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 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 Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

The Government of Albania has made national and international commitments to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women in many different socio-economic aspects. Several international conventions and platforms, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform for Action, demonstrate Albania’s commitment to the realization of women’s rights and the achievement of gender equality and SDGs as women’s equality and empowerment is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but also integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development.

Over the past years, UN Women has provided support to national and local stakeholders in strengthening democratic governance and advancing women’s rights through initiatives aimed at mainstreaming gender in policy planning and budgeting. Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting (GRB) has been identified as important tool for advancing gender equality in key national documents as in accordance with existing Albanian national policy documents on social inclusion and gender equality. In this framework, Albania has made important steps towards the institutionalization of gender responsive budgeting at central and local level.

GRB has been included as a legal requirement to the Local Government Financial Management cycle. The approval of law no. 68/2017 "On Local Government Finances”, paved the way for the effective inclusion of GRB in all the phases of local financial management cycle (medium term and annual budget programming, monitoring & reporting, evaluation and auditing) by local government units. The inclusion of the Gender Responsive Budgeting in the Medium-Term Budget Program as well as the legal changes in the field of Public Financial Management at local level, provide greater responsibilities and challenges for public entities in effectively managing gender-based policies, by devoting the budget resources to achieve them.

The local government units play a vital role in designing policies at local level in providing and distributing the budget resources and in providing public services in the communities. When local government units give priorities to gender equality as policy targets, and when they directly involve communities and citizens – both women and men – in the process of local governance, the benefit they have is undoubted.

In the framework of the UN Joint Programme “Catalysing Municipal Social Protection” implemented by four UN Agencies (UNDP, WHO, UNICEF, and UN WOMEN), in partnership with the Albanian Government, UN Women will support municipalities of Skrapar, Polican Fushe-Arrez, Rrogozhine, Pogradec, Puke tin using GRB as a tool to advance gender equality and ensure that women’s needs are incorporated in local social protection policies and related budgets.

The ultimate aim is that the targeted municipalities conduct a proper gender analysis and plan and implement budgets and programs that take into account the needs of men and women, girls and boys and various groups including those most vulnerable. Work will focus in in conducting gender analysis as well as sectoral programme analysis and identifying gender responsive measures and indicators by having more profound focus on equitable and gender-responsive social protection and care services at the local level. This will entail deeper gender analyses and use of data and evidence and capacity strengthening of municipalities (budget users, gender equality employees, social protection staff) on how to use GRB tools and methods, its importance for local economic growth, and its implications for social inclusion.

In this context, UN Women requires technical support of one national consultant to coach and mentor municipalities of Skrapar, Polican Fushe-Arrez, Rrogozhine, Pogradec, Puke to effectively conduct gender gap analysis of local social protection and social inclusion services and  apply gender responsive budgeting.

The consultant will coordinate work with the contracted GRB and Public Finance Management national consultant and relevant UN Women gender experts on a unified methodology/approach that will be applied in all six municipalities.

Deberes y responsabilidades

Under the direct supervision of the UN Women Albania program manages on National Planning and Budgeting and in close collaboration with the General Directorates of Social Services in the Municipalities of Skrapar, Polican Fushe-Arrez, Rrogozhine, Pogradec, Puke the national consultant is expected to conduct the following:

• Make use of the current capacity needs assessment report drafted by UN Women in 2020 to develop a capacity building plan for the selected municipalities, in coordination with the contracted GRB and PFM national consultant.
• Jointly with the GRB and PFM expert and relevant UN Women gender experts  conduct 6 trainings (one per each municipality) on GRB, by contributing to sessions related to gender analysis, gender mainstreaming, and local governance role and competences (trainings will convene specialists of social services, budget planning, budget monitoring and gender equality employees and local coordinators against domestic violence and Gender Equality).
• In collaboration with the GRB and PFM expert and  relevant UN Women gender experts  conduct training sessions with Municipal Councilors on gender budgeting by contributing to sessions related to gender analysis, gender mainstreaming, and local governance role and competences.
• Mentor and coach a core team in each of the selected Municipalities, especially budget users, social protection/inclusion staff, and gender equality employees and local coordinators against Domestic Violence to ensure sustainability of GRB application in the MTBP.

• Guide Municipalities’ staff, budget specialist with the inclusion of gender equality and indicators in the MTBP 2022-2024;
• Support record tracking and keeping and full documentation of the work conducted, and results achieved in the framework of this consultancy.
• Provide monthly reports and time sheets (in English) and respective outcomes to the Municipalities and UN Women on the implementation of activities as it will be specified in the consultancy Work-plan.

Expected deliverables:

• A consultancy work plan that includes timeline and a proposed outline and methodology for the consultancy (to be consulted with and approved by UN Women).
• Training modules including materials, handouts, pre and post-training evaluation tools.
• Report on the delivered of at least 12 trainings (municipal counselors and municipal administration) including all materials, evaluation tools and follow-up recommendations for participants.
• Monthly reports on the technical support provided within the time-period to UN Women.
• Technical inputs and on-demand reports on specific initiatives when requested.

Duration and remuneration:

The duration of the contract will be up to 80 working days between March 2021- November 2021. The payment will be made upon satisfactory completion of all tasks and deliverables in the assignment, and submission and approval by UN Women.

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:

• Thorough knowledge of Local Government planning and budgeting processes.
• Strong presentation, facilitation, reporting and writing abilities in English and Albanian.
• Diverse organizational skills in various settings.
• Proven ability to work within limited time constraints in the preparation of high-quality documents.
• Strong ability to interact effectively with various partners and stakeholders, with focus on Municipality experts and public administration.
• Possesses the ability to work independently.
• Good computer skills in Windows environment, knowledge of internet communications and command of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Power Point).

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Academic Qualifications/Education:

• Master’s degree in gender studies, human rights, public policy or any other related area of study.
• Additional trainings and certifications on gender equality and Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting would be considered an asset.

Work Experience:

• A minimum of -7 years of relevant professional experience in the field of gender equality, human rights, good governance, or public finances.
• Demonstrated expertise in working with Local Governments, with focus on social services/social protection policy planning and local budgeting processes, including development of gender equality policy documents.
• Experience in conducting trainings, mentoring of LGUs.  
• Previous experience or familiarity with the UN system or similar international organizations is considered an asset.

Language:

• Fluency and proficiency in spoken and written Albanian and English required.

Scope of Price Propozal and Schedule of Payment:

• Financial Proposal specifying the total fee in Albanian Lek 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) and travel. The financial proposal shall include one travel to each municipality Skrapar, Polican, Fushearrez, Vlora, Elbasan, Durres.  

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; and (iv) submission of the certification of payment.

Recommended Presentation of Offer:

Qualified and interested candidates are asked to submit their application no later than 22 March 2021:

• A Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability including a brief description explaining why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment.
• UN Women Personal History Form (P11) including past experience in similar assignment. Can be downloaded at  or http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
• Financial Proposal specifying the total all-inclusive monthly fee in Albanian Lek for the tasks specified in this assignment as specified in the paragraph ‘Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments’ above.

Evaluation of the application:

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:

• Master’s degree in gender studies, human rights, public policy or any other related area of study. 10 points
• A minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in the field of gender equality, human rights, good governance, or public finances. (max. 20 points)
• Demonstrated expertise in working with Local Governments, with focus on policy planning and local budgeting processes, including development of gender equality policy documents. (max. 20 points)
• Experience in conducting trainings, mentoring of LGUs  (max. 15 points)
• Previous experience or familiarity with the UN system or similar international organizations is considered an asset. (max. 5 points)

     Financial Evaluation – 30 points

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation will be considered for the 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. A suggested formula is as follows:

p = 30 (µ/z)

Using the following values:

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:

• All online applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from UN Women Personal History Form (P11)  or http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment   
• Merge all the required documents above ( Cover letter, P-11, aggregated financial offer) 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
• Please enter the CV or Resume in the Resume Section of the online application format
• click 'Submit Application;'
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (indicated 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.

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.

The United Nations in Albania is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, are particularly encouraged to apply.