Background

2020 will be a pivotal year for actors engaged in the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, as the global community marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA+25) (1995) and five years of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (2015). Universally, UN Member States will have an opportunity to assess the gains that they have made towards these commitments, and to identify areas where their efforts need to be rejuvenated, enhanced and/or re-defined, to ensure that these commitments are realised by 2030.

Leading up to the BPfA+25, United Nations (UN) Member States have been requested to undertake comprehensive and inclusive national-level review processes. Under the leadership of the Head of State/Government, reviews should mobilize all branches and levels of government, civil society organizations, the private sector, the entities of the UN system, regional and international organizations, academia, the media and other stakeholders. In particular, reviews should mobilize all women and men, of all ages, around a new and renewed dialogue for change, and actions to prevent and eliminate all forms of discrimination against all women and girls. Following from this, the UN regional commissions will undertake regional reviews so that the outcomes of intergovernmental processes at the regional level can feed into the Sixty-Fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 64) in 2020.

At all levels of the review process, efforts will be made to highlight the importance link between the full and effective implementation of the BPfA and the realisation of the Agenda 2030 and SDGs.  Equally important is policy and legislative coherence with other platforms and frameworks to highlight the mutually reinforcing impact of achieving gender equality and inclusive and sustainable development. Relevant platforms and frameworks include the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) and related resolutions on women and peace and security; the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development (2015); the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (2015), and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015), among others.

As the substantive secretariat of the CSW, UN Women is leading the operational review of the BPfA and the preparations for CSW 64 at the global level.  UN Women has a regional office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP), a region that is culturally, economically and socially diverse and home to approximately 60 percent of the world’s population. The ROAP is working with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as the two co-Chairs of the Regional Coordination Mechanism’s (RCM) Thematic Working Group on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (RCM TWG-GEEW), on the regional review process. At this level, the review process will comprise of three tracks:

i)    The analytical track which will comprise of a regional review based on the national reviews conducted by UN Member States on progress made and challenges encountered in implementation of the BPfA. In addition to this, UN Women will be collaborating with ESCAP on a more elaborated regional synthesis report that will be available in time for CSW 64;  

ii)    The stakeholder engagement track which will engage civil society as a priority, through a Civil Society Organization Steering Committee (CSO SC) which is being supported by UN Women;

iii) Inter-governmental meeting: The above two tracks will culminate in a High-level Intergovernmental Meeting i.e. the Asia-Pacific High-Level Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Beijing+25 Review in Bangkok (Thailand) from 25 to 28 November 2019. ESCAP Member States will gather to deliberate on progress and challenges to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women in the region and linkages to the attainment of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, and to foster consensus on actions to accelerate the realization of the BPfA and the 2030 Agenda. The outcomes of this intergovernmental process will feed into the global review to be undertaken at CSW 64.

In terms of the analytical track, three knowledge products will be developed. ESCAP has the primary responsibility for the preparation of a regional background report for the Intergovernmental Meeting, on the implementation of the BPfA which will be based on responses received to the national review reports and submitted as a background report to the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting. To complement this, ESCAP will in collaboration with ROAP, develop an advocacy product for the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting to highlight key facts and figures on progress achieved and key challenges to the BPfA in the region. Thirdly, ESCAP and ROAP will develop a more in-depth regional synthesis report highlighting key challenges including as they relate to the policy and legislative environment, which will be jointly launched in March 2020.

The proposed assignment and its objectives

ROAP is therefore seeking the services of an international consultant experienced in undertaking qualitative and quantitative analysis of gender issues and drafting international and regional reports, to undertake a comprehensive analysis of key trends on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls within the Asia Pacific region including five countries in Central Asia and to lead on the development of two deliverables:

1. Advocacy product: Drawing on the analysis for the national review reports and secondary data sources, the consultant will develop an advocacy product within the framework of the regional synthesis report, presenting the key trends across the cluster areas, and highlighting patterns over the past 5 years i.e. 2014 and 2019- including areas of progress, regression and/or non-progression.
2. Regional synthesis report: This report will aim to outline areas of progress and opportunities for accelerated advancements based on examples of good practices as well as the national reviews conducted by Governments and CSOs. Additionally, the report will highlight key challenges to achieving both the BPfA and the SDGs. It will do so by:

• Elaborating trends between 2014 and 2019 – and patterns- based on the cluster areas which guided the national reviews
• Identifying areas where significant progress has been made, examples of good practices and existing and/or emerging opportunities – and implications of the realisation of the SDGs based on the above analysis, also capturing where progress is being made of specific categories of marginalised women and girls
• Highlighting key challenges and/or impediments to the realisation of the BPfA and SDGs. This will be by the clusters identified per the guidance that was provided for the national reviews – and including highlighting specific hard to reach categories of women and girls in line with the principle of leave no one behind, to realise the Agenda 2030 and SDGs
• Articulate key messages by cluster area to inform action to be undertaken by ESCAP Member States, the UN and civil society between 2020 and 2025, and for ROAP and ESCAP to enhance tracking and monitoring of progress    
• Emphasizing where change is necessary and why this would benefit the Asia-Pacific as a whole, through a review of existing analyses.

This regional synthesis report will complement the background report prepared for the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting. Upon the completion of the High-level Intergovernmental Meeting, the report will also draw on the outcomes and recommendations identified in the adopted report.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of UN Women ROAP’s Strategic Planning and Coordination Specialist and in close collaboration with ESCAP’s Social Development Division (Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Section) the consultant will:  

1. Develop an inception report for the two knowledge products i.e. including a methodology for developing the regional synthesis report (which will draw from the UN Women corporate guidance on the national review process), with a focus on the period between 2014 and 2019- highlighting timelines and including a proposed bibliography for the regional synthesis report- and a proposed report outline. For the advocacy product which will be based on the analysis that will be undertaken for the regional synthesis report, the consultant will propose a methodology for analysing the trends and patterns to generate messages that highlight the linkages between the realisation of the BPfA and SDGs

       2. Regional synthesis report:

• Based on an approved Inception report the consultant will conduct a review of the national review reports. The consultant will supplement this by undertaking complementary analyses of in-country, sub-regional and regional qualitative and quantitative data between 2014 and 2019. Additional references can include recommendations of Charter and Treaty-based bodies i.e. Universal Periodic Review and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, and the Voluntary National Review reports, as well as parallel reports developed by regional and/or international civil society organisations to develop the regional synthesis report. Additionally, the consultant will refer to key analytical reports such as the 2018 Asian Development Bank/UN Women report ‘Gender equality and the sustainable development goals in Asia and the Pacific: Baseline and pathways for transformative change by 2030’ (2018). The regional synthesis report will address the issues raised under Section II ii) above.
• The consultant will develop an initial draft for review by ROAP and ESCAP and incorporate the comments for the same towards a second draft which will be reviewed by the RCM TWG-GEEW – and incorporate the feedback received from the same before finalizing a third and final draft which will be reviewed by ROAP and ESCAP’s senior management                                                   

    3.   Advocacy product: Based on the analysis to be conducted for the regional synthesis report, the consultant will highlight trends and         patterns by cluster area- and develop messages on priorities emerging from the qualitative and quantitative analyses which will target the Asia     and Pacific Conference on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Beijing+25 Review (November 28-29, 2019), to inform the   deliberations. It will also be disseminated through other fora and mediums.  

• The consultant will develop an initial draft for review by ROAP and ESCAP and incorporate the comments for the same towards a second and final draft which will be published for the High-level Inter-governmental meeting

Timelines

Between 5 July 2019 – 25 February 2020

• Inception report: Five (5) days- including receiving comments and finalization
• Advocacy product:

1. First draft of trends and patterns analysis with key messages: 15 August 2019 (ready for review by ROAP/ESCAP)
2. Comments submitted to consultant by ROAP and ESCAP: 25 August 2019
3. Second draft for review and finalization: 15 September 2019
4. Comments submitted to consultant by ROAP and ESCAP: 20 September 2019
5. Send for design and layout: 1 October 2019
6. First draft design to be reviewed by ROAP and ESCAP for proof-reading: 15 October 2019 

• Regional synthesis report:

1. Submission of first draft: 20 August 2019
2. Comments submitted to consultant by ROAP and ESCAP: 30 August 2019
3. Second draft submitted for review by ROAP/ESCAP and RCM TWG-GEEW:  22 September 2019
4. Comments received for review by ROAP/ESCAP and RCM TWG-GEEW: 15 October 2019
5. Third draft submitted to ROAP and ESCAP: 10 December 2019
6. Review of ROAP and ESCAP senior management review – and proof reading (approx. 3 weeks): 5 January 2020
7. Finalized report submitted: 20 January 2020
8. Lay-out, design and printing (approx. 4 weeks): 25 February 2020
9. Report launch: 8 March 2020

The consultant may also be requested to hold a teleconference with ROAP and ESCAP, and to present the draft report to the RCM TWG-GEEW.

Competencies

Core Competencies

Ethics and Values:

•  Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

•  Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

•  Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams:

•  Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

•  Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

•  Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behaviour towards others.

Conflict Management:

•  Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

•  Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

•  Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competencies

• Strong familiarity with the UN Development System
• Knowledge of the UN reform agenda, and in particular the agenda to promote gender balance within the UN Development System is desirable
• Strong familiarity of the UN Human Resources policies and systems would be an added advantage
• Strong planning, goal-setting and prioritization skills
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent facilitation and communication skills
• Ability to work well with diverse actors/individuals

Required Skills and Experience

• Master’s degree in social science, social study, social development or any related field.
• At least 15 years’ substantive experience in gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• In-depth knowledge of the BPfA and key concerns related to positioning various GEEW aspects in the Agenda 2030 and SDGs;
• At least 7 years’ research/analytical experience in gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• A background in quantitative analysis would be an added advantage;
• Strong writing and editing skills, and experience in writing synthesis reports would be an added advantage.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis.

• Technical Qualification (100 points) weight; [70%]
• Financial Proposal (100 points) weight; [30%]

A two-stage procedure is utilised in evaluating the applications, with evaluation of the technical application being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the technical qualification evaluation will be evaluated.

Remuneration

The consultancy fee will be paid against agreed deliverables (upon satisfactory completion and submission of the deliverables).

Official travel related costs based on UN Women travel rules and regulations (i.e. Economy class ticket, allowance, visa cost) will be covered by UN Women.

Submission package includes:

• Updated CV
• Personal History Form(P11)

• Financial Proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount breaking down a daily professional fee.

• Writing sample

All applications must include (as an attachment) the CV and the financial proposal. Applications without financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.