Background

Background

The Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review Resolution (QCPR) places strong emphasis on accountability for gender equality and the empowerment of women.
The General Assembly in 2013 reaffirmed the fundamental importance of gender equality for achieving sustained and inclusive economic growth, poverty eradication and sustainable development, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly and United Nations conferences and “requests the United Nations development system to expand and strengthen the use of the United Nations country team performance indicators for gender equality and the empowerment of women (the “scorecard”) as a planning and reporting tool for assessing the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming for use by the country teams in the context of the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF)”

The Republic of Kazakhstan became a member of the United Nations on 2 March 1992 (GA resolution 46/224). The United Nations system started its country-based operations in Kazakhstan in early 1993 after the conclusion of an agreement between President Nazarbayev and then Secretary-General of the United Nations Boutros Boutros-Ghali on 5 October 1992. 

The heads of the below agencies form the UN Country Team (UNCT) led by the Resident Coordinator. The UNCT in Kazakhstan consists of the following UN agencies, programmes and funds:

• Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
• International Labour Organization (ILO)
• International Organization for Migration (IOM)
• Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
• Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
• UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
• UN Department of Public Information (UNDPI)
• UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS)
• UN Development Programme (UNDP)
• UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)
• UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR)
• UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
• UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
• UN Women  Multi-country office for Central Asia
• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
• United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA)
• United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
• World Health Organization (WHO)

The Government of Kazakhstan–UN Partnership Framework for Development 2016-2020 (UNPFD) presents a programmatic vision and strategic framework for achieving results over the course of these five years. These results align well with national priorities, providing the basis for increased collaboration, coherence and effectiveness of UN support. The UNPFD defines how the UNCT will contribute to achieving results, based on analysis of country needs and UN comparative advantages.

The UNPFD is a collective and integrated response to ambitious national priorities set out in the
long-term strategic planning document ‘Kazakhstan 2050: New Political Course of the Established State’. These priorities focus on the country joining the top 30 developed countries by 2050, and achieving an outstanding quality of life: both comfortable and safe. 

The UNPFD has the following outcomes:
Outcome 1.1: Improved equitable access to integrated quality social services (health, education, social protection, legal et al.) for the population, including for socially vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals and groups
Outcome 1.2: Diversification of the economy provides decent work opportunities for the underemployed, youth and socially vulnerable women and men
Outcome 1.3:  Ecosystems and natural resources are protected and sustainably used, and human settlements are resilient to natural and manmade disasters and climate change
Outcome 2.1:  Rights holders benefit from improved Government policymaking and implementation through enhanced participation at sub-national and national levels
Outcome 2.2: Judicial and legal systems and public institutions are fair, accountable and accessible to all
Outcome 3.1:  The Government, together with partners, promotes the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region and leads in promoting and implementing United Nations principles, standards and Conventions

In order to support mainstreaming gender in the implementation of the UNPFD and ensure gender responsiveness of UN programmes and projects and increased accountability of UNCT towards gender equality and women’s empowerment in line with UN corporate policy in this area, a Gender Scorecard Exercise is planned as a part of the UNPFD implementation. The Gender Scorecard will be used for UNCT self-assessment and for identifying gaps and corrective actions during the UNPFD cycle. The UN Gender Thematic Group, under the Chair of UN Women, will lead this process to complete the scorecard process in a participatory and timely manner.

To support the UNCT Kazakhstan in implementing the Scorecard, UN Women seeks to hire an international consultant with extensive experience on gender assessments.

The main objective of this consultancy is to assess the effectiveness of the UN Country Team Kazakhstan in gender mainstreaming, promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment as well as to provide a set of recommendations for improvements.
Purpose of the Scorecard exercise:

• To assist the UNCT Kazakhstan in identifying areas in which they are meeting or not meeting minimum UN Development Group standards;
• To stimulate a constructive dialogue within the UNCT about the current status of support for gender equality and women’s empowerment and how it can be improved;
• To identify where technical assistance can support the achievement of minimum standards;
• To share good practice in supporting national priorities to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Description of Responsibilities / Scope of Work
Under the overall guidance of UN Resident Coordinator and direct supervision and technical leadership of the UN Women Representative, and in collaboration with the UN Gender Thematic Group, the consultant will conduct the following activities within the stipulated timeframes:

Background document review (home-based, 2 working days):

• UNCT Indicators and Pilot Guidance;
• Methodological guidance for UNCT Scorecard
• Gender Scorecards: Desk Review 2012-2014 Presentation;
• UNCT Gender Scorecard Reports for the countries in the regions and from other countries link: undg.org/home/guidance-policies/country-programming-principles/gender/gender-country-scorecards/;
• From Checklists to Scorecards: Review of UNDG Members’ Accountability Mechanisms for Gender Equality: Synthesis Report, 2006(UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, WFP and ILO);
• UNPFD (2016-2020) and its Result Matrix and Annual Work Plans of 5 Results Groups;
• UNDG Common Country Assessment and United Nations Development Assistance Framework. Guidelines for UN Country Teams on Preparing a CCA and UNDAF. February 2007;
• UN Gender Theme Group’s TOR, 2016 report and 2016 plan;
• Concept of Family and Gender Policy 2016-2030; National Action Plan on Human Rights, CEDAW related documents (i.e. National reports, Shadow reports, Concluding observations), other relevant Treaty Bodies and UPR documents;
• The Roadmap with the General Prosecutor’s office on the implementation of the project “Family without violence in Kazakhstan”
• UNCT minutes
• GTG minutes

Conduct UNCT Kazakhstan Gender Assessment (gender scorecard exercise) through individual and focus group interviews (mission to Astana and Almaty, Kazakhstan, 10 working days) with, i.a.:

• Resident Coordinator and RC Office;
• UN Gender Theme Group;
• UNPFD Results Groups focal points;
• Heads of Agencies and key UN programme staff;
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
• National Commission for Women, Family and Demographic Affairs (National Women’s Machinery);
• Relevant line ministries (Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan, General Prosecutor’s Office, Ombudsperson, Commission for Human Rights under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan);
• Focus group with civil society organizations;
• Conduct a debriefing for the UNCT with initial findings (within the mission)

Draft Scorecard and narrative report (3 working days);

Complete the final Scorecard, narrative report and follow-up matrix before (5 working days).

Deliverables

The assignment should be carried out within a period of 10 July – 8 September 2017, not exceeding 20 working days, with the incumbent being responsible for delivering the following outputs. Dates of field work in Kazakhstan to be agreed with UNCT.
Tasks/Deliverables/Proposed delivery date/# of w.days:

Tasks:Submission of the Draft Scorecard narrative report including:
- Methodology - outline the methods used, and any constraints faced (e.g. lack of time, lack of access to documents or staff); 
- Findings: this section should be organized into two parts, one on strengths and one on weaknesses. The driving forces to good quality gender mainstreaming (e.g. good leadership, government and agency commitment), as well as the constraints to improved practice (e.g. lack of gender theme group, government opposition to gender mainstreaming) should be noted here. It should be based on both the scoring in the Scorecard and interviews.
The average score for each Dimension should be included in this section, using the following structure:

7 Dimensions :

• Planning and programming;
• Monitoring and evaluation;
• Partnerships;
• Leadership and Organizational Culture;
• Gender Architecture and Capacities;
• Financial Resources;
• Results;

Any good practice in gender mainstreaming should also be highlighted here, including the factors which led to this good practice. Annex: Note the documents reviewed, and the names and institutional positions of those interviewed.

Deliverables: Draft Scorecard narrative report (based on desk review and 10 day mission to Kazakhstan – Almaty and Astana).

Proposed Delivery date: 25 August 2017.

Number of w.days: 15 working days.

Tasks: Submission of the Final Scorecard narrative report based on feedback of UNCT
The completed follow-up matrix should include:

• Dimension;
• Average numerical rating;
• Main follow-up issues;
• Steps to be taken, including technical assistance needed, time-frame, allocation of responsibility, and resources required.

Deliverables: Final Scorecard narrative report
Follow-up matrix to be presented together with the final report.

Proposed delivery date: 8 September 2017.

# of working days: 5 working days.

Total working days: Maximum 20 working days

Duty Station and travel arrangements

The consultant is expected to work home based and conduct ten working days field mission to Kazakhstan (Almaty and Astana) to participate in meetings with UN agencies, partners and stakeholders as per these ToR.

Performance Evaluation

Consultant performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.  The evaluation will be carried out and cleared by the hiring manager which will also be the basis for payment on a delivery by delivery basis to the consultant.

Competencies

Competencies
As an organization we hold our people to account to demonstrate Our Values. To support this, we have developed seven key competencies that strengthen and clarify what is expected from each of us, as well as how we relate to each other and the communities we operate within. Each competency is equally important and all seven combine to highlight the required behaviors for all individuals at UN Women. Our Competencies at UN Women are important because they: 

• Describe the knowledge, skills, abilities, and key requirements necessary for successful job performance. 
• Provide a shared understanding of ‘what good looks like’ at UN Women.
• Provide the foundation for assessing and developing the capability of all individuals at UN Women. 

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and competencies:  http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Required Skills and Experience

Required Skills and Experience
Qualifications Education:

• Advanced (Masters) degree in social and political sciences, human rights, gender equality etc. PhD degree is an asset.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of practical experience of work on gender mainstreaming in development programmes/projects at national and international levels;
• At least 3 years of experience in results based management (RBM), review and/or evaluation, including in gender data collection and analysis, interviews, survey and focus groups, Gender Equality Scorecard, narrative report and follow-up matrix.

Language and other skills:

• Proficient in written and oral English and Russian ;
• Good computer skills in Windows environment, knowledge of internet communications and command of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Power Point).

Documents to be included when submitting Proposal
Applicants shall submit the following documents:

• Brief explanation/cover letter (300 words) why the consultant is the most suitable for the job, including reference to previous experience in gender mainstreaming work (including carrying out gender needs assessment, evaluation, capacity assessment) and in results based management;
• Proposed timing and confirmation of availability to conduct the assessment (included in cover letter);
• Personal CV and/or P11 form (P11 form can be downloaded from this website: http://www.sas.undp.org/Documents/P11_Personal_history_form.doc);
• Financial proposal including a total and all-inclusive lump sum amount, including travel costs. The financial proposal must include a breakdown of a round trip international travel (homebased location – Almaty/Astana – homebased location), daily fee, insurance, visa (if required), and per diems.  

Travel costs
All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to/from Kazakhstan and between Almaty and Astana. Travel is only authorized in economy class by the most direct route. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Evaluation criteria
The cumulative analysis will be applied for the evaluation of proposals. Under the cumulative analysis scheme, a total score is obtained upon the combination of weighted technical (70%) and financial attributes (30%).

Technical Evaluation Criteria / Criteria / (Max.points)

Educational background
PhD in in social and political sciences, human rights, gender equality and other relevant social science field;(20)

OR 

Master’s / Specialist’s degree in social and political sciences, human rights, gender equality etc. (10)

Relevant professional experience

10 and over years of practical experience of work on gender mainstreaming in development programmes/projects at national and international level; (40)
IF
less than 10 years.(0)

3 and more years experience of work on results based management, review and/or evaluation, including in gender data collection and analysis, interviews, survey and focus groups, Gender Equality Scorecard, narrative report and follow-up matrix; (50)
IF
less than 3 years  (0)
Language Requirements    English and Russian – fluent (20)
Total:    130
Maximum available technical score - 130 points.
* Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 91 points (70%) under Technical evaluation would be considered for the Financial Evaluation. 

Financial Evaluation:
The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal and will equal to 30. All other price proposals will be evaluated and assigned points, as per below formula:
30 points [max points available for financial part] x [lowest of all evaluated offered prices among responsive offers] / [evaluated price].
The proposal obtaining the overall cumulatively highest score after adding the score of the technical proposal and the financial proposal (A+B) will be considered as the most compliant offer and will be awarded a contract.

Other remarks:
Qualified women and members of minorities are encouraged to apply. UN Women applies fair and transparent selection process that would take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals.

Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.

Kindly note the system will only allow one attachment which must be the: P-11/CV, Cover Letter, and Financial Proposal.