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 Indonesia Country Office (CO) hosts the ASEAN liaison office which extends support to ASEAN and its Member States in advancing Women Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in line with global normative frameworks. UN Women in partnership with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) is implementing the regional programme, “Empowering Women for Sustainable Peace: preventing violence and promoting social cohesion in ASEAN” (Advancing WPS in ASEAN).  The programme aims to support select ASEAN Member States to advance and strengthen WPS agenda, including through preventing violence against women and girls and promoting social cohesion in the region. The programme will ultimately contribute to the achievement of gender equality through inclusive and sustainable peace and development in the region.

The WPS agenda was formally initiated by the landmark UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), which was adopted on 31 October 2000. UNSCR 1325 reaffirmed the important role of women in prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building initiatives. It stresses the need of women’s equal participation and full involvement in all efforts to maintain and promote peace and security. UNSCR 1325 also urges all stakeholders to take action to increase the participation of women and calls on the UN member states to incorporate gender perspectives into all of its peace and security agenda. It also calls on stakeholders to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, in situations of armed conflict.

UN member states in Southeast Asia have taken greater strides in the implementation of the WPS agenda as shown in the ASEAN Regional Study on Women, Peace and Security released in 2021. Some of these results include strengthened commitment on the promotion of WPS, adoption of a joint statement on promotion of WPS, enhanced contribution of troops by ASEAN member states to UN peacekeeping missions, enhanced participation of women in law enforcement institutions, strengthened efforts around conflict prevention, including building social cohesion and community resilience to face emerging security challenges, etc.

Despite results already achieved there are still individual and common challenges that are being faced by the ASEAN Member States (AMS) which were captured in the ASEAN Regional Study on WPS. This regional study also took stock of progress made in the advancement of WPS and a review of similar trends globally. It further took a critical examination of persistent and emerging challenges on WPS, and captured lessons learned across the region. Most importantly, this study provided critical recommendations for supporting ASEAN Member States in enhancing women’s meaningful participation in peacebuilding and conflict prevention, resolution, and post-conflict processes in line with regional and international commitments.

The major recommendations of this regional study include:

1. Formulate an ASEAN WPS Regional Plan of Action (RPA).
2. Mainstream gender as a crosscutting issue across ASEAN community pillars and sectoral bodies and within the analysis of traditional and nontraditional regional peace and security policy issues by adopting gender-responsive frameworks and capacity-building. 
3. Ensure that ASEAN approach to peace and security is for all. 
4. Build the institutional capacity for and commitment to WPS through knowledge-building exercises, regional dialogues, and international engagement among relevant sectoral bodies.
5. Raise awareness of the ASEAN approach to WPS among people and civil societies. 

Against this backdrop, the ASEAN secretariat (ASEC) on behalf of ASEAN Committee on Women (AWC) and the ASEAN Commission on the promotion and protection of the rights of Women and Children (ACWC), and the ASEAN ACWC advisory group with the technical and financial support from USAID-funded PROSPECT project staff and UN Women plan to implement the key recommendations of the ASEAN endorsed regional study with special focus on the development of an ASEAN WPS RPA.  In this context, UN Women seeks to hire an International Consultant (IC) to support ASEAN to develop an ASEAN WPS RPA.

Objectives of the assignment

The main objective of this consultancy is to support ASEAN in the development of an ASEAN WPS RPA and inform relevant stakeholders about the significance of developing and implementing this plan.

Scope of work and tasks

Under the overall guidance and management of the Programme Specialist, ASEAN Governance, Peace and Security, and supervision from the Project Coordination Specialist ASEAN WPS and in partnership with ASEC, ACWC Advisory group and USAID-funded PROSPECT project staff, the IC will perform the following tasks:

Task 1. Desk Review and development of a consultancy work plan and inception report.

• Conduct a desk review of existing relevant documents (Home-based).
• Conduct preliminary consultations with members of the project team and stakeholders (ASEC-PEGD, PROSPECT team, etc.) (Home-based).
• Develop a consultancy work plan and inception report; the report should be structured as follows:

- Introduction

-objectives and research questions

- Methodology  

- workplan

- Data collection tools

-  Preliminary findings

- Annexes

Task 2. Conduct consultative meetings/workshops and in-depth interviews to develop the RPA and raise awareness and support ASEAN to build ownership.  

• Conduct in-depth interviews with members of the key relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies (identified by the ASEAN WPS advisory group facilitated by the ASEAN secretariat)
• Develop concept notes for a series of online consultation meetings/workshops and focus-group discussion and/or key informant interviews (home-based). 
• Develop appropriate tools and materials to facilitate consultative meetings /workshops and interviews. At least 3 consultative workshops are expected with members of sectoral bodies of ASEAN, Civil Society organizations including women’s organisations and development/dialogue partners (Home-based). 
• Facilitate consultative workshops.
• Draft a report with recommendations from the consultative workshops and in-depth interviews (Home-based). 

Task 3. Development of the RPA (Home-based)

• Draft the second RPA which will have the following outline.
  • Executive summary
  • Acronyms
  • Foreword
  • Acknowledgement
  • Background
  • Global and regional frameworks on WPS
  • Status of the implementation of the WPS agenda in the region: progress and challenges
  • Rationale for an ASEAN Regional Plan for Action
  • Process for development of the RPA
  • Result based logical framework. The logical framework will be results based and will include outcome level indicators, baselines and targets. It will also include clear roles and responsibilities in the implementation of the activities and a budget and a timeline.
  • Description of the coordination, monitoring, reporting and Implementation structure
  • Resource mobilization strategy

• Develop Terms of Reference for the proposed implementation, monitoring and reporting structure. 

Task 4. Conduct validation workshops

• Develop concept notes for three validation workshops[1]
• Develop appropriate tools and materials to facilitate   validations workshops (Home-based). 
• Incorporate recommendations and agreements from validation workshops into the RPA
• Provide support to ASEAN to facilitate the validations workshops. 

[1] Validation and endorsement by ACW and ACWC, validation by ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Social Welfare and Development (AMMSWD), Validation by Senior Officials Meeting on Social Welfare and Development  (SOMSWD) at ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council (ASCC).

 Expected Deliverables

The IC 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 review is one week after receipt.

Inputs

• UN Women and ASEC will provide the Consultant with background information and documents, and a list of stakeholders relevant for the assignment.
• The Consultant is expected to work using his/ her own computer.
• UN Women will directly cover travel costs as per UN Women’s rules and regulations

Scope of bid price and schedule of payments

The contract price is a fixed deliverable-based price regardless of extension of the contract duration. Payment will be done once deliverables detailed in section II are submitted and approved by UN Women.

The lump sum costs should include a consultancy fee, administration costs, communication 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 using the template in Annex 1.

Performance evaluation

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

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Leading by Example

Required experience and qualifications

The Consultant should fulfill the following requirements:

Education

• Master’s degree in Political Science or Social Science, Gender Studies, International Development or in Monitoring and Evaluation. 

Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in the field of women peace and security with experiences in developing countries, preferably in the Asia-Pacific region 
• Proven experience facilitating high-level consultative workshops for government stakeholders, institutions and civil society organisations (CSOs) 
• At least 3 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.  
• Knowledge of the Southeast Asia context related to WPS.
• Previous work experience with ASEAN would be an asset.

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 skill

Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit electronic application no later than 7th of January 2022

Submission of package           

1. Cover letter.
2. Curriculum vitae including contact information of at least 3 referees
3. A financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount per each deliverable, including any administrative fees, based on the template in Annex 1. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.

Applications without any of the items listed above 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

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 allotted 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 meet 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 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 allotted 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 technically 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

Breakdown of Cost by Components:

The lump sum costs should include 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.