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.

To further support the consolidated efforts of the government, parliament, women’s groups and civil society organizations (CSOs) to meet state commitments on gender equality and women’s rights, including the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UN Women, in partnership with the Office of the Vice-Prime Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, launched the project “Enhancing accountability for gender equality and women’s empowerment in national reforms, peace and security”, funded by the Government of Sweden.

The project goal is to support the Government in achieving transformative results for gender equality and women’s empowerment in Ukraine by integrating gender equality and women’s human rights commitments into the national reforms and the peace and security processes, and by putting mechanisms in place for adequate financing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The Government of Ukraine has taken a number of important steps to institutionalize the women, peace and security agenda and to integrate a gender perspective in the security and defense reform, including through the development of a National Action Plan on 1325 (2016-2020).

In addition to the government and civil society, the media can play an influential role in advancing the women, peace and security agenda. For example, the media can aim to portray women and men in their diverse roles in the conflict, including as agents of conflict prevention and peacebuilding, as well as their diverse roles during peacetime. The media can also monitor media content to ensure it does not further perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes or include information that may harm or stigmatize survivors of gender-based violence or sexual violence, and take special protective measures when covering stories of women and children.

Media outlets should also be encouraged to ensure that their internal policies are gender sensitive. Efforts should be taken to increase the number of women in their institutions, including in local radio and television, as well as to create a code of ethics on reporting on sensitive issues and increase trainings on gender-sensitive reporting. Increased reporting on gender issues and features on positive women role models can help debunk gender stereotypes and increase the public’s understanding of the benefits of gender equality and women’s important roles in society, particularly during times of conflict and recovery. Civil society and women’s groups who have been working on issues of women, peace and security, including service providers, are excellent sources of information on the challenges and realities on the ground, as well as the potential solutions.

Public Broadcasting Company includes radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine is undergoing the process of transformation from overregulated vertical system with stand-alone regional branches to self-organized production groups, focused on the viewer and the result. Public Broadcasting Company has requested UN Women’s support to conduct the analysis of internal policies for potential integration of gender into their policies and practices, as well as to train journalists on issues of women, peace and security, including Ukraine’s commitments under the UN Security Council Resolutions, and increase their understanding of gender-sensitive reporting. There is also an opportunity to support trainings for the journalists from military mass media and communications departments of the Ministry of Defense and General Staff of the Armed Forces and Ministry of Interior. 

UN Women Ukraine is therefore seeking to hire an international consultant to support the development of training materials and guidelines for journalists and media outlets related to issues of women, peace and security, to conduct a series of trainings for trainers (TOTs) and to support the organization of the conference.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Country Programme Manager/Head of Office, and direct supervision of the Programme Specialist, the International Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

  • Share international best practices for mainstreaming gender into trainings for journalists of State Broadcasting agencies in cooperation with the local consultant;
  • Develop training methodologies and guidelines for journalists in Ukraine on gender-sensitive reporting on issues of women, peace and security in cooperation with the local consultant;
  • Conduct a set of trainings/training of trainers using the newly developed training methodology for the Journalists of Ukraine, the staff of the State Committee on Television and Radio Broadcasting, as well as for journalists and communications departments from the security and defense sector, including in the regions of eastern Ukraine;
  • Support the organization and participate in an international conference in Ukraine on journalism in conflicts from a gender perspective; and hold a workshop in the margins of the conference with journalists to develop a set of guidelines for gender-sensitive reporting in countries experiencing conflict

The international consultant is expected to undertake at least four missions to Ukraine.

Assignment Deliverables:

1. A work plan with detailed activities and timeline submitted – 3 days, by 15 May 2018

2. The first progress report of the implemented activities, including any supporting documents and materials such as training methodologies and/or guidelines developed – 22 days, by 31 July 2018

3. Final report of the accomplished assignment, including training methodologies, guidelines and knowledge materials developed, conference agenda, and training reports and evaluations submitted – 20 days, by 24 October 2018

Total: 45 days  

  • The reports and all supporting documents should be submitted in English language. 
  • The Consultant is expected to work remotely using her/his own computer, but may access the UN Women office for printing of relevant documents or should he/she be required to work on-site at any point during the assignment. 

Performance evaluation:

  • Contractor’s 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.

Financial arrangements:

  • Payment will be disbursed in one instalment upon receipt of the above deliverables and their certification by the UN Women Programme Specialist that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

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: http://www.unwomen.org/-media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Experience:

Languages and other skills:

  • Fluent in English; knowledge of Russian or Ukrainian is an asset;
  • Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, ability to use Internet and email.

Evaluation of Applicants:

Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of their qualifications and financial proposal. A two-stage procedure is utilized in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. The award of the contract should be made to the individuals whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

  • Responsive/compliant/acceptable;
  • Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical criteria 70% of total evaluation – max 70 points for technical criteria. Total max 70 points:

  • The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 70. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on a desk review and the following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Criterion A – Relevant education:

  • Advanced University Degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Journalism and Media, Social Science, Gender studies, Development studies, and other related fields (9 pts- Advanced (Masters) degree; 10 pts- PhD degree)

Criterion B – Language skills:

  • Fluent in English; knowledge of Russian or Ukrainian is an asset.  (4 pts fluent in English; 5 points fluent in English and knowledge of Russian or Ukrainian)

Criterion C – Relevant Experience with total for all of the following criterion (50 pts) including:

  • At least 3 years of professional experience in the field of journalism, including reporting on or providing trainings on issues related to the women, peace and security agenda and gender equality; 20 pts;
  • Experience in developing and conducting trainings and training materials, particularly for media; 10 pts;
  • Sound knowledge and understanding of the Women, Peace and Security agenda; 10 pts;
  • Advanced understanding of gender equality and women’s human rights; 10 pts;

Total Obtainable Score – 70 points.

Financial/Price Proposal evaluation:

  • Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation will be further considered and evaluated;
  • The total number of points allocated for the financial/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 49 points in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

Evaluation of submitted financial offers will be done based on the following formula: S = Fmin / F * 30

(S - score received on financial evaluation; Fmin - the lowest financial offer out of all the submitted offers qualified over the technical evaluation round; F - financial offer under the consideration).

The candidate’s application should include: 

  • A?brief Letter of Interest containing the statement on candidate’s experience in the field of recruitment. Completed and signed UN Women Personal History (P-11) form, which can be downloaded from: http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment.
  • Proposal. The financial proposal shall specify?a total lump sum?amount with a breakdown of a daily professional rate per number of anticipated working days to include all costs (telephone, etc.).

Interested candidates are requested to apply no later than 24 April 2018, 23:59 EST ?by submitting 2 attachments: 1) technical (a Letter of Interest and P-11) and 2) financial proposal to the following e-mail address: procurement.ukraine@unwomen.org with a subject?“International Consultant to support the Public Broadcasting Company to integrate gender and the Women, Peace and Security agenda in their work”.

Applications without financial proposal may be treated as incomplete and may not be considered for further assessment.

Sample of Financial Proposal

The format shown on the following tables is suggested for use as a guide in preparing the Financial Proposal.

Cost Breakdown per Deliverables*

The format shown on the following tables is suggested for use as a guide in preparing the Financial Proposal.

Cost Breakdown per Deliverables*(Lump Sum, All Inclusive)

Deliverables - # of days and Percentage of Total Price (Weight for payment) - Price, US$

1

2

3

4

Total max. # of working days (100%)     US$ ……