Background

Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) is one of the most pervasive forms of violence. It is a global pandemic that affects all countries, all societies, all religions, faiths and ethnic backgrounds, on a daily basis. Eliminating all forms of violence against women, including sexual violence as one of the most serious forms of human rights violations, is a key priority for UN in Albania. Preventing and combating VAWG is a precondition for equitable and inclusive sustainable development and human rights, as well as an important value and objective in itself.

The Programme of Cooperation (PoC) 2017-2021 between the Government of Albania (GoA) and United Nations (UN) aims at promoting sustainable and equitable development, social inclusion, gender equality and the adherence to international norms and fulfilment of international obligations, in support of the integration of Albania into the EU. In the frame of the PoC, there are four Outcomes, namely, (1) Governance & Rule of Law, (2) Social Inclusion, (3) Economic Growth, Labour and Agriculture, and (4) Environment and Climate Change.  Each of these Outcomes has between two to five Outputs which form the basis of UN programming in Albania. Additionally, The Gender Equality and Gender Based Violence related Outputs’ objective is to strengthen GoA capacities, improve mechanisms, advance policies and improve the conditions for the implementation of the legislation that foresees a society that values gender equality as an indispensable prerequisite to sustainable development and aims towards zero tolerance of any form of VAWG.    

Violence against Women and Girls Context in Albania

Albania remains one of the poorest countries in Europe and disparities affect the enjoyment of basic health, education, and social care and protection . The country’s Gini coefficient of 34.5 (2013) is the third highest in the region and the pattern indicates growing inequalities . The Government aims to reverse this trend and put the country on a path of sustainable and equitable growth through ensuring macroeconomic stability and competitiveness and by investing in people and social cohesion.  These objectives of the National Strategy for Development and Integration 2015-2020 (NSDI II) are underpinned by the strategic objective of ensuring good governance and rule of law, which will pave the way for the ultimate aim of EU accession[1]. Gender is mainstreamed in the NSDI II, yet despite the progress that has been made to establish a legal and policy framework for the advancement of women’s rights and gender equality, and fight violence against women, inequalities are pervasive.

Albania is a signatory to a number of important and binding international instruments[2], which guarantee the equality of men and women and prohibit gender-based discrimination. Albania has made significant efforts in improving its human rights records and strengthening the national human rights institutions. Yet, human rights bodies have raised concerns about several gender related issues such as gender inequality and VAWG,  human trafficking to mention a few. Traditional patriarchal attitudes are still prominent, gender inequalities are present in all spheres of social and economic life, and violence against women is still widespread. In 2015, Albania ranked 51st out of 195 countries in the Gender Inequality Index. Women are still discouraged from participating in the work force – about 58,3% of women compared to around 74,1% of men in 2015. The wage gap in rural areas is double that of urban areas . Women remain outside of the labor force due to retirement and early retirement (40%), and the engagement in domestic chores (21.5%).

VAWG is not a new phenomenon in Albania - such violence is rooted deeply in the patriarchal   traditions and customs, which have long shaped the Albanian society, such as strict gender roles and identities, patriarchal authority, respect for the code of honor and shame, and control of several generations in the family, poverty, inequality in the area of employment or education, migration as a phenomenon, etc.  Following the United Nations’ adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in September 2015, including the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 associated targets, Albania has committed to achieve the Goals in synergy with its pursuit of EU integration.

During the last ten years, two national surveys on domestic violence were conducted. The first population-based national survey on domestic violence in Albania was carried out by INSTAT in 2007, followed by a second one in 2013.

The trend of this phenomenon during the period 2007 - 2013 can be summarized as follows :

• The percentage of women who had experienced domestic violence (all forms of violence) “during their lives” increased from 56.0  to 59.4 percent.
• The percentage of women who had experienced physical violence “during their lives” decreased from 31.2 to 23.7 percent.
• The percentage of women who had experienced sexual violence “during their lives” decreased from 12.7 to 7.9 percent.[3]

A comparison of the findings in 2007 and 2013, draws attention to several important aspects: a) the increase of reported cases reflects an increase of public trust in the respective state bodies, as people now report cases of violence and ask for help, and are more and more aware that domestic violence is a crime, and as such, should be reported; b) latest improvements in legislation have resulted in a significant improvement of how institutions deal with VAWG&DV cases, further increasing trust; c) the reduction in the percentage of cases of physical violence does not necessarily mean an overall reduction in violence acts; d) when analyzing figures and providing conclusions for other forms of violence, including  sexual violence, caution is needed - this form of violence continues to be a taboo and remains underreported especially in the case of sexual violence between spouses.

[1] See National Strategy for Development and Integration 2016-2020 which is aligned to SDGs and offers a vision for Albania’s national social, democratic and economic development over the period 2016-2020, and its aspirations for European integration.

[2] Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention).

[3] Domestic Violence in Albania: National population-based survey 2013, INSTAT and UNDP http://www.in.undp.org/content/dam/albania/docs/Second%20Domestic%20Violence%20Survey%202013%20english.pdf

Duties and Responsibilities

Under previous projects against domestic violence, the UN has supported Albania in conducting the first baseline in 2007 and second survey in 2013 on violence against women in family.

The description in the above section summarises the array of efforts and interventions invested in response and prevention of VAW including domestic violence. To critically evaluate the progress achieved so far, to comparatively analyse the trends and to further feed data to the future policy making, UNDP with funding from and in partnership with UN Women, under its regional flagship programme “Making every Woman ang Girl Count” will support the National Institute of Statistics (INSTAT) in conducting the third national survey on VAW.

The survey process will make use of existing international standards and methodologies[1] to collect data on violence against women by intimate partners and also by non-partners which would enable comparison with other countries. The methodology will ensure that the data collected allows comparison with the results of the previous (2007 and 2013) domestic violence surveys in Albania. The international consultant, based on international best practices, instruments and tools will advise INSTAT national experts and advisors on the revision of the questionnaire and other survey statistical instruments, to include various forms of violence against women, the determination of the sampling size, the optimal geographic coverage and other confidentiality and security measures that should be put in place to make sure the interviewees’ safety is not jeopardized by the survey process. Two mission travels are envisaged at this stage of consultancy.

The international consultant may provide some assistance or advice as needed during the process of data collection, data entry and processing, based home.

Once the process of tabulation is finalized, the international consultant, in collaboration with INSTAT national experts and advisors shall prepare a comprehensive and detailed report on the findings of the violence against women survey, containing in-depth analysis of several aspects of data collected, professional interpretation of these and possible recommendations in main directions of future policies against VAW. According to INSTAT needs, the consultant may travel again (the second mission) to Tirana, Albania to finalise the report and present it to experts, Academia, CSOs, women organisations, activists in the area of VAW, government representatives, media etc. The need for this second travel will be determined in consultation with UNDP, INSTAT and the consultant prior to the report writing.

Specifically, the international consultant will be tasked with the following:

• Critically review the questionnaire and other instruments including those developed by UN agencies, utilised for data collection and data entry and develop concrete recommendations for the new survey instruments, samples and methodologies that while preserving some base for comparison with the baseline survey shall also reflect recent good international practices.  Special attention to be given to relevant SDG indicators as agreed among INSTAT and UN Agencies.
• Respond to technical and methodological queries by the Albanian experts and advisors on the process of data collection and data entry.
• Review the data processed by Albanian statisticians following the completed questionnaires
• Point out additional cross-tables, graphs and correlations that the consultant needs from INSTAT, with a view to understand the significance of these statistics in several elements of VAW that may not be easily obvious
• Assist the team in preparing a VAW survey report outline
• Based on the processed data the consultant shall assist Albanian experts, in conducting in-depth analysis and interpreting the findings in compliance with scientific methodologies of data analysis as well as relevant best practices of reporting on quantitative and qualitative data regarding VAW
• Together with Albanian experts present the draft report to a roundtable of specialists in statistics, VAW, Academia representatives, CSOs including women organisations as well as media with a view to make the findings of the survey public and to promote discussion of stakeholders on these.
• In cooperation with Albanian team of experts, finalise the Report on the National Survey on Violence aganist Women in English language
• Develop recommendations that will help  INSTAT in their efforts in conducting periodic national surveys on VAW in the years to come as well as reccomendations to follow up actions related to SDG indicators.

In carrying out these tasks the consultant will make use of other countries’ experience in conducting quantitative and qualitative surveys on the issue of VAW as well as contemporary literature developed on the topic.

The list of final deliverables:

• Reviewed questionnaires
• Reviewed data process tabulations
• Final report on the National Violence Against Women Survey.
• A final report (in English) highlighting the expert’s work, outputs, achievements, lessons learned and the proceeding of the consultancy, including recommendations for future similar interventions.

The consultant shall report to the Gender Programme Manager responsible for the respective contract at UNDP.

[1] One of these standards is the WHO methodology, which was developed in the late 1990’s and applied in the early 2000s and which has been replicated in a significant number of countries in different regions. This survey will make use of such standards and methodology.

Competencies

Corporate and Core Competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Communication - Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.
• Planning & Organizing – Develops clear goals in line with agreed strategies, identifies priorities, foresees risks and makes allowances accordingly.
• Organizational Awareness - Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
• Teamwork - Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
• Accountability – Takes ownership of all responsibilities and delivers outputs in accordance with agreed time, cost and quality standards.

Functional competencies:

• Deep understanding of the process of conducting VAW surveys, analysing statistical information and writing reports based on quantitative and qualitative VAW surveys;
• Extensive writing, presentation, communication and facilitation skills
• Analytical mind, solid research experience and capacity to deliver as per deadlines.
• Some understanding of the situation regarding women’s rights, children’s rights and VAW in Albania
• Sensitivity and ability to work in a multicultural environment
• Demonstrating/safeguarding ethics and integrity
• Demonstrate sound judgment
• Acting as a team player and facilitating team work
• Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree in related disciplines. A PhD or higher degree in the field of psychology, sociology, statistics or gender is highly preferred.

Work Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of practicing and/or academic experience in gender equality, social statistics or gender equality research;
• Prior experience in developing domestic or VAW indicators, in preparing household questionnaires and analysing quantitative data on the phenomenon
• Previous experience in professional publications.
• Strong commitment and contribution in advancement of women’s rights and achievement of gender equality.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience on issues of VAW and gender equality;
• Good knowledge and understanding of the United Nations System and particularly the role and mandate of UNDP is desired

Language requirements:

• Full working knowledge of English, including excellent report writing and presentation skills in English.

Evaluation of Applicants

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on a cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal.

The award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

a) responsive/compliant/acceptable, and

b) Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Only the highest ranked candidates who would be found qualified for the job will be considered for the Financial Evaluation.

Technical Criteria - 70% of total evaluation – max. 70 points:

• Criteria A: Compliant educational background - max points: 20
• Criteria B: Work experience in gender equality, social statistics or gender equality research; - max points: 20
• Criteria C: Previous experience with VAW or domestic surveys- max points: 30

Financial Criteria - 30% of total evaluation – max. 30 points

Application Procedure

Interested applicants are advised to carefully study all sections of this ToRs and ensure that they meet the general requirements as well as specific qualifications described. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials.

The application should contain:

• A brief presentation explaining why you are the most suitable candidate for the advertised position, to be entered in the first part of "Resume and Motivation" (max 1000 characters)
• Completed and signed UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SC) and Individual Contracts (IC) – Blank form Download here.
• Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability - please complete the attached form...
• Financial Proposal  - specifying a total lump sum amount(working days, travel, per diems, and any other possible costs) for the tasks specified in this announcement. Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall take into account 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 service, etc.).
• Copy of Diplomas and copy of Passport.

* Kindly note that Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and Financial Proposal are two separate documents and should both be part of your application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

How to Submit the Application:

To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

• Download and complete the UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs);
• Merge your UN Personal History Form (P11) for Service Contracts (SCs) and Individual Contracts (ICs), Financial Proposal Letter to UNDP Confirming Interest and Availability and cover letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
• Click “Apply Now” button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click “Submit Application;”
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

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.

Due to a large number of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.