Individual Consultant – Gender Equality Expert for Gender Mainstreaming in UNSDCF preparation and development, UN Women Fiji MCO

Consultant

Contract

This is a International Consultant contract. More about International Consultant contracts.

Background

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.

The Fiji Multi Country Office (MCO) covers 14 Pacific countries, with field offices/presence in 6 countries, and six ‘focus countries’ (Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Tonga and Samoa). Each field presence is led by a national Country Programme Coordinator with a Programme Officer in Tonga. UN Women, in partnership with Pacific Islands Governments, regional organizations, CSOs, donors and UN agencies, focuses on delivering within four interlinked programme areas:

• Women’s Political Empowerment and Leadership (WPEL)
• Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE)
• Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG)
• Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action (GPiHA) and Disaster Risk Reduction

The United Nations in the Pacific is currently in its fourth year of its UN Pacific Strategy (UNPS) 2018-2022. The UNPS is a multi-country, outcome level, strategic framework that presents a coordinated approach to support the 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), namely Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The UNPS aims to support the region to advance a localized response to the global 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development tailored to each country’s national priorities.

The UN system in the Pacific currently works on the basis of multi-country engagement led by two Resident Coordinators (RCs) and a Joint UN Country Team (UNCT) linked across two regional hubs, with agencies operating regionally out of Fiji[1] and Samoa[2]. Under the UN Reform and as a result of the Multi-Country Office (MCO) Review, Member States agreed to open a third MCO in the North Pacific in 2021. This MCO will be based in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia[3].

In 2021, UN agencies in the Pacific, including UN Women, will begin planning and developing the next UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) in the context of the new Pacific MCO structure. The Cooperation Framework guides the entire Programme cycle, driving planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of collective UN support for achieving the 2030 Agenda for countries under the Pacific Multi-Country Offices (MCO) for the period 2023-2027. The Cooperation Framework is nationally owned and anchored in national development priorities of the Pacific countries, the 2030 Agenda and the principles of the UN Charter and will clearly articulate the United Nation’s collective response to help Pacific countries to address national priorities and gaps in their pathway towards meeting the SDGs.

The Cooperation Framework embodies the spirit of partnerships that are at the core of the 2030 Agenda. It is first and foremost a partnership with the Government, but also partnerships with all stakeholders – civil society, academia, parliaments, the private sector, bilateral partners aiming to leverage strengths and drive transformative change.

The Cooperation Framework represents a commitment to all people in Pacific countries, particularly the most marginalized and vulnerable and must help turn the collective promise to leave no one behind into tangible action for people on the ground, especially those furthest behind.

In line with the United Nations MCO review the Cooperation Framework will provide UN country team with the tools to tailor responses to Member States’ specific needs and realities, ensuring that all entities, whether present on the ground or not, can effectively support national implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

[1] Ten countries of the Fiji MCO are Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.

[2] Four countries of the Samoa MCO are Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, and Tokelau.

[3] The newly established MCO in the North Pacific will cover Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Palau, Nauru, and Republic of Marshall Islands.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the assignment

Current vision for the UNSDCF development as agreed by UNCT:

Given the complexity of the Pacific MCO set up, the vision, as well as the final design of the UNSDCF will be further refined based on the recommendations of the upcoming UN Pacific Strategy (2018-2022) evaluation and lessons learned from the implementation of the current UNPS cycle. The final design of the UNSDCF has yet to be determined, however, the following is currently proposed:

At Regional Level - Joint Regional Strategy:

• High level, light narrative document focusing on impact-level change for 2030 and beyond covering all 14 Pacific Countries outlining what the UN will do (results in the region) and how it will achieve it (long-term strategies);
• Enhanced focus on regional priorities and cooperation with regional agencies on regional priorities (E.g. mobility, financing for development, climate security).

At MCO Level:

• Three results frameworks at outcome level developed based on the analysis of the country specific development needs and agreement.

At Country Level:

• To be decided at later stage based on the recommendations of the UNPS evaluation and the current DCO guidelines. Proposal is to focus on annual (or biennial) action/implementation plans with three to five most critical and catalytic development results identified at each country level.

The major milestones of the UNSDCF roll-out process are as follows:

• Evaluation of the UNPS 2018-2022
• Preparation of Common Country Analysis (CCA)
• Prioritization and design of new UNSDCF 2023-2027

See additional details in Annex 1: CF Roadmap GH 24 June 2021. *** this can be shared offline upon request from interested individuals due to large document sharing.

Duties and Responsibilities

UN Women seeks the services of a Gender Equality Expert who will provide technical advisory support to UN Women Country Offices and partners in the region who are undertaking preparations for the next UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.

In close coordination with the Gender Group Coordinator and Country Office colleagues, the Gender Equality Expert will work to both mainstream gender in the UNSDCF roadmap, Common Country Analyses, joint regional strategy, Cooperation Framework and results matrices, as well as develop methodology for the development of dedicated gender and social inclusion sections of each CCA and the UNSDCF.

The specific activities that they will need to perform include but are not limited to:

• Provide technical inputs to the development of Terms of References for planned assessments and document development;
• Provide remote webinars/trainings to UN staff to ensure gender is integrated;
• Review all sections of the CCA and UNSDCF and provide comprehensive analysis of the situation with a focus on gender and social groups;
• Provide inputs into written reports and results matrices and develop recommendations to enhance gender mainstreaming, in line with the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard;
• Undertake desk-based research on issues relating to gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Pacific and input to the drafting of the CCA and UNSDCF;
• Support the UN Women focal point in coordinating the gender mainstreaming inputs into the UNSDCF process and all related documents, across the three stages of evaluation of the UNPS, preparation of CCAs and development of the UNSDCF.

Duration of the Assignment

The total duration of this assignment is tentatively planned for up to 45 working days over 9 months from August 2021 – May 2022, as per the tentative schedule of deliverables below.

Expected Deliverables

The timeframe and key dates as well as details of key deliverables listed below are indicative and subject to amendment during the development of the workplan. The key deliverables will need to align with the UNSDCF plans and process for the Pacific. The details of these remain to be finalized but will be similar in scope to those detailed below.

The Consultant will be responsible for the preparation and submission of all documentation. The activities below will be the basis of payment.

#

Key Deliverables

Time Frame / Key Dates and Tentative # of days required for accomplishment of task

Deliverable due date (tentative)

1

Input to/review and comment on the evaluation of the UNPS

July – September

(2 days)

30 Sept

2

Drafting agency contributions and providing gender mainstreaming input into CCA for 10 countries (Fiji and FSM RCO countries)

July – September

(20 days)

30 Sept

3

Drafting agency contributions and providing gender mainstreaming input into CCA for 4 countries (Samoa RCO countries)

July – September

(8 days)

30 Sept

Submit feedback on the UNPS evaluation, draft UN Women inputs to CCA for 14 countries, and provide gender mainstreaming analysis across CCA drafts – 60%

30 Sept

4

Technical advisory support to consultations and strategic prioritization

October – April

(2 days)

31 Jan

5

Input into sub-regional RCO analysis for Fiji (5 countries), FSM (5 countries), Samoa (4 countries)

October – April

(8 days)

30 April

6

Input into Pacific regional ‘chapeau’ document, which includes analysis of gender equality actions with regional partners

October – April

(1 days)

30 April

7

Training provided on gender mainstreaming in UNSDCF results matrices (at least 1 online webinar for UN M&E staff)

October – April

(2 days)

30 April

8

Input into 3 UNSDCF and results documents

October – April

(2 days)

30 April

Submit inputs into sub-regional analyses and regional ‘chapeau’ document, provide training, and input into 3 UNSDCF and results matrices. Submit final report on works carried out under this consultancy – 40%

30 April

TOTAL

Up to 45 Days

All deliverables should be agreed by the UN Women Fiji MCO and provided in the form of final word documents and appropriately referenced data. The above is a draft timetable.

Upon receipt of the final deliverables and prior to the payment of the instalment, the deliverables, related reports, and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women at least within one week of submission.

All the documents and deliverables should be agreed with UN Women, and reports should be submitted in written English language. Note that all materials, including images will remain property of UN Women and cannot be used without UN Women’s permission.

Inputs

UN Women will provide the consultant with necessary information on the activities and materials for a better understanding of the context and for the successful fulfilment to above mentioned tasks.

Management Arrangements:

The Consultant will work under the guidance of the UN Women Fiji MCO Gender Group Coordinator, who will provide overall management and supervision. The Fiji MCO Gender Group Coordinator will review and approve all her/his outputs and shall work in close coordination with the UN Women Representative with technical support from UN Women Fiji MCO.

Performance evaluation

The Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial Arrangements

Payments will be disbursed to the consultant in instalments, upon submission and approval of deliverables set forth in Section “Expected Outputs and Deliverables” above and certification by the UN Women Gender Group Coordinator that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

No DSA or relocation costs will be provided for the position.

Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. As such, it is anticipated that no travel will be required for this assignment.

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.

Functional Competencies

• Ability to think conceptually, strategically and analytically;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Results oriented, flexible and problem-solving skills.

Required Skills and Experience

The Consultant should fulfil the following requirements:

Location:

Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, applicants can also be considered if they currently reside in Fiji and to work remotely. The position is open to both national and international applicants.

Education:

• Masters’ degree or equivalent in development studies, gender equality, economics, sociology, or other related fields is required.
• A first-level university degree with 2 additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.

Experience and Skills:

• At least 7 years (with Masters’ degree) or 9 years (with first-level university degree) of progressively responsible experience conducting gender equality analysis/assessments;
• Proven experience in gender equality projects/programme design, implementation and monitoring with the UN or other international agencies.
• Strong understanding of the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard; experience with Scorecard rollout is desirable.
• Strong knowledge of the CCA and UNSDCF processes.
• Working experience in the Pacific is strongly desired.
• Working experience with multi-country contexts is desired.

Language and other skills:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, including ability to use internet and email.

Evaluation

Initially, individual consultants will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:

• Masters’ degree or equivalent in development studies, gender equality, economics, sociology, or other related fields is required.
• A first-level university degree with 2 additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.
• At least 7 years (with Masters’ degree) or 9 years (with first-level university degree) of progressively responsible experience conducting gender equality analysis/assessments.

The shortlisted individual consultant will be further evaluated based on a cumulative analysis process, with a total score being obtained upon the combination of weighted technical and financial attributes.

Cost under this method of analysis is rendered as an award criterion, which will be 30% out of a total score of 100 points.

Evaluation of submitted offers will be done based on the following formula:

where:

T

is the total technical score awarded to the evaluated proposal (only to those proposals that pass 70% of 70 points obtainable under technical evaluation);

C

is the price of the evaluated proposal;

Clow

is the lowest of all evaluated proposal prices among responsive proposals; and

X

is the maximum financial points obtainable (30 points)

Technical evaluation will be represented through desk review of applications. Interviews and/or written tests will be organized if needed only, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications.

Technical Qualification Evaluation Criteria: The technical part is evaluated based on its responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR).

No.

Criteria

Maximum points

• Masters’ degree or equivalent in development studies, gender equality, economics, sociology, or other related fields is required.
  • A first-level university degree with 2 additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level may be accepted in lieu of Masters’ degree.

First-level university degree – 5 pts, Masters’ or equivalent of 10 pts

10

1. • At least 7 years (with Masters’ degree) or 9 years (with first-level university degree) of progressively responsible experience conducting gender equality analysis/assessments.

*7 years (**Masters’* *Degree) or 9 years (first-level university degree) – 8 pts, each year over 7 (or 9) years - 1 pts up to a max 12 pts*

12

1. • Proven experience in gender equality projects/programme design, implementation and monitoring with the UN or other international agencies.

10

1. • Strong understanding of the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard; experience with Scorecard rollout is desirable.

10

1. • Strong knowledge of the CCA and UNSDCF processes.

10

1. • Working experience in the Pacific is strongly desired.

5

1. • Working experience with multi-country contexts is desired.

5

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

5

1. • Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, including ability to use internet and email.

3

Maximum Total Technical Scoring

70

Financial Qualification Evaluation Criteria: In the Second Stage, the financial proposal of candidates, who have attained minimum 70% score in the technical evaluation (at least 49 points), will be compared.

WINNING CANDIDATE

The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring + financial scoring).

Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit fully completed application on the UNDP Vacancy Site.

Submission Package:

1. Cover letter explaining the suitability of the consultant: applicants are encouraged to address experience and qualifications listed in the ‘criteria for technical evaluation’.
2. Duly filled Personal History Form (P11) and/or Curriculum Vitae (CV) of Consultant including records of experience in similar assignments and specific outputs obtained; P11 can be downloaded at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
3. Financial proposal – specifying 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 (daily rate and number of anticipate working days and any other possible costs).
4. Please read, use and complete ANNEX I and ANNEX II below to provide your financial proposal.

Applications without a complete financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. UN Women reserves the right to accept or reject any bid.

The consultancy recruitment process will be governed by the rules and regulations of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

Deadline of all submission: 16th August 2021

Annex I

Price Proposal Guideline and Template

The prospective Individual Contractor should take the following explanations into account during submission of his/her price proposal.

1. Lump Sum Amount

The price proposal should indicate a "lump sum amount" which is "all-inclusive"; All costs (professional fees, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Individual Contractor needs to be factored into the proposed price.

UN Women will not withhold any amount of the payments for tax and/or social security related payments. UN Women shall have no liability for taxes, duties or other similar charges payable by the Individual Contractor in respect of any amounts paid to the Individual Contractor under this Contract, and the Contractor acknowledges that UN Women will not issue any statements of earnings to the Individual contractor in respect of any such payments.

Contract price is fixed to activities/deliverables indicated in the ToR, regardless of the changes in the cost components (such as days invested for completion of the deliverables.)

2. Travel costs

No travel is envisaged for the implementation of the current assignments.

3. Daily Subsistence Allowance

Not applicable.

4. Currency of the price proposal

The applicants are requested to submit their price proposals in USD.

In case of proposals in other currency, these shall be converted into USD using the official UN exchange rate for currency conversion at the date of applications’ submission deadline.

Annex II

Price Proposal Submission Form

[ Mandatory document for the Consultant to complete and submit]

To: United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Ref: Individual Consultant – Gender Equality Expert for Gender Mainstreaming in UNSDCF preparation and development, UN Women Fiji MCO

Dear Sir / Madam,

I, the undersigned, offer to provide professional consulting services to UN Women within the scope of the referred Assignment. Having examined, understood, and agreed to the Terms of Reference and its annexes, the receipt of which are hereby duly acknowledged, I, the undersigned, offer to deliver professional services, in conformity with the Terms of Reference.

My maximum total price proposal for the assignment is given below:

Estimated Costs (in USD$)

Unit of Measure (e.g. Day, Month, etc)

Unit Price

(USD$)

No. of Units

Total Price

(USD$)

Consultancy Fee

Daily Fee

$

Other Related Costs (please specify)

$

Total USD$

$

*** Please be informed that for shorter assignments than a full day, the daily rate will be pro-rated into hourly rate.

I confirm that my financial proposal will remain unchanged. I also confirm that the price that I quote is gross, and is inclusive of all legal expenses, including but not limited to social security, income tax, pension, etc., which shall be required applicable laws. I agree that my proposal shall remain binding upon me for the duration of the contract timeline i.e. ________________ days / weeks / months / year.

I understand that you are not bound to accept any proposal you may receive.

[ Signature]

Date:

Name:

Address:

Telephone / Fax:

Email:

Apply now

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