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. Placing women's rights at the center of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world.

Through its programmes and projects, UN Women in Albania is providing technical assistance to national partners (governmental and non-governmental) in the implementation of existing international and national commitments to women’s rights and gender equality, it facilitates networking and exchange of good practices and advocates for women’s rights and gender equality in all areas of life. According to its mandate, UN Women works in five thematic areas, such as leadership and participation, women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, women peace and security and governance and national planning fully reflect accountability for gender equality commitments. UN Women is also the lead Agency in coordinating the UN Country Team on gender equality and is chairing the UN Group on gender equality.

Rural women in Albania face many challenges to their economic security, such as: lack of financial support, a weak access to secure land rights, a limited understanding of which businesses are profitable, limited availability to enter the labor force due to disproportionate engagement in unpaid activities and, high dependence from family members. Women’s contribution to agriculture in Albania is vital, with 54 percent of employed women working in this sector. However, such contribution often remains invisible because of the high levels of informality, which often leaves them without protection or social benefits.

To address some of these challenges UN Women, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Albania, and with the support of the Government of Italy, is implementing the Gender Rural Equality and Tourism (GREAT) project, a three-year initiative that will contribute to rural women’s empowerment in Albania and will strengthen women’s roles and contribution to rural development. The project will contribute to sustainable economic development of rural women in three targeted regions and their communities by increasing their income and ability to obtain work.

The project aims to develop the capacities of rural women to develop their own business, to self-organize and register as local groups and to improve their access to finance. Simultaneously, GREAT will support targeted municipalities to prioritize and promote rural women’s businesses, rural tourism and value chain development. The project will promote a policy and legislative environment to strengthen women’s economic empowerment and their access to and control over productive assets.

The project GREAT was developed based on the needs identified by UN Women and FAO in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, following recommendations of different studies and country assessments undertaken these entities. Its main goals are aligned with the priorities of the Government and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS Tirana), in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its core principle of leaving no-one behind. UN Women is the implementing agency for this project with FAO as the main responsible party that will implement specific components. UN Women will engage relevant staff and expertise to ensure overall coordination, quality assurance, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of the project.

In this context, UN Women GREAT Project is planning to provide technical expertise on the information and organization of local actors in Local Action Groups (LAGs) according to the EU/LEADER approach, in the municipalities of Elbasan, Leskovik and Puke.

Leader stands for ‘Links between actions of rural development’ (in French, Liaison entre actions de développement rural) and as its name suggests, it is a method of mobilizing and delivering rural development in local rural communities, rather than a fixed set of measures to be implemented. Leader encourages socioeconomic players to work together, to produce goods and services that generate maximum added value in their local area. An area-based and bottom-up approach, involving local communities and adding value to local resources, is increasingly seen as a new way of creating jobs and businesses in rural areas.

To support the implementation of the project, UN Women Country Office Albania is seeking to hire a National Consultant to design and deliver a series of capacity building activities for local actors in the three municipalities, as well as provide technical assistance to established LAGs on application to financing schemes including the IPARD scheme.   

Deberes y responsabilidades

Under the direct supervision of the UN Women GREAT Project Manager, in collaboration with municipality staff, local actors, project experts, and in close coordination with other UN Women partners/contractors that may be engaged for the support to LAGs, the national consultant is responsible for performing the below key tasks:

• Prepare a work-plan in consultation with UN Women for the delivery of planned activities;

• Engage in the review of information available and conduct a desk review of key EU documents and guidelines related to the LEADER approach and IPARD grants;
• Conduct consultations with MoARD, AICS and other partners/international and national development partners involved in the LAG formation and support.  Deliver a series of informative and capacity building activities in the three municipalities with the purpose of establishing Local Action Groups, focusing on four steps: 1. animation of local actors and preparation for their involvement in the LAGs, 2. identification of LAG potentials, 3. preparation of the LAG guide, selection of the management board and its training, preparation of the development strategy and action plan, 4. preparation for application to financing schemes including the IPARD scheme.   
• Prepare short briefs, presentations and inputs and participate in in meetings, working groups, consultations and other fora upon request by UN Women.
• Undertake regular missions to the Municipalities as agreed with UN Women.

Main expected outputs/deliverables:

• A consultancy work plan that includes a timeline and a proposed outline and methodology for the consultancy (to be consulted with and approved by UN Women).
• Copies of documents prepared for the LAG formation and registration.
• Prepare training modules including materials, handouts, pre- and post-training evaluation tools.
• Report on the delivered trainings (grouped by thematic), including materials, evaluation tools and follow-up recommendations for participants.
• Monthly reports on the technical support provided within the time-period to UN Women.
• Meeting/mission reports. 
• Technical inputs and on-demand reports on specific initiatives when requested

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/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

• Strong skills in developing, designing and preparing well-structured, logically organized guidance materials, overviews, briefs, and similar knowledge products.
• Be informed on the successful implementation of the LEADER approach in other countries of the region, with specific focus on women’s empowerment.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to synthesize straightforward and clear content from a range of complex background documents.
• Ability to produce knowledge and information materials tailored to the specific target-audience and fine-tuned to the purpose and country context.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (both oral and written).
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with team members.
• Strong initiative-taker.
• Focuses on impact and results.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive, problem-solving attitude.
• Capacity to work under pressure and to meet strict deadlines.

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Education/Academic qualification:

• Advanced degree in agriculture, rural development, social/political sciences, development studies, European studies, ;

Work experience:

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in the agriculture and rural development field with a particular emphasis on information and application of the LEADER framework and IPARD grants
• Experience working with projects focused on women economic and social empowerment
• Experience working with central as well as local governments and local actors in Albania on information and awareness raising on the EU/LEADER approach and benefits from the establishment of the LAGs.
• Experience working with EU guidance, legal documents related to the application of the LEADER framework and other strategic documents related to the establishment of Local Action Groups according to the LEADER approach
• Experience in working for similar assignments with international organizations is an asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English, both oral and written. All deliverables to be prepared and submitted in English.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:

• Financial Proposal specifying the daily fee in ALL (Albanian Leke) for the tasks specified above. Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services). The financial proposal shall include also costs for 15 round trips to each of the destinations: Elbasan, Leskovik and Puke.
• Payment will be made as per the payment schedule in the contract upon (i) satisfactory completion of tasks; (ii) provision of deliverables specified in the ToRs; (iii) submission of and approval by UN Women of final draft; and (iv) submission of the certification of payment.

Recommended Presentation of Offer:

Qualified and interested candidates are required to apply online: unwomen.albania@unwomen.org no later 3 February 2022.

• A Letter of Confirmation of Interest including a brief description explaining why the individual considers her/himself as the most suitable for the assignment.
• Completed and signed UN Women Personal History Form (P11) that can be downloaded at link: UN Women Personal History Form (P11) or http://www.unwomen.org/en/about- us/employment
• Financial Proposal specifying the total lump sum in ALL (Albanian Leke) for the tasks specified in this assignment, following the instructions under the above section on Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments.

Evaluation of applicants:

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. Contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of below defined technical and financial criteria.

Technical Evaluation –70 points:

• Advanced degree in agriculture, rural development, social/political sciences, development studies, European studies – 10 points.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in the agriculture and rural development field with a particular emphasis on information and application of the LEADER framework and IPARD grants – 25 points
• Experience working with projects focused on women economic and social empowerment – 10 points
• Experience working with central as well as local governments and local actors in Albania on information and awareness raising on the EU/LEADER approach and benefits from the establishment of the LAGs – 10 points.
• Experience working with EU guidance, legal documents related to the application of the LEADER framework and other strategic documents related to the establishment of Local Action Groups according to the LEADER approach – 10 points
• Experience in working for similar assignments with international organizations is an asset – 5 points.

Financial Evaluation – 30 points

• Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.
• The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal. All other price proposals receive points in inverse proportion. The calculation formula applied is  as follow:

p = 30 (µ/z); where: p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated; µ = price of the lowest priced proposal; z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

How to Submit the Application: 

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

• Download and complete the UN Women Personal History Form (P11)- http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
• Merge your UN Women Personal History Form (P11), the Financial Proposal, and Cover Letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
• Click 'Apply Now' button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click 'Submit Application;'
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Notes:

• UN Women retains the right to contact references directly. Due to the large numbers of applications, we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.
• The consultancy post is open to local (Albanian) individuals or foreign individuals with valid temporary or permanent residence in Albania.
• Applications without the financial offer will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
• The individual consultants should take the mandatory learning security course prior to commencement of assignment– details will follow before the issuance of contract.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)