Background

I. Organizational Contex

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (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, 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 support to Member States’ efforts and priorities in meeting their gender equality goals and for building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

In Türkiye, in line with its global Strategic Plan 2022-2025 and Country Strategic Note (2022-2025), and the overall UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Turkiye (UNSDCF) (2021-2025), UN Women works towards the overarching goal of “Women and girls including those at greatest risk of being left behind fully exercise their human rights, enjoy a life free from violence and discrimination, and lead, influence and benefit for Turkiye”. UN Women works in four thematic areas: (i) governance and participation in public life; (ii) women’s economic empowerment; (iii) ending violence against women and girls; and (iv) women, peace and security, humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction. UN Women contributes to three UNSDCF outcomes: 1) Women and girls have improved and equal access to resources, opportunities, and rights, and enjoy a life without violence and discrimination; 2) By 2025, Persons under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection are supported towards self-reliance. 3) By 2025, governance systems are more transparent, accountable, inclusive and rights-based with the participation of civil society, and quality of judicial services is improved.

In line with its mandate, UN Women promotes gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) which is a well-recognized strategy and powerful tool to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment that enables governments to effectively reduce gender inequalities through policies, plans and budgets that address equally the specific needs and priorities of women and men, including the most excluded.  GRB improves the effectiveness of public spending and strengthens accountability by urging for the creation of transparent budgets. UN Women has spearheaded and supported GRB interventions in more than 80 countries and has recognized global, regional and country-level technical expertise in this area.

UN Women embarked on a 45-months project “Implementing Gender-Responsive Planning and Budgeting in Turkey” as of December 2020, funded by the European Union and the main beneficiary of which is the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services (MoFLSS) - General Directorate on the Status of Women (GDSW) whereas the co-beneficiary is Presidency of Turkey - Presidency of Strategy and Budget (PSB). The project aims to increase financing for GEWE through strategic partnerships, providing tailored technical assistance and guidance, and building institutional capacity and knowledge. It consists of three components; awareness raising for national and local authorities, capacity building for national and local authorities, capacity building for gender advocates and women’s groups. The Project is designed to support selected line Ministries as well as four selected pilot municipalities (Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, Eskisehir Metropolitan Municipality, Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, Edirne Municipality). The project will benefit from international expertise and close linkages with UN Women’s Regional Programme “Transformative Financing for Gender Equality in the Western Balkans” as well as other relevant initiatives.

Türkiye has made progress in recent years to implement the national and international commitments to put GRPB into effect at the central and local levels. In 2012, the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men (CEOWM) of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye (GNAT) established an ad hoc Sub-Committee on GRB. The 10th Development Plan, covering 2014 to 2018, includes a strong set of actions to raise awareness of and develop practices for GRB. The Women’s Empowerment Strategy Document and Action Plan, which covers 2018 to 2023, also includes an action on GRB.

The 2023-2024 Budget Preparation Guide, developed by the Presidency of Strategy and Budget to cover the general principles and standards to be followed by public authorities in developing budget proposals, refers to GRB as a fundamental tool to be adopted in budget development. It also draws attention to considering indicators for monitoring gender equality as public authorities set performance indicators for incorporating GRB into the budgeting process. Finally, the 12th Development Plan covering the years 2024-2028 includes the integration of GRB initiatives into the budgeting processes as a policy measure, which provides a strong basis for the mainstreaming of GRB in the planning and budgeting process in the upcoming period.

Under this project, UN Women will establish gender budget groups (GBGs) to monitor to what extent GEWE priorities are reflected in the plans and budgets in four pilot cities (Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Kocaeli, Edirne. Technical capacities of the members of the GBS will be developed and a GRB Monitoring Guideline will be prepared for the GBGs to help them to monitor and oversee the gender impact of public investments. The GBGs are expected to monitor institutional strategy / budget documents and to develop a monitoring report, which will include the review of a strategic plan / performance programme through GRB.

In this regard, UN Women is looking for National Consultant to provide substantive and technical support on establishing GBGs in the four pilot cities (Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Kocaeli, Edirne), capacity building activities for the GBGs, facilitating monitoring activities of the GBGs and developing monitoring report.

Duties and Responsibilities

II. Functions

Under the direct supervision of the Programme Specialist – Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting, the National Consultant - CSO Expert will be mainly responsible for the below generic tasks:

• Providing inputs to the conceptual framework, content development, knowledge materials/products and monitoring tools of the capacity building trainings on monitoring and GRB that will be organized for relevant central governmental institutions, pilot municipalities and local CSOs;
• Supporting to establish Gender Budget Groups (GBGs) in four pilot cities (Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Kocaeli, Edirne) through meetings (face to face and/or via online tools e.g. Zoom);
• Attending/Leading online/face-to face meetings for GBGs in each 4 pilot cities;
• Develop a GRB Monitoring Guideline for the GBGs;
• Preparing a quality and timely monitoring reports, which will include the review of a strategic plan / performance programme of pilot municipalities through GRB;
• Facilitate dialogue meetings among central and/or local officials and GBGs in pilot cities;
• Participating in introductory session and regular preparatory and coordination meetings, technical working group meetings with UN Women Türkiye, the project team, policy advisors at regional office and at headquarters and other consultants throughout the assignment;
• Providing technical inputs to communications and advocacy materials on informing the general public, stakeholders, national, local and online media on GRB and its impacts on enhancing gender equality;
• Following up and reporting quarterly on the changes in capacities of the beneficiaries, engendered local progammes and budgets, lessons learned and recommendations based on the activities conducted.

The National Consultant is expected to provide services when required with advance notice from UN Women Türkiye Office.

The abovementioned tasks are indicative and subject to further detailing through specific service requests to be made by UN Women Türkiye Office during the course of the contract duration.

III. Deliverables and Payment Schedule

Duration of the assignment is from 8 March 2024 to 15 September 2024. The Consultant is expected to spend up to 25 working days on a non-consecutive basis throughout the assignment.

The Assignment will include quarterly reports on the ToR deliverables, which are defined in the specific service requests to be made by UN Women to the consultant, along with a time sheet.

Expected Deliverables and Payment Schedule:

The following table summarizes main activities and expected deliverables against targeted delivery deadlines and indicative working days to be invested by the Consultant. The deliverables are clearly dedicated in line with the expected functions as can be seen in the following table.

*The number of working days are solely provided to give the National Consultant an idea on the work to be undertaken. All deliverables shall be received and cleared by UN Women in Türkiye.

Note: The mentioned number of working days has been estimated as being sufficient/feasible for the envisaged volume of work to be completed successfully and is proposed as a guideline for the duration of assignment. It cannot and shall not be used as criteria for completion of work/assignment. The provision of envisaged deliverables approved by the UN Women in Türkiye shall be the only criteria for the Consultant's work being completed and eligible for payment/s.

Payment Schedule:

National Consultant shall be paid upon on a quarterly basis based on the quarterly report including the deliverables produced within that quarter in addition to the timesheet indicating the days allocated for the specific deliverables produced in that quarter. Payment shall be affected only if the quarterly report and the timesheet are submitted to and approved by the Programme Specialist. Without submission and approval of the deliverables, Consultants shall not receive any payment even if they invest time for this assignment.

During assignment’s related missions, the National Consultant may use the facilities of the office (i.e. internet access, printing, copying, local phone calls, etc.). However, s/he is expected to use his/her own personal computer.

If any of the deliverables stipulated in above table are not produced and delivered by the National Consultants in due time and to the satisfaction of UN Women Türkiye, no payment will be made even if the National Consultants have invested time to produce and deliver such deliverables.

Mandatory Training Courses:

The Consultant shall complete all the mandatory and other required UN training courses and modules on time. The certificates shall be submitted to the supervisor.

Competencies

V. 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

Functional Competencies

• Excellent knowledge of gender equality and women's empowerment issues and violence, discrimination, sexual harassment, and abuse in business world;
• Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies;
• Ability to gather and interpret data, reach logical conclusions and present findings;
• Focuses on impact and results for client;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Strong report writing skills;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

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

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.)  

Required Skills and Experience

VI. Required Skills and Experience:

VII. Travel

Potential travels to pilot provinces (Edirne, Eskisehir, Kocaeli and Gaziantep) of the project and other cities in Türkiye are expected. UN Women Türkiye Office will cover the organization and the costs of the consultant’s travel as per UN Women’s rules and regulations. UN Women will not cover transportation cost within duty station including the taxi costs. 

In the context of the assignment, wherever possible, the meetings can be carried out through online conferencing such as Skype, Zoom, MS Teams, etc.

VII. Application Procedure:

The following documents should be submitted as part of the application:

Cover letter to include a brief overview about which of your previous experiences makes you the most suitable candidate for the advertised assignment.

CV in English containing the relevant educational and professional experience.

Signed UN Women Personal History (P11) Form including past experience in similar assignments which can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment

The cover letter, CV, signed UN Women personal history form and the financial proposal shall be sent via e- mail to ssa.turkiye@unwomen.org indicating the name of the position applied in the subject line of the e-mail no later than the application deadline - Please see Annex I: Price Proposal Guideline and Template and Annex II: Price Proposal Submission Form.

When applying; the Cover Letter, CV and the signed P11 Form should be merged into one (1) single PDF document. The Financial Proposal should be sent as a separate file in PDF, separately from the rest of the documents. Please make sure not to include the Financial Proposal in the merged PDF document.

Should they be short-listed in consideration of the consultancy, candidates should be able to quickly submit degree certificates, medical certifications or any other requested document.

Incomplete applications such as applications without a financial proposal may not be considered. Applicants are responsible to make sure to have provided all the requested application materials before the deadline.

IX. Evaluation of Applicants

Annex I: Price Proposal Guideline and Template

The prospective Individual Consultant should take the following explanations into account during submission of his/her price proposal.

1.Daily fee

The daily price proposal should indicate a "lump sum amount" which is "all-inclusive"; All costs (professional fees, communications, consumables during field related missions, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Contractor needs to be factored into the proposed price.

UN Women will not withhold any amount of the payments for tax and/or social security related payments. UN Women shall have no liability for taxes, duties or other similar charges payable by the Individual Contractor in respect of any amounts paid to the Individual Contractor under this Contract, and the Contractor acknowledges that UN Women will not issue any statements of earnings to the Individual contractor in respect of any such payments.

2.Travel costs

Potential travels to pilot provinces (Edirne, Eskisehir, Kocaeli and Gaziantep) of the project and other cities in Türkiye are expected. UN Women Türkiye Office will cover the organization and the costs of the consultant’s travel as per UN Women’s rules and regulations. UN Women will not cover transportation cost within duty station including the taxi costs.

In the context of the assignment, wherever possible, the meetings can be carried out through online conferencing such as Skype, Zoom, MS Teams, etc.

3.Daily Subsistence Allowance

Not applicable.

4.Currency of the price proposal

The applicants are requested to submit their price proposals in Turkish Liras.

Annex II: Price Proposal Submission Form

To: United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Ref: National Consultant - CSO Expert

Dear Sir / Madam,

I, the undersigned, offer to provide professional consulting services to UN Women within the scope of the referred Assignment.

Having examined, understood and agreed to the Terms of Reference and its annexes, the receipt of which are hereby duly acknowledged, I, the undersigned, offer to deliver professional services, in conformity with the Terms of Reference.

My maximum total price proposal for the assignment is given below:

I confirm that my financial proposal will remain unchanged for 120 days. I also confirm that the price that I quote is gross, and is inclusive of all legal expenses, including but not limited to social security, income tax, pension, etc., which shall be required applicable laws.

I agree that my proposal shall remain binding upon me for 120 days.

I understand that you are not bound to accept any proposal you may receive.

[Signature]

Date:

Name:

Address:

Telephone/Fax:

Email: