Four National Consultants to Support Private Sector Companies with the Implementation of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)

Contract

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Background

Globally, 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.

In support of the Arab Republic of Egypt’s Vision 2030 and the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women (NSEEW), the work of the UN Women Egypt Country Office (ECO) is grounded in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA). Under the Egypt UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (2023-2027), UN Women implements its triple mandate of supporting normative standard-setting to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment, working with the Government of Egypt, civil society and the private sector on implementing international and national commitments and best practices, and strengthening UN system coordination in this regard. Since the early 1990s, UN Women ECO has consolidated its expertise, partnerships and investments around three main areas of work: women's leadership and system-wide support to advancing gender equality; women's economic empowerment; and eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls, including harmful practices.

Over the next five years, the ECO’s portfolio will continue to focus on the above, utilising the following strategies: supporting regional and global normative for a and related commitments; drawing from global standards and practices; contributing to evidenced-based, nationally-led legislative reform and knowledge development; supporting all women’s access to skills, services, and networks; supporting platforms and partnerships for women’s enhanced voice and leadership, including young women, rural women and women living with disabilities; developing nationally specific innovative financing mechanisms and tools, including gender-responsive budgeting; and advancing nationally and community- owned change in the attitudes and behaviours which may limit the advancement of women and girls, with the close engagement of men and boys as champions. Women’s economic empowerment is central to realizing women’s rights and gender equality. Women’s economic empowerment includes women’s ability to participate equally in existing markets; their access to and control over productive resources, access to decent work, control over their own time, lives and bodies; and increased voice, agency and meaningful participation in economic decision-making at all levels. In addition, empowering women in the economy and closing gender gaps in the world of work are key to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 5, to achieve gender equality, and Goal 8, to promote full and productive employment and decent work for all; also Goal 1 on ending poverty, Goal 2 on food security, Goal 3 on ensuring health and Goal 10 on reducing inequalities.

The private sector is a key partner in efforts to advance gender equality and empower women. Research shows that women’s economic empowerment contributes to economic growth, innovation, and increased performance of companies. More than 30 per cent of private sector leaders report increased profits from efforts to empower women in emerging markets (McKinsey 2010) and companies with more than onewoman board director generated additional annual return of 3.5 per cent (McKinsey 2007, Catalyst 2014). Hence, ensuring the inclusion of women’s talents, skills, and energies—from executive offices to the factory floor and the supply chain—requires intentional actions and deliberate policies.

Under the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework 2023-2027 and in support of the objectives of the Economic Empowerment pillar of the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women and the objectives of the Government of Egypt/World Economic Forum’s Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator, UN Women is working with the private sector through the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).

This assignment falls under two programmes -“Women’s Economic Empowerment for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Egypt” – “Rabeha”, a joint programme with UN Women and UNIDO, implemented in partnership with the National Council for Women, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and MSMEDA and funded by Global Affairs Canada; and “Women’s Economic Empowerment in Egypt” project, implemented in partnership with the Government of Egypt and co-funded by UN Women and KOICA. Within both programmes, UN Women works to advance women’s access to decent work through mobilising gender-responsive private sector that attracts, retains, and invests in women through the use of the WEPs.

Established by UN Global Compact and UN Women, the WEPs are informed by international labor and human rights standards and grounded in the recognition that businesses have a stake in, and a responsibility for, gender equality and women’s empowerment. The WEPs are a primary vehicle for corporate delivery on gender equality dimensions of the 2030 agenda and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. By joining the WEPs community, the CEO signals commitment to this agenda at the highest levels of the company and to work collaboratively in multistakeholder networks to foster business practices that empower women. These include equal pay for work of equal value, inclusive supply chain practices and zero tolerance against sexual harassment in the workplace. For more information on the WEPs, please read the WEPs brochure. To date, more than 85 business leaders from Egypt have signed the CEO Statement of Support therefore, signaling their support to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and more specifically, to the guidance offered by the WEPs.

Objective of the Assignment:

Reporting to the UN Women Programme Analyst, under the overall supervision of the UN Women Programme Specialist, UN Women will recruit up to 4 consultants to support it in promoting uptake and implementation of the WEPs1 among private sector companies, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. Each consultant will be responsible for outreaching to and supporting 7 private sector companies to sign the WEPs and providing them with guidance and technical support to apply the WEPs. The aim is to increase private sector companies’ commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment in their workplace, marketplace, and community. In doing so, UN Women aims to increase the number of companies in Egypt signing onto the WEPs to reach 100 by June 2023.

1 For further information please consult WEPs platform for WEPs brochure https://www.weps.org/sites/default/files/2021-05/WEPS_BROCHURE.pdf

Duties and Responsibilities

• Review thoroughly the WEPs induction material, resources and business case available online and utilize these resources to raise awareness and advocate for the WEPs among the private sector (e.g. on eligibility criteria, benefits from joining the WEPs, obligations of companies, etc.) through supporting the convening of and participating in events with private sector stakeholders such as chambers of commerce, the Federation of Egyptian Industries, Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator, women’s business networks, and others.
• Follow up with interested companies to gather expressions of interest from them.
• Support interested companies to sign the CEO Statement of Support (available in English or Arabic). The statement should be signed by the highest decision-making authority in the company.
• Provide guidance to companies that are interested to join the WEPs global network to complete the online application through https://www.weps.org/join
• Provide guidance to companies to create an account on the WEPs website and create a “company profile page” by following this step-by-step guide
• Provide guidance and technical support to companies to self-assess their strategic approach to gender equality, identify gaps and develop a WEPs action plan, with key performance indicators, that addresses those gaps by preparing for and completing a free online self-assessment tool The WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool
• Provide guidance and technical support to companies to develop an action plan based on the strength and opportunities identified by the self-assessment.
• Provide guidance and technical support to companies that have completed steps 6 and 7 above on communicating their progress and sharing their experiences and lessons learned based on their progress on their key performance indicators identified in their action plan. This should take place through developing 1 case study for each company to highlight their achievements.
• Based on the action plan developed per company and in consultation with the company’s leadership, identify priority actions for the company to take to catalyze gender equality and the empowerment of women that could be supported further by UN Women Egypt country office. These may include training for human resource and middle managers on gender equality and unconscious bias, gender-sensitive marketing and supply chain practices, technical guidance on family-friendly workplace policies, developing a policy on sexual harassment in the workplace, and others.

Deliverables Per Consultant****Level of Effort****Timeline- Support the convening of and/or participating in 3 events with private sector stakeholders to raise awareness and advocate for the WEPs among private sector companies.

Deliverable: report on 3 events3 Days Jun – Aug 2023- Follow up with interested private sector companies to sign the CEO Statement of Support

Deliverable: 7 companies sign the CEO Statement of Support 7 Days Jun – Oct 2023- Provide guidance to companies to create an account on the WEPs website and create a “company profile page.”

Deliverable: 7 companies create an account on the WEPs website and create a company profile page4 DaysSep – Nov 2023 - Provide guidance and technical support to 7 companies to self-assess their strategic approach to gender equality, and identify gaps by preparing for and completing the online self-assessment tool The WEPs Gender Gap Analysis Tool

Deliverable: report on technical support provided to 7 companies to prepare for and complete the online self-assessment tool21 Days (3 Days per Company)Nov 2023 - Feb 2024- Provide guidance and technical support to the 7 companies to develop an action plan based on the strength and opportunities identified by the self-assessment.

Deliverable: report on technical support provided to 7 companies to prepare for and develop an action plan with key performance indicators, based on the self-assessment completed24 DaysFeb – Mar 2024- Provide guidance and technical support to companies that have completed steps 4 and 5 above on communicating their progress and sharing their experiences and lessons learned based on their progress on the key performance indicators identified in their action plan through developing a case study for each company.

Deliverable: 7 case studies that communicate the companies’ progress on the implementation of the WEPs, document their good practices and/or lessons learned and briefings to stakeholders, etc. 14 Days (2 Days per Company)Mar – Apr 2024- Based on the action plan developed per company and in consultation with the company’s leadership, identify priority actions for the company to take to catalyze gender equality and the empowerment of women that could be supported further by UN Women Egypt country office.

Deliverable: report on priority actions and their rationale per company that could be supported further by UN Women Egypt country office2 Days May 2024

Competencies

Core Values

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

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: UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf (unwomen.org)

Functional Competencies

• Ability to engage with all levels of private sector employees (management, white collar, and blue collar);
• Capacity to engage and communicate with partners from private sector and business associations and leverage partnerships within WEPs and other platforms;
• Knowledge and expertise in private sector governance structures and operations;
• Knowledge and expertise in ESG private sector practices;
• Knowledge and expertise in gender research and policy analysis;
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Excellent negotiation skills;
• Ability to draft and communicate high quality clear and concise outputs;
• Familiarity with statistical analysis and indicators, especially gender-related statistics, and indicators;
• Capacity to set priorities, self-organize research work and to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time;
• Knowledge and use of computer office tools (word, database, spreadsheets, etc.).

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, business administration, education, international development, or another relevant science area, is required.

Experience

• At least 5 years of relevant work experience including experience in international development, economic development, and/or private sector development, required.
• Knowledge and understanding of the Women’s Empowerment Principles, or similar tools such as the Gender Equity Seal, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs), required.
• Experience in engaging with business associations, Chambers of Commerce, and similar groups, is required.
• On-the-groundwork experience in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion with the private sector, required.

Language Requirements

• Fluency in written and spoken English and Arabic is required.

Evaluation Criteria:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology: Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for the financial evaluation.

Technical Weight Criteria: 70% (100 points)

• Criteria 1: bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, business administration, education, international development, or another relevant science area (10 points).
• Criteria 2: at least 5 years of relevant work experience including experience in international development, economic development, and/or private sector development (10 points).
• Criteria 3: work experience with ESG private sector practices and/or private sector governance and operations with focus on gender equality (10 points).
• Criteria 4: knowledge and understanding of the Women’s Empowerment Principles, or similar tools such as the Gender Equity Seal, and demonstrated knowledge of international best practices in corporate gender diversity (15 points).
• Criteria 5: experience in engaging with business associations, Chambers of Commerce, and similar groups (10 points).
• Criteria 6: on-the-groundwork and technical experience in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion with the private sector in Egypt (10 points).
• Criteria 7: experience in writing case studies (5 points).

Financial Proposal

Financial Weight Criteria: 30% (30 points) – Lowest Financial Daily Rate Proposal

The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula:

• Contract will be awarded to the technically qualified consultant who obtains the highest combined score (financial and technical);
• The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula: (Lowest Bid Offered*)/ (Bid of the Consultant) x 30;
• 'Lowest Bid Offered' refers to the lowest price offered by Offerors scoring at least 49 points in the technical evaluation.

Application

Interested Individual Consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications:

• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) signed, is required when applying including the permanent current valid e-mail and phone contact, it can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment and,
• Financial proposal must be submitted based on daily rate in EGP inclusive of all the travel and other related costs,
• A cover letter with a brief presentation of your consultancy explaining your suitability for the work and link to portfolio of work.

The above-mentioned documents should be merged into a standalone file including all them, since the online application submission does only permit to upload one file per application. Incomplete submission can be a ground for disqualification.

IMPORTANT: The above-mentioned documents should be merged in a standalone file including all of them, since the online application submission only permits one file upload per application. Incomplete submission can be grounds for disqualification.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)