Historique

1. Background

Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality for everyone, regardless of gender, as equal partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace, and security. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of national priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with government, civil society, development partners, and other relevant actors.

In 2019-2020, to ensure the systematic monitoring of and reporting on Nepal’s commitments towards the achievement of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN Women Nepal Country Office initiated the development of a Country Gender Equality Profile (CGEP). The CGEP is a key resource aimed at national and international partners that provides an overview of the current status of gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) in Nepal. By providing in-depth analysis, the CGEP aims to enhance the understanding of differences in the conditions, needs, participation rates, access to resources and development, control of assets, decision-making powers, etc. between girls/women, boys/men, and those who are gender non-conforming in their assigned gender roles. The evidence and analysis are critical to ensuring that actions aimed at tackling gender inequalities and discrimination are grounded in local realities and reflective of the needs of girls, women, boys, men, and those who are gender non-conforming.

The CGEP exercise is thus aimed at informing policy and programme development in line with the Government of Nepal’s vision on GEWE, as laid out in the Constitution of 2015, the 15th National Development Plan, and the National Gender Equality Policy.

2. Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of developing a CGEP for Nepal is to strengthen national understanding and data analysis and management on the advancement of international, regional, and national commitments towards GEWE; and to act as a primary source of information for evidence-driven advocacy to advance the gains and overcome the bottlenecks to realizing GEWE at sub-national and national levels.[1]

The CGEP will provide an understanding of persisting gender inequality in Nepal and its causes, how it intersects with other inequalities, how it impacts the realisation of human rights and access to benefits of development efforts as well as an understanding of the national and sub-national governments’ commitment and capacity to work on GEWE issues. The CGEP should provide qualitative information, sex-age disaggregated data, and analysis on the gender situation in the identified sectors in order to contribute to policy dialogues and facilitate the development of gender-sensitive development strategies.

The CGEP should at a minimum meet the following criteria:

1. Use key recent statistics on the situation of women and girls, men and boys, and gender and sexual minorities in Nepal,
2. Identify key barriers to achieving GEWE, including discriminatory social norms, legislative framework, institutional capacity, and political will,
3. Identify key actors (stakeholder mapping) with the mandate to act for GEWE, including national and sub-national government actors, I/NGOs, civil society, and international development partners,
4. Map data gaps, including those related to sex-age-gender-disability, disaggregated statistical information,
5. Provide a clear assessment of where national and international partners can add value for achieving country objectives on GEWE, contributing to national development priorities, including as outlined in the GoN’s 15th Plan and National Gender Equality Policy,
6. Identify realistic objectives/opportunities for policy and political dialogue,
7. Develop targeted and tangible recommendations for the integration of GEWE in select thematic areas, including from a programmatic perspective.

3. Guiding Principles[2]

1. International Norms and Standards: Nepal’s CGEP must be framed against the key intergovernmental norms and standards on GEWE, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs, CEDAW, the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA) and the outcome documents of its reviews, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), relevant UN Security Council resolutions on Women, Peace, and Security (such as Resolution 1325 and 1820), Agreed Conclusions of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) as well as other significant commitments to GEWE made in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Quito Declaration on the New Urban Agenda and other recent intergovernmental outcomes.[3]

2. National Ownership and National Capacities: Nepal’s CGEP should contribute to the strengthening of national capacities and systems for implementing and monitoring the advancement of international, regional, national, and sub-national commitments on GEWE. As such, national and sub-national ownership and buy-in are required for the development of the CGEP. Furthermore, by directly contributing to the key priorities identified by the Making Every Woman and Girl Count (MEWGC) programme, the CGEP should be an integral part of supporting Nepal’s national SDG monitoring process.

3. UN Partnership and Coordination: In direct response to the UN General Assembly Resolution on the repositioning of the UN Development systems (A/RES/72/279), UN Women and its partner UN agencies commit to working together to “ensuring greater availability and use of disaggregated data for sustainable development”[4]. In developing the CGEP, all efforts should be made to ensure that it is developed either in a partnership or in close coordination with the UN System in Nepal. Further, findings of the CGEP should be disseminated among UN agencies to inform a coherent approach to GEWE across the UN system in Nepal. Furthermore, it will contribute to CCA and the upcoming UNSDF 2023 – 2027.

4. Inclusion and representation of civil society and those groups at greatest risk of ‘being left behind’: Nepal’s CGEP is to be developed inclusively, ensuring participation of civil society and GEWE advocates at all levels. In particular, the representation of excluded and marginalised groups most at risk of being left behind when realising the tenets and commitments of the BPfA, the SDGs, and CEDAW in particular, must be ensured. Thus, the development of Nepal’s CGEP will be informed by dialogues/workshops, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions with key stakeholders.

5. Evidence-driven advocacy: Nepal’s CGEP will be developed to strengthen national capacities to monitor implementation of the country’s commitments to GEWE and to inform evidence-driven advocacy to effect change for women and girls, as well as gender and sexual minorities. The CGEP development should be accompanied by a strategy with concrete recommendations for how UN Women and its partners will take forward the findings to effect change, contributing to the implementation of the UN Women Strategic Note 2018-2022, UNDAF 2018-2022, and the SDGs.

6. Partnerships: The CGEP process should contribute to the strengthening of partnerships among key national and sub-national stakeholders working in the area of GEWE. Key stakeholders include, among others, the National Planning Commission, the Central Bureau of Statistics; ministries responsible for SDG action and monitoring and key thematic areas; international development partners, including UN agencies, civil society, and academia, all of whom have committed to strengthening action and monitoring of SDG implementation.

4. Focus of Assignment

UN Women NCO initiated the development of the CGEP in 2019-2020 with a focus on three key thematic areas – leadership and participation, gender-based violence, and economic security and rights. With each thematic chapter, analysis of topical/emerging issues has been included as sub-themes. The thematic chapters are currently in draft form. Furthermore, an introductory chapter, focusing on the drivers of equality, has been drafted. Additionally, a finalized Statistical Annex with recent statistics on GEWE has been developed. The Gender at Work framework[5] has been used as the conceptual framework to develop the CGEP.

UN Women NCO is seeking the services of an International Consultant to lead and coordinate the finalization of Nepal’s CGEP in 2021, including review and substantive editing of the CGEP, and its finalization for publication. The Consultant will work in close collaboration with the UN Women NCO team and select thematic experts to complete the assignment.

[1] Actioning Outcome 1 of the UN Women Global Strategic Plan, which in part includes supporting Member States’ capacity to “assess progress in implementation of CEDAW, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda and other global normative and policy frameworks for gender equality and women’s empowerment; (and) Facilitate evidence-based dialogue amongst governments, and with civil society and other relevant actors, including young women, in the context of intergovernmental processes”, UNW/2017/6/Rev.1, UN Women Global Strategic Plan (2018-2021), para 43.

[2] Key guiding principles and strategies are further elaborated in the UN Women Country Gender Equality Profile Guidance Note, which will be made available to the Consultant.

[3] UNW/2017/6/Rev.1, UN Women Global Strategic Plan (2018-2021), paras 13 and 14.

[4] “Working together to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda Common chapter to the Strategic Plans of UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and UN-Women” - UNW/2017/6/Rev.1, UN Women Global Strategic Plan (2018-2021), page 4.

[5] The framework provides a frame for understanding and analysis of interventions related to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE). The framework is organized along two dimensions (informal – formal, and individual – systemic) and four quadrants: consciousness and capabilities (informal-individual); resources for change (formal-individual); social norms and deep structures (informal-collective); and policies/rules (formal-collective). 

Devoirs et responsabilités

5.Key activities and deliverables

Task 1: Review the existing CGEP draft including Statistical Annex and identify gaps vis-à-vis the original TOR and UN Women Guidance Note for CGEPs

Nepal’s CGEP is grounded in evidence-based research generated through participatory methods. The process of data collection, analysis, and validation has already included analysis of available literature, sectoral and thematic assessments and reports, thematic and sectoral consultations with relevant national and sub-national stakeholders, and validation exercises with reference groups consisting of key stakeholders. Building on the work already completed, the Consultant’s specific tasks include:

• Review the existing CGEP draft, which includes an introduction on drivers and enablers of GE, three thematic chapters, and the Statistical Annex,
• Identify substantive gaps in the information/data and/or analysis vis-à-vis the original TOR, the UN Women Guidance Note for CGEPs, the Gender at Work framework, and any necessary instructions from UN Women NCO,
• Identify areas, where data from the Statistical Annex could be referenced/leveraged, to strengthen the analysis and coherence between the thematic chapters and the Statistical Annex,
• Develop a detailed note with the proposed outline/structure and stylistic guide for the CGEP to ensure coherence of the overall product as well as its individual components, building on relevant UN Women guidance and sample publications,
• Prepare a matrix summarizing the gaps and steps that are required to address them with specific timeframes for each chapter.

Deliverables of the International Consultant under Task 1:

• A detailed note with the proposed outline/structure and stylistic guide for the CGEP to ensure coherence of the overall product as well as its individual components.
• A matrix summarizing the gaps and steps to be taken to address them with specific timeframes for each chapter.

Task 2:  Coordinate with UN Women’s national advisors/thematic experts and ensure the required substantive analysis for the CGEP is available

To address any substantive gaps, the International Consultant will coordinate with three UN Women’s senior national advisors/thematic experts. The specific tasks include the following:

• Organize bilateral and group discussions with the thematic experts to review gaps and set plans and timeframes for addressing them.
• Drawing on the matrix, prepare and monitor the scope of work for each thematic expert to support the finalization of the CGEP, and establish clear timelines. The scope of work to be developed for thematic experts should include, at a minimum, (a) addressing existing data/analysis/knowledge gaps in the draft CGEP, (b) cross-referencing data from the Statistical Annex where relevant, (c) reviewing additional secondary literature as well as conducting Key Informant Interviews (virtually) where necessary, (d) strengthening analysis by re-drafting parts of the drafts as necessary, and (e) formulating key messages and targeted recommendations for key stakeholders.
• Review the inputs submitted by the thematic experts and provide quality control, including (a) confirm that the facts and figures provided are accurate, (b) ensure that all relevant data and substantive analysis required for the completion of the CGEP are included, and (c) plan for any necessary follow up actions with the thematic experts to address any remaining substantive or data gaps.

Deliverables of the Consultant under Task 2:

• Scope of Work for three thematic experts including clear timelines.
• Inputs and quality control of the draft inputs submitted by the three thematic experts to complete any substantive gaps identified.

Task 3:  Prepare the final draft of the CGEP ensuring coherence, rigor, and quality both in terms of substance and language

The Consultant will prepare a final draft of the CGEP to ensure coherence, rigor, and quality both in terms of substance and language. The specific tasks will include the following:

• Drawing on inputs from the thematic experts and UN Women NCO team, draft a concluding chapter with key messages and targeted recommendations for key stakeholders,
• Draft the acknowledgments, foreword, and executive summary based on inputs and guidance from UN Women NCO,
• Edit the CGEP for cohesive structure and flow, including addressing gaps in analysis, data, information, making any necessary restructuring and rewriting.
• Ensure the accuracy and consistency of terminology; rephrase sentences to ensure conciseness, clarity, smooth transition, and within-paragraph flow,
• Review formatting, including data visualizations, and copy edit the entire document in line with UN Women editorial guidelines,
• Review, verify and edit to ensure the use of gender and culturally sensitive language in the document,
• Ensure grammatical accuracy, remove redundant content, and consistency with font sizes and fonts, bullet listings and spaces,
• Check all numbering, paragraphs, headings, sub-headings, to make sure they correspond to the table of contents,
• Carry out a final and thorough proofread for clarity, readability, and consistency.

Deliverables of the International Consultant under Task 3:

• First draft CGEP incorporating inputs from thematic experts.
• Final draft CGEP incorporating inputs from UN Women NCO and other reviewers.

Task 4:  Finalise the CGEP for publication  

The International Consultant will be responsible for ensuring the final editing, proofreading, and finalization of the CGEP for final clearance by UN Women, in compliance with UN Women’s publication guidelines and organisational branding rules:

• Incorporate any final typological corrections or other remarks identified in internal proofreadings,
• Coordinate with the selected designer and printer to finalise the CGEP for publication and printing including thorough proofreading and quality control of the designed and printed copies of the publication,
• Prepare a PowerPoint presentation drawing on the CGEP with key findings and recommendations (max 20 slides).

Deliverables of the International Consultant under Task 4:

• Clean copy of the final CGEP to be sent to a) the designer; and 2) printer. 
• Inputs to the designed and printed CGEP to ensure quality control and alignment with UN Women publication guidelines and organisational branding rules,
• PowerPoint presentation with key findings and recommendations (max 20 slides).

6. Duration of The Assignment

It is anticipated the assignment will take up to 45 working days over a period of 3 months.

7.Tentative Timeline of Key Deliverables and Payment Schedule

Schedule of payments:

Payment for this consultancy will be based on the achievement of each deliverable and certification that each has been satisfactorily completed. Payment will be based on the submission of the SSA report along with the timesheet and relevant annexes as supporting documents for the achievement of deliverables.

Inputs:

• UN Women NCO will provide the consultant with background materials for the assignments. Specifically, this will include the draft CGEP including the Statistical Annex, other project documents, reports, research, and data.
• UN Women NCO will provide the contact details and introductions to the national advisors/thematic experts, and any other relevant stakeholders.
• UN Women NCO will identify agencies/consultants for editing, layout, design, and printing.

Compétences

8. Competencies

Core Values and Guiding Principles

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling UN Women values and ethical standards,
• Demonstrates a commitment to UN Women’s mission and vision,
• Able to work effectively within a team,
• Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability,
• Able to multi-task and juggle competing demands,
• Can assess and prioritize work needs quickly,
• Demonstrates integrity by modeling UN Women values and ethical standards,
• Able to relate to external partners, including other international organizations and agencies, NGOs, grassroots community groups, etc.

Qualifications et expériences requises

9. Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or Ph.D.) Development Studies, Gender Studies, Social Sciences, or relevant fields.

Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in leading, coordinating, and editing research studies or development of publications in the field of development, GEWE, with specialized knowledge and expertise in editing GEWE-related publications being an asset,
• Demonstrated expertise in gender analysis, national/international gender policies, gender mainstreaming and women’s empowerment, including in the South Asia region,
• Knowledge of international/regional agreements and initiatives on GEWE (CEDAW, Beijing, SDGs, etc.) is required,
• Demonstrated experience in coordinating teams of consultants.

Language:

• Fluency in oral and written English.

10. How to Apply