National Consultant to provide technical support to review the draft ninth and develop the tenth State Party report for joint submission to the CEDAW committee
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’s goal in Liberia is to promote women’s human rights and gender equality which are key in sustaining and furthering achievements in stability and development. In this regard, its programming in the Country is connected to five corporate priority areas: women’s leadership and political participation; enhancing women’s economic empowerment (WEE); engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes (WPS), and advancing women’s rights to live free from violence (VAW) and Gender Responsive Governance. UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s joint work in advancing gender equality.
Liberia ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1984, and as per article 18 of the Convention, the State Party (SP) has the obligation to submit to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, for consideration by the Committee, a report on the legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures which they have adopted to give effect to the provisions of the Convention and on the progress made in this respect.
As per request from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), UN Women Liberia seeks to hire a National Consultant to review the draft ninth and develop the tenth State Party report for joint submission to the CEDAW committee. The Consultant is further expected to build the capacity of the Human Rights divisions at the MGCSP, Ministry of Justice, and focal points in different line Ministries, particularly in report writing and monitoring of Human Rights Conventions with a focus on CEDAW.
Duties and Responsibilities
Objectives of the assignment
The main objective of this consultancy is to review the draft ninth and develop the tenth State Party report for joint submission to the CEDAW committee.
Scope of work and tasks
Under the overall guidance and management of the UN Women Deputy Country Representative and direct supervision of the Women, Peace, and Security Programme Specialist and in close collaboration with the HR Division of the MoGCSP, the Consultant will perform the following tasks:
Task 1. Desk Review and development of the inception plan
- Conduct a desk review of existing relevant documents including the ninth State Party Report;
- Conduct preliminary consultations with, UN Women, MGCSP and relevant government Ministries and develop an inception plan;
Task 2. Support the HR divisions to review and draft the combined ninth and tenth Periodic Reports for submission to the CEDAW committee
- In collaboration with the HR divisions, review existing ninth CEDAW report and subsequent literature during the reporting period to 'bridge' the gap between the combined Seventh and Eighth State Party Report (2014) and the Ninth and Tenth State Party Report,
- Facilitate a workshop to develop data collection tools in collaboration with HR divisions and focal points.
- Facilitate data collection with HR division and selected focal points.
- Provide guidance to the HR divisions on how to convene multi-stakeholder national consultation and validation workshops with a focus on drafting the ninth and tenth periodic reports.
- Review the draft ninth and tenth state party reports as well as comments received during consultations and provide feedback and guidance on its structure, and content, including on the implementation of the General Recommendation 30. Support the HR divisions in presenting findings of the CEDAW report and solicit feedback through a validation workshop.
- Facilitate the validation workshop and provide expert advice on the CEDAW and its reporting process.
- Support the HR divisions in incorporating comments received during the validation workshop into the State Party report.
Task 3. Build the capacity of the staff in the HR divisions (MoJ, MGCSP), the focal points, and the line Ministries on State Party report-writing and monitoring of Human Rights treaties
- Work with MoGCSP and MoJ to identify staff for capacity development
- Conduct capacity needs assessment for identified staff
- Develop tailor training outline and content based on the outcome of the needs assessment.
- Conduct training workshop
Expected Deliverables
The National Consultant will produce the following deliverables:
#
Deliverables
Indicative Deadline
1.
A detailed consultancy work plan and inception report agreed upon with MGCSP, MoJ, and UN Women
2
Capacity assessment report (with tools used), with training materials including agenda and list of focal points to be trained
3
Draft of combined ninth and tenth CEDAW report detailing achievements and challenges
4
Final combined report which will incorporates all feedback provided to the Ninth and Tenth State Party Report, an Executive Summary for cabinet endorsement and a PowerPoint presentation.
All the deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports should be submitted in English language.
Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the first installment, the deliverables and related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women. The period of review is one week after receipt.
Competencies
Inputs
UN Women will provide the Consultant with background materials relevant to the assignment
The Consultant is expected to work using his/ her own computer.
Performance evaluation:
Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.
Submission of application
Interested candidates are requested to submit an electronic application no later than 10th July 2023****.
Submission of package
- Cover letter;
- CV, including contact information of 3 referees;
- Financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount per each deliverable, including any travel, per diem and administrative fees, based on the template in Annex 1. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.
All applications must include (as an attachment) a CV and financial proposal. Applications without a financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further processing.
Please note that only short-listed candidates will be invited for the interview.
Selected candidates will need to submit prior to commencement of work:
- A copy of the latest academic certificate
- UN Women P-11 form, available via http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
- A statement from a medical doctor of ‘good health and fit for travel’
- Before any travel outside of Monrovia, the consultant will need to provide proof (certificate) of “Basic and Advanced Security in the Field” (which can be accessed here: undss.trip.org)
Evaluation
Applications will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis.
- Technical Qualification (100 points) weight; [70%]
- Financial Proposal (100 points) weight; [30%]
A two-stage procedure is utilised in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the technical qualification evaluation will be evaluated.
Technical qualification evaluation criteria:
The total number of points alloted for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:
Technical Evaluation Criteria
Obtainable Score
Experience and skills
90 %
Language and other skills
10 %
Total Obtainable Score
100 %
Only the candidates who fit the minimum requirements will be longlisted and may be requested further documentation. Candidates with a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically-qualified candidates and will be shortlisted for potential interview.
Financial/Price Proposal evaluation****:
- Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation will be considered and evaluated.
- The total number of points alloted for the price component is 100.
- The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technically qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.
Annex I: Financial Proposal
BREAKDOWN OF COSTS SUPPORTING THE ALL-INCLUSIVE FINANCIAL PROPOSAL
Breakdown of Cost by Components:
Deliverables
Percentage of Total Price Fixed price Due dateA detailed consultancy work plan and inception report agreed upon with MGCSP, MoJ, and UN Women
Capacity assessment report (with tools used), with training materials including agenda and list of focal points to be trained
Draft of combined ninth and tenth CEDAW report detailing achievements and challenges
Final combined report which will incorporate all feedback provided to the Ninth and Tenth State Party Report, an Executive Summary for cabinet endorsement and a PowerPoint presentation.
The lump sum costs should include all travel and administration costs and expenses related to the consultancy. All prices/rates quoted must be exclusive of all taxes. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.
Required Skills and Experience
Required experience and qualifications
The Consultant should fulfill the following requirements:
Education
- Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Social Science, or other related fields
Experience:
- At least 4 years of experience in the field of Human Rights and CEDAW
- Proven experience facilitating high-level consultative workshops for Government Institutions and CSOs
- Prior proven experience in strengthening the capacity of Government agencies in women’s human rights.
- Proven experience in developing high-level reports for governments is a MUST.
- Knowledge of Monitoring and Results-based Management.
Language and other skills:
- Proficiency in oral and written English
- Ability to effectively utilize computer software (i.e. MS Excel, Access, Oracle, SPSS etc.) for database development and management.
- Excellent facilitation and training skills