National Consultant to provide technical support to UN Women Nepal Country Office (on a retainer basis)

Consultant Human Rights

Overview

Provide technical support to advance women’s rights and gender responsive governance in Nepal.

You have:

• Master’s degree in Gender and Development Studies, Political Science, Social Science, or related field.
• Minimum of 15 years of professional experience in gender equality and women’s empowerment or inclusive governance in Nepal.
• Proven expertise in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Previous experience working with different levels of government, decision-makers, civil society and development partners; experience with the UN is an asset.
• Fluency in written and oral English and Nepali.
• Ability to handle documents and information confidentially.

Contract

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

Background

1. 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.

In Nepal, UN Women focuses on strengthening women’s voice, agency and leadership across sectors to advance women’s rights, provide space for women’s meaningful participation, and contribute to tangible differences in their lives. In prioritizing inclusive governance, UN Women Nepal seeks to advance women’s political empowerment and leadership and enhance women’s access to justice in Nepal’s federal structure. Towards this goal UN Women works with elected officials, civil servants and citizens at all levels. The approach extends beyond policy and law reform, to implementation and monitoring of policies, supporting the development of plans and budgets, enhancing the capacity of key government officials, and promoting gender equality and social inclusion in local governance. In addition, UN Women works with excluded groups to support their active participation and enable their voices to be heard. Throughout this work, UN Women seeks to contribute to transforming discriminatory social norms and eliminating harmful practices and behaviours, including violence against women. All of the above contribute to fulfilling Nepal's obligations to international treaties and commitments, including regular reporting on progress related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Beijing Platform for Action and to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

The current wave of COVID-19 has dealt a devastating setback to Nepal, with families struggled for hospital beds and bottled oxygen amid the shortages of medical supplies in the country of 30 million people. Hospitals in Kathmandu and major towns across the country faced shortages of intensive care unit beds and medical oxygen, causing COVID-19 infected people to isolate at home in case of mild symptoms. The cabinet decided to enforce prohibitory orders in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur since 29 April 2021 and extended till 14 June 2021. The Prohibitory Order is currently relaxed with several conditions and has been further extended until 11 August 2021.

The pandemic has caused great suffering and damage in every region of the world. It has profoundly impacted human capital, including lives, learning, basic well-being, and future productivity. Various forms of violence experienced by women, unpaid domestic and care burden, financial insecurity, have also contributed to stress, anxiety, mental health and psychosocial problems. In Nepal, the prohibitory order during the current wave has also exacerbated the discrimination faced by members of the LGBTQI + community, Dalits, sex workers, women living with disabilities among others, including difficulties in accessing basic health needs and instances of violence. The Ministry of Health and Population has also forecasted that the country may experience third wave if public health measures are not strictly followed.

UN Women Nepal has been supporting inter-generational feminist movement building initiative through Thought Workshops since 2017. The Inter-generational Feminist Thought Leaders came up with the Feminist Position Paper (FPP) in 2019. The Position Paper focuses on the value, ethics, and principles of the group in the context of federalism and current humanitarian context.

Few crucial initiatives have been undertaken by the Inter-generational Feminist Forum (IGFF) Group during the COVID-19 context. With facilitation support by UN Women, the group contributed to the development of the Charter of Demands and submitted to the relevant Government counterparts at the Federal and Provincial levels. The Group also continued to hold several meetings with Government and non-Government actors in all seven provinces. In addition, the group revised the FPP aligning it with the current COVID-19 context.

UN Women Nepal is seeking to engage National Consultant on a retainer basis to support the UN Women Nepal Country Office (NCO) to provide technical support to advance gender responsive inclusive governance and women’s economic empowerment in both development and humanitarian context.

Duties and Responsibilities

2. Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the Programme Analyst, the National Consultant will provide support to NCO to advance gender responsive inclusive governance and women’s economic empowerment. The scope of work and responsibilities of the assignment are as follows:

Public advocacy:

• Conduct strategic dialogues/interventions with decision makers including parliamentarian on emerging GE issues including COVID-19 / other humanitarian crisis context;
• Organize meetings and consultations with the women leaders/CSOs and excluded groups to bring in diverse voices in public advocacy efforts on GE and women’s rights including COVID-19 or any other humanitarian context;
• Update the existing Feminist Position Paper and make it more relevant to current COVID-19 or any other humanitarian crisis context;
• Revisit the Charter of Demands and monitor the recommendations of the Charter of Demands in the current COVID-19 context; and
• Conduct advocacy role with the Government of Nepal, CSOs and private sectors on various GESI related thematic interventions of NCOs such as GBV, gender responsive inclusive governance, women’s economic empowerment (including migration) in both development and humanitarian context (through meetings/dialogues)

Policy Advisory and technical assistance:

• Provide inputs from a GESI perspective for United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) process; this may include organizing consultations with CSOs to bring voices of women and excluded groups in the UNSDCF;
• Review NCO’s programming documents/knowledge products and provide technical inputs to better reflect contextual issues, needs/interests of diverse groups; and
• Review the Nepali translated version of documents to ensure its accuracy in development and humanitarian context

Capacity Development:

• Design and facilitate series of capacity development initiatives to potential women and excluded group leaders for the upcoming elections; and
• Design and facilitate capacity development sessions to NCO’s staff members/partners on feminist leadership, social norms, unpaid care work, migration, impact of COVID-19 on diverse groups of women as per the request from NCO

3. Expected deliverables

Expected deliverables include:

• Number of strategic interventions (eight) with decision makers including parliamentarian on emerging GE issues including COVID-19 / other humanitarian crisis context;
• Number of meetings (10) and consultations held with the women leaders and excluded groups to bring in diverse voices in public advocacy efforts on GE and women’s rights including COVID-19 or any other humanitarian context;
• Updated Feminist Position Paper (one time) and make it more relevant to current COVID-19 or any other humanitarian crisis context;
• Updated/revised Charter of Demands (one time during the contract period) and monitor the recommendations of the Charter of Demands in the current COVID-19 context;
• Evidence of technical inputs from GESI perspective for United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) process;
• Evidence of consultations (maximum two) with CSOs to bring voices of women and excluded groups in the UNSDCF (list of participants, agenda, meeting minutes/proceedings report);
• Evidence of advocacy efforts with the Government of Nepal, CSOs and private sectors on various GESI related thematic interventions of NCOs such as GBV, gender responsive inclusive governance, women’s economic empowerment (including migration) in both development and humanitarian context;
• Agenda/ session plan, presentations, trainers report from capacity development initiatives (five) to potential women and excluded group leaders for the upcoming elections;
• Agenda/ session plan, presentations, trainers report from capacity development sessions (minimum three sessions) to NCO staff members on feminist leadership, unpaid care work, social norms, unpaid care work, migration, impact of COVID-19 on diverse groups of women as per the request from NCO.
• Evidence of technical inputs to strengthen NCO’s programming documents/knowledge products (five documents); and
• Evidence of review Nepali translated version of documents (maximum five) to ensure its accuracy in development and humanitarian context

4. INPUTS

• UN Women will provide reference materials and facilitate coordination with key stakeholders.
• The Consultant is expected to work remotely. UN Women can give access the UN Women office for printing of relevant documents during the assignment, if required.
• The Consultant will be required to provide their own local communications such as SIM cards and mobile phone.
• The Consultant will be responsible to arrange private insurance.
• It is mandatory for the Consultant to participate in a UN security briefing and to follow UN security rules and guidance.
• The Consultant will be required to provide a Statement of Good Health, endorsed by a certified Medical Practitioner.

5. Duration of the assignment and duty station

This is a home-based assignment for one year (1 October 2021 – 30 September 2022) on retainer basis (as and when required) with a maximum of 60 working days. The assignment may also include participation in meetings and consultations in Kathmandu. UN Women will not be committed to purchasing any minimum quantity of the Services, and purchases will be made only if there is an actual requirement upon the issuance of a Purchase Order based on this retainer contract. UN Women shall not be liable for any cost in the event that no purchases are made under this retainer contract.

5. Schedule of payments

Payment will be made on the basis of quality of the work actually delivered upon certification of satisfactory performance by the supervisor. The contractor’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communications, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Competencies

6.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

Required Skills and Experience

7. Qualification and experience

• Master’s degree in Gender and Development Studies, Political Science, Social Science, or any other related field of studies.
• A minimum of 15 years of professional experience in working with gender equality and women’s empowerment and/or inclusive governance and closely linked with women’s movement in Nepal.
• Proven expertise in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
• Previous experience working with different levels of government, decision-makers, civil society and development partners. Experience working with the UN system is a considerable asset.
• Fluency in written and oral English and Nepali is required.
• Ability to handle documents and the information contained therein with strictest confidentiality is a non-negotiable requirement.

9. DOCUMENTS TO BE INCLUDED WHEN SUBMITTING THE PROPOSALS?

Interested applicants should apply to this announcement through UNDP jobs site: jobs.undp.org

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

• Expression of interest explaining why you are interested to this position and what professional skills and experiences make you a strong candidate.
• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded: http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment
• A sample of recent original writing (unedited publications/documents of maximum 2-3 pages for example concept note, project brief, strategic paper, report)
• A separate page of financial proposal, professional fee per day. Please note that DSA for field missions will be paid at UN rates and travel, booked in compliance with UN Women policy, will be reimbursed at actual cost so these costs do not need to be included in the financial proposal.

Deliverables

No. of hours/days required

Tentative amount in NPR

Number of strategic interventions (eight) with decision makers including parliamentarian on emerging GE issues including COVID-19 / other humanitarian crisis context

Number of meetings (10) and consultations held with the women leaders and excluded groups to bring in diverse voices in public advocacy efforts on GE and women’s rights including COVID-19 or any other humanitarian context

Updated Feminist Position Paper (one time) and make it more relevant to current COVID-19 or any other humanitarian crisis context

Updated/revised Charter of Demands (one time during the contract period) and monitor the recommendations of the Charter of Demands in the current COVID-19 context

Evidence of technical inputs from GESI perspective for United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) process

Evidence of consultations (maximum two) with CSOs to bring voices of women and excluded groups in the UNSDCF (list of participants, agenda, meeting minutes/proceedings report)

Evidence of advocacy efforts with the Government of Nepal, CSOs and private sectors on various GESI related thematic interventions of NCOs such as GBV, gender responsive inclusive governance, women’s economic empowerment (including migration) in both development and humanitarian context

Agenda/ session plan, presentations, trainers report from capacity development initiatives (five) to potential women and excluded group leaders for the upcoming elections

Agenda/ session plan, presentations, trainers report from capacity development sessions (minimum three sessions) to NCO staff members on feminist leadership, unpaid care work, social norms, unpaid care work, migration, impact of COVID-19 on diverse groups of women as per the request from NCO

Evidence of technical inputs to strengthen NCO’s programming documents/knowledge products (five documents)

Evidence of review Nepali translated version of documents (maximum five) to ensure its accuracy in development and humanitarian context

Note: Evidence of advisory services provided by the Advisors under this TOR can include written products, including but not limited to: event/consultation reports, meeting minutes, planning notes, programme design(s), analysis, recommendations, etc.

You will be able to upload only one attachment. Please combine your all documents into one single PDF document. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form and the writing sample will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

10. Evaluation criteria

A two-stage procedure is applied in evaluating the proposals.

1. The technical proposal is assessed first based on the qualifications listed above. Those proposals that meet a minimum threshold (scoring at least 70% on the technical assessment) will be considered further, including through assessment of the financial proposal.

Technical evaluation criteria (including minimum qualifications):

• Qualification- Master’s degree in Gender and Development Studies, Political Science, Social Science, or any other related field of studies (10 points).

• A minimum of 15 years of professional experience and expertise in working on gender equality and women’s empowerment and/or inclusive governance with different levels of government, decision-makers, civil society and development partners and closely linked with women’s movement in Nepal. - (35 points)

• Working with the UN system (5 points).

• A sample of recent original writing (unedited publications/documents of maximum 2-3 pages for example concept note, project brief, strategic paper, report) (20 points)

1. The financial proposal of candidates who meet the technical assessment threshold will be evaluated. The financial assessment will count as 30% of the total points. In this methodology, the 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 formula is as follows:

p = y (µ/z)

Where:

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

UN Women is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals especially women are highly encouraged to apply.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 4 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org