Antecedentes

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.

Women’s leadership and political participation are one of UN Women’s primary areas of work as mandated in its inception, recognizing the integral role of women in strong and stable democratic processes. Through its Leadership and Governance section, UN Women works to implement Output 4 of the Entity’s Strategic Plan 2018-21 “More women of all ages fully participate, lead and engage in political institutions and processes”.

To promote the leadership and participation of women in all levels of decision-making processes, UN Women works with a range of stakeholders including women leaders and aspiring candidates, national parliaments and parliamentarians, political parties, media, civil society organizations, and electoral management bodies, in coordination with UN partner Entities, through a wide range of interventions which include: i) support gender-responsive legal reforms and institutional processes to advance women’s participation and representation (including initiatives to address violence against women in politics); ii) build capacities of women leaders and aspiring candidates; iii) promote change of gender norms through advocacy and outreach initiatives targeting communities, political leaders and the media; iv) support women leaders in gender-responsive political institutions, and v) support measurement and monitoring of women’s political participation and its obstacles.

Despite some country case studies and regional initiatives, global data and research on women’s participation and representation in local government lagged, resulting in a significant knowledge gap. The integration of SDG indicator 5.5.1b in the SDG monitoring framework, acknowledges the importance of a whole government approach and women’s voices and leadership at the local level. Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia have been reporting on SDG 5.5.1b and the proportion of elected seats held by women in deliberative bodies of local government (%):

But no indicator reflects on the obstacles women face while being active in the political spheres at the local level. One of the main obstacles is Violence Against Women in Politics (VAWP).

UN Women defines VAWP as:

“Violence against women in political life is any act of, or threat of, gender-based violence, resulting in physical, sexual, psychological harm or suffering to women, that prevents them from exercising and realizing their political rights, whether in public or private spaces, including the right to vote and hold public office, to vote in secret and to freely campaign, to associate and assemble, and to enjoy the freedom of opinion and expression. Such violence can be perpetrated by a family member, community member and or by the State...”

VAWP can take many forms, from misogynistic and sexist verbal attacks, psychological to the most commonplace acts of harassment and sexual harassment, and it is also perpetrated online. Types of VAWP range from psychological, sexual, and physical, and, more recently, cyber acts of violence. Assassinations, physical violence, including rape and sexual harassment, sexist remarks, verbal abuse, and threats of reprisal are used as tools to intimidate, humiliate, and, worse, put an end to a woman’s political career.

In the Arab States, very limited data is available on VAWP in all its forms, even less so at the local level, and whenever available, all forms of VAW are not considered.  For instance, it is only recently that studies have started considering VAW conducted online. Anecdotal data from Tunisia found that “80 percent of women in Tunisia have experienced violence on the internet”. Moreover, some groups of women in the region, including human rights defenders, women in politics, journalists, bloggers find themselves targeted by ICT-facilitated violence. With the spread of violent extremist ideas in some countries of the region, and shrinking space for civil society and women’s rights, violence towards women leaders and activists has increased:

In most cases, VAWP goes underreported to formal institutions due to the culture of silence, stigma, and impunity associated with gender-based violence.

Objective of the Assignment:

In this context, the UN Women ROAS seeks to support a multicountry study on VAWP at the local level (Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia). The study will document and quantify experiences of women in politics at the local level, with a particular focus on assessing their obstacles to political participation, including the experiences of violence, forms of violence, risk and protective factors, help-seeking behaviors, and consequences it may have on women’s health, well-being as well as on their political participation and leadership. In view of the increasing use of social media in the region to frustrate women’s political engagement, the study will also have a particular emphasis on this form of violence. This information will be complemented by an assessment of the national legislative and policy frameworks on women’s political participation and VAWP, enabling the identification of entry points for strengthening the monitoring, normative and institutional framework on VAWP. The information harnessed will serve to inform programme content and direction.

Considering that the study (including both qualitative and quantitative components) must be finalized in 2021, the focus group discussions are intended to be organized in late August-early September 2021, with the exact dates and modalities to be discussed and agreed on by UN Women, with guidance from the International Consultant.

Deberes y responsabilidades

The International Consultant will work under the supervision of the UN Women Regional Policy Adviser on Women’s Political Participation and will work closely with UN Women HQ. The International Consultant will provide timely technical support and coordination required to organize, conduct and report on focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to be undertaken in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia with key national stakeholders and locally elected women. The purpose of these interviews is to (i) assess the relevance of the draft questionnaire on the VAWP study at the local level (draft which will be prepared by UN Women); (ii) collect information and testimonies of elected women’s personal experiences of VAWP at the local level; and (iii) assess current national measures to address VAWP, including mechanisms to report and respond to VAWP.

The focus group discussions and in-depth interviews are to be held between the last week of August and the first half of September.

 To achieve this objective, the International Consultant will undertake the following tasks:

• Provide substantive inputs to the qualitative data collection plan, focus group, and interview guides, proposed by ROAS and Country Offices.
• Support the organization of the focus group discussions, as required.
• Whenever applicable (e.g., in Tunisia and Palestine), liaise with UN Women Country Offices to ensure that the focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, which will be facilitated by UN Women Country Offices, are aligned with these facilitated by the International Consultant.
• Facilitate and moderate focus group discussions with key national stakeholders and in-depth interviews with a diverse group of locally elected women in Jordan and Lebanon, utilizing the qualitative data collection tools – including focus group and in-depth interviewer’s guides – prepared by UN Women.
• Gather and consolidate all comments, testimonies, and inputs issued by participants in all focus group and in-depth interviews discussions organized in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia and prepare a short summary of lessons learned.
• Provide an annex with full details on interviewees (names, dates, location, and contacts).

Deliverables of the International Consultant include the following listed below:

Competencias

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

• Ability to lead qualitative data collection through consultation with stakeholders, including the ability to conduct focus groups and in-depth interviews;
• Sound practical knowledge on women’s political participation and EVAW programming including on prevention and mitigation of violence against women in elections/politics;
• Previous experience in field-based women’s political participation/EVAW programming in a variety of cultural and political contexts, particularly in developing countries, is an asset;
• Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with people from varied cultures and professional backgrounds, demonstrating excellent interpersonal communication skills;
• Ability to produce well-written reports and/or programme documents demonstrating analytical ability;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Experience in working with UN Women or UN or international NGOs on women’s political participation or electoral assistance.

Judgment/Decision-Making

• Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
• Demonstrates integrity and ethical standards.

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or Ph.D.) in Gender, Political Science, Sociology, International Relations, Law or relevant field;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of professional experience in the field of gender equality and gender analysis particularly in the area of violence against women and/or political participation in the Arab States region;
• At least 3 previous assignments related to facilitating focus group discussions, preferably in the area of women’s rights, VAW or gender justice;
• At least 3 previous assignments related to preparing analytical reports and assessments, in the field of gender, women’s rights, political participation, or violence against women in the Arab States region;
• Experience with the UN system or/and International Organizations is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required; · 
• Knowledge of French is an asset;
• Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, including Zoom, ability to use Internet and email.

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.

Criteria Weight Technical: 70% (70 points)

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

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

Financial: Lowest Financial Proposal: 30% (30 points)

The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula:

• The 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 cover letter with a brief presentation of your consultancy explaining your suitability for the work and link to a portfolio of work (no more than one page);
• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment; applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment;
• Financial proposal, including a proposed inclusive daily rate (in USD).

The above-mentioned documents should be merged in a standalone file including all of them since the online application submission does only permit uploading one file per application. 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.