Background

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, humanitarian action and peace and security.

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 four corporate priority areas: women’s leadership and political participation; enhancing women’s economic empowerment (WEE); engaging women in all aspects of women, peace and security (WPS) processes; advancing women’s rights to live free from violence (VAW) and gender responsive governance. In addition, UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s joint work in advancing gender equality.

In the framework of the WPS  corporate priority area, UN Women Liberia provides support to increase the participation of women in decision making at all levels across  social, political and economic spectrum   including on peace and security. In this regard UN Women Liberia is supporting the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) in implementing the Liberia National Acton Plan on UN SCR 1325 (LNAP 1325) and strengthening the capacities of Gender equality advocates to lead and meaningfully engage in transitional and peacebuilding processes.  Gender inequality in Liberia is widespread and cuts across all sectors and despite major policy commitments and the ratification of international conventions including CEDAW and the MAPUTO Protocol which call for increased participation of women in decision making, gender gaps continue to exist.

In 2009, Liberia became the first country to domesticate the UN SCR 1325 demonstrating a profound interest in women’s participation in peacebuilding and conflict resolution process. The Liberia National Action Plan for the implementation of the UN SCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (LNAP 2009 - 2013) emphasized building an inclusive society where women’s rights are protected. The LNAP is divided into four pillars that include: protection, prevention, participation and empowerment and promotion.

Since the development of the LNAP, the Government of Liberia was able to undertake several key actions to implement the action plan. However, significant challenges remain and continue to impede full and adequate implementation of the action plan. A comprehensive assessment was conducted in November 2015 which recommended a number of action points for full implementation of the LNAP and the overall UN SCR 1325.

Similarly, 2015 Concluding Observations of the CEDAW committee recommended the Government of Liberia to give due consideration to the Committee’s General Recommendation No. 30 (2013) on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations by ensuring that the national action plan on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) is regularly reviewed in order to address all areas of concern and ensure durable peace. In addition, the Committee recommended to take into consideration the full spectrum of the Council’s women and peace and security agenda.

In light of the above, UN Women Liberia has started supporting the Govenrment of Liberia to develop the second phase of the National Action plan on Women Peace and Security (NAP WPS). Different range of  stakeholders were consulted through individual and group interviews and workshops to identify  priorities for the next NAP WPS.

 UN Women Liberia seeks to hire an International Consultant to support the Government of Liberia to review the previous LNAP and develop a second phase of the LNAP that will facilitate the implementation of the Women Peace and Security Agenda at National Level.

Duties and Responsibilities

The main objective of this consultancy is to support the Government of Liberia  to  develop   and implement    the second phase of the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security and inform relevant stakeholders about the significance of developing  this plan.

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:

Task 1. Desk Review and development of the consultancy plan

1. Conduct a desk review of existing relevant documents (Home-based);
2. Conduct preliminary consultations with, MGCSP and UN Women to develop a draft plan of consultancy activities (virtual or in person);
3. Develop a consultancy work plan (Home-based);

Task 2.  Faciliate workshops for major stakeholders to raise awareness about the importance of implementing   the WPS Agenda and enhance knowledge on Gender and Women Peace and Security

1. Roll out a series of workshops  on the UNSCRs related to  Women Peace and Security and  the importance of implementing the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security which will include a clear implementation and monitoring structure (approximately 7 days);

Task 3. Development of the second phase of the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security

1. Draft the second phase of the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security which will include a clear implementation and monitoring structure (approximately 7 days and Home-based);
2. Draft a result based logical framework which will include clear indicators, targets, baseline, responsible institutions, and estimated budget (approximately 5 days and home-based);
3. Develop Terms of Reference for the proposed implementation structure (approximately 5 days and Home-based);
4. Submit the draft LNAP to UN Women and MGCSP for inputs

Task 4. Conduct validation workshops (In-country)

1. Develop concept notes for a series of validation workshops in Monrovia (approximately 1 day and home-based);
2. Develop appropriate tools and materials to facilitate   validations workshops (approximately 1 day) (Home-based);
3. With the support of the National Consultant facilitate validation workshops (approximately 3 days In-country);

Task 5. Finalize and submit the second phase of the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security (In-country)

1. Incorporate recommendations and agreements from validations workshops into the draft National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security
2. Finalize and submit the final version of the second phase of the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security

Competencies

Duration of the assignment

The total duration of the assignment will be from 1st March 2019 to 15th  May 2019. This includes both in country and home-based assignments.

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
• The Consultant is expected to work using his/ her own computer.
• UN Women will cover costs of translation of materials
• UN Women will cover travel expenses

1. Performance evaluation:

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

Required Skills and Experience

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 women peace and security
• Proven experience facilitating high level consultative workshops for Governmental Institutions and CSOs
• At least 2 years of experience in providing policy advice and technical assistance on women, peace and security to government institutions;
•  Prior experience in developing National Action Plans on UN SCR 1325 will be an asset;
• Practical knowledge on Results Based Management (RBM);
• Proven experience in conducting research in the area of gender equality and women empowerment;

Language and other skills:

• Proficiency in oral and written English
• Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, Internet and email. 
• Excellent facilitation and training skills

1. Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit electronic application to liberia.procurement@unwomen.org   no later than   27 February 2019.

Submission of package            

1. Cover letter;
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 any travel, per diem and administrative fees, 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) 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. 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’
4. Before any travel outside of Monrovia, the consultant will need to provide proof (certificate) of “Basic and Advanced Security in the Field” (which can be accessed here: undss.trip.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 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.

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.