International Consultant to provide support in preparation of the 2nd Alternative Thematic Report on implementation of the CEDAW recommendations on the issues related to women living with HI

Contract

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Background

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, UN Women, is the global champion for gender equality, working to develop and uphold standards and create an environment in which every woman and girl can exercise her human rights and live up to her full potential. We are trusted partners for advocates and decision-makers from all walks of life, and a leader in the effort to achieve gender equality.

UN Women has a three-pronged mandate focusing on normative, coordination and programmatic engagement. Through its programmes and projects, UN Women is supporting national partners (governmental and non-governmental) in the implementation of existing international and national commitments to women’s rights and gender equality, it facilitates networking and exchange of good practices and advocates for women’s rights and gender equality in all areas of life.

Programmatically, UN Women works in five thematic areas, such as leadership and participation, women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, women peace and security, and gender responsive governance. UN Women also invests significantly in the coordination within the UN, with the national institutions, with the civil society organizations and with the international development partners.

One of the significant parts of UN Women work in Tajikistan is addressing the HIV vulnerabilities of women and girls that requires work at many levels – from developing national policies to providing or facilitating support to local community groups. It requires strategies for supporting behaviour change among men and social change to develop social, cultural, and legal environments that empower women. UN Women identifies key opportunities for networks of WLHIV to engage and participate in events and dialogues where policy is determined at global, regional, and national levels. UN Women supported representatives of networks of WLHIV and community-based organizations to highlight examples of women’s leadership in shaping HIV policies and programmes, creating constituencies, and advocating for greater accountability to advance women’s priorities and needs within the AIDS response.

People living with HIV (PLHIV) and civil society organizations have played a central role in the AIDS response in Tajikistan. CSOs has been – and continues to be – actively involved in every phase of the response, from advocacy to service delivery, from policy to programme design and implementation to monitoring and evaluation. It is widely acknowledged that without the efforts of civil society, the global AIDS response would be significantly weaker.

UN Women worked collaboratively with civil society organizations in HIV/AIDS response in many ways and different contexts, through direct small grant mechanisms, programme implementation support, technical assistance, trainings, and support for participation in advocacy forums such as the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), CEDAW and awareness-raising campaigns as well as web-based platforms for communications and experience sharing.

In 2018 UN Women supported Tajikistan Network of Women Living with HIV in submission of the first Alternative report to CEDAW committee specifically developed on the issues related to women living with HIV. National Action Plan on CEDAW in response to each recommendation has been developed in 2019 and implemented. UN Women CSO partners, including Tajikistan Network of Women Living with HIV were able to meaningfully contribute to the NAP development process and its implementation.

Building capacities of WLWH in basics of human rights and legislation, leadership, and advocacy, enhancing better judicial protection, provision of legal support, were among the committee’s recommendations included in NAP. To respond to this, UN Women initiated the establishment of the Network of Lawyers. Eight professional lawyers, members of the established Network of lawyers on HIV/AIDS enhanced their knowledge in mainstreaming gender in justice sector, criminal, and civil cases, considering a human rights-based approach and consequences of HIV/AIDS, advocacy, and fundraising. Three women living with HIV have been supported with court representation in 2021. UN Women plans to continue building capacities of the lawyers, members of the network in representing the interests of WLWH at more highest levels, including submission of individual complaints to CEDAW.

Due to the situation with COVID-19, the country CEDAW report has been postponed to 2022, therefore, this year will be an important year for Tajikistan to submit its 7th CEDAW periodic report from the country, 4th alternative report from CSOs in which addressing violence against women is a pivotal issue, and lastly the 2nd CEDAW alternative report specifically on issues related to women living with HIV.

In this regard, UN Women is looking for an international consultant, to provide support in preparation of the 2nd Alternative Thematic Report on implementation of the CEDAW recommendations on the issues related to women living with HIV from the affected groups and provision of support in building capacities of the members of Network of Lawyers in submission of individual complaints to CEDAW.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance and technical support of UN Women Country Programme Manager and the direct daily supervision of the National Programme Coordinator, as well as direct support from Tajikistan Network of Women Living With HIV, the Consultant will be responsible to develop a second alternative report to CEDAW on HIV, as well as design and deliver a capacity building programme on submission of individual complaints to CEDAW to the members of the Network of Lawyers.

More detailed tasks include, carry out the following main tasks:

• Preparation of an Inception Report comprising the detailed methodology of work, outline of the work-plan.

Task 1: Support in preparation of the second alternative report to CEDAW on HIV:

1. Conducting desk review of data related to WLWH situation, including detailed review of conducted assessments, reports, including the first alternative on women living with HIV submitted in 2018, and other related legal documentation.
2. Review and assess the policy and legislation system related to WLWH from gender, non-discrimination perspective, referring requirements of CEDAW, indicating progresses and limitations in the areas of which need to be improved.
3. Develop a comprehensive questionnaire aiming at collecting data, mainly statistics and precise information for the second alternative CEDAW report from CSOs on the issues related to women living with HIV from the affected groups.
4. Review previous and current Government of Tajikistan CEDAW reports, with strong focus on HIV parts.
5. Facilitate at least 2 consultative meeting with various Civil Society Organizations stakeholders to obtain feedback and insights on the implementation of CEDAW with the strong focus on HIV via statistics and information gathered and make sure the process of reporting on the implementation of CEDAW in Tajikistan is participatory.
6. Analyze collected information and responses received from various sources and draft in the format of the second alternative CEDAW report on the issues related to women living with HIV from the affected groups and as per the regular procedure guidelines of the Committee and as per CEDAW reports chapters.
7. Conduct a mock-up session for the representatives selected from the country to present the report to the committee.
8. Participate in and facilitate a validation meeting of final draft with key stakeholders.

Task 2: Support in building capacities of members of the Network of Lawyers in submission of individual complaints to CEDAW.

1. Preparation of a program and a training module for the lawyers on the instruments of international legal protection of the rights of women living with HIV and women from the groups at increased risk of HIV infection on filing individual complaints to CEDAW, communications to the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health and the Special Rapporteur on the issue of violence against women.
2. The training module has to be designed with the focus at increasing the capacity of lawyers involved in the protection of the rights of women living with HIV on international law and legal protection of WLWH, international defender standards and procedures of handling complaints, developing better communication skills with the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls and Health in advocating for the rights of WLWH, and the representation processes.
3. Conducting a three-days training, with consideration of the pre and post assessment of the knowledge of the participants.
4. Preparation and submission of a detailed report on the results of the conducted training with specific recommendations and further steps, or support if needed.
5. Provision of coaching support for lawyers in writing for at least one individual complaint to the CEDAW or the HRC.

• A final narrative report in English language highlighting the main results of the developed second alternative report to CEDAW on WLWH as well as the results of the training, including agenda, goals and objectives, list of participants, handouts, evaluation and conclusions and recommendations, lessons learned, challenges and recommendations for future capacity building work based upon questionnaires and observations (included as annex to the report).

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Good knowledge of the training topic on medical aspects and ethical norms in the field of HIV counselling.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

• Possesses the ability to work independently, under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Good knowledge of technical area;
• Good organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to detail;
• Experience in report writing.
• Proven excellent communication and facilitation skills;

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications:

Education:

• Advanced degree in Social Science, Research methods, Gender studies, Development studies, International Law, Public Policy, and other related fields.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of professional experience in advancing gender equality.
• Good understanding on international commitment on gender equality, including CEDAW, and other international instruments. Familiar with CEDAW report process, procedures, and contents of the report.
• Experience with UN agencies and other international organizations, as well as with government agencies for promoting gender equality in HIV response is an asset.

Knowledge of languages:

• Excellent command of both oral and written Russian and English.