Background

Background

In 2015 – 2016, the first specialized survey that measures the prevalence and patterns of violence against women and its associated health consequences for women was undertaken by the Committee for statistics in Kazakhstan. Its findings indicate that 17 percent of ever-partnered women aged 18-75 reported having experienced physical or sexual violence, or both, by an intimate partner in their lifetime. To understand clearly dynamics on prevalence of domestic violence (DV), dynamics on public attitude towards DV had been analyzed – this was repeatedly assessed within UNICEF Multiply Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) conducted in Kazakhstan.  According to the 2015 MICS, 14.2 percent of women believed that a husband/partner may hit or beat his wife/partner in at least one of five situations. Women justified a husband’s violence more frequently when a woman neglected the children (10.8 percent) or went out without telling her husband (4.1 percent), or argued with him (5.4 percent). 1.5percent of women justified wife-beating if she refused to have a sex with her husband and 0.7 percent if she burnt the food. These data demonstrate a regress in regard of the public attitude to DV, since the 2011 MISC demonstrated that 12.2 percent of women in Kazakhstan believed that a husband/partner had a right to hit or beat them for at least one of a variety of reasons. 

The need to achieve an integrated and collaborative single service system for women experiencing DV, and to respond to men who perpetrate violence is at the heart of the project, and this research in particular.  It is also an area of focus under the national strategy “Kazakhstan 2050”, Concept of Family and Gender Policy until 2030, as well as the General Prosecutor’s Office initiative - a Roadmap “Kazakhstan without DV” aimed to improve national legal and policy framework to eliminate the DV. Concerns over increasing levels of DV in Kazakhstan and insufficient access to social services for vulnerable groups of population have been voiced under various UN human rights mechanisms, such as Universal Periodic Review recommendations and concluding observations and recommendations of the CEDAW Committee within the regular review process of the country in 2014. 

In March 2017 UN Women in Kazakhstan and The Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan started implementation of the joint project. The project has several tasks, one of which is to increase the capacity of national partners in data collection, processing, analysis and evaluation of statistical data in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women in the context of the nationalization of the global indicators of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In the framework of this project it’s planned to create an effective system of monitoring and evaluation in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women based on internationally recognized SDG indicators and other international obligations. Thus, it is planned to conduct a comparative analysis of successful international practices of data collection and analysis based on the commitments for the implementation of SDGs and other international agreements and conventions ratified by Kazakhstan. The project will provide expert support to develop a harmonized set of gender indicators for monitoring the situation in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women in line with CEDAW, BPfA and SDGs commitments, including indicators, measures of implementation, responsible agencies, frequency of data submission and update, etc.

The results of all studies will be provided for further decisions for improving the system of using statistical data in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women. 

To carry out these studies it’s planned to hire an international consultant with experience in this field.

Goals and objectives 

The goal of the project is to assist in the creation of an effective monitoring and evaluation system in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women, based on global SDG indicators and develop practical recommendations for further strengthening of interdepartmental coordination and preparation of national reports to relevant UN Treaty and Charter bodies. In the framework of the project, an international consultant will conduct analysis of successful international practices of statistical data collection and analysis in the field of DV, considering obligations on implementation of SDGs, as well as international agreements and conventions, ratified by Kazakhstan.

International consultant will also provide expert support in the preparation of a harmonized set of indicators for monitoring the situation in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women in line with CEDAW, BPfA and SDGs commitments (including performance indicators, evaluation of activities, responsibility of state authorities, frequency of providing / updating data, etc.). 

Based on the conducted comparative analysis of best international practices on preparing gender statistical data publications an international consultant will develop a layout and structure of the booklet for the subsequent inclusion by the national experts of basic statistics on the Kazakhstan implementation of SDG indicators, and the international commitments in the field of eliminating discrimination and violence against women.

This project will help to identify and further consider the specific needs and requirements of different target groups in elimination of violence and discrimination against women; will help to create an effective system for collecting and analyzing data on gender statistics and the state prevention and response  to violence and discrimination against women. As a result of the analysis target indicators and indicators to measure the efficiency of work of the responsible state authorities in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women will be defined. 

International consultant will work in cooperation with national partners, Statistics committee’s staff, who will provide technical support and provide national statistical data in Russian language to conduct analysis. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and responsibilities

Duties and responsivities of the International Consultant will include: 

• Prepare detailed work plan for collecting information and data within the system of state statistical recording in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women of the Ministry of National Economy of Kazakhstan and Local Executive Bodies and other strategic documents in this field; 
• Review best practices and approaches in the preparation of statistical publications on gender statistics, considering SDG indicators, CEDAW, Beijing Platform for Action and develop a layout and structure of the booklet for the subsequent inclusion by the national experts of basic statistics on the Kazakhstan implementation of SDG indicators, and the international commitments in the field of eliminating discrimination and violence against women;
• Conduct comparative analysis of best international practices on data collection and analysis in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women on the example of two countries that have successfully implemented international practices on data collection and analysis in the field of DV. This analysis should reflect relevant SDGs implementation obligations and the related international instruments;
• Provide expert support to elaborate a harmonized set of indicators for monitoring the situation in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women in line with CEDAW, BPfA and SDGs commitments, including effectiveness indicators, evaluation of services provided by government bodies, responsible state authorities, frequency of data update / provision of information, etc.
• Provide the list of indicators for future national adaptation, with justification of their relevance in the context of Kazakhstan, based on the analyses of best international practices;  
• Develop practical recommendations on the use of a harmonized matrix of indicators for monitoring and evaluating data in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women by responsible state authorities; 
• Facilitate three-day seminar for data producers and users, representatives of responsible state bodies, on recommended gender indicators for Kazakhstan to be harmonized in line with the global SDG indicators, and how to apply the harmonized set of indicators for data collection, analysis  and policy formulation;
• Prepare a final report with key findings of the consultancy work and developed set of gender indicators, as well as main recommendations, that are agreed with MNE and UN Women.

International consultant should plan one four-day visit to Astana in September (second half) to facilitate seminar on developing national indicators in line with the global SDG indicators for the responsible state authorities. 

Results and timeframe

Result / Submission deadline

• A detailed work plan for collecting and analyzing information and data in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women submitted to UN Women / 10 August
• A report on findings of the review best international practices and approaches in the preparation of gender statistical publications, and results of a comparative analysis of best international practices on data collection and analysis in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women &
• A draft e-booklet on the status of the GEWE related SDGs indicators , and the international commitments in the field of eliminating discrimination and violence against women      /  15  August
• A final version of the harmonized set of indicators for monitoring the situation in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women in line with CEDAW, BPfA and SDGs commitments / The  list of indicators for future national adaptation, with justification of their relevance in the context of Kazakhstan, based on the analyses of best international practices. / 10 September 
• Facilitate three-day seminar for responsible state officials on recommended gender indicators for Kazakhstan to be harmonized in line with the global SDG indicators / 30 September.

Support to be provided by UN Women:

UN Women will provide support in coordination of work with the Ministry of National Economy (MNE), Committee for statistics under MNE and members of the working group 

Financial arrangements

Payment will be made upon provision and approval of deliverables, as well as upon approval by UN Women Programme Specialist that the services were satisfactorily performed (advance payment of travel expenses will be paid at 80% until the beginning of the assignment). The consultant's activities will be evaluated on such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy and quality of final products.

Management and subordination: International Consultant will work under direct supervision of UN Women Programme Specialist in Kazakhstan. Consultant will work from the place of residence according to the responsibilities indicated in TOR. Final report has to be provided in English or Russian.

Travel costs:

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. This includes all travel to/from Kazakhstan. 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 Un Women Programme Specialist and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Competencies

Functional skills: 

• Knowledge of the system of collection and analysis of statistical data in the field of elimination of violence and discrimination against women, as well as relevant international norms and standards; 
• Knowledge and experience of conducting research in the field of collection and analysis of statistical data and indicators using global SDG indicators (attach a copy of the report/analysis or provide a link to the website where the study is available).

Required Skills and Experience

Qualification requirements:

Selection of the candidate will be based on the following qualification criteria:

Education: 

• Advanced degree in the field of public administration, economics, international relations, social science, international law or related fields. 

Work experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in the collection and analysis of statistical data in the elimination of violence and discrimination against women, using global indicators and its implementation in public policy (attach a copy of the supporting material or provide a link to the website where the document is available);
• At least 3 years of practical experience in the development or analysis and development of recommendations gender responsive monitoring and evaluation of state policies (attach a copy of the supporting material or provide a link to the website where the document is available);
• At least 1 year experience in providing technical support in working with UN agencies or other international organizations and state bodies in the field of gender equality and improvement of the system of state planning and management;

Language requirements:

• Excellent writing and speaking skills in Russian with ability to read and understand in English. 

Evaluation process:

Applicants must meet the above minimum qualification requirements which will be included in the technical evaluation process in the future. The next stage of the assessment process will be maintained by cumulative analysis methodology of technical proposal (70%) and the financial proposal (30%) of the candidate.

Technical evaluation criteria:

Criteria / (Maximum points)

Education Advanced degree in the field of public administration, economics, international relations, social science, international law or related fields. / (30)

Work experience

At least 5 years of experience in the collection and analysis of statistical data in the elimination of violence and discrimination against women, using global indicators and its implementation in public policy (attach a copy of the supporting material or provide a link to the website where the document is available); / (40)

At least 3 years of practical experience in the development or analysis and development of recommendations gender responsive monitoring and evaluation of state policies (attach a copy of the supporting material or provide a link to the website where the document is available); / (50)

At least 1 year experience in providing technical support in working with UN agencies or other international organizations and state bodies in the field of gender equality and improvement of the system of state planning and management; /  (50)

Functional skills

• Knowledge of the system of collection and analysis of statistical data in the field DV, of relevant international norms and standards; / (30)
• Knowledge and experience of conducting research in the field of collection and analysis of statistical data and indicators using global SDG indicators (attach a copy of the report/analysis or provide a link to the website where you can read the study). / (40)

Language requirements

• Excellent writing and speaking skills in English./  (30)
• Russian is an asset. / (30)

Maximum total technical scoring (70%): (300)

Only candidates, who will accumulate at least 210 points of the maximum 300 points during the technical evaluation process, will be qualified for financial proposal*. 

Financial evaluation:

All other price proposals will be evaluated and assigned points, as per below formula:

B = T + Clow / C x 129, where

? is the universal technical score awarded to the evaluation of the proposal (only those proposals that pass 70% of the technical evaluation);

? is the financial offer of the candidate; and 

?low- is the lowest financial proposal among all evaluated candidates;

129 is the maximum financial point that can be obtained.

The successful candidate will have accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical and financial scoring).

Selection of the candidate: 

Contract will be offered to the candidate, who received the highest aggregated score

Payment will be made only if expected results will be achieved agreed package of documents and reports provided without delay and approval of UN-Women.

The package of documents for review

• A letter explaining interest in the position;
• CV/ UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://eca.unwomen.org/ru/about-us/employment). Candidates who haven’t completed P-11 form would be a categorized as not fully provision of documents and will excluded from further evaluation; 
• Financial proposal*, including total requested amount for completion of all the assignments within the TOR.

* Each candidate will be requested to submit consolidated financial proposal (a "consolidated financial proposal" that includes applicant's all expenses required to perform the tasks, including travel  expenses for the task, etc.).

Application process:

Requested package of documents should be sent to the following e-mail address: central-asia.consultant@unwomen.org with subject line “International Consultant to create an effective system for the use and dissemination of gender statistics” not later than 30 July 2017.

All the others questions also should be sent to email address provided above.