rendered preferably similar services

Financial proposal (with your signature)

1. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount in US Dollar including consultancy fees and all associated costs i.e. tax, insurance, and travel fee, etc.
2. Please note that the cost of preparing a proposal and of negotiating a contract, including any related travel, is not reimbursable as a direct cost of the assignment.

Complete applications should be sent to southsudan.procurement@unwomen.org . Only applications with all items mentioned above will be considered.

Deadline for Application: 23rd of January 2019

NOTE: Documents required before contract signing:

• UN Personal History which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment   
• Full medical examination and Statement of Fitness to work and travel for consultants with travel involved.
• Individual subscribers over 65 years of age are required to undergo a full medical examination including x-rays at their own cost and obtaining medical clearance from the UN Medical Director prior to taking up their assignment.
• Release letter in case the selected consultant is government official.