Establishing a Helpline at the Sharia Court in the West Bank

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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 center of all its efforts, UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide 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 Office 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 national priorities. In support of this goal, and thoroughly taking into consideration the specificities of the Palestinian context, UN Women concentrates its efforts and interventions toward the realization of following strategic goals: Mainstreaming gender in governance, peace and security; Supporting women's economic security and rights; and Promoting women’s rights and protection against violence.

UN Women strategic plan Impact Area 3 “Women and girls live a life free of all forms of violence”, focuses on supporting the capacities of the Palestinian Government and civil society actors to prevent violence and deliver quality, accessible and coordinated services for victims and survivors of violence, which is central to the 2030 Agenda, particularly SDG 5 on achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls, and SDG 16 on promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. In addition to that, it is fundamental to CEDAW convention, the CEDAW committee concluding observations and General recommendations, particularly GR19, 30, 33, and 35. Preventing and combatting violence against women and girls (VAWG) and enhancing women’s access to justice is also in line with the Palestinian National Policy Agenda (2017- 2022), and other key sectoral strategies, such as the National Strategy to Combat VAWG (2011-2019), the Cross Sectoral National Gender Strategy (2017- 2022) ,the Justice Sector strategy (2017- 2022), the Security Sector Strategy (2017-2011) and the Strategic Priority 2 of the Palestine United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF- 2018-2022).

UN Women since its inception in 1997 has achieved significant successes in enhancing women’s access to justice, through supporting the Justice and Security institutions to establish, institutionalize and provide gender responsive and multi- sectoral services to women victims and survivors of violence, and increasing the capacity and capability of civil society organizations to play a leading role in these achievements. These include amongst others; the establishment of the Family and Juvenile Protection Units at the Palestinian Civil Police in 11 governorates in the West Bank, the establishment of responsive specialized police, prosecutorial and judicial services, the establishment of the One Stop Center, strengthening the capacities of the Gender Units at the Justice and Security institutes, in addition to the development of key legislations, policies, Standard Operating Procedures (SoPs) and others.

In line with this, UN Women has also supported civil society organizations (CSOs) in Gaza and the West Bank, to realize critical achievements related to women’s access to justice and the realization of women’s human rights. These included amongst others, the provision of responsive legal aid services to women, particularly those in conflict with the law, the preparation of key studies on women’s access to justice, the production and launching of civic education manuals that targeted UNRWA schools, with the aim of disseminating gender sensitive and human rights- based norms, the successful leading of advocacy and awareness campaigns on gender and women’s access to justice and others.

The findings of the Rapid Appraisal of the Sharia Court effectiveness in Realizing Women’s and Children’s Rights which UN Women and UNICEF within Sawasya programme has conducted in 2019, provided several recommendations to improve the services provided by Sharia courts to women and children. These included developing tools to facilitate women’s and children’s access to information about their rights, available services, procedures and other related issues, to enhance their access to justice. In line with this recommendation, and based on a thorough discussion between Sawasya programme and the Supreme Judge Department (SJD), UN Women through collaboration with UNICEF and in full coordination with the SJD, plans to support the establishment of a helpline at the Sharia Courts, to facilitate women and children access to information.

Objective of the assignment:

The assignment’s main objective is to support the Sharia Courts in the West Bank to establish a helpline to facilitate women’s and children’s access to information and guidance in sharia court matters, as stipulated in applicable personal status laws, services provided at Sharia courts, followed procedures, and others, to enhance their access to justice

More specifically, this assignment has two main folds:

The first: To develop an operational plan to guide the establishment/ designing of the helpline. The plan should be based on analysis of opportunities, needs in terms of physical and ICT infrastructure challenges, and an understanding with the Supreme Judge Department on the scope and geographical coverage of the helpline. The plan should take into consideration the logistical, procedural and human resources aspects, amongst other related aspects, and should be guided by international standards and best practices, and in line with national laws. It should also make use of experiences of other stakeholders, including governmental and non-governmental at the national, regional and international levels.

The second: To oversee and support the designing and structuring of the helpline, including overseeing the piloting phase (3 months) of the helpline. This should include providing advice and technical support as needed, documentation of progress, recommended and unrecommended practices, challenges, opportunities, and other related tasks as relevant

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women Special Representative in the State of Palestine, the direct supervision of UN Women Programme Specialist, and working in close cooperation and coordination with UN Women and UNICEF technical team, the selected consultant will undertake the following tasks, duties, and responsibilities:

1. Inception phase:

Develop an inception report that includes a detailed description of the work plan, and methodology, and share it with UN Women for review and approval, following the below tasks:

  • Meet with UN Women’s and UNICEF’s technical team and stakeholders, to discuss the assignment’s objectives, methods and tools that will be used, and the main deliverables.
  • Develop a methodology and a detailed work plan and share with UN Women and UNICEF for feedback. The workplan should include the main objectives of the assignment, stakeholders, deliverables, and time frame. The methodology should use first hand and secondary resources, including literature review of related resources, bilateral and multilateral meetings, and focus group discussion with stakeholders, including governmental, non-governmental, civil society organizations (CSOs), UN and INGOs stakeholders.

The assignment should be based on a participatory approach and ensure adherence with gender and children justice standards and safeguards. It should cover the perspectives of judges, lawyers, and other service providers at the Sharia Court, beneficiaries, and other stakeholders as relevant. It should also build on national, regional, and international strategies and standards related to responsive helpline, particularly in family/ sharia court matters.

2. Implementation phase:

  • To meet with UN Women’s and UNICEF’s technical team, Sharia court judges, lawyers, services providers, and other stakeholders as relevant, to discuss and identify the needs, the scope and geographical coverage of helpline.
  • Develop the methodological tools, including amongst others, focus groups’ and meetings’ questions, and share with UN Women and UNICEF for review and approval.
  • Collect firsthand and secondary data, making use of a diversity of research tools and methods.
  • Develop an operational plan to guide the establishment of the helpline and submit to UN Women and UNICEF for review and inputs. The operational plan should cover the scope of the helpline, the operational, procedural, logistical, and human resources aspects and publicity/comms (?). It should also include literature review, methodological framework, description of findings, analysis, and recommendations. Minutes of meetings, interviews, focus groups, and the list of interviewees, and consulted/ interviewed organizations should be annexed to the plan.
  • Oversee the piloting of the helpline (3 months), and document progress, recommended and unrecommended practices, opportunities, and any other related insights, and share with UN Women and UNICEF for review and inputs.

3. Final report:

To submit a final narrative report that includes a description of the assignment, the achievements, used methodology, main findings, lessons learned and recommendations for future interventions.

Deliverables:

  • Deliverable 1: An approved inception report in English, that includes the work plan, the methodological framework, and the timeline for the deliverables. (Expected delivery date: two weeks after the signing of the contract)
  • Deliverable 2: A final approved operational plan in English and Arabic, including the annexes described under the responsibilities section. (Expected delivery date: two months after the signing of the contract)
  • Deliverable 3: A final approved piloting report upon a successful piloting phase of the helpline, and a final approved narrative report that includes description of the assignment, methodology used, target groups, lessons learned, and recommendations for future related programming. (Expected delivery date: 4 months after the signing of the contract)

Competencies

Core Values

  • Respect for Diversity;
  • Integrity;
  • Professionalism.

Core Competencies

  • Awareness and sensitivity towards gender justice and children’s rights.
  • 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 Competencies

  • Very strong background on gender and children’s rights;
  • Ability to manage time and meet tight deadlines;
  • Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
  • Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
  • Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
  • Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure;
  • Proven networking, organizational and communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • A Master’s degree in Social Studies, Gender, or any other related field.

Experience:

  • At least 5 years professional experience in the field of gender justice, and children’s rights.
  • Minimum 5 years of professional experience in areas related to services to women and children. Specific experience in services related to sharia/ family court is an asset.
  • At least 2 previous assignments with the justice and / or the security sectors
  • At least 1 previous assignment related to establishing or administering or overseeing a helpline. Experience in establishing helplines related to women and/ or children is an asset.
  • Experience with the UN system or/and International Organizations is an asset.

Language Requirements:

  • Professional knowledge of English, and fluency in Arabic

Evaluation Criteria:

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. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials:

  • UN Women P11 including experience in similar assignments; the P11 form can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted.

Note: Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Please upload as one attachment of the documents as mentioned above online through this website

Candidates should have the ability to quickly submit degree certificates, medical certification (of good health) expression of Interest (EoI).

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.

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

  • A Master’s degree in Social Studies, Gender, or any other related field. (Max. 10 points)
  • At least 5 years professional experience in the field of gender justice, and children’s rights. (Max. 10 points)
  • Minimum 5 years of professional experience in areas related to services to women and children. Specific experience in services related to sharia/ family court is an asset. (Max.10 points)
  • At least 2 previous assignments with the justice and / or the security sectors. (Max. 5 points)
  • At least 1 previous assignment related to establishing or administering or overseeing a helpline. Experience in establishing helplines related to women and/ or children is an asset. (Max. 20 points)
  • Experience with the UN system or/and International Organizations is an asset. (Max. 5 points)
  • A Sample of a report that describes a previous assignment related to establishing a help line, preferably in areas related to services to women and / or children. (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

Only long-listed candidates will be contacted.

Financial proposal. Shortlisted candidate will be requested to submit a financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount breaking down a daily professional fee, proposed number of working days and any related expenses, i.e. travel and communications expenses.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: jobs.undp.org