Background

Context / Background 

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.

The Fiji Multi Country Office (MCO) covers 14 Pacific countries, with field offices/presence in 6 countries, and five ‘focus countries’ (Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Samoa). Each field presence is led by a national Country Programme Coordinator. UN Women, in partnership with Pacific Islands Governments, regional organizations, CSOs, donors and UN agencies, focuses on delivering within four interlinked programme areas:

• Ending Violence against Women and Girls (EVAWG);
• Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE);
• Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action; and
• Governance and Participation in Public Life (GPPL)

Under Governance and Participation in Public Life, UN Women is supporting monitoring work in Solomon Islands on the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).  More specifically, UN Women will provide support with the assessment, review, and update of the Solomon Islands legislative compliance with CEDAW as a lobbying tool for legislative reforms and to support reporting obligations of the Solomon Islands Government (SIG) to national, regional, and international human rights frameworks.

The Solomon Islands ratified CEDAW and the Optional Protocol on CEDAW in May 2002 obliging it to work towards the modification of its legislation in accordance with the articles of the Convention.  By accepting the Convention, Solomon Islands commit to undertake a series of measures to end discrimination against women in all forms including:

• incorporating the principles of gender equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women;
• establishing tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against the discriminators; and
• ensuring elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations, or enterprises.

In a society where discrimination is often most deeply rooted in spheres of life such as culture, the family, and interpersonal relations, the ratification of CEDAW by the Solomon Islands Government was a major step forward to the full protection of women’s human rights.  CEDAW in essence has become a catalyst in this regard, but it is also evident that more work needs to be done.  One of the most important steps for realizing women’s rights in a sustainable manner is to ensure that they are established in national legislation. 

Under the previous UNIFEM support, a publication on “Protecting Women’s Human Rights in Solomon Islands Law” and “CEDAW Legislative Compliance of Solomon Islands” were developed purposely to assist the government and civil society lobby for domestication of CEDAW into national law, and to assess the country’s legislative compliance.  Since the publications, a lot of initiatives have been taken by the government to improve the protection of women’s human right in country like the successful lobby of the Family Protection Act, the increasing number of sectoral policies, strategies and actions that have incorporated gender perspectives such as the National Development Strategy, the Health Strategic Plan, and the National Trafficking in the Immigration Act 2012.  A need to review and update the country’s CEDAW legislative compliance is therefore crucial to provide an important road map for SIG to use in developing its short term and longer-term national plan for implementation.

In this regard UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office (MCO) in close consultation with UN Women Solomon Islands Office and the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs (MWYCFA) seeks to hire a consultant to assess, review and update Solomon Islands legislative compliance based on the CEDAW compliance indicators.  

Objectives

The purpose of this consultancy is to assess, review and update the Solomon Islands legislative compliance with CEDAW in close collaboration with UN Women, MWYCFA and other relevant stakeholders.

The Consultant will:

1. Conduct a desk review on “the “Solomon Islands legislative compliance with CEDAW according to the 113 plus CEDAW compliance indicators which will be shared and in alignment with the format for Translating CEDAW into Law: CEDAW Legislative Compliance in Nine Pacific Island Countries.
2. Consult with key relevant organizations and stakeholders to gather updated information where applicable on women’s human rights in Solomon Islands law.
3. Organize and facilitate a workshop with key relevant stakeholders to validate the findings of the desk review and consultations in relation to the country’s legislative compliance with CEDAW.
4. Update and finalize the compliance matrix/publication.

Duties and Responsibilities

Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Programme Specialist Gender Equality, Women’s Rights & Governance MCO and the direct supervision of the National Programme Coordinator, A2J, and in close collaboration with the MWYCFA and other relevant stakeholders, the Consultant will undertake the tasks as outlined in the deliverable table below.

Expected Deliverables

The duration of this assignment will be up to 40 working days over 6-month period starting 1st October 2023.

The Consultant is expected to deliver, specifically, the following major tasks or outputs:

The assignment should be carried out within a period of 6 months, not exceeding 40 working days, with the incumbent being responsible for delivering the following outputs:

• Inception Report with detailed Workplan
• Desk Review Report
• Draft Report on Translating CEDAW into Law: CEDAW Legislative Compliance in Solomon Islands
• Final Report on Translating CEDAW into Law: CEDAW Legislative Compliance in Solomon Islands and updated compliance matrix.

All the deliverables should be agreed with the UN Women’s Governance and Participation in Public Life Programme Team provided in English hard and electronic copy. 

Note that all materials, including any video footage and images, will remain property of UN Women and cannot be used without UN Women’s permission.

Upon receipt of the final deliverables and prior to the payment of the instalment, the deliverables, related reports, and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women at least within 10 business days of submission.

All the documents and materials utilized need to be returned to UN Women in electronic format. Any printed materials utilized to be referenced and returned.

Input

• UN Women in collaboration with the MWYCFA, will provide the Consultant with background materials for review.
• The Consultant is expected to work remotely using his/her own computer but may access the UN Women office for printing of relevant documents or should he/she be required to work on-site at any point during the assignment.
• The Consultant is expected to include in the Financial proposal the cost of organizing the 3 workshops. This includes venue, catering, and other expected costs for: Half day inception workshop (approx. 30 participants), 1 day consultation workshop (approx. 50 participants) and 1 day validation workshop (50 participants)

Management Arrangements

• The Consultant will work under the overall guidance of UN Women Fiji Programme Specialist – Gender Equality, Women’s Rights and Governance and direct supervision of the National Programme Coordinator, in close consultation with the MWYCFA and other key relevant stakeholders.
• The consultancy envisages extensive work with Government and CSO partners in Solomon Islands.
• The selected Consultant shall sign a contract with UN Women for stipulated assignment, as stated above.

Performance Evaluation

The Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial Arrangements

Payments will be disbursed to the consultant in instalments, upon submission and approval of deliverables, monthly timesheets aligned with actual days worked and certification by the UN Women Programme Specialist Gender Equality, Women’s Rights and Governance that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

Travel

Travel costs outside Honiara, Solomon Islands are not envisaged.

The Consultant will be responsible for all administrative and travel expenses associated with undertaking this assignment and be based in Solomon Islands. 

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UN Women and the National Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Competencies

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

Required Skills and Experience

Required Qualifications and Work Experience

The Consultant should fulfil the following requirements:

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in in Law, Gender Equality, Human Rights, or other related areas is required.

• 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 and Skills:

• At least 5 years (with Master’s degree) or 7 years (with first-level university degree) of progressively responsible experience related in law, gender equality and human rights.  
• A minimum of five (5) years of experience in gender analysis of law and policies related to global and regional normative frameworks to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment is strongly desirable, including CEDAW, the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA), in country specific contexts.
• Strong legal and gender analysis skills, including experience preparing human rights assessment and reports.
• Strong communication and report writing skills – with evidence of clear and concise writing style.
• Ability to produce well written document demonstrating analytical ability and communication skills.
• Experience of working with different stakeholders in the Pacific and particularly in the Solomon Islands would be an asset.
• Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, ability to use internet and email.

Language and other skills:

• Excellent skills and fluency in verbal and written English is required. 
• Fluency in Solomon Islands pidgin language is an asset.

Additional Information:

UN Women Statement on Diversity Inclusion

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).

Evaluation

Initially, individual consultants will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in in Law, Gender Equality, Human Rights, or other related areas is required.  A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• At least 5 years (with Master’s degree) or 7 years (with first-level university degree) of progressively responsible experience related in law, gender equality and human rights.  

Technical evaluation of shortlisted candidates will be done through desk review of applications on the basis of responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR) as per table below.  Interviews and/or written tests will be organized if needed only, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications.

Technical Evaluation Table:

The consultancy recruitment process will be governed by the rules and regulations of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit fully completed application on the UNDP Vacancy Site. 

Submission Package:

1. Cover letter explaining the suitability of the consultant: applicants are encouraged to address experience and qualifications listed in the ‘criteria for technical evaluation’.
2. Duly filled Personal History Form (P11) and/or Curriculum Vitae (CV) of consultant including records of past experience in similar assignments and specific outputs obtained; P11 can be downloaded at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment

Failure of candidates to submit a duly completed P11 form, as well as false representations on this form, shall constitute sufficient grounds for withdrawal of further consideration of the application. Information provided in the P11 form will be treated with confidentiality.  Applications without a complete set of the required documentations will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. UN Women reserves the right to accept or reject any bid.