Background

UN Country Team in Kyrgyzstan has commenced the process of developing the next generation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSCDF). One of the critical stages in the UNSCDF process is the preparation of the Common Country Assessment (CCA) as a country-based process for reviewing and analyzing the national development situation and identifying key issues as a basis for advocacy, policy dialogue and preparation of the UNSCDF. The process will be participatory, inclusive, dynamic, innovative, and iterative.  The findings will be described in the CCA document, to be completed by mid-2021, forming the foundation for the development of the Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSCDF).

The overall objectives of the Common Country Assessment are (i) to support and strengthen national analytical processes and products, and (ii) to identify the comparative advantages, key priorities, entry points and opportunities for UN system’ normative and programmatic activities in Kyrgyzstan. The CCA is guided by the basic elements and the five programming principles of the UN (human rights-based approach, gender equality, environmental sustainability, results-based management and capacity development) and it will complement the national development framework by generating consensus about priority and emerging challenges/problems and their causes, and the capacity development needs at all levels to generate action and traction by the UN in Kyrgyzstan. The Country Assessment process is a strategic analysis that identifies the root causes of developmental challenges and their effects on the population, particularly vulnerable groups such as women, youth, minorities, migrants and displaced persons and with a special focus on the five principles listed above. The end product is a high-quality analytical document that will contribute to Kyrgyzstan’s general development discourse.

The UNCT in Kyrgyzstan has opted for a full Common Country Assessment process. The specific objective of the CCA process is to enable all partners to achieve a deeper knowledge of the key development challenges facing Kyrgyzstan, based on a shared in-depth understanding of the country’s development situation, focusing on the SDGs and other commitments, goals and targets that the country has committed to.   The process of analysis for the preparation of the CCA document will be pursued in ways that would maximize its usefulness to Kyrgyzstan and its development partners in the formulation of their respective plans and strategies.

Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) is one of the programming principles of UN country programming which needs to be applied and integrated throughout the programming cycle of UNSDCF. Yet, due to various reasons, integration of gender at UNSDCF planning stage, including CCA, has been challenging in many countries.

To  ensure the effective GEWE integration in CCA, UN Women is recruiting a national gender specialist who will work closely with the CCA team in close coordination with UN Gender Theme Group and UN Women.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision and guidance of the UN Women Country Representative (also chair of the UN Gender Theme Group) and in close coordination with the UN Women National Programme Officer and the RCO team the national expert/gender specialist will be part of the CCA team. The national expert/gender specialist will be involved in all steps of preparation of the CCA document to ensure gender perspective and considerations are analyzed and fully integrated.

Specific responsibilities and tasks of Gender Specialist include:

General

• Ensure effective gender mainstreaming throughout the CCA process and final report of CCA by working directly with the CCA team
• Provision of gender session to the CCA team as well as of overall guidance and oversight with regards to gender considerations during the development of the CCA
• Regular communication and coordination with CCA Team, UN Women, RCO and Gender Theme Group (GTG)

Specific

• Desk review, conceptual and analytical secondary research on relevant areas published in existing studies, research and survey reports as well as UN and Government of Kyrgyzstan official documents;
• Close review of current UNDG guidance on gender and CCA process and adherence to agreed UNDG principles and recommendations, in particular for the assessment of the quality of the country analysis and the identification of key priorities for UN assistance in the country;
• Detailed inputs to any plans, documents and tools to be developed and used by the CCA team for data collection and analysis, in close consultation with UN Women and the GTG;
• Conducting meetings (online/offline) with GTG members and Heads of Agencies when possible, with a view to collect relevant information on key gender issues that are of concern and likely to be addressed by the agencies;
• Ensuring to collect all the data in sex/age disaggregated manner and collect some gender-specific data (if no, identify that data gap);
• Conducting specific meetings with the Ministry of Health and Social Development, key women’s organizations and development partners to collect additional information on key gender issues and priorities;
• Assessment of existing capacity and capacity gaps within the UN system and other stakeholders (TBD - both duty-bearers and rights holders) to deliver on its commitments;
• Apply gender analysis to analyze the issues from a gender equality perspective;
• Lead the mainstreaming gender throughout the CCA document in coordination with GTG, and  development of the gender section of the CCA document as needed;
• Develop a position paper on GEWE highlighting: 1) key gender issues in each thematic area; 2) immediate, underlying and root causes of key gender inequality issues; 3)existing capacities and capacity gaps of the UN and its partners in each thematic area as per the CCA document; and 4)  UN comparative advantage in addressing GE issues.

Duration & Deliverables Timeframe:

The assignment will be for 30 working days for a period of June – September 2021. The Assignment should commence on 10 of June, 2021 and end on 15th September 2021.  

Deliverables

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

• In-depth knowledge of gender equality and women's rights issues;
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with national and local partners
• Knowledge and understanding of UN system;
• Past experience of work in an national environment;
• Excellent writing, analytical, training, presentation skills;
• IT literacy with sufficient use of Microsoft Words, Excel and Power Point Presentation

Behavioral Competencies:

• Very effective at multi-tasking;
• Strong analytical and interpersonal skills;
• Strong initiative-taker;
• Excellent communication skills;
• Focuses on impact and results for client;
• Identifies opportunities and builds strong relationships with client and external actors;
• Participates effectively in team-based, information-sharing environment, collaborating and cooperating with others;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in Social Sciences, gender studies, human rights, national development, or other relevant social science fields

Experience

• At least five (5) years of experience in gender programming, gender analyses and implementation of normative standards on gender equality and empowerment of women at the national level
• Proven experience of writing research reports, gender analyses and position papers;
• Proven experience of researching women’s rights issues, gender-based violence and related issues
• ·Previous experience in UNDAF development and country analyses would be an asset;
• Experience in conducting interviews and survey and quantitative and qualitative data analysis would be an asset

Language

• Proficiency in professional written Russian is required, English  is an asset

Evaluation Procedure:

The candidates will be evaluated in three stages: according to minimum qualification criteria; technical and financial evaluation.

The candidates must possess following minimum qualification criteria to be eligible for further technical evaluation:

•  Masters degree in Social Sciences, gender studies, human rights, national development;
•  At least five years of experience in gender programming, gender analyses and implementation of normative standards on GE and empowerment of women at the national level
• Proven experience of writing research reports, gender analyses and position papers;
• Proven experience of researching women’s rights issues, gender-based violence and related issues
• Proficiency in professional written Russian is required, English  is an asset

Technical evaluation criteria (including minimum qualifications):

Only candidates who have passed over the minimum qualification criteria and have accumulated at least 245 points out of maximum 350 under technical evaluation will qualify for the next stage i.e. evaluation of their financial proposals.

Evaluation of financial proposal

Evaluation of submitted financial offers will be done based on the following formula: S = Fmin / F * 150

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 consideration.

Winning candidate

The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical

scoring + financial scoring).

Application process:

The application should include:

- Personal History Form (P-11 form) - including past experience in similar assignments; can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted;

- Financial Proposal: Specify a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this Terms of Reference. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount;

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

Management arrangements:

The contractor will work under direct supervision of UN Women Kyrgyzstan Representative and guidance of UN Women National Programme Officer.

Financial arrangements:

Payment will be disbursed upon submission and approval of deliverables and certification by UN Women National Programme Officer that the services have been satisfactorily performed as specified below:

• Deliverable 1, 2, 3 (10 working days) – 43%;
• Deliverables 4, 5, 6,7 (20 working days) – 57%;

Attention:

All online applications must include (as an attachment) the completed Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment.

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.