Background

NOTE: Signed Offeror’s Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and availability - https://www.ba.undp.org/content/dam/bosnia_and_herzegovina/docs/Operations/Jobs/Offerors%20Letter%20to%20UNDP%20Confirming%20Interest%20and%20Availability.docx - Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability.docx - to be sent to e-mail ba.shared.hr@undp.org with Subject: Job ID 101458.

The main objective of the Women in Elections (WiE) project is to strengthen women’s leadership and participation in public and political life. Guided by the strict observance of the highest standards of political neutrality, the project applies the UN Gender Equality in Elected Office approach to help secure an enabling environment for getting more women elected across board, in all spheres of decision-making in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH). Strengthening women’s leadership and political participation applies the two-pronged approach- vertically by proposing structural adjustments to accommodate greater numbers of women in politics, as well as horizontally by nourishing the next generation of women leaders in communities through tailored networking and capacity building initiatives.

Around the world, finding a job is much tougher for women than it is for men. The current labour force participation rate for women in BIH is 35.2%. For men, it is 58.7%. That is a difference of over 23 percentage points.[1] When women are employed, they tend to work in low-quality jobs in vulnerable conditions, bringing to the fore the concept of decent work. Freedom to work – by choice, in conditions of dignity, safety and fairness – is integral to human wellbeing. Guaranteeing that women have access to this right is an important end in itself. From an economic perspective, reducing gender gaps in labour force participation could substantially boost global GDP. The regions with the largest gender gaps would see huge growth benefits. BIH could therefore see its average annual GDP growth increase, which is significant given the economic downturn experienced during the current COVID-19 crisis. Data[2] show that women felt more the economic impacts as they are often not employed or are employed part-time or in the informal sector.

Women leaders, from all walks of life, all backgrounds and different experiences, knowledge and skills, are seen as essential players of positive social transformation towards sustainable development goals, higher gender equality and better quality of life for citizens of BIH. In relation to this, one of project avenues for strengthening women’s leadership is the Women’s Forum for Development (WF4D). This is envisaged as a platform for inclusive dialogue on gender equality matters, platform for action and consensus decision making[3], forging issue-based coalitions and establishing a mutual support mechanism that nourishes the next generation of women leaders and contributes to creation of new, gender-responsive development paradigm. Activities summed up in these terms of reference are to set up WF4D foundations and to serve as a steppingstone for creating a more permanent platform of women leaders in BIH. While doing so, it is important to have in mind the interdisciplinary nature of both gender and development, that together constitute the base of WF4D philosophy and field of intervention. The WF4D is envisaged to operate on four different tracks: decent work, transformational leadership, care economy/social innovation and knowledge powerhouse.

Discussions held within WF4D all point to paramount importance of economic independence. One of the key take-aways, however, is the importance of keeping the focus on decent work as a guiding principle of women leadership and economic empowerment initiatives. In addition to the intrinsic value of safeguarding the rights and dignity of women, decent work is considered as a key to reaching transformative effects and achieving true resilience.

The purpose of this consultancy is to assist the team to fully operationalize thematic track on Decent Work of the WF4D. This should be done by drawing more broadly on the WF4D Framework while initiating new consultative processes and capitalising on discussions with the key stakeholders to create a Roadmap for action.

[1] National Human Development Report 2020: Social Inclusion in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Available on: https://www.ba.undp.org/content/bosnia_and_herzegovina/en/home/library/nhdr/NHDR2020_SocialInclusion.html

[2] UNDP, UNICEF, 2020, 2021. Available on: https://www.ba.undp.org/content/bosnia_and_herzegovina/en/home/library/publications/SocialImpactAssessment.html

[3] Consensus decision making is a creative and dynamic way of reaching agreement between all members of a group. Instead of simply voting for an item and having the majority of the group getting their way, a group using consensus is committed to finding solutions that everyone actively supports. This ensures that all opinions, ideas and concerns are taken into account, and it is as such a basic feminist principle for cooperation.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will work closely with the project team and other consultants engaged under the Projecton other three tracks and with the Engagement Specialist to expand impact within the thematic area of economic empowerment of women, and to strengthen the intersections between the decent work and gender equality. More concretely, the Consultant is expected to assist the team to fully operationalize the Decent Work track of the WF4D. All processes and products implemented within this track will be focused on identifying issues and solutions that pertain to the thematic area, ultimately supporting women leaders to act in positive societal transformation.

In line with the WF4D workplan and stakeholder engagement strategy, the Consultant is expected to initiate, manage, and sustain all processes within the track. These incude actively creating content within his/her thematic track, carrying out a range of consultative processes with practitioners and streamlining  inputs and discussion takeaways to create a Roadmap for action. Drawing on issues identified under this WF4D track, this track will feed the expert content for the High-Level Group[1] that will actively engage in improving the situation and advocating for concrete solutions. Consultative processes within the track are to be done applying consensus decision making, based on the basic principle of co-operation between equals- dismantling hierarchies and replacing it with shared power in pursuit of ‘win-win’ solutions that are acceptable to all.

In order to maximize the outreach and to capitalize on communication and networking channels that were put in place also to mitigate COVID-19 related restrictions on social gatherings, the Consultant is expected to fully utilize the existing digital tools as well as promote their appropriation by all WF4D stakeholders. Digital tools include WF4D web platform, an online arm of  WF4D, Liderke za Razvoj Facebook group and Online Bourse designed to reduce time-poverty and boost solidarity among women. Virtuality is embraced as a way of multiplying effects of positive sides of the project, but not a replacement for real cooperation and the material side of WF4D organizing. The combination of the two WF4D aspects, virtual and face-to-face can yield maximum effects.

The Consultant is also expected to effectively cooperate with the selected service provider(s) for implementation of the WF4D media component. This includes identifying gender champions, role models and protagonists of human interest stories within their thematic area, pitching ideas, co-creating content- in order to ensure adequate outreach to select audiences and proper communication about achievements and products created within the Decent Work track of the Forum.

The Consultancy will focus on the following tasks:

• i) Operationalize Decent Work track of WF4D,
• ii) Create Roadmap for action for Decent Work track within WF4D.

Specifically, the Consultant will be expected to perform the following tasks:

Task 1: Operationalise Decent Work track of WF4D

Under this task, the Consultant will:

1. Provide workplan and stakeholder engagement strategy specific to Decent Work track, which is to be integrated within WF4D workplan and stakeholder engagement strategy (1 days)
2. Create a database[2] of 30 most prominent stakeholders in the thematic area, reaching out to secure their engagement in activities of the track (2 days)
3. Identify and involve 3 women role models and at least 1 men gender equality champion ready to take forward “He for She” approach (1 day)
4. Conduct desk review of relevant literature to create a database of the key issues that will serve as point of departure for thematic and online discussion, opportunities/enablers, and possible innovative solutions applicable to BIH context, and identify themes for advocacy messages (2 days)
5. Create a repository of reference materials and literature; map funding opportunities, existing projects and donors active in the thematic area- and deposit it on WF4D platform for future (2 days)

Estimated level of effort for this task is 8 working days.

Task 2: Create Roadmap for action for Decent Work track within WF4D

1. Organise thematic discussion with the (previously mapped) key stakeholders in order to validate the relevance of the identified issues, as well as to crowd-source additional ideas and to map issues, opportunities, enablers, possible actions, advocacy messages applicable to BIH context. (3 days)
2. To increase outreach of the public discussion, the Consultant will initiate, moderate, and take stock of a supplementary process of consultations and crowdsourcing using WF4D platform to 1.) validate the identified issues, and supplement with additional ones, 2.) select issues for advocacy and lobbying by the High-Level Group, and 3.) source ideas/solutions/projects for this track. The Consultant will sublimate all inputs and capture discussion takeaways in the written form. (5 days)
3. Develop draft Roadmap for the Decent Work track, based on all the above processes. (4 days)
4. Validate draft Roadmap with the stakeholders in this thematic area and finalize it. (2 days)

Estimated level of effort for this task is 14 working days.

Total number of days will not exceed 22 workdays overall. 

Deliverables/outputs

[1] High-Level Group should consist of bh women in power such as elected women, top managers, ambassadors. This group will include in its ranks both women and men ready to step up as gender advocates.

[2]The Consultant should validate and update the existing database, enriching it with additional prominent stakeholders in the area.

[3]The Consultant should validate and update the existing database, enriching it with additional prominent stakeholders in the area.

Competencies

Corporate Responsibility and Teamwork:

• Demonstrates commitment to UNDP’s mission, vision and values;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Plans, prioritizes and delivers tasks on time;
• Strives for and promotes excellence in performance continually;
• Participates effectively in a team-based, information-sharing environment, collaborating and cooperating with others;
• Generates ideas and seizes opportunities to support corporate strategic objectives.

People Skills:

• Demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with persons of different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Recognizes and responds appropriately to the ideas, interests, and concerns of others;
• Builds trust and engenders morale by displaying open, transparent and credible behavior;
• Respects individual/cultural differences; utilizes diversity to foster teamwork;
• Ensures others’ understanding of, involvement in, and adaptation to a change process.

Partnering and Networking:

• Communicates sensitively and effectively across different constituencies;
• Ability to work as a member of a team as well as work autonomously;
• Results-orientation;
• Plans and procedures quality results to meet established goals

Communication:

• Technical writing skills, formulates written information clearly and persuasively;
• Strong communication skills;
• Shares information openly with co-workers and partners while using discretion to protect confidences;
• Presents information in a clear and articulate manner.

Job Knowledge and Expertise:

• Strong analytical skills;
• Knowledge in strategic planning and methodology development;
• Demonstrates substantive knowledge on security issues and activities with an emphasis on local communities;
• Executes day-to-day tasks systematically and efficiently;
• Initiative and sound judgment.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications/Education:

• University degree in communications, gender studies, economics, sociology, political sciences or other relevant disciplines;
• Advanced degree will be considered as an asset.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of professional experience as a practitioner in the area of economic empowerment of women, with interlinkages to decent work principles; 
• Professional experience in management, consensus decision making stakeholder engagement, advocacy and communications;
• Proven ability to initiate the identification and pursuit of innovative ideas;
• Demonstrated hand-on experience in gender equality projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina;
• Experience in conducting consultations with various levels and types of stakeholders within BiH;
• Successful track record of developing relationships;
• Demonstrated experience in creating content and working with the media;
• Excellent persuasive writing and editorial skills.

Languages Requirements:

• Fluency in official languages in BiH
• Fluency in English is desired but not necessary

Other Requirements:

• Extensive network of contacts from previous engagements in the relevant area;
• Strong networking skills to build up an internal partner base;
• Self-motivation, with capacity to work effectively in an unstructured environment;
• Sensitivity to and discretion in handling confidential information.

Longlisting/Shortlisting Criteria

Qualifications as stated in the ToR

Technical Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation

Individual  will be evaluated based on the following methodology:

Cumulative analysis

When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the candidate whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and
b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

• * Technical Criteria weight-70%
• * Financial Criteria weight- 30%

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

• Personal CV/P11, including past experience in similar projects and at least 3 references;

Please scan all above mentioned documents and upload as one attachment only online through this website.

Note:

• For an assignment requiring travel, consultants of 65 years or more require full medical examination and statement of fitness to work to engage in the consultancy.
• Due to large number of potential applicants, only competitively selected candidates will be contacted for remaining steps of the service procurement process.