National Consultant on Legal Framework Improvement for the Apparatus to the Government Commissioner on Gender Equality Policy

Consultant

Contract

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

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 work in Ukraine focuses on supporting the government and civil society in advancing gender equality and implementation of the national and international commitments on gender equality and women’s human rights. UN Women Ukraine implements interventions on the following four thematic priorities: peace and security, humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction; ending violence against women and girls and women; women’s economic empowerment; governance and participation in public life. UN Women works closely with the UN Country Team in integration of women’s rights and gender equality in all spheres of UN work. The 2023 Strategic Note is aligned with the UN Transitional Framework covering the following areas: humanitarian response; humanitarian-development-peace nexus and early recovery.

Within its partnership with the Ukrainian Parliament, Government, and women’s CSOs, UN Women is providing expert and technical support on the development of the legal and policy framework for advancement of women’s rights and gender equality in the country.

The Constitution of Ukraine, its legislative and policy frameworks guarantee equality of men and women in Ukraine in all sectors. Ukraine has endorsed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), acceded to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and has ratified major international instruments on gender equality and women’s rights, including UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities of Women and Men” was adopted in 2005 as a key law on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The Law provides for the legal framework of men and women’s parity in all spheres of social life through providing legal support for equal rights and opportunities, removal of gender-based discrimination and prevention of misbalance between women’s and men’s opportunities in implementing the rights granted to each of them by the Constitution and other laws.

Following the adoption of the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men”, Ukraine was developing its own national mechanism (National Women’s Machinery) for ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men, which consisted of a system of bodies with powers in this area, which include: Parliament, the Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsperson), the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (CMU), specially authorized central executive body on gender equality policy (Ministry of Social Policy), executive authorities and local self-government bodies, and civil society associations.

National Women’s Machinery has been strengthened and brought to the highest political level during the last years:

• Since March 1, 2017, the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration (DPM) has been appointed to be in charge of coordination of the interaction of central executive authorities on matters of gender equality.
• On June 7, 2017, the CMU established the position of the Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy (Government Commissioner) in the CMU Secretariat.
• The Commission for Coordination of Interaction of Executive Authorities in Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men (Coordination Commission) was established in September 2020 as a new coordination mechanism of the National Women’s Machinery led by the DPM.

The full-scaled military invasion of the Russian Federation to Ukraine in 2022 has deepened the gender gaps and discrimination. According to the UN Women Rapid Gender Analysis, the impacts of war are uneven, with the greatest effects on women, children, and people with disabilities. Women are most refugees and displaced from Ukraine and they face significantly increased safety and protection risks, including multiple forms of gender-based violence. They also face a myriad of other challenges to accessing housing, food, sexual and reproductive health, and employment. To respond to these uneven impacts and perform early recovery in a way, that all diverse groups of men and women benefit equally, the gender legal framework should be updated.

Despite the challenges arising from the full-fledged Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Parliament and the Government continued demonstrating a consistent commitment to gender equality agenda as part of EU integration, including developing and/or approving the legislative and policy framework, including:

• The Parliament of Ukraine ratified the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.
• The CMU adopted the State Strategy on Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men (EROW&M) by 2030 and the operational action plan on its implementation in 2022–2024;
• The CMU revised the National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.

Considering all these changes and developments, the Parliament, the Government, and the women’s CSOs consider it important to revise the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities of Women and Men” to bring it in line with the contemporary situation.

Moreover, as a follow-up of the Coordination Commission Meeting on domestic violence during the war, the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration issued the Resolution, which determined the need to update the Law of Ukraine “On ensuring equal rights and opportunities for women and men”. To implement the Resolution, a Working Group has been created by the Office of Government Commissioner on Gender Equality Policy to prepare amendments to the Law. UN Women has been invited to participate in the above Working Group and provide expect and technical support to the process of gender equality legal framework further improvement.

UN Women has been providing expert, technical and capacity development support to key institutions of the National Women’s Machinery to implement its mandate, including the Government, the Parliament and Ombudsperson Office on multiple gender equality commitments, including, among others, developing the legal and policy framework for advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

UN Women considers its high priority to continue support to the Parliament, the Government and women’s CSOs’ efforts to improve the gender equality legal framework. As part of this work, UN Women Ukraine is looking for a for a National Consultant to support the Office of Government Commissioner on Gender Equality Policy on the improvement of Gender Equality Legal Framework. This expert assistance will include facilitation of preparation of amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men” and support to the effective coordination of the activities of the Working Group.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Representative, and direct supervision by the UN Women Programme Specialist and under the technical guidance of the Head of the Apparatus of the Government Commissioner on Gender Equality Policy, the National Consultant will work to provide expert support and facilitate preparation of amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men”, as well as contribute to the effective coordination of the activities of the Working Group. The assignment will include but not be limited to the following tasks:

1.1 Development of a methodology for the analysis of legislation, in particular the Law of Ukraine "On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men". The methodology should include creation of a Working Expert Group consisting of representatives of key partners (governmental institutions, parliament, women's CSOs, development partners, etc.). The National Consultant will coordinate and organize the work of the Working Group.

1.2 Validation of the proposed methodology by conducting at least two consultations of the Working Expert Group with key partners (governmental institutions, parliament, women's CSOs, development partners, etc.) and finalizing the methodology considering the results of the consultations.

2.1 Conducting analysis of legislation, in particular, the Law of Ukraine "On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men", using the developed methodology by conducting desk review with document analysis, interviews, focus group discussions with the involvement of representatives of governmental institutions, parliament, women's CSOs, development partners, other key partners.

2.2 Preparation of the draft report, which will include the results of the analysis, conclusions, and recommendations for improving the legislation.

3.1 Validation of the results of the analysis by presenting and discussing the findings and recommendations during at least two consultations involving representatives of governmental institutions, parliament, women's CSOs , development partners and other key partners.

3.2 Preparation of the final report, which will include the results of the analysis, conclusions and recommendations for improving the legislation.

Assignment Deliverables:

#

Deliverables

Number of working days

Deadlines

1

Methodology for the analysis of legislation, particularly the Law of Ukraine "On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men", validated by the multi-stakeholder Working Expert Group and submitted to UN Women. Supporting documents on validation consultations (agenda, list of participants, summary of comments, etc.) submitted to UN Women.

10 days

By 11 September 2023

2

Draft report on the analysis of legislation, in particular, the Law of Ukraine "On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men", conducted by the validated methodology, submitted to UN Women. The draft report should include the results of the analysis, conclusions and recommendations for improving the legislation.

15 days

By 20 October 2023

3

Final report on the analysis of legislation, in particular, the Law of Ukraine "On Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men", validated by the multi-stakeholder Working Expert Group and submitted to UN Women. The final report should include the results of the analysis, conclusions and recommendations for improving the legislation. Supporting documents on validation consultations (agenda, list of participants, summary of comments, etc.) submitted to UN Women.

10 days

By 20 November 2023

*All reports should be submitted in English language and include the full set of supporting documents, such as analytical briefs, meeting notes, concept notes and agendas, handouts and lists of participants, etc. The supporting documents can be submitted in Ukrainian.

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:

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

Financial arrangements:

• Payment will be disbursed in three installments upon receipt of the deliverables (as per above matrix) and their certification by UN Women Programme 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/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Required Skills and Experience

Qualifications Education:

• Advanced (Masters) degree in Law, Public Policy and Administration, Social Sciences or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience (after Master’s degree) on human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE);
• Proven experience on gender analysis of legislation and developing propositions on GEWE legal framework improvement;
• Previous experience of working on GEWE with or in the governmental institutions at the national and/or local level;
• Experience with support of coordination of multiple stakeholders’ activities and liaise with the parliament, governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, including development partners, and civil society; experience with UN Women and other UN agencies will be considered as an asset;
• Proven knowledge of human rights and GEWE international and national frameworks.

Languages and other skills:

• Fluency in verbal and written English and Ukrainian is required.

Evaluation of Applicants:

Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of their qualifications and a 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 - 70% of total evaluation. Total max 70 points:

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 70. 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

• Advanced (Masters) degree in Law, Public Policy and Administration, Social Sciences or related field (Masters – 4 pts, PhD – 5 pts)

5

Criterion B – Language skills

Fluency in verbal and written English and Ukrainian is required.

5

Criterion C – Relevant Experience with total for all of the following criteria

60 including:

• Minimum 5 years of relevant work experience (after Master’s degree) on human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE);

15

• Proven experience on gender analysis of legislation and developing propositions on GEWE legal framework improvement;

15

• Previous experience of working on GEWE with or in the governmental institutions at the national and/or local level;

10

• Experience with support of coordination of multiple stakeholders’ activities and liaise with the parliament, governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, including development partners, and civil society; experience with UN Women and other UN agencies will be considered as an asset;

10

• Proven knowledge of human rights and GEWE international and national frameworks.

10

Total Obtainable Score

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://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.unwomen.org%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2FHeadquarters%2FAttachments%2FSections%2FAbout%2520Us%2FEmployment%2FUN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK

2. Financial proposal (sample is provided below) completed and signed: The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount with a breakdown of a daily professional rate per number of anticipated working days to include all costs (e.g. tele-communication, etc).

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment.

Interested candidates are requested to apply no later than 23:59 EEST 09 August 2023.

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 table 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.

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).

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Added 9 months ago - Updated 9 months ago - Source: jobs.undp.org