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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its’ efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997 (as UNIFEM). UN Women Palestine focuses its activities on one overarching goal, namely, to support the implementation at the national level of existing international commitments to advance gender equality. In line with the Palestinian Government’s commitment to  achieve gender equality and to fight Violence Against Women (VAW), and in full partnership with the Justice and Security Sectors, including the Public Prosecution (PP), the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP), the High Judicial Council (HJC) and the Supreme Judge Department (SJD) , UN Women, within its joint programme with UNDP and UNICEF- “Promoting the Rule of Law in Palestine- SAWASYA II” is supporting the Justice and Security institutes to mainstream gender into  their procedures and policies, and develop and provide  gender responsive services to women victims and survivors of violence, through providing institutional capacity building and policy level interventions  amongst others.

 In February 2017, the PCP with the support of UN Women SAWASYA I programme has launched its’ first Gender Strategy for the years 2017-2023. The strategy was built on five strategic goals, including: mainstreaming gender concepts in the PCP; building police capacities in the field of gender; empowering the PCP from gender perspective; integrating gender issues into the PCP policies and work mechanisms; and strengthening partnerships with supporting institutions concerned with gender issues. Since then, UN Women within SAWASYA programme has been supporting the implementation of the strategy in a coordinated manner with other national and international stakeholders in the sector.

Acknowledging the importance of a systematic and substantive review and assessment to the progress achieved, existing opportunities as well as challenges impeding the implementation of the strategic directions of the strategy, UN Women in collaboration with the PCP is planning to conduct a mid- term review and assessment to the PCP gender strategy, to track progress, guide and inform the planning and  implementation of  related interventions amongst others.

The main objective of the assignment is to conduct a mid- term review and assessment to the implementation of the PCP gender strategy and guide the development of an action plan for the coming three years (2021-2023). More specifically, the assignment includes the following specific objectives:

• To track and document the progress in the implementation of the strategy, including main achievements vis- a- vis a clear monitoring and evaluation framework that includes targets and indicators amongst other related issues.
• To identify the challenges facing and hindering the implementation of the strategy.
• To identify priority areas and potential interventions for the upcoming period (2021-2023).

To achieve this, UN Women is seeking to hire an experienced national consultant to lead the assignment through full engagement with the PCP Head Quarter in Ramallah and district offices. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of UN Women’s Special Representative and the direct supervision of UN Women Rule of Law Programme Specialist, and in close partnership and coordination with UN Women Women’s Security Analyst, the national consultant will be responsible for the following tasks: 

Work plan and methodology:

• To prepare a work plan for the assignment, including the methodology and time frame, and submit them to UN Women for review and approval.
• The methodology should include a variety of research tools that ensure the provision of first- hand and secondary data, in addition to a combination of fact- finding and comparison approaches, to ensure the availability of acomprehensive analytical framework that is based on the five principles of gender mainstreaming, including gender- sensitive language; gender -specific data collection and analysis; equal access to and utilization of services; equal involvement for women in decision- making; and integration of equal treatment into steering processes.

Data collection and data analysis:

• To conduct a literature review for related documents, including the PCP’s work plans, reports and others.
• To identify key stakeholders and facilitate meetings and working sessions with relevant actors.
• To conduct field visits to meet PCP Specialized Units, district police commanders and senior and field officers at district level.
• To document the progress, accomplishments and gaps in the implementation of the strategy for the years (2017-2019), including a descriptive analysis for underlying factors.

Mid- term review and assessment report:

• To prepare a draft mid- term review and assessment report and share it with UN Women and PCP for review and comments.
• To support the PCP and UN Women in the preparation, facilitation and documentation of a validation workshop.
• To update the draft mid- term review and assessment report based on comments and inputs provided by UN Women and PCP team and outputs of the validation workshop.
• To submit a final assessment and mid- term review report.

Action plan:

• To prepare a draft action plan for the years 2021-2023 and share it with UN Women and PCP for review and inputs.
• To update the draft action plan for the years 2021-2023 based on comments and inputs provided by UN Women and PCP team.
• To submit a final action plan for the years 2021-2023.

Moreover, the consultant will be responsible to:

• Work in close cooperation and coordination with the Programme team and the PCP’s Gender Unit.
• Regularly meet with UN Women and PCP team to update on progress and challenges of the assignment.
• Prepare a final report that includes a comprehensive description of the assignment, including the methodology that was used, findings, analysis and recommendations.

 Ensure a participatory approach and interactive methods throughout all phases of work and ensure ownership of the process as well as of the final deliverable.

Key deliverables:

The assignment has two main deliverables including the following:

The first deliverable includes the following items:

• Approved work plan, including a detailed methodology as described in the section on duties and responsibilities, time frame and deliverables.
• Approved draft assessment and mid- term review report, including the developed tools.
• Approved draft action plan for the years 2021-2023 including activities, targets, indicators, and other related items.

The second deliverable includes the following items:

• A final approved mid- term review and assessment report.
• A final approved action plan for the years 2021-2023.
• A final approved report that includes a comprehensive description of the assignment, including the methodology that was used, findings, analysis and recommendations.

Time Frame:

The assignment is expected to start in April 2020, and end in July 2020, with a total of approximate 25 working days.

Competencies

Core Value/Guiding Principles:

Integrity:

• Demonstrating consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural Sensitivity / Valuing diversity:

• Demonstrating an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values.

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: https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competyencies:

• Knowledge of gender and women’s human rights’ national and international frameworks and policies.
• Strong experience in the preparation of assessment studies or research, particularly in areas related to gender mainstreaming, VAW and gender justice.
• Strong experience in the preparation of strategic planning documents and action plans, with focus on gender and women’s rights.
• Sound knowledge of the Justice and Security systems in Palestine, including roles and responsibilities of key players within the security sector.
• Strong knowledge in gender mainstreaming strategies, techniques and tools.
• Strong dialogue and communication skills.
• Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships with clients, demonstrating understanding of client’s perspective; anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• MA degree in Human Rights, Planning, Gender Studies, Monitoring and Evaluation, Sociology or any other related field.

Experiecne:

• At least 6 years working experience in the field of gender equality and gender mainstreaming.
• At least 2 previous assignments related to developing strategies or policies, with focus on gender mainstreaming, VAW or gender justice.
• At least 2 previous assignments related to preparing assessment or mid- term review studies or research, with focus on gender mainstreaming, VAW or gender justice.
• At least 1 previous related assignments with the Justice and/ Security sectors on issues related to gender equality.
• Experience with the UN system or/ and International Organizations is considered an asset.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in Arabic and professional knowledge in English.

Application procedure:

This SSA modality is governed by UN Women General Terms and Conditions. UN Women will only be able to respond to applicants who meet the minimum requirements.

Candidates should clearly indicate how they meet the above-mentioned criteria in their applications.

The following documents should be submitted as part of the application. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials:

• UN Women Personal History Form (P11) including past experience in similar assignments; can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted. Any other form will not be accepted.

Candidates should have the ability to quickly submit degree certificates, medical certification (of good health) expression of Interest (EoI) and sample of previous work assignment related to evaluation or mid-term review or assessment with focus on gender equality should they be short-listed in consideration of this consultancy.

Evaluation of applicants:

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications mentioned above; and financial proposal. A 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 50 points in the technical evaluation will be considered for financial evaluation.

Long listed Candidates should provide a sample of a previous training/ raising awareness outline and training material related to violence against women or gender- based violence or access to justice.

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

• Relevant education (max 10 points)
• At least 6 years working experience in the field of gender equality and gender mainstreaming.  (max 15 points).
• At least 2 previous assignments related to developing strategies or policies with focus on gender mainstreaming, VAW or gender justice.  (max 10 points). 
• At least 2 previous assignments related to preparing assessment or mid- term review studies or research, with focus on gender mainstreaming, VAW or gender justice (max 10 points)
• At least 1 previous related assignments with the Justice and/ Security sectors on issues related to gender equality. (max 10 points).
• Experience with the UN system or/ and International Organizations is considered an asset.(max 5)
• Sample of previous assignment related to evaluation or mid-term review or assessment with focus on gender equality. (max 10 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. A suggested formula is as follows:

p = 30 (µ/z)

Using the following values:

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated