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 joint programme, Empowering Women for Sustainable Peace in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), is being implemented by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) Philippines and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It is funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC) under the guidance of the UN Resident Coordinator Office (UNRCO) and the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA). The JP covers the period from 1 April 2022 to 30 September 2025, with an inception phase of six months (1 April 2022 to 30 September 2022) and is being implemented in close coordination with BARMM ministries, offices, and agencies, as well as with civil society organizations (CSOs) in the BARMM. The JP will be implemented primarily within BARMM and in Bangsamoro communities adjacent to the region.

The JP fundamentally aims to prevent insecurity and violence by harnessing the potentials of both women and men and by addressing structural gender inequality and discriminatory gender norms that are barriers to sustainable peace. While it will focus on empowering women to participate and lead in peacebuilding, conflict prevention and conflict resolution, it also aims to enhance the ownership and responsibility of the BARMM government in promoting gender equality and meaningful inclusion of women in peace and security processes. Finally, the JP will bring the complementary strengths of UN Women and UNDP in advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda in all aspects of peacebuilding and governance.

The JP also aligns with the priorities and interventions currently being implemented under the Normalization Programme as well as with the newly approved UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (SDCF) 2024-2028 in the Philippines strategic priority outcome 1. The Programme is also anchored on the Bangsamoro Regional Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (RAP-WPS) 2020-2022, and now on its successor plan – the Bangsamoro RAP-WPS 2023-2028.

The JP (April 2022- September 2025) was designed based on the fundamental objective to prevent insecurity and violence by harnessing the potentials of both women and men and addressing structural gender inequality and discriminatory gender norms that are the barriers to sustainable peace. While it will focus on empowering women to participate and lead in peacebuilding, conflict prevention and resolution, it also aims to enhance ownership and responsibility of the BARMM governments in promoting gender equality and inclusion in peace and security processes. In doing so, it will bring complementary strengths of UN Women and UNDP to advance the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda into all aspects of peacebuilding and governance. The primary

beneficiaries of the joint programme include women and girls in BARMM, particularly those who are vulnerable to violence, conflict and crisis in the region. The immediate beneficiaries include Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), Bangsamoro Women Commission (BWC), BARMM Ministries and Agencies, local government units (duty bearers) and gender and peacebuilding advocates, civil society women’s organizations and associations at regional and local levels (rights holders).

The ultimate outcome of the programme is ‘Through inclusive and accountable governance, decent employment generation and essential services of health, education, security, justice, protection and recovery systems reach the most vulnerable in Mindanao, resulting in socially cohesive and resilient communities.’

As per the agreement between UN Women – UNDP and Global Affairs Canada, UN Women and UNDP will conduct a midterm review by an external consultant in Q2-Q3 of 2024 to capture progress across the regional and local levels and to identify gaps and recommendations to accelerate progress and recommendations for enhancement, where required. The mid-term review will focus on the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and timeliness of programme implementation. Findings and recommendations of the mid-term review will inform implementation during the final half of the programme.

Thus, UN Women Philippine Programme Office with UNDP Philippines is seeking to recruit an International Consultant (IC) to conduct the data gathering processes of the mid-term review (MTR) of the Joint Programme, “Empowering Women for Sustainable Peace in the BARMM”. The consultant will conduct field visits and interviews among communities, Government Agencies and Stakeholders to BARMM, in the Philippines.

The MTR will review progress towards the achievement of the project objectives and outcomes as specified in the Project Document including what has been achieved so far, what are the gaps and challenges, emerging issues and recommendations to enhance the implementation of the JP towards achieving its intended results. The MTR will also review the project’s strategy, emerging outcomes and pathways to sustainability.

The MTR will undertake an assessment of the following areas of inquiry:

1)     The relevance of the project to the national, regional and local levels and to the target beneficiaries’ needs and priorities.

2)     The coherence of the project with other similar interventions

3)     The effectiveness of the project implementation strategies in the achievement of objectives and results based on the Theory of Change and Results Framework.

4)     The efficiency of the use of the Project resources.

5)     The potential pathways towards ensuring sustainability of results.

6)     The likely contribution of the Project to the overall impact of strengthening inclusive and accountable governance, decent employment generation and essential services of health, education, security, justice, protection, and recovery systems reach the most vulnerable in Mindanao, resulting in socially cohesive and resilient communities.

7)     Analysis of the cross-cutting issues and application of the rights-based approach, gender responsiveness, and leaving no one behind (LNOB) in the Project interventions, particularly with the gender and inclusion framework.

The MTR will examine key outputs and emerging outcomes from project implementation, challenges encountered and steps taken to address these issues, and recommendations on how to accelerate progress and/or introduce course corrections for the remaining period of project implementation.

Given that this is the first UN Women led- Joint Programme together with UNDP, the mid-term review should inform how UN Women and UNDP can enhance coordination for greater results, identify areas of challenges and opportunities to strengthen partnership and complementary efforts leveraging the strengths of the two agencies. The MTR should also provide recommendations to improve programme performance through strengthening the efficient and effective implementation of the Project interventions. 

The consultant will be reporting to UN Women Philippines WPS Team Lead, and will be supported by M&E Analyst, who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

All the deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports should be submitted in writing in English and Filipino. Upon receipt of the deliverables and before the payment of the first instalment, the deliverables and related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by JP team (UN Women and UNDP). The period of review is one week after receipt.

All data collected by the consultant must be submitted to the supervisor in Word, PowerPoint or Excel formats and is the property of JP team. Proper storage of data is essential for ensuring confidentiality and should be in line with the UN Women’s Policy on data management and security. Final reports will follow the United Nations Editorial Manual, which can be found here.

Duties and Responsibilities

The review will cover the scope of the full implementation period from April 2022 up to the period when the review process will be undertaken (May-August 2024). The review will focus on targeted communities in all BARMM provinces and Bangsamoro communities outside BARMM benefitting from this project.

In the case of review criteria, the review will follow the OECD-DAC’s revised review criteria (relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, impact and sustainability) along with additional cross cutting criteria. The review will also review how the intervention sought to mainstream gender equality and social inclusion with intersectionality lens including disability issues, application of the human rights-based approach, and the GRID approach, and alignment with transparency and accountability principles. In addition, the review should also analyze the risks management and documentation of lessons, good practices, and innovations.

The review should cover at least the following areas:

Relevance of the project - the inception phase of the JP provided the critical opportunity for the project team to strengthen the relevance of the project through strategic engagement and further consultations with key stakeholders and beneficiaries of the project. The midterm review will examine the extent to which the recommendations and key adjustment of the project design and implementation during inception phase has helped to enhance  the project design, particularly project’s objectives, Theory of Change, Results and Resource Frameworks, project management arrangement, as it relates to the achievement of project objectives, its linkages with the government’s national strategic plans, UNSDCF, UNDP Country Programme Document, and problems it intends to address, and relevance to beneficiaries need, including by considering LNOB aspects.

Efficiency of the project - review the cost efficiency of the project intervention, the quality and timeliness of the project delivery and efficient utilization of resources, approaches towards achieving results and suggest where the project can enhance efficiency.

Effectiveness of the project - review the project’s direct and indirect results (both short term and long term) and its contributions towards the achievement of the anticipated results, including any constraints on its effectiveness, and any unintended results, the reporting and monitoring system, review the effectiveness of the project’s management arrangements, analyze the underlying factors beyond project control that affect the achievement of the project results, including gaps, challenges and opportunities for the implementation in the remaining period of the project duration. The review should offer concrete recommendations on how the intervention can be strengthened from a Result-Based Management perspective concerning components monitoring plan and performance measurement framework.

Pathways towards sustainability of the project intervention and results- reviewing the project implementation and approach to ensure sustainability of the interventions, including progress towards institutionalization of the system, mechanisms and capacity developed under the project where relevant and emerging results.

Coherence of the project- alignment with UNDP's and UN-Women's core documents (e.g., Strategic Plan, UNSCDF, CPDs, etc..), national and regional priorities (BDP, BRAP-WPS, etc..), and project’s coordination and collaboration with relevant partners.

Other areas:

• Reviewing project approaches and modality towards Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI), Human Rights-Based Approach, and Green Resilient and Inclusive Development (GRID).
• Reviewing the external factors beyond the project's control that have affected it negatively or positively and how the project dealt with them.
• Reviewing the ProDoc on overall approach, modality and priority areas against the existing context and socio-economic conditions to inform future planning taking into account of the work during inception phase of the project
• Review the planning, management, and quality assurance mechanism including monitoring and review as well as risk management to deliver the project interventions, review the project's coordination and communication processes and mechanisms with the stakeholders; and review the management and governing structure of the project and distribution of responsibilities within the given structure. This should take into account the extensive work that has been done during the inception of this JP.

The International Consultant will produce the following deliverables:

The International Consultant is expected to be home-based but if applicable with field missions in the project area, BARMM, Mindanao. Philippines. The travel will be arranged by the WPS Unit following UN Women Travel Policy.

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 

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:  https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values 

Functional Competencies: 

• Excellent analytical skills
• Strong knowledge of UN Women processes and systems
• Strong networking skills
• Strong inter-personal skills, communicate effectively with staff at all levels of the organization;
• Ability to work in a highly pressured environment
• Excellent facilitation skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree in Political or Social Science, Gender Studies, International Development or in Monitoring and Review.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two (2) additional years of qualifying experience maybe accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of relevant experience in monitoring and review and research at the national or international level is required.
• Minimum of five (5) years of relevant work experience undertaking reviews, assessments, or evaluations of programmes relating to gender equality is required.
• Minimum of two (2) years of experience in programme development or implementation with a particular attention to developing indicators for monitoring results related to Women, Peace and Security projects is required.
• Previous experience in conducting mid-term reviews is required.
• Proven experience in facilitating workshops on results-based and participatory monitoring and reporting is desirable.
• Experience in the United Nations systems and/or UN Women is desirable.
• Knowledge of the WPS agenda would be is desirable.
• Knowledge of the Philippines BARMM context is desirable.
• Previous work experience with ASEAN and/or the UN in Southeast Asia is required.

Languages:

• Proficiency in English is required.

Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their electronic application to hr.bangkok@unwomen.org with cc to mariafe.mejia@unwomen.org not later than 17 May 2024, 17:00 Manila, PHL time. The submission package includes:

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)
• Written samples or links to access the work portfolio

Diversity and Inclusion Statement:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.