National Consultant to support NGOs of Tajikistan in preparation of the Alternative Report on implementation of the recommendations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination agai

Contract

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

Background

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, UN Women, is the global champion for gender equality, working to develop and uphold standards and create an environment in which every woman and girl can exercise her human rights and live up to her full potential. We are trusted partners for advocates and decision-makers from all walks of life, and a leader in the effort to achieve gender equality.

UN Women has a three-pronged mandate focusing on normative, coordination and programmatic engagement. Through its programmes and projects, UN Women is supporting national partners (governmental and non-governmental) in the implementation of existing international and national commitments to women’s rights and gender equality, including elimination of violence against women and girls, it facilitates networking and exchange of good practices and advocates for women’s rights and gender equality in all areas of life.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, is described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.

By accepting the Convention, States commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to end discrimination against women in all forms, including:

• to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against women;
• to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of women against discrimination; and
• to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises.

In 2020-2022 the Joint EU-UN Initiative- Spotlight Programme in Tajikistan (SPT), implemented by several UN Agencies, including UN Women, under coordination with the Committee on women and family affairs under the Government of RT (CoWFA), has laid a solid foundation for a strong multi-sectoral approach to meet the needs of survivors of VAW and bring about normative change to end violence at community level. In 2022-2023 the SPT will also continue facilitating the knowledge-exchange and capacity building of NGOs representing groups focusing on multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination of violence through strengthening strategic program and data management, ability to document cases of VAWG for evidence-based advocacy at the national and global level (CEDAW). SPT will support an active participation of partners in CEDAW and UPR related events in Phase II, through conducting expert meetings, collection of data and analysis, consultations, training on women’s rights reporting and support the NGOs in drafting analytical reports related to UN CEDAW.

Countries that have ratified the UN CEDAW are legally bound to put its provisions into practice. They are also committed to submit national reports, at least every four years, on measures they have taken to comply with their treaty obligations. Tajikistan has ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1993 and its Optional protocol in 2014.

NGOs can also submit their own reports to the CEDAW Committee to facilitate its preparations and strengthen its capacity to draw accountability from governments. NGOs can ensure that they are representing the voices of women who may not be visible to the bureaucrats who write the State party report. In particular, they can critically engage with the reporting and monitoring process by providing data (especially those collected through micro-studies) that provides:

• information on the real situation of women
• Information on impact and progress made by the State in implementing the CEDAW Convention
• Violations of the human rights of women
• Inadequacies and gaps in laws and policies and their implementation
• Information about obstacles to the realization of the human rights of women.

This data helps to reveal why women’s rights commitments often remain de jure (in law) commitments rather than representing de facto (in reality) change. It enables NGOs to identify areas for intervention as well as where the state may not be able to intervene effectively, and where NGOs may provide support services to create enabling conditions for women’s rights to be achieved.

Due to the situation with COVID-19, the country CEDAW report of Tajikistan has been postponed to 2022, therefore, this year will be an important year for Tajikistan to submit its CEDAW periodic report from the country and the fourth alternative report from NGOs in which addressing violence against women is a pivotal issue.

In this respect, UN Women is looking for a National consultant to provide support to local Civil Society Organizations on collecting key observations and findings on implementation of the CEDAW recommendations, combining and analyzing them and making the fourth Alternative Report from the NGOs for submission to the CEDAW Committee in 2022.

Duties and Responsibilities

The overall objective of the proposed consultancy is to provide technical support to NGOs in preparation of the 4th Alternative Report from the NGOs for submission to the CEDAW Committee in 2022 on implementation of the CEDAW recommendations, with a focus on VAWG issues.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the guidance and technical support of UN Women National Programme Coordinator on EVAW, the National Consultant will be responsible for drafting and finalizing the fourth Alternative Report from the NGOs for submission to the CEDAW Committee.

The CEDAW ALTERNATIVE REPORT PREPARATION.pdf checklist will guide the National Consultant.

Detailed tasks will include:

• Preparation of the work plan with detailed indication of the timeframes under each delivery.
• Conducting on-and-off line consultations with the NGOs of Tajikistan, engaged in reporting to CEDAW.

• Desk review of data related to CEDAW recommendations made to Tajikistan, including conducted assessments, reports, Third Shadow Report of Nongovernmental Organizations of Tajikistan on implementation of the CEDAW (2018), Sixth periodic report submitted by Tajikistan under article 18 of the Convention, due in 2017* and other related legal documentation.

• Develop a comprehensive questionnaire aiming at collecting data, mainly statistics and precise information for the 4th Alternative CEDAW report from NGOs from the affected groups.

• Conducting of at least 2 consultative meetings (online or offline) with various Civil Society Organizations and stakeholders to obtain feedback and insights on the implementation of CEDAW with the strong focus on VAWG via statistics and information gathered and make sure the process of reporting on the implementation of CEDAW in Tajikistan is participatory. This includes identification and preparation of the list of participants, coordination of the presentations, and preparation of any necessary handouts and any other materials related to the meeting. UN Women will support renting the hall upon preliminary request of the National Consultant.
• Analyzing the collected information and responses received from various sources and drafting the second alternative CEDAW report on the issues related to VAWG from the affected groups, observing Leave No One Behind principle and as per the regular procedure guidelines of the Committee and as per CEDAW reports chapters.
• Conduct and facilitate a validation meeting (could be in form of online presentation and discussion) of final draft with CSOs- key stakeholders, prepare the list of participants, draft protocol of the meeting
• Prepare the final version of the Alternative CSOs’ Report.

Reference documents:

1. Sixth periodic report submitted by Tajikistan under article 18 of the Convention, due in 2017*
2. Third Shadow Report of Nongovernmental Organizations of Tajikistan on implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
3. Alternative Report of the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations of the Republic of Tajikistan “From Equality de jure to Equality de facto” on the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action+25
4. Analysis on amendments to the Law on Prevention of Violence in the Family to align those with CEDAW concluding observations (2019, russ.)
5. Tajikistan: Failure to Protect Women from Domestic Violence Joint NGO submission to CEDAW ahead of 71st Session (2018)
6. National Review of the Republic of Tajikistan on the Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) within the scope of implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (2000) in the context of the twenty-fifth anniversary in 2020 of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

Deliverables

#

• Deliverables

Date1

Report on Desk Review of CEDAW general recommendations to Tajikistan related to VAWG situation in the country and the work plan with indication of the timeframes under each delivery submitted and approved by UN Women project team.

By October 26, 2022

(3 w/d)

2

A comprehensive questionnaire for NGOs and stakeholders and agenda/plan for conducting at least 2 consultative meetings (online or offline) with various NGOs and their stakeholders provided to UN Women’s Office.

By November 5, 2022

(5 w/d)

3

The outcomes of the consultative meetings and the results of analyzed collected information and responses received from various sources is included in the Draft report of the fourth alternative CEDAW report provided to UN Women’s Office.

By November 10, 2022

(10 w/d)

4

Brief Protocol on the conducted and facilitated the Validation meeting with NGOs (could be online presentation and discussions) on final draft with

By November 20, 2022

(2 w/d)

5

A final alternative report of NGOs to CEDAW with a focus on VAW is submitted and approved highlighting the main results in the Report’s summary

By November 30, 2022

(5 w/d)

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Good knowledge of the training topic on medical aspects and ethical norms in the field of HIV counselling.

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

Functional Competencies:

• Possesses the ability to work independently, under pressure and meet deadlines;
• Good knowledge of technical area;
• Good organizational skills and ability to pay close attention to details;
• Experience in report writing.
• Proven excellent communication and facilitation skills;

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• University degree (Diploma) in Social Science, Research methods, Gender studies, Development studies, International Law, Public Policy, and other related fields.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of professional experience of work on VAWG issues.
• Good understanding on international commitment on gender equality, including CEDAW, and other international instruments. Familiar with CEDAW report process, procedures, and contents of the report.
• Experience with UN agencies and other international organizations, as well as with government agencies for promoting gender equality in VAW response is an asset.

Knowledge of languages:

Fluency in Russian and Tajik required, knowledge of English is an advantage.

Application Process

The application should include:

• Personal History Form (P-11 form) - including experience in similar assignments; can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted.
• Financial Proposal: Specify a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this Terms of Reference. The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount per deliverable.

Candidates should have the ability to quickly produce degree certificates and medical certification (of good health) should they be short-listed in consideration of the consultancy post.

Payment Schedule

Lump sum payment will be done upon achievement of expected results, approval of deliverables and acceptance of services by the UN Women (PERF), that the services have been satisfactorily performed in accordance with the TOR.