Background

UN Women (UNW), 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, the UN Women leads and coordinates the 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.

UN Women’s triple mandate, along with its global network and deep policy and programming expertise, continues to endow the Entity with a unique capacity to: (i) support Member States to strengthen global norms and standards for gender equality and women’s empowerment, and mainstream gender perspectives in other thematic areas; (ii) promote coordination and coherence across the UN system to enhance accountability and results for gender equality and women’s empowerment; and (iii) undertake operational activities to support Member States, upon their request, in translating global norms and standards into legislation, policies and strategies at country level.

UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997 (as UNIFEM). In line with the national priorities, the work of UN Women for the period 2023-2025 is aligned with three of the Palestine United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework’s (UNSDCF) outcomes:

•             Palestinians have greater access to economic opportunities that are inclusive, resilient, and sustainable, including decent employment and livelihoods opportunities in an empowered private sector.

•             Palestinians, including the most vulnerable, have equal access to sustainable, inclusive, gender responsive and quality social services, social protection, and affordable utilities.

•             Palestinian governance institutions, processes, and mechanisms at all levels are more democratic, rights-based, inclusive, and accountable.

Its three-year Strategic Note supports the efforts to achieve measurable results in country in terms of four UN Women global Strategic Plan impacts (2022-2025): (SP Impact 1). Governance and participation in public life; (SP Impact 2). Women’s Economic Empowerment; (SP Impact 3). Ending Violence Against Women and Girls and; SP Impact 4. Women peace and security, Humanitarian & Disaster Risk Reduction.

In line with the Palestinian Government’s commitment to achieve gender equality and combat Violence Against Women (VAW), and in full partnership with the Justice, Security and Social Sectors, UN Women within its joint programme with UNDP and UNICEF- “ Reinforcing equal access to justice for all Palestinians - SAWASYA III” is supporting the justice, security  and social institutions to mainstream gender into their plans,  procedures and policies; develop and provide gender responsive services to women victims and survivors of violence.

UN Women within the second phase of its joint Rule of Law programme – “Sawasya II” has supported the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP); the Family Protection Prosecution (FPP) and the VAW judiciary to develop Standard Operating Procedures to ensure the provision of harmonized, consistent and gender – responsive services to women victims and survivors of violence.  Based on consultations with partner institutions, UN Women within Sawasya III programme plans to recruit a national expert to support these three institutions in reviewing and amending the SoPs in line with the amended National Referral System (NRS), and lessons learned accumulated over the years by service providers within these institutions.

Objectives:

The consultancy has three main objectives as per the following points:

1. To support the PCP in reviewing and amending the Family and Juvenile Protection Department -FJPD SoPs- reflecting the latest developments in the national protection system;
2. To support the FPP in reviewing and amending the Family Protection Prosecution SoPs reflecting the latest developments in the national protection system;
3. To support the High Judaical Council- HJC in reviewing and amending the VAW SoPs- reflecting the latest developments in the national protection system.

The consultant will be reporting to Sawasya III Programme Specialist and will be supported by the Security and the Prosecution Analysts, in addition to the Finance Associate who will be the point of contact on the contract and payment issues.

Duties and Responsibilities

Developing the inception report:

• Meet with UN Women and the PCP, HJC and FPP focal points to discuss the assignment and its objectives.
• Conduct desk review for related knowledge products and references- including assessments conducted by these institutions on services provided to women victims and survivors of violence; guidelines; organizational structures amongst others.
• Develop the inception report, including the methodology, the deliverables and time frame and share with UN Women for review and approval.
• Share with UN Women the inception report for review, inputs and approval.

Reviewing and Amending the SoPs of the three institutions:  

• Meet with the FJPU officers, the FPP and VAW judges, and others as relevant to collect first hand data on the issue.
• Review and propose amendments to the SoPs in line with the highlights of the literature review, the NRS and feedback collected from partners institutions.
• Facilitate brainstorming and validations discussions with these institutions to discuss and agree on the changes that will be made to the SoPs. 
• Submit amended SoPs for UN Women and partners institutions for review and approval.

Reporting on the assignment:

• Develop a final narrative report on the assignment – that includes a description of the methodology, the main findings, challenges and recommendations.

Deliverables:

The consultancy has three main deliverables:

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel:

This is a home-based consultancy that requires field visits to partners institutions at the PCP, PP and HJC and other partners as relevant, and possible movements between cities – if needed

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: 

• Ability to conduct needs assessment through consultation with stakeholders.
• Very strong background on gender.
• Ability to manage time and meet tight deadlines.
• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback.
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills.
• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback.
• Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure.
• Proven networking, organizational and communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• A Masters degree in Gender Studies, Law, or Sociology or related fields. (max. 10 points)

Experience:

• At least 2-3 years of professional working experience in the field of gender, women’s rights and women access to Justice. (max. 20 points)
• At least 2 previous assignments in areas related to developing SoPs- preferably in areas related to women’s access to justice and women protection. (max. 20 points)
• Strong background on procedures followed within the NRS – notably the justice and security sectors is a great asset- indicated by related research or policy paper or others. (max. 10 points)
• Experience with the Palestinian governmental institutions, particularly with the Security and Justice Sectors indicated by at least 2 previous assignments. (max. 15 points)
• Previous experience with the UN or international organizations is an asset. (max. 5 points)

The candidate has to share a sample of a previously developed SoPs – preferably in areas related to the work of the justice and security sectors. (max. 20 points)

Languages:

Fluency in Arabic and professional knowledge of English