UN WOMEN Jobs - 73171- Consultant to support Electoral Commission to deve

Consultant to support Electoral Commission to develop a Gender strategy.

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Kampala, UGANDA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

17-Jul-2017

Application Deadline :

22-Jul-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

45 days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

45 days

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women 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. Women’s leadership and political participation is one of UN Women’s primary areas of work as mandated in its inception, recognizing the integral role of women in strong and stable democratic processes. To promote the leadership and participation of women in decision-making processes, UN Women thematic area on political participation works to promote gender equality in selected institutions and political parties as well as changing perceptions on women’s effectiveness in leadership and building the capacity of elected and aspiring women leaders to engage and lobby for women’s rights issues.

Uganda is a party to several international Human Rights frameworks that guarantee women’s rights in political participation. These include the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) article 7 which calls upon States parties “to take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the political and public life of the country”. The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance Article 29 (3) which states that: State Parties shall take all possible measures to encourage the full and active participation of women in the electoral process and ensure gender parity in representation at all levels, including legislatures. The Beijing Platform for Action calls for actions to ensure women’s equal access to and full participation in power structures and decision-making and increase women’s capacity to participate in decision-making and leadership.

In view of the above international obligations, UN Women would like to support the Electoral Commission to fulfill its mandate of ensuring regular free and fair elections while mainstreaming gender as per the regional and international commitments.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives:

The main objective of the consultancy is to support the development of a gender strategy for the Electoral Commission to guide gender mainstreaming in all electoral processes and procedures and ensure that women can participate fully and freely in elections and other political processes as provided for in the constitution of Uganda and other regional treaties.

Outputs:

A gender analysis of the entire Electoral Commission and its laws/processes and functions including the Electoral Commissions Act conducted;
Consultations made with CSOs, Government and other stakeholders including media organizations and political parties to input into the strategy;
A draft gender strategy presented to the Electoral Commission and UN Women for review and input;
A final and approved gender strategy for the Electoral Commission validated and launched including an implementation plan and budget;
Orientation and training provided for management of the Electoral Commission and key electoral officials on the gender strategy.

Competencies

Technical Competences:

The successful candidate should have the following competencies;

Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling the UN values and ethical standards, shows commitment to UN Women’s mission, vision, values and strategic goals;
Demonstrates professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive area of gender equality in governance and democratic processes and institutions;
Demonstrable knowledge of electoral laws and processes;
Ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships with government institutions, donors, civil society partners and other UN agencies;
Strong negotiation skills;
Sharing knowledge and contributing to the culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
Excellent interpersonal and professional communication and presentation skills and abilities;
Ability to build trust through operating with transparency and creating an open, positive and enabling environment;
Ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity;
Sound judgment and decision-making skills, with the ability to make effective timely decisions;
Ability to stay diplomatic and impartial and operate in a highly politicized environment;
Excellent analytical, writing and communication skills;
Knowledge of Uganda Electoral system is an advantage.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced University degree in Social Sciences, International Relations, Political Science, International Development Studies, Gender/Women’s studies, Law, or Sociology.

Experience:

Minimum 7 years of experience in development work with specific focus on gender and democratic governance issues of which 2-3 years dedicated to gender sensitive electoral processes and women’s effective participation in elections;
Experience in needs assessment planning and implementation;
Experience in engaging with policy makers and senior technical specialists in government;
Demonstrated understanding of the various stages of the electoral cycle;
Clear understanding of the mandate of the Electoral Commission;
Extensive knowledge of the political landscape in Uganda;
Experience in influencing policies and developing gender strategies of government institutions and bodies.

Language:

Fluency in written and spoken English is essential;
Knowledge of local languages will be an advantage.

Evaluation of applicants Candidates will be selected on the basis of cumulative analysis of:

Technical Qualification weight 70%;
Financial/Price Proposal weight 30%.

A two-stage procedure will be utilized in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 50% of the obtainable score of 70 points in the technical qualification evaluation will be evaluated.

Technical Qualification evaluation criteria:

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 70. The technical qualification of the offer or/individual is evaluated based on following:

Qualification and background- 10 Points;
Experience in development work with specific focus on gender and democratic governance issues - 20 Points;
Strong Experience in engaging with policy makers and senior technical specialists in government - 20 Points;
Previous publications on gender and law- 10 Points;
Language- 10 Points.

Financial Proposal review criteria:

The financial proposal will be reviewed according to the following criteria:

The total number of points allocated for the price component is 30;
The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 50% score in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

Application procedure:

Applicants are required to upload an electronic application in one single PDF on the jobs website. The application should include the following documents/information.

Cover letter outlining experiences relevant to this assignment and availability for assignment;
Personal History Form - P 11” which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment indicating all past experience from similar projects, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the candidate and at least three professional references.

Technical proposal:

A brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
Methodology including time of how the candidate will develop the Electoral Commission Gender strategy.

Financial proposal:

The financial proposal should state daily fee in Ugandan Shillings (UGX).