The Kuwait Government represented by the General Secretariat of Supreme Council for Planning and Development (GSSCPD), UNDP, UN Women, and the Women Research Center at Kuwait University recognized the concerns and objectives of the Kuwaiti government of women’s leadership and participation, as a result, a joint programme was developed, capitalizing on the experience of all parties to achieve Kuwait’s desired goal as a part of its mid-range national development plan 2015/2016 – 2019/2020, and to support the State of Kuwait in the implementation of Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goal 5: achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

This joint programme addresses political empowerment, economic empowerment, and the elimination of violence against women and the establishment of a women´s leadership incubator.  To support the effective participation of women in public decision-making bodies, the programme will include media and advocacy outreach to the press and influencers to sensitise them to issues related to gender equality and women’s empowerment, in order to promote greater visibility of emerging and current Kuwaiti women leaders in the national media. The programme recognizes the importance of Leaving No One Behind and recognizes the importance of inclusivity.  As such, the programme will specifically target in its media outreach vulnerable groups such as the youth and persons with disability.

Objective of the Assignment:

The Gender and Media Expert will work under the direct supervision of the Women’s Political Participation and Leadership Advisor, UN Women Regional Office of Arab States (ROAS), and in day to day coordination with the Coordination Specialist, ROAS, to provide the needed technical support to support the institutional development of the Women’s Research and Studies Centre of Kuwait University to monitor and engage with media effectively, in order to contribute to strengthened national dialogues on women’s political participation and leadership. This is a home-based assignment with the possibility of travel to Kuwait City, Kuwait.

The Gender and Media Expert will have the following responsibilities:

Gender Sensitization for the Media (10 working days)

• Conduct gender sensitization workshops for approximately 30 representatives of the Kuwaiti media industry (exact number TBC);
• Prepare training materials, including guides, manuals etc. for use in the gender sensitization workshops and dissemination to participants;

Develop Strategic Documents for the Media Watch Monitoring Unit (20 working days)

• Develop Terms of Reference and Staffing Plan for the Media Watch Monitoring Unit of the Women’s Research and Studies Centre;
• Provide mentoring /on-the-job skills transfer to personnel attached to the Women’s Research and Studies Centre of Kuwait University;

Develop and Launch Implementation of the Media and Communication Strategy (20 working days)

• Develop a Gender-Sensitive Media and Communication Strategy for the political incubator, including a comprehensive monitoring system with indicators to track progress;
• Document lessons learned/best practices that would support the design and implementation of future initiatives.

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: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Functional Competencies

• Substantive experience and record of accomplishment in the area of gender equality;
• Demonstrated People Management Skills; 
• Good knowledge of UN Women and the UN system; 
• Excellent problem solving and facilitation skills;
• Sound judgment as well as professionalism and maturity;
• Ability to manage time and organize work efficiently including handling heavy workloads and deadlines;
• Demonstrated research and analytical knowledge and skills;
• Demonstrated ability to work in multicultural settings and in teams;
• Flexibility to travel as needed.

Education

• Master’s degree in Political Science, Sociology, Gender Studies, Communications or a related field.

Experience

• At least 10 years of relevant experience in gender studies, sociology, strategic planning, and communications, or a related field;
• Previous experience with the promotion of gender equality and fundamental human rights;
• Previous experience with the United Nations will be an asset;
• Familiarity with women’s rights organizations and networks in the Arab States will be an asset. 

Language

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required.

Evaluation Criteria:

The contract will be awarded to the technically qualified consultant who obtains the highest combined score (financial and technical).

Criteria Weight Technical: 70%

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 70 points. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on the following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

• At least 10 years of relevant experience in, or a related field: Maximum obtainable points: 20
• Previous experience with the promotion of gender equality and fundamental human rights: Maximum obtainable points: 20
• Previous experience with the United Nations: Maximum obtainable points: 10
• Familiarity with women’s rights organisations and networks in the Arab States: Maximum obtainable points: 10
• Fluency in English and Arabic is required: Maximum obtainable points: 10

Only the candidates who have attained a minimum of 49 points (70%) will be considered as technically-qualified candidate.

Financial: Lowest Financial Proposal: 30%

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.

Applications:

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

• A cover letter with a brief presentation of your consultancy explaining your suitability for the work and link to portfolio of work;
• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment;
• Personal CV; and Financial proposal; Proposed inclusive daily rate.

The above-mentioned documents should be merged in a standalone file including all of them since the online application submission does only permit to upload one file per application. Incomplete submission will not be reviewed.

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.

UN Women is applying a fair and transparent selection process that would take into account both the technical qualification of Consultants as well as their price proposals. The contract will be awarded to the candidate obtaining the highest combined technical and financial scores.