National Consultant on Communication and Advocacy on Gender-responsive Decentralization Reform and Gender Response to COVID-19

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UA Home-based; Kyiv (Ukraine)

Application deadline 2 years ago: Friday 9 Jul 2021 at 23:59 UTC

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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.

UN Women Ukraine implements its Country Strategy for 2018-2022, covering the following thematic areas:

  • Making gender equality priorities central to national reforms, governance, planning and budgeting;
  • Ending violence against women and girls; and
  • Strengthening implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda

In its 2017 report, the UN CEDAW Committee noted the progress of Ukraine's ongoing decentralization reform, yet underlined the lack of gender equality integration, which resulted in poorly targeted policies and actions, perpetuating deeply rooted discriminatory practices. Examples of a negative impact of decentralization on women include: the lack of prioritization of childcare services by decentralized governments, preventing women from entering the workforce; the prioritization of bigger roads over smaller rural routes that have further isolated rural populations and limited women's access to justice, education, health, housing, formal employment, and skills development and training; and streamlining of healthcare services that have reduced access by already vulnerable women to specialized care to address increasing rates of breast cancer, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, alcoholism and drug addiction. Vulnerable women, such as women with disabilities, HIV-positive women, Roma women, and women affected by the conflict, were seen to bear a greater burden, while their rights to livelihood opportunities and access to key services were regularly violated.

It also important to note that since March 2020, Ukraine is also deeply affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and multiple lockdowns. According to the assessment of socio-economic impact of COVID-19 conducted by the UN and other agencies in Ukraine, the outbreak of COVID-19 “is deepening pre-existing inequalities, exposing vulnerabilities in social, political and economic systems which are in turn amplifying the impacts of the pandemic”. The Rapid Gender Assessment of the Situation and Needs of Women in the Context of COVID-19 in Ukraine (RGA), which was conducted by UN Women in Ukraine in March-April 2020 provided a snapshot on the differentiated impact of COVID-19 on women and men. The key findings have shown that women are exposed to higher risks of losing incomes and savings as compare to men, they face barriers in access to basic services and have experienced a significantly increased burden of unpaid domestic and care work. RGA also confirmed increased number of cases of domestic violence (by 35%) and limited access of victims (majority of who are women), to the protection and services due to lockdown. Women facing multiple forms of discrimination have appeared to be at a much higher risk of extreme poverty and food insecurity. COVID-19 pandemics caused increased economic hardship especially to women living in small towns and villages, where alternatives for income generating activities are very limited.

In April 2018, UN Women CO in Ukraine in cooperation with the Ministry of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine (hereinafter, the MCTD) has started the implementation of project “Advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment through decentralization reform of Ukraine”, generously funded by the Government of Canada. The main goal of the project is to support the Government of Ukraine in achieving transformative results for gender equality and women’s empowerment through the decentralization reform. The project contributes towards the implementation of the country’s commitments on gender equality[1] and creates an enabling institutional environment for improving regional and local governance through the application of a human rights-based approach and gender mainstreaming. The project supports the consolidated efforts of the national mechanism for gender equality, the Ministry of Communities and Territorial Development of Ukraine, the National Parliament (Verkhovna Rada), the Ombudsperson Office of Ukraine, four pilot regional state administrations (RSAs) and 13 territorial communities (TCS) in Chernivtsi, Kherson, Sumy and Volyn regions, women’s groups and civil society organizations (CSOs) in the implementation of the national gender equality commitments and empowerment of women facing multiple forms of discrimination.

The project provides policy advise and capacity development support to the national stakeholders in developing, implementing and monitoring the gender and human-rights responsive legislation and policies framework on decentralization and sustainable regional development. These efforts support the national stakeholders in ensuring that the decentralization reform and regional and local development are compliant with international standards on gender equality such as CEDAW, BPfA, and is in line with the national frameworks on gender equal rights and opportunities, such as the localized Sustainable Development Goals, the State Social Program on Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men, the National Action Plan for the Implementation of the UNSC Resolution 1325. In 2020, the project supported the MCTD in the gender mainstreaming of the State Strategy of Regional Development 2021-2027 (SSRD), which resulted in the formulation of Operational Goal #5 on ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men, preventing and combating domestic violence and discrimination.

Awareness-raising of national and local duty-bearers, as well as right-holders is critical to ensure formulation and implementation of gender-sensitive socio-economic development and recovery plans at the national, regional and local levels. The project plans to conduct at least two advocacy campaigns aimed at gender equality and women’s empowerment through the decentralization reform and at addressing the gender impact of COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine.

Therefore, UN Women seeks to hire a National Consultant on Communication and Advocacy on Gender-responsive Decentralization Reform and Gender Response to COVID-19 for the development and implementation of the mentioned advocacy component, as well as to coordinate the corresponding partnerships and advocacy events.

[1] Laws on Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men (2005), the Principles of Prevention and Combating Discrimination in Ukraine (2012), the State Programme on Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men, the NAP on implementation of CEDAW Committee Concluding Observations to the Eighth Periodic Report and the NAP on implementation of UN Security Council Resolution on WPS 1325;

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Representative in Ukraine and a direct day-to-day supervision of the UN Women Programme Specialist the National Consultant on Communication and Advocacy on Gender-responsive Decentralization Reform and Gender Response to COVID-19 will implement a set of tasks, including, but not limited to:

  1. Develop the concept of minimum two advocacy campaigns: 1) on gender-responsive decentralization and women’s leadership in local governance; and 2) gendered impact of COVID-19 and women’s leadership in the pandemic’s response and recovery in line with corporate guidelines of UN Women and donor. Develop communication strategy, key messages, communication channels, stakeholder engagement plan, media and promo plan of the campaigns.
  2. Facilitate implementation of the campaigns at national, regional and local levels. Maintain and expand the partnerships and contacts with media partners, regional media in target oblasts, journalism schools and civil society organizations, government authorities, and academic institutions, to implement the specified advocacy campaigns.
  3. Initiate, conceptualize and implement communications and advocacy events of the project to ensure reaching diverse target audiences (local government, civil society, media, general public).
  4. Coordinate the work of vendors providing support services in the area of events/public relations/multimedia production, coordinate partner events.
  5. Make inputs to ensure the high-quality of project communication materials and knowledge products, including research reports, presentations, advocacy videos, etc. and their compliance with corporate guidelines of UN Women and donor.
  6. Facilitate drafting and design of the project brochures, fact sheets, briefs and infographics.
  7. Take interviews and draft minimum 10 human interest stories and other communication materials from the field and disseminate them to the relevant target audience. Upon request, participate at field trips to the target communities to collect stories and support advocacy efforts of the project team.
  8. Provide timely and quality response to media inquiries. Prepare the press releases and media kits in line with corporate guidelines of UN Women and donor.
  9. Ensure compliance of the social and other media posts related to the programme with the corporate UN Women and donor policies and guidelines. Ensure project’s visibility in social media in line with the corporate social media policy and provide inputs to UN Women Ukraine social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter).

Assignment Deliverables:

#

Deliverables

Approximate number of days

Deadlines

1

Monthly timesheets and brief progress reports about implemented activities and achieved results with attached events’ supporting documents (agendas, lists of participants and reports) submitted

Up to 230 working days not to exceed 20 working days per month

Monthly, by 5th of next month

2

Final report on the progress and achievements, lessons learnt, and recommendations submitted

10

By 15 July 2022

  • All progress reports and final report should be submitted in Ukrainian and English languages (the supporting documents, such as meeting minutes, analytical papers, workshop agendas etc. can be submitted in Ukrainian language).
  • The Consultant is expected to work remotely using her/his own computer but may access the UN Women office for printing of relevant documents or should he/she be required to work on-site at any point during the assignment.
  • The Consultant is expected to undertake regular travels to 4 pilot regions of Ukraine. The cost of travel will be covered by UN Women separately in line with existing rules and procedures.

Inputs

  • UN Women will provide the Consultant with background materials related to the assignment.
  • The consultant is expected to work using her/his own computer.

Performance evaluation:

  • The Contractor’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered. The evaluation will be carried out and cleared by the hiring manager after receiving and accepting monthly reports which will also be the basis for payment on a monthly basis to the consultant.

Financial arrangements:

  • Payment will be disbursed upon receipt of the deliverables (as per above matrix) and their certification by UN Women Project Specialist that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

Competencies

Core Values

  • Respect for Diversity
  • Integrity
  • Professionalism
  • Competencies

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: https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications Education:

  • Bachelor or equivalent University Degree in journalism, communications, International Relations, gender studies, marketing or other related field is required, MA/MSc (Masters or equivalent Advanced University Degree) would be an asset.

Experience:

  • At least three (3) years of relevant work experience in organizing communication and advocacy campaigns;
  • Proven track record in raising the visibility and influence of an organization or a cause through effective communications strategies;
  • Proven track record developing partnerships with private sector, arts and media;
  • Experience coordinating multiple and diverse stakeholders, including high-level individuals, in a campaign oriented, advocacy environment;
  • Understanding of gender equality and women’s human rights would be an asset;

Languages and other skills:

  • Fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, and English;
  • Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, IT tools, ability to use Internet and email.

Evaluation of Applicants:

Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of their qualifications and financial proposal. A two-stage procedure is utilized in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. The award of the contract should be made to the individuals whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

  • Responsive/compliant/acceptable.
  • Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical criteria, test and interview - 70% of total evaluation:

  • Technical criteria evaluation - max. 35 points
  • Paperwork/written examples (leaflets, essays, articles, communication concept notes etc.) evaluation – max. 15 points.
  • Interview evaluation – max. 20 points.

Kindly note that technical interview will be conducted only for the shortlisted candidates.

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 45. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on desk review and following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Technical Evaluation Criteria

Maximum obtainable Points

Criterion A – Relevant education

BA/BSc (Bachelor or equivalent University Degree) in journalism, communications, international Relations, gender studies, marketing or other related field is required, MA/MSc (Masters or equivalent Advanced University Degree) would be an asset.

5

Criterion B – Language skills

Fluent in Ukrainian, Russian, and English

5

Criterion C – Relevant Experience with total for all the stated criteria:

  • At least three (3) years of relevant work experience in organizing communication and advocacy campaigns – 10 pts;
  • Proven track record in raising the visibility and influence of an organization or a cause through effective communications strategies – 5 pts;
  • Experience coordinating multiple and diverse stakeholders, including high-level individuals, in a campaign oriented, advocacy environment – 5 pts;
  • Advanced understanding of gender equality and women’s human rights – 5 pts.

25

Maximum obtainable score for the paperwork and/or written examples

15

Maximum obtainable score for the interview

20

Total Obtainable Score for technical criteria and interview

70

Financial/Price Proposal evaluation****:

  • Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation will be further considered and evaluated.
  • The total number of points allocated for the financial/price component is 30.
  • The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.
  • Evaluation of submitted financial offers will be done based on the following formula: S = Fmin / F * 30
  • (S - score received on financial evaluation; F min - the lowest financial offer out of all the submitted offers qualified over the technical evaluation round; F - financial offer under the consideration).

Application and submission package:

All applications must include as one attachment:

  1. Completed and signed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-p11-personal-history-form.doc?la=en&vs=558

  2. Financial proposal (sample is provided below): The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount with a breakdown of a daily professional rate per number of anticipated working days, travel costs (daily subsistence allowance and other in-country travel costs) and other related costs (e.g., tele-communication).

  3. Sample of paperworks and/or written examples (leaflets, essays, articles, communication concept notes etc) either through sharing the links to the sample written works or submitting sample written works along with the application documents.

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment.

Interested candidates are requested to apply no later than 23:55(EEST) 09 July 2021 by submitting applications to the following e-mail address: [email protected] with a subject “National Consultant on Communication and Advocacy on Gender-responsive Decentralization Reform and Gender Response to COVID-19”.

Applications without P11 and financial proposal may be treated as incomplete and may not be considered for further assessment.

Sample of Financial Proposal

The format shown on the following tables is suggested for use as a guide in preparing the Financial Proposal.

  1. Cost Breakdown per Deliverables*

Deliverables

# of days and Percentage of Total Price (Weight for payment)

Price, UAH

(Lump Sum, All Inclusive)

1

2

3

4

Total

max. # of working days (100%)

UAH ……

*Basis for payment tranches

UN Women applies fair and transparent selection process that would take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals.

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