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. UN Women (previously UNIFEM) has been operating in Bangladesh since 2006. Since the launch of UN Women in 2011 the office has intensified its work with a range of stakeholders in Bangladesh including the government, civil society, women’s organizations, UN agencies and donors, towards the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Promoting women’s meaningful engagement within the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda is one of the key strategic priorities for UN Women in Bangladesh. UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325), unanimously adopted in October 2000, stressed the importance of the equal participation and full involvement of women in all efforts to maintain and promote peace and security. In the years since, seven additional resolutions on WPS have been adopted. That created a robust framework for implementing the WPS agenda and reinforced global commitments, treaties and conventions on women’s rights, including the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
To deliver these commitments at the national level, the United Nations has encouraged Member States to adopt National Action Plans on WPS (NAPs-WPS) to implement the resolutions and monitor the progress of the WPS agenda. As of August 2017, 66 countries have adopted NAPs-WPS.
In Bangladesh, the Government has committed to advancing the development of a NAP-WPS and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) is leading its formulation and drafting. UN Women will collaborate with MoFA and provide support and technical guidance to assist with the process.
Against this background, UN Women seeks to hire a consultant to provide support to the Director, Women Peace and Security of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the coordination and drafting of the NAP. The consultant will provide assistance to the Core Committee and will contribute to the Expert Committee in formulation of the NAP. The consultant will also ensure the coordination of consultations on the NAP, including for civil society participation.
Duties and Responsibilities
Scope of the work and main responsibilities:
Under the guidance of the Director, Women, Peace and Security of MoFA and the direct supervision Programme Specialist, Women, Peace and Security of UN Women, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:
1.Support coordination and production of the NAP and related processes:
- Develop a methodology, work-plan and budget for production of the final NAP;
- Establish a timeline for consultations on NAP priorities, for the approval of supervisors;
- Together with partners, identify the locations and participants for the conduct of national and sub-national consultations to inform the contents of the NAP;
- Liaise with civil society representatives as needed;
- Provide monthly progress updates to MoFA and UN Women;
- Maintain all meeting minutes of the Core Drafting Committee and Expert Committee meetings on the NAP;
- Coordinate and facilitate the validation process for the NAP.
2. Provide technical expertise and guidance on the contents of the NAP:
- Conduct research and review relevant documents to inform the objectives of the NAP;
- Provide inputs on the contents of the NAP, with reference to recommended practices for WPS, the objectives of the Government of Bangladesh, and having regard to emerging issues;
- Support the drafting of both the narrative and matrix/logical framework of the NAP, including a dedicated approach to monitoring and reporting on the implementation of the NAP, and a budget for implementation; ?
- Facilitate discussions with the Core Committee and Expert Committee teams to revise the NAP as needed; ?
- Develop materials related to the NAP in coordination with key Government ministries, CSOs, community groups, development partners and other relevant peace and security actors to support its implementation at the national and local levels. ?
Proposed timeline for the assignments:
- 15th October 2017 Inception Workshop
- October to January Coordination Meetings
- November WPS assessment & Stakeholders consultation
- December 2017 Exchange visit to Nepal
- January 2018 Validation Workshop of Draft NAP
- March 2018 Final Draft Sharing Workshop.
Deliverables:
1. Production of a methodology, timeline for consultations, and work-plan for completion of the NAP, incorporating comments from MoFA and UN Women.Deliverables: Methodology, time-line and work-plan. By 25th October, 2017, 20% of Payment;
2. Provide monthly progress reports on the status of the NAP development, including of technical inputs provided and consultations conducted;
Deliverable: Progress reports, Last week of every month Of Oct’17, Nov’17 & Dec’17. Total payment 30% (10% per month) and
Last week of every month of Jan’18, Feb’18 & Mar’18. Total payment 50% ( 10 % on January, 2018, 10 % on February, 2018 and 30% on March, 2018);
3.Submission of draft NAP and coordination and facilitation of validation reviews , Deliverable: Draft NAP and validation meeting report by January, 2018;
Competencies
Essential knowledge and experience:
- Excellent grasp of substantive women, peace and security issues from a policy point of view;
- Experience in issues related to women, peace and security including gender and humanitarian action; and preventing violent extremism will be considered an asset;
- Demonstrable experience in providing technical gender analysis expertise to policy development processes in Bangladesh;
- Experience in coordinating and conducting workshops and meetings. Specific experience related to women, peace and security in Bangladesh is a distinct advantage. ?
- Excellent writing skills. Experience in writing analytic and policy documents is an asset.
Corporate Competencies: ?
- Demonstrates integrity by modeling the United Nations' values and ethical standards;
- Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of the UN and UN Women;
- Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability; ?
- Ability and willingness to work as part of a team to meet tight deadlines and produce high quality work.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Master’s degree in conflict or development related disciplines, gender issues, economics, public policy, law, international relations or other social science fields.
Experiences:
- Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience with a demonstrable ability to undertake analytical reviews, deliver presentations, coordinate meetings, and provide technical expertise in the area of women, peace and security in Bangladesh;
- Experience in contributing technical expertise to policy development processes in Bangladesh is required.
Language:
- Excellent command of English and Bangla. Other UN languages an asset.
Contract period and work location
The consultant will be based in Dhaka, Bangladesh and working at the UN Women Office as required. The consultant might be requested to travel on mission for which travel costs and Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) will be provided. Travel Authorization will be granted to the consultant prior to the travel date.
Application Process:
Interested candidates are requested to submit:
Updated CV;
Personal History Form(P11);
- Writing sample;
- Financial proposal per day rate
All applicants must include (as an attachment) the CV, P11 and financial proposals. Applications without financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. “Personal History Form - P 11” which can be downloaded from
http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment