National Consultant for Networking and Advocacy Support to CSOs

Contract

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

Background

UN Women (the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of 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 Turkey, in line with its global Strategic Plan 2022-2025, UN Women works towards one overarching goal “Women and girls including those at greatest risk of being left behind fully exercise their human rights, enjoy a life free from violence and discrimination, and lead, influence and benefit from sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development towards the advancement of gender equality in Turkey” and three strategic objectives: 1) Women and girls have improved and equal access to resources, opportunities, and rights, and enjoy a life without violence and discrimination; 2) By 2025, Persons under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection are supported towards self-reliance; 3) By 2025, governance systems are more transparent, accountable, inclusive and rights-based with the participation of civil society, and quality of judicial services is improved.

Towards these goals, UN Women implements programmes and projects that aim to advance gender equality, improve women's access to opportunities, rights and services in political, social and economic life and combat gender stereotypes, discrimination, and violence, as required by international and national legal and policy commitments. UN Women collaborates with numerous partners – central and local level government authorities, civil society organizations, including women's organizations and platforms, academia, private sector companies, other UN agencies. It commits itself to the Leaving No One Behind principle by supporting targeted actions to remove the obstacles that marginalized and vulnerable groups of women face in accessing their rights and to promote them as agents of change.

Globally and in Turkey, UN Women engages with and supports civil society organizations (CSOs), in particular women's organizations, as key advocacy and knowledge partners, as well as implementing partners in operational activities in advancing women's economic, political and social rights. UN Women's work with civil society encompasses facilitating and expanding spaces for CSOs to come together for coordinated actions and to engage in dialogue with duty-bearers and decision-makers at local, national, regional and international levels, and in the context of inter-governmental processes. UN Women is focused on convening multi-stakeholder partnerships and engaging a wide variety of stakeholders, including men and boys and young people, to bring forth transformative change towards gender equality, in line with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Sustainable Development Goals and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Under this framework, UN Women embarked on a new three-year project Strengthening civil society capacities and multi-stakeholder partnerships to advance women's rights and gender equality in Turkey, funded by the European Union. The overall objective of the project to be implemented until April 2024 is to reduce gender inequalities by enhancing the ability of CSOs in Turkey to be agents of transformative change towards gender equality and women's rights. The specific objective is "Women's rights groups, women-led CSOs and other relevant rights-based CSOs more effectively influence the gender equality and women's empowerment agenda at the national and local levels."

Under this project, UN Women will assist and women’s rights and gender equality advocates, including young women, with financial and logistical support to participate in key regional, EU and international forums, such as the annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, Generation Equality global meetings, and other relevant events including organization of learning exchanges between women’s rights activists in Turkey and counterparts from other countries around specific topics and based on expressed needs. Moreover, UN Women will provide support to around 15 CSO members/affiliates and women’s rights and gender equality advocates to be part of networks, access to international mechanisms and to equip them with necessary knowledge in order to be prepared for advocacy and networking.

UN Women Turkey Office seeks to hire a national consultant to provide substantive and technical support to UN Women Turkey Office and to the CSO members/affiliates and women’s rights and gender equality advocates as per the functions specified under part II.

Duties and Responsibilities

Within the scope of the assignment, under the direct supervision of UN Women Programme Specialist and in close collaboration with the Programme Analyst and UN Women staff, the national consultant will be responsible for the below listed generic tasks:

• Identify opportunities/topics and conceptualize possible activities of UN Women to maintain strong links between the women’s movement in Turkey and the global women’s movement based on common agendas by creating learning exchanges, cooperation and formation of new networks
• Provide technical support to UN Women for the identification of CSO members/affiliates, groups and women’s rights and gender equality advocates to attend international/regional events/mechanisms
• Identify opportunities and networking tools/platforms for CSOs to exchange ideas, cooperate and international coalition-building
• Provide substantive and technical support, guidance and advice to the women’s civil society in Turkey to join international networks/platforms of women’s movement
• Provide guidance and substantive support to the CSOs’ preparations for their efficient and meaningful participation at the key regional, EU and international platforms, events, conferences international events, such as annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, Generation Equality global meetings, and other relevant events

Duration of the assignment is from 21 March 2022 to 31 March 2023. The Consultant is expected to dedicate approximately 4 working days per month on average for this assignment and to spend up to 45 working days on non - consecutive basis throughout the assignment. Expected Deliverables and Payment Schedule: The following table summarizes the main activities and expected deliverables against the targeted submission deadlines and indicative working days to be invested by the Consultant.

Deliverable****Target Deadline Estimated number of working daysSubmit monthly timesheets and brief progress reports comprised of capacity development support provided to the civil society organizations and the technical support to UN Women.By the 29th of each month starting from 21 March 2022 to 26 March 2023.40 days in totalSubmit a final report summarising all the work undertaken with regards to the assignment, including recommendations to UN Women and relevant annexes.By 31 March 20235 daysTotal Working Days: Up to 45 days All deliverables shall be received and cleared by UN Women in Turkey. All reports shall be presented in English, in electronic version.

Note: The mentioned number of working days has been estimated as being sufficient/feasible for the envisaged volume of work to be completed successfully and is proposed as a guideline for the duration of assignment. It cannot and shall not be used as criteria for completion of work/assignment. The provision of envisaged deliverables approved by the UN Women in Turkey shall be the only criteria for the Consultant's work being completed and eligible for payment/s.

Payment Schedule:

The amount paid to the Consultant shall be gross and inclusive of all associated costs such as Travel, social security, pension and income tax etc. Payments will be made upon submission and approval of deliverables above and certification by the UN Women supervisor that the services have been satisfactorily completed.

The Consultant's payments will be carried out on the basis of monthly timesheets and reports presented and approved by the supervisor. Payment shall be affected only if monthly time sheets and reports in this TOR are submitted to UN Women within the timeframes stipulated in the TOR and are approved by the supervisor. Without submission and approval of the monthly timesheets and/or reports, the Consultant shall not receive any payment even if s/he invests time for this assignment. Mandatory Training Courses: The Consultant shall complete all the mandatory and other required UN training courses and modules on time. The certificates shall be submitted to the supervisor.

Mandatory Training Courses:

The Consultant shall complete all the mandatory and other required UN training courses and modules on time. The certificates shall be submitted to the supervisor.

Key Performance Indicators

• Adherence to UN Women mandate, standards and rules • Timely and quality delivery of the guiding services and technical support as stipulated under Part II. • Provision of quality and timely monthly reports and final report. • Positive feedbacks from the CSO members/affiliates and women’s rights and gender equality advocates, regarding the substantive support provided by the Consultant.

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 be strategic and analytical
• Good Knowledge of Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Networking and advocacy

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

As 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.)

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

• Master's Degree or equivalent in social sciences, gender studies, political science, development studies or another related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:- Minimum 5 years of progressive professional experience in the field gender equality and/or women's empowerment - Minimum 2 years of experience with international women’s movement or mechanisms on gender equality, women’s rights or women’s empowerment - Minimum 1 year of experience on working with women’s civil society organizations is an asset. - Minimum 1 year of experience in networking and advocacy on gender equality and women’s rights is an asset

Language Requirements:- Fluency in written and spoken Turkish and English is required.

Travel:

This is a home-based assignment with no travel foreseen. In case of an unforeseen travel, UN Women Turkey Office will cover the organization and the costs of the consultant’s travel as per UN Women’s rules and regulations. UN Women will not cover transportation cost within duty station including the taxi costs.

Application Procedure:

The following documents should be submitted as part of the application:

• Cover letter to include a brief overview about which of your previous experiences makes you the most suitable candidate for the advertised assignment.
• CV in English containing the relevant educational and professional experience.
• Signed UN Women Personal History (P11) Form including past experience in similar assignments which can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment

The cover letter, CV, signed UN Women personal history form and the financial proposal shall be sent via e- mail to [email protected] indicating the name of the position applied in the subject line of the e-mail no later than the application deadline - Please see Annex I: Price Proposal Guideline and Template and Annex II: Price Proposal Submission Form.

When applying; the Cover Letter, CV and the signed P11 Form should be merged into one (1) single PDF document. The Financial Proposal should be sent as a separate file in PDF, separately from the rest of the documents. Please make sure not to include the Financial Proposal in the merged PDF document.

Should they be short-listed in consideration of the consultancy, candidates should be able to quickly submit degree certificates, medical certifications or any other requested document.

Incomplete applications such as applications without a financial proposal may not be considered. Applicants are responsible to make sure to have provided all the requested application materials before the deadline.

Evaluation of Applicants:

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants' qualifications and financial proposal. The contract will be awarded to the Consultant whose offer receives the highest score out of below defined technical and financial criteria. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.

Criteria****Total points****Max. Points****Technical Evaluation (70%)****70 Master's Degree or equivalent in social sciences, gender studies, political science, development studies or another related field. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. 15Minimum 5 years of progressive professional experience in the field gender equality and/or women's empowerment (5 years: 15 points. More than 5 years: 20 points) 20Minimum 2 years of experience with international women’s movement or mechanisms on gender equality, women’s rights or women’s empowerment (2 years: 10 points. More than 2 years: 15 points) 15Minimum 1 year of experience in networking and advocacy on gender equality and women’s rights is an asset 10Minimum 1 year of experience on working with women’s civil society organizations is an asset 5Fluency in written and spoken Turkish and English is required. 5Financial Evaluation (30%)****30 TOTAL****100The 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 An interview/written test may be used as part of the evaluation procedure.

Annex I: Price Proposal Guideline and Template The prospective Individual Consultant should take the following explanations into account during submission of his/her price proposal.

1. Daily fee The daily price proposal should indicate a "lump sum amount" which is "all-inclusive"; All costs (professional fees, communications, consumables during field related missions, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the 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.

2. Travel costs Not applicable.

3. Daily Subsistence Allowance Not applicable.

4. Currency of the price proposal The applicants are requested to submit their price proposals in Turkish Liras.

Annex II: Price Proposal Submission Form

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

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:

Costs****TRY****Daily Fee, all inclusive Total Fee for the Assignment based on the Deliverables (up to maximum 45 days)I confirm that my financial proposal will remain unchanged for 120 days. 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 120 days.

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

[Signature] Date: Name: Address: Telephone/Fax: E-mail: