Background

UN Women supports the UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality, and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls worldwide. It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life.

Global data demonstrates that women’s participation in conflict prevention and resolution is essential for achieving lasting, just and positive peace. Women’s engagement both broadens the perspective brought to political dialogues and enables their voices and priorities to be reflected. UN Women works globally and in the Arab States Region to increase women’s meaningful participation in political dialogues, peace processes and participation of women to resolve local disputes and is dedicated to transforming young women’s potential into leaders, mediators and peacebuilders. In the Arab States, UN Women partners with civil society organizations, young leaders, and youth led-organizations to advance the implementation of international normative frameworks towards the achievement of gender equality and women’s rights. This includes, inter alia, the advancement of the 2030 Agenda, CEDAW, UNSCR 1325 and subsequent resolutions and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States is establishing a network for young women peacebuilders . The network will receive a capacity building programme on conflict analysis and resolution, peace processes, mediation process and skills, and peace and justice from a gender perspective. The network’s role is to familiarize young women with the creative tools in reconciliation, conflict transformation, and conflict prevention, exchange of experiences across the region and prepare the next generation of peacebuilders.

Main Objectives and Purpose of the Consultancy:

Under the direct supervision of the UN Women Regional Advocacy & Innovation Specialist/ Civil Society Engagement Coordinator, and in close collaboration with the regional office WPS team, the Young Women in Peacebuilding Consultant will develop the capacity building programme, methodology, curriculum, facilitation, inviting key experts, and evaluation of the programme for 50 participants from across the Arab States region.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will conceptualize, design, implement and evaluate the capacity building on peacebuilding and mediation for young women. This should  include the minimum requirements: 

Methodology: consultant should submit a methodology plan covering the following:

• Focus: At least 50 hours of training on peacebuilding and mediation for young women.   
• Platform: For COVID-19 consideration, the programme will be run via Zoom or any accessible online platform.
• Teaching Method: interactive and experiential learning balancing lectures, expert keynotes, case studies, competitions, and best practices.  
• Mentorship: at least one session of one-to-one guidance for each participant.
• Graduation:  group graduation project.

Curriculum:  the essential track on peacebuilding and mediation for young women should cover  the following modules:

• Introduction to the UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 , on women, peace, and security  and UN Security Council Youth, Peace & Security Resolution 2250;  as well as subsequent WPS and YPS resolutions
• Conflict theories and analysis, including how to conduct gender-sensitive conflict analysis
• Conflict Resolution Methods.
• Peace Processes, formal and informal tracks
• Mediation Process, Values, and Phases
• Mediation Skills.
• Local dispute settlement
• Case Studies

Duration:

• The programme should run between April and June 2021
• 50 hours of training

Target Participants:

• 50 young women leaders from the Arab States region.
• Young women and civil society leaders interested in peacebuilding and mediation.
• Recommended: young women from conflict or post-conflict countries, refugees, women with disabilities, and rural women.

Delivery Language:

• The programme should be delivered in Arabic. For international experts talks, translation service into Arabic must be provided.

The following list of deliverables are foreseen during the current consultancy:

Competencies

Core Values

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• 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

• Sensitivity and adaptability regarding culture, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age;
• Strong organizational and communication skills, ability to work in a team;
• Excellent interpersonal and cross-cultural communication skills;
• Ability to use information technologies as a tool and resource;
• Commitment to UN values;
• Excellent organizational skills;
• Ability to work under pressure on multiple projects whilst maintaining high-quality and timeliness;
• Self-management.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• A minimum of a Master’s degree in mediation or dispute resolution and peacebuilding. Master’s degree in international law plus a recognized certification in mediation or peacebuilding could be accepted.
• Ph.D. would be an advantage. 

Experience:

• At least 10 years of  work experience on mediation or dispute resolution and peacebuilding at the international level;
• Extensive experience in mediation or dispute resolution and peacebuilding in the Arab States region;
• Excellent training skills and experience to train young people.
• Previous work experience with UN Agencies or international development agencies.
• Experience in the fields of gender equality and women’s empowerment and human rights-related work would be an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Proficiency in Arabic and English is a must. 

Evaluation Criteria:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology: Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for the financial evaluation.

Technical Evaluation (70%, 70 points) split such as:

• At least 7 years of relevant experience in mediation or dispute resolution and peacebuilding: 20 points
• Master’s degree or PhD in mediation or dispute resolution and peacebuilding.: 20 points
• Experience in the fields of UN peace processes, gender and women’s empowerment and human rights related work: 20 points.
• Experience in designing and delivering training to young people: 10 Points. 

Financial Evaluation (30%, 30 points): The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula:

• Contract will be awarded to the technically qualified consultant who obtains the highest combined score (financial and technical);
• The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula: (Lowest Bid Offered*)/ (Bid of the Consultant) x 30;
• 'Lowest Bid Offered' refers to the lowest price offered by Offerors scoring at least 49 points in the technical evaluation.

Application:

Interested Individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• A UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment;
• Financial proposal - Proposed inclusive lump-sum rate.

The above-mentioned documents should be submitted together, incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW, and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.