UN WOMEN Jobs - 79646- Consultant to facilitate dialogues on gender mains

Consultant to facilitate dialogues on gender mainstreaming within political parties.

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Kampala, UGANDA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

16-Jul-2018

Application Deadline :

10-Jul-18 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

National Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

30 days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

30 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 and peace and security. Women’s leadership and political participation is one of UN Women’s primary work as mandated in its inception, recognising the integral role of women in strong and stable democratic processes. In order to promote the leadership and participation of women in strong and stable democratic processes, UN Women works to promote gender equality in parliaments, electoral bodies, political parties and other government institutions. UN Women has a proven track record in supporting women’s political participation through its projects across various regions, under the guidance of UN Women’s founding resolution (GA resolution 64/289) and its global strategic plan (2018-2021) and in line with Uganda Country Strategic Note and Work plan.

Political parties play a key role in determining the numbers of women in elected office because they are responsible for recruiting and selecting candidates for decision making positions. They determine who will reach positions of power because they decide who will be included on the candidates lists. The right of women to participate in political life of their countries is guaranteed by several international and regional conventions which Uganda is party to. In addition, the Constitution of Uganda sets standards for women’s participation in political life. Uganda as a member of the African Union (AU) is obligated to follow through the commitments made in the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights. Article 13 of the ACHPR provides for the right of every citizen to participate freely in the government of his/her country either directly or through freely chosen representatives in accordance with provisions of the law, while Article 18(3) outlaws discrimination against women and protection of their rights. At International level, equal rights for women and men is universally recognized in the Convention of Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). On the other hand, the 1995 UN Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action mandated that Member States should take measures to ensure women’s equal access to and full participation in power structures and decision-making. At the national level, the Constitution of Uganda provides the national framework for the protection and promotion of women’s political rights. National objective VI of the Uganda Constitution mandates the state to ensure gender balance and fair representation of marginalized groups on all constitutional and other bodies. The Constitution of Uganda further prohibits discrimination against women and calls for gender equality of women with men and provides for affirmative action for marginalized groups including women.

Duties and Responsibilities

The main objective of this consultancy is to offer technical support to targeted political parties to adopt and implement strategies that promote women’s representation and participation.

The major Responsibilities will include:

Review the report on a gender analysis of selected political party guidelines, regulations and policies and take note of key action points for gender mainstreaming within the 4 political parties;
Facilitate dialogue meetings with the 4 political parties(NRM,FDC,DP,UPC) on adopting gender parity in the political party structures and systems;
Document best practices from each of the parties for shared learning with other political parties within Uganda and at the regional level;
Submit a report to UN Women on progress made on mainstreaming gender within the party structures and key challenges and lessons learnt.

Outputs for the consultancy:

The consultant will produce the following deliverables during the period of the contract.

4 dialogue meetings held with political parties;
4 follow up meetings to establish progress on the commitments made by the parties during the dialogue meetings;
A report made on achievements made in gender mainstreaming within political parties, challenges and lessons learnt;
A report on best practices within the different political parties produced.

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 areas of work;
Ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships with governments institutions donor’s civil society partners and other UN agencies;
Strong negotiation skills;
Promotes an environment for open and effective communication;
Stays composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact and have consistent behaviour towards others;
Leverage conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different views;
Sharing knowledge and contributing to the culture of knowledge sharing and learning;
Excellent interpersonal and professional communication skills and abilities;
Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor the progress of the projects and activities within the area of responsibility and achieve planned results;
Strong teamwork spirit and interpersonal skills demonstrated by the ability to gain the assistance and cooperation of others in a team endeavour;
Ability to build trust through operating with transparency and creating an open, positive and enabling environment;
Ability to work in multi-cultural, multi ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity;
Sound judgement and decision-making skills with the ability to make effectively timely decisions;
Ability to stay diplomatic and impartial and operate in a highly politicized environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Masters degree in social sciences, international relations, political science, international development studies, gender/ women’s studies, laws, or sociology.

Experience:

Minimum 7 years of experience in development work with specific focus on gender and governance;
Experience and understanding of policy engagement and dealing with senior technical specialists;
Experience in the understanding of the mandate, and work of political parties in Uganda;
Extensive knowledge of the political landscape of Uganda.

Language:

Fluency in written and spoken English is essential;
Knowledge of the Luganda and other local languages spoken in Uganda is an asset.

Application procedures:

Cover letter - Explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position;
P11 and CV including past experience in similar assignments; can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted;
Methodological proposal – outlining how you plan to carry the tasks and responsibilities of this consultancy;
Financial Proposal - Specifying a total lump sum amount in Uganda Shillings for the tasks specified in this Terms of Reference. The financial proposal should include a breakdown of the lump sum amount, including various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee, health insurance, vaccination and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services, in-country travel costs etc.).

Candidates should have the ability to quickly submit degree certificates and medical certification (of good health) should they be short-listed in consideration of the consultancy post.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials;
Please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.

Evaluation of applicants:

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. Contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer receives the highest score out of below defined technical and financial criteria. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.

Technical Evaluation (70%) – max. 70 points:

Only candidates who have received 49 points or higher in the technical evaluation will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Evaluation Criteria:

Masters degree in social sciences, international relations, political science, international development studies, gender/ women’s studies, laws, or sociology- 20 points;
Minimum 7 years of experience in development work with specific focus on gender and governance- 25 points;
Experience and understanding of policy engagement and dealing with senior technical specialists- 15 points;
Experience in the understanding of the mandate, and work of political parties in Uganda- 5 points;
Extensive knowledge of the political landscape of Uganda- 5 points.

Financial Evaluation (30%) – max. 30 points:

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal. All other price proposals receive points in inverse proportion.