Re-advertised: National Consultancy Service Assessment of Effectiveness of Gender Equality Institutional Mechanism in Uzbekistan (Home-based)
Contract
This is a National Consultant contract. More about National Consultant contracts.
Background
*Kindly note that only Uzbek Nationals are eligible to apply.
Uzbekistan’s progress in respecting and promoting Gender Equality (GE) is highlighted in a series of international commitments and in national legal and policy frameworks. The main achievements in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment reside in Uzbekistan’s institutional and legal capacity development for the work on gender equality. As the Government of Uzbekistan sets very high targets until 2030 including doubling the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and halving the poverty, it needs strong institutions which have strong gender element in each and every step. In line with the “Strategy of achieving gender equality in the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030” (herein after the Strategy) accompanied by a Presidential Decree No. 87 on “Measures to further accelerate work on systematic support for families and women” (herein after the National Programme), it is inevitable to have strong National Women Machinery working across and beyond the sectors for making gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) a reality and contribute the sustainable development of the country. The development and implementation of the national program serves as an important factor in creating the necessary conditions for the full participation of women in the political, economic, social and cultural life of society on the basis of equal rights.
The main goal of the gender strategy is to ensure the true equality of women and men, regardless of their race, nationality, language, religion, social origin, belief, personal and social position in other words "Ensuring gender equality and expanding the rights and opportunities of all women" in the country.
Achieving the transformational goal of gender equality set by the Government of Uzbekistan is possible through the interaction of well planned, systemic and complex measures by the state. The state institutional mechanisms play a key role in protecting women rights and improving their situation. Their proper functioning is critically important for the realization of women’s rights in all fields of public and private life. In order to achieve this, the structure of national gender equality mechanisms is essential and implies the establishment of these mechanisms at a high structural level of the government, providing with resources and support of effective work, inclusion of civil society organizations and opportunity to influence the development/formulation of all policy areas and programs of state government.
National institutional mechanisms for gender equality have traditionally been seen as central policy coordinating agencies in national or regional government administration, the main function of which is to introduce and implement the mainstream perspective of gender equality in all areas of state policy. In order for these mechanisms to be effective it is essential that there is political will to allocate adequate resources (human and financial) to the mechanisms and to ensure their sustainability. The smooth and systematic work of national mechanisms is also a prerequisite for the effective implementation of gender equality mainstreaming, which means the evaluation process of any planned event, including legislation, policy direction or program development, at each area and stage. Mainstreaming is a strategy that highlights the experiences and needs of women and transforms them into an integral dimension of any policy direction or program development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation stages.
To support the implementation of the national plan and accelerate the GEWE in Uzbekistan, there is a need to assess the effectiveness of gender equality institutional mechanism which has not been conducted before.
Therefore, UN Women Uzbekistan under the supervision of ECA Regional Office UN Women Office seeks to contract a National Consultant to conduct an assessment to see the effectiveness of gender equality institutional mechanism and provide key facts followed by recommendations (where necessary).
Duties and Responsibilities
According to Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action the mandate of the national institutional machineries for the advancement of women gender analysis, monitoring, assessment, advocacy and establishment enforcement of gender mainstreaming. Beijing Platform for Action also underlines that existed national mechanisms are not predictable with regard to its effectiveness. Such mechanisms are often marginalized in national government structures, these mechanisms are frequently hampered by unclear mandates, lack of adequate staff, training, data and sufficient resources, and insufficient support from national political leadership and lack of political will to work on this issue.
Main responsibility of the national consultant is to conduct an assessment of the institutional GE mechanism of Uzbekistan in line with the subsection/priority direction “H” of the Beijing Action Platform and its accompanied questionnaire which is composed of:
H1. Create or strengthen national machineries and other governmental bodies
H2. Integrate gender perspectives in legislation, public policies, programmes and projects
H3. Generate and disseminate gender disaggregated data and information for planning and evaluation
The recommended assessment methodology to be aligned with the EIGE’s research on the Effectiveness of Institutional Mechanisms for the Advancement of Gender Equality, available at:
Objectives of the Assignment:
Under the supervision of the Country Programme Manager of Uzbekistan, the national consultant will submit a:
Activities
Deliverables
Time frame
Detailed time-plan (including list of potential meetings and key documents to be reviewed) with a methodology and validation process
List of key documents
List of key partners to be interviewed
Details of the methodology (English)
25 November 2023 (subject to change in line with the starting date)
Max.3 working days
Draft assessment of Gender Equality Institutional Mechanisms in Uzbekistan in line with the International Indicators of the Beijing Action Platform
Draft assessment of GE Mechanism (English)
Mid-December 2023 max.7 working days
Final GE assessment for institutional capacity of GE mechanism in Uzbekistan
GE assessment for institutional capacity of GE mechanism in Uzbekistan (Uzbek and English)
Early January 2024
Max. 7 working days
Keynote speech and presentation of the assessment including a summary and recommendations
Briefing Note and a ppt (English)
28 February 2024
Max. 3 working days including validation meeting with government partners)
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
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
- Excellent analytical, writing and synthesis skills;
- Demonstrated experience in understanding of national women machinery mechanism
- Proved record of working with others in multi-disciplinary teams
- Experience in designing and delivering training on results-based management and reporting;
- Demonstrate responsiveness, objectivity, organization and have a good methodology in carrying out the work;
- Demonstrate an ability to produce quality results on time and to work under pressure;
- Experience in designing data and research-based strategies.
- Excellent language skills in English and Uzbek.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Master’s degree preferably in gender equality, social/political sciences, law or other related disciplines.
Experience:
- At least 5 years of experience ow working in gender equality and women’s empowerment in a developing country context
- At least 3 years’ experience in data review/analysis for developing strategic reports
- Knowing the Gender Equality institutional mechanism of Uzbekistan is an asset
- Prior working experience with UN Agencies is an advantage.
- Excellent language skills in English
Languages:
- Fluency in Uzbek is required.
Evaluation of Applicants
UN Women applies a fair and transparent selection process. Applicants will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications/skills and their financial proposal. Contract will be awarded to the individual consultants whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:
- Responsive to and compliant with the requirements of the ToR; and
- Having received the highest score out of below combined technical and financial criteria.
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.
Evaluation Criteria
Max Points
Breakdown
TECHNICAL EVALUATION (70%)
Language Requirements
Fluency in written and spoken English
REQUIRED
REQUIRED
Education
Master’s degree preferably in gender equality, social/political sciences, law or other related disciplines
15 (REQUIRED)
0: without master’s degree
15: with master’s degree
Professional Experience
At least 5 years of working experience in gender equality and women’s empowerment in a developing country context
15
0: without relevant experience
10: 7 years of relevant experience
15: more than >7 years of relevant experience
Specialized Knowledge and Experience
At least 3 years’ experience in data review/analysis for developing strategic reports
15
0: without experience
15: Proven relevant experience
Knowing the Gender Equality institutional mechanism of Uzbekistan is an asset
10
0: without knowledge & experience
10: proven experience
Prior working experience with UN Agencies is an advantage.
10
0: without experience
10: proven relevant experience
Excellent language skills in English
5
0: without experience/expertise
5: Proven relevant experience
Total Technical
70
Financial Evaluation
30
TOTAL
100
Evaluation of submitted financial offers will be done based on the following formula: S = Fmin / F * 30
S - score received on financial evaluation;
Fmin - the lowest financial offer out of all the submitted offers qualified over the technical evaluation round;
F - financial offer under the consideration.
Application Procedure:
Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications with the following documents:
- Duly filled Personal History Form (P-11 form) - including past experience in similar assignments; can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted.
- Financial proposal (in USD) - specifying an all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown by deliverable and include a daily amount/cost as per template provided. UN Women will pay for travel of the consultant separately. For this reason, travel should not be included in the consultant’s financial proposal.
Technical evaluation will be represented through desk review of applications and further interview will be organized if needed, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications. The hiring manager reserves the right to also hold interviews as required.
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.)