National Consultant to support a mid-term review of the UN Women Project ‘’Enhancing Access to Justice for Women in Asia and the Pacific: Bridging the gap between formal and informal systems
Contract
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Background
UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. UN Women supports the UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to ensure that the standards are effectively implemented and truly benefit women and girls globally. UN Women works to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life, focusing on four strategic priorities: (i) Women lead, participate in and benefit equally from governance systems; (ii) Women have income security, decent work and economic autonomy; (iii) All women and girls live a life free from all forms of violence; and (iv) Women and girls contribute to and have greater influence in building sustainable peace and resilience, and benefit equally from the prevention of natural disasters and conflicts and humanitarian action.
The Project “Enhancing Access to Justice for Women in Asia and the Pacific: Bridging the gap between formal and informal systems through women’s empowerment and reduction of gender biases” is a five-year programme in the Asia Pacific region that began implementation in 2018, with the generous support of the Government of Sweden. The goal of the project is to enhance access to justice for women in Asia and the Pacific, bridging the gap between formal and informal systems through women’s empowerment and reduction of gender biases. In realising this goal, the programme partners – UN Women, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) focus on the following outputs: (1) Domestic laws adopted and court decisions are consistent with international human rights law and standards, including CEDAW; (2) Gender discriminatory attitudes and stereotyped behaviours towards women by formal and informal justice providers are addressed; and (3) Grassroots women’s organizations and community-based women’s organisations are empowered and well-positioned to document, monitor, liaise and facilitate interactions with formal and informal justice providers.
The mid-term review (MTR) will take place towards the 3rd year of the programme. The MTR will be used for accountability and learning purposes, as well as contribute to informed future decision-making. In this regard, the MTR will identify the lessons learnt and good practices, and outline recommendations for improving implementation of the A2J programme. The MTR will also identify the shifting justice environment due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The target audience will be the UN Women, OHCHR and ICJ, as well as existing and prospective donors.
Within this context, UN Women is seeking a National Consultant to support the International Consultant to undertake the MTR as it relates to the A2J programme in the Philippines, in collaboration with UN Women Philippines Programme Presence Office, and UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.
Duties and Responsibilities
The role of the National Consultant will be to support the International Consultant to review the implementation of the Women’s Access to Justice programme, specifically within the Philippines. This will include establishing the level of progress and impact of the programme, evaluating adjustments made in the context of COVID-19, and proposing recommendations for future action. In addition to working alongside the International Consultant, the National Consultant will coordinate with UN Women’s Access to Justice focal point in the Philippines, and national programme partners, including in relation to technical documents produced by the consultant.
Data and information will be collected through desk reviews, consultations with partners, and key informant interviews and focus group discussions with representatives of relevant government institutions (duty bearers), beneficiaries (right holders), and key community actors seeking to address gender equality and human rights issues.
Information regarding implementation of the Women’s Access to Justice programme within the Philippines will be reflected within the overall MTR report, which will encompass the review of seven priority countries, including Timor-Leste, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Fiji, and the Philippines, and countries to potentially be integrated into the programme.
Objectives of the MTR
The overall objectives of the MTR are to:
- Analyze how a human rights-based approach and gender equality principles are integrated into interventions.
- Assess the relevance of direct and indirect programme measures taken to address the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on women’s access to justice, where relevant.
- Assess the effectiveness and efficiency in achieving the programme’s expected results, having regard to enabling or restricting factors.
- Assess the initial impact of the intervention on the lives of beneficiaries, communities, and institutions involved in the programme.
- Assess the sustainability of the interventions to advance women’s access to justice.
- Assess the added value of existing partnerships, evaluate the effectiveness of current inter-agency partnerships and identify potential allies to strengthen women’s access to justice.
- Assess the effectiveness and gaps in knowledge products, and communication activities as it relates to raising awareness of women’s access to justice, as well as the programme.
Key MTR Questions
The specific MTR questions, performance criteria, and relevant evaluation instruments will be determined during the inception stage and in close consultation with the MTR International Consultant and Project team (UN Women, ICJ and OHCHR). As initial reference point for the inquiry, draft review questions have been prepared on the following aspects of the programme:
- Relevance
- Effectiveness and Efficiency
- Contribution to the Intended Outcomes and Impacts
- Coherence
- Sustainability
- Human Rights approach, gender equality principles and intentionality
- Strategic positioning
- Monitoring, Evaluation and Knowledge Management
Contract period and work location
The contract will be for 40 working days, within the period of 11 April 2022 – 25 July 2022. The consultant will be home-based, with national travel as needed, having regard to COVID-19 protocols and restrictions.
Deliverables
Tasks
Deliverables
Targeted Date
1st
- Consultations with the International Consultant, and programme management.
- Desk review, data collection and initial consultation with programme country staff members.
1st
Inception report and workplan, developed in consultation with the International Consultant.
25 April 2022
2nd
- Stakeholder analysis, partner consultations and stakeholder interviews in the Philippines.
- Analysis of trends, challenges and opportunities raised in interviews.
- Consultation with the International Consultant and programme management.
2nd
Draft analysis report, in line with the inception report.
01 June 2022
3rd
- Data collection, information analysis and follow up interviews.
- Validation consultation with UN Women focal points, partners, and selected stakeholders in the Philippines.
- Consultation with the International Consultant and programme management.
3rd
Final analysis report, including recommendations to shape future interventions in the Philippines.
08 July 2022
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
- Knowledge of Women’s Access to Justice, Human Rights and Gender equality
- Ability to pragmatically apply in-depth knowledge and experience of issues and practices in the fields of judiciary systems; legal reform; gender equality
- Strong skills and experience in presenting evidence and ideas for policy and programme
- Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
- Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities
- Strong communications skills (written and oral)
- Demonstrated experience in gender, legal and development-related research
- Leadership and skills to work with autonomy and initiative
- Knowledge of gender equality and women’s human rights in the Asia-Pacific region
- Strong knowledge of the UN system
Required Skills and Experience
- Master’s degree in law, development studies, gender studies or other related fields (A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree)
- Minimum 2 years of experience in supporting evaluations and reviews including in gender, justice and rule of law fields
- At least 2 years of work experience with a focus on Women’s Human Rights preferable in the Asia-Pacific region
- Extensive knowledge of Women’s Access to Justice is a strong asset
- Previous work experience in community development an asset
- Experience with remote/virtual methods and data collection and stakeholder’s engagement
- Proven knowledge of Results-Based Management and Human Rights Approach
- Prior experience in both quantitative and qualitative data analysis
- Proficiency in English and excellent report writing skills
Payments
Each payment will be issued upon acceptance and approval of a monthly delivery report showing progress on deliverables stipulated in the table below by the Programme Specialist - Access to Justice - Governance, Peace and Security, UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific. The expected deliverables will be done in close collaboration/supervision of UN Women personnel.
Evaluation Criteria
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 applications, with evaluation of the technical application 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 allocated 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
- Education
Master’s degree in law, development studies, gender studies or other related fields (A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree)
10%
B) Experience and knowledge
Minimum 2 years of experience in supporting evaluations and reviews including in gender, justice and rule of law fields
- At least 2 years of work experience with a focus on Women’s Human Rights preferable in the Asia-Pacific region
- Extensive knowledge of Women’s Access to Justice is a strong asset
- Previous work experience in community development an asset
- Experience with remote/virtual methods and data collection and stakeholder’s engagement
- Proven knowledge of Results-Based Management and Human Rights Approach
- Prior experience in both quantitative and qualitative data analysis
80%
C) Language and report writing skills
- Proficiency in English and report writing skills
10 %
Total Obtainable Score
100 %
Only the candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically qualified candidates who may be contacted for validation interview.
X. Submission of application
Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their electronic application to hr.bangkok@unwomen.org with cc to mariafe.mejia@unwomen.org, not later than 05 April 2022, 17:00 Manila time. Submission package includes:
- Updated Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Cover letter explaining your suitability for the work
- P11 Form, downloaded from https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/about-us/jobs
- Financial proposal which shall specify a total lump sum amount in PhP based on deliverables
- Writing samples or links to access the work portfolio
Items
Amount (PhP)
Lump sum fee (equivalent to daily fee x no. of days)
1st Deliverable:
- Inception report and workplan
20%
2nd Deliverable:
- Draft analysis report
30%
3rd Deliverable:
- Final analysis report
50%
Total Financial Proposal
100%
The system only allows one attachment per application; please consolidate all documents into one file. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Diversity and Inclusion
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.)