(RE-ADVERTISEMENT) Individual International Consultant – To develop the Fiji National Action Plan to prevent Violence Against Women - VAW, UN Women Fiji MCO

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Application deadline 2 years ago: Friday 17 Sep 2021 at 23:59 UTC

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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.

The incidence of violence against women and girls in the Pacific Islands is amongst the highest rates in the world. For example, 64% of women in Fiji who have ever been in an intimate relationship have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a husband or intimate partner over the course of their lifetime[1]. Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) is a central barrier to gender equality and a cause of widespread violation of human rights across the Pacific[2].

In Fiji, the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre in partnership with women’s organisations and the women’s rights movement have led the work on prevention and responding to violence against women and girls for over the past 30 years and have been crucial in advancing local understanding of women’s and girls’ rights, getting the issue onto the public agenda, and providing much-needed services.

To respond to the high rates of violence in the Pacific, UN Women has developed a comprehensive Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) programme which takes a transformative approach to prevent violence against women and girls at multiple levels (regional, national and community), and to improve survivors’ access to quality response services.

UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office’s (MCO) EVAWG programme is implemented primarily under the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls (hereafter referred to as ‘Pacific Partnership’). The Pacific Partnership brings together governments, civil society organizations, communities and other partners to promote gender equality, prevent violence against women and girls (VAWG), and increase access to quality response services for survivors. The programme aims - through innovative approaches to education, access to essential services, and policy development - to transform the social norms that allow violence against women and girls to continue and to support national and regional institutions meet their gender equality commitment. The EUR 22.7 million programme is funded primarily by the European Union (EUR 12.7m) with targeted support from the Governments of Australia (EUR 6.2m) and New Zealand (EUR 3.2) and cost-sharing with UN Women (EUR 0.6m).

In 2020 the Government of Fiji embarked on a historic mission to develop a National Action Plan (2021-2026) to Prevent Violence Against all Women and Girls, making it the first Pacific Island Country, and one of the only two countries globally along with Australia, to have whole of government, inclusive, evidence-based approach to prevent violence against women and girls. The Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation (MWCPA) is leading the development of the National Action Plan in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders.

The five-year National Action Plan will set out will short, medium- and long-term measures to prevent violence against all women and girls before it starts with focus on preventing domestic violence, intimate partner violence and sexual violence. The key components of the Fiji National Action Plan will include an explanation of why Violence Happens in Fiji, Key strategies to prevent VAWG in Fiji, Key settings for prevention VAWG in Fiji, Stakeholder roles & responsibilities, Costed implementation plan and a National Communications Strategy.

MWCPA plans to complete the development of the National Action Plan by December 2021. The National Action Plan is coordinated by the Secretariat, which comprises of MWCPA, UNW and the CSO Rep, currently held by Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre. UN Women, as part of the Secretariat, is the primary technical partner to the MWCPA in developing the National Action Plan. UN Women’s technical and financial support is provided through the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls.

[1]Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre. (2013). Somebody’s Life, Everybody’s Business. Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre. Suva, Fiji.

[2]The Situation of Women in Fiji, Governments 2nd, 3rd and 4th report to the CEDAW Committee

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the Assignment

UN Women Fiji MCO is looking for an international consultant individual to support the Fiji Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation and UN Women to draft the National Action Plan to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls.

For this purpose, the selected consultant will work under the overall coordination and direct supervision of the UN Women EVAWG Technical Advisor and the Fiji MWCPA Director of Women in close consultation with the Fiji MCPA National Gender Advisor to draft the National Action Plan, based on results from the National Consultation and in a participatory and transparent manner with the NAP Secretariat and Technical Working Group.

Duration of the Assignment

The duration of this assignment will be up to 90 working days over 7 months work assignment as per schedule of deliverables with a possible start date from 20 September 2021.

Expected Deliverables

Specifically, the following major tasks shall be undertaken by the International Consultant:

Deliverables

Timeframe and indicative No. of days

Outputs

Activities

  1. Propose and draft the outline of the National Action Plan with clear table of contents and Annexes as needed.

  2. For instance, based on key components of the Fiji National Action Plan will include an explanation of why Violence Happens in Fiji, Key strategies to prevent VAWG in Fiji, Key settings for prevention VAWG in Fiji, Stakeholder roles & responsibilities, Costed implementation plan and a National Communications Strategy.

  • Review the relevant Fiji NAP documents to prepare the outline of the National Action Plan.

  • Consult with key Secretariat and Technical Working Group members to discuss and finalise the Table of Contents

Up to 7 days

(To be completed by early October)

  1. Draft National Action Plan based on the Agreed Table of Contents (TOC).

  2. For instance, key components of the Fiji National Action Plan will include an explanation of why Violence Happens in Fiji,

  3. Key strategies to prevent VAWG in Fiji across the priority settings; stakeholder roles & responsibilities, costed implementation plan, NAP governance, M&E and a National Communications Strategy.

  • Analyse the findings and recommendations provided during the consultation process as well as global, regional and national data/evidence and incorporate both into the National Action Plan policy document.

  • Present the draft document to the Secretariat and collect a first round of feedback.

  • Present the amended document to the Technical Working Group and collect a first round of feedback.

  • Incorporate all the feedback into the document.

  • Provision for a total of three rounds of feedback from both the Secretariat and the Technical Working Group.

Up to 63 days

(To be completed by end of February)

  1. Final document - National Action Plan on Prevention of Violence Against women in Fiji.
  • Submit the final document – the Fiji National Action Plan to Prevent violence against women.

Up to 20 days

(To be completed by April)

Total No. of estimated working days

Up to 90 days

The assignment should be carried out within a period of 7 months, not exceeding 90 working days, with the incumbent being responsible for delivering the following outputs:

  • Inception Report: 5 pages outlining the work plan, methodology and the coordination required to undertake the assignment.
  • Review and high-level data analysis of the NAP Consultation data across 13 sectors in addition to proactive utilization and operationalization of global, regional and national evidence and data (such as the WHO/UNW RESPECT FRAMEWORK, the Australia Change the Story Primary Prevention Framework).
  • Draft NAP Table of Contents and Annotated Outline covering the goal and scope of each section.
  • Draft NAP policy document with an articulation of the detailed components highlighted in the table of contents.
  • Provision of polished, coherent and evidence-based final NAP Policy Document.
  • Integration of the NAP Costing Analysis.

Upon receipt of the final deliverables and prior to the payment of the instalment, the deliverables, related reports, and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women within one week.

All the deliverables shall be agreed with UN Women’s and the MWCPA, and UN Women will be provided in English hard and electronic copy.

Inputs

The International Consultant will work under the overall coordination and direct supervision of the UN Women EVAWG Technical Advisor and the MWCPA Director of Women in close consultation with the National Gender Advisor to draft the Fiji National Action Plan.

S/he will work in coordination with the NAP Secretariat, NAP Technical Working Group and the UN Women EVAWG Technical Specialist for Primary Prevention to develop the Action Plan.

The selected candidate is expected to have her/his own laptop, internet access and communication equipment.

Performance Evaluation

The Consultant’s performance will be evaluated based on timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial Arrangements

Payment will be disbursed within 30 (thirty) days after receipt and approval of deliverables and corresponding invoice and certification by the UN Women EVAW Technical Advisor that the services have been satisfactorily performed. It is estimated to have 3 installments to be paid to consultants/experts as follows:

  • 20% upon submission of draft outline of the National Action Plan
  • 30% upon submission of draft National Action Plan
  • 50% upon submission of final National Action Plan document

Travel

The position is home-based. The Consultant will not be required to travel to Fiji to undertake this assignment.

No travels are envisaged under the current assignment. In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UN Women and the International Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

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

  • Ability to think conceptually, strategically and analytically;
  • Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
  • Results oriented, flexible and problem-solving skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Required experience and qualifications

The Consultant should fulfil the following requirements:

Education:

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women studies, law, international development, or a related is required.
  • A first-level university degree with 2 additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.

Experience and Skills:

  • At least 7 years (with Master’s degree) or 9 years (with first-level university degree) of proven experience working in drafting national level policies and/or papers in the area of Ending violence against women and girls.
  • Minimum 3 years’ experience in working in the area of developing National Action Plans for the prevention of violence against women and girls.
  • Experience in carrying out analysis of consultation findings in the area of ending violence against women and synthesizing complex information into clear, well-articulated written documentation.
  • Experience in Pacific Islands’ development context and socio- cultural, political, and economic systems and knowledge of situation of violence against women in Fiji.
  • Experience working with diverse group of people with sensitivity and inclusivity, including effective communication.

Language and other skills:

  • Fluency in verbal & written English is required.

Evaluation

Initially, individual consultants will be short-listed based on the following minimum qualification criteria:

  • Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women studies, law, international development, or a related is required.
  • A first-level university degree with 2 additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.
  • At least 7 years (with Master’s degree) or 9 years (with first-level university degree) of of proven experience working in drafting national level policies and/or papers in the area of Ending violence against women and girls.

The shortlisted individual consultant will be further evaluated based on a cumulative analysis process, with a total score being obtained upon the combination of weighted technical and financial attributes.

Cost under this method of analysis is rendered as an award criterion, which will be 30% out of a total score of 100 points.

Evaluation of submitted offers will be done based on the following formula:

where:

T

is the total technical score awarded to the evaluated proposal (only to those proposals that pass 70% of 70 points obtainable under technical evaluation);

C

is the price of the evaluated proposal;

Clow

is the lowest of all evaluated proposal prices among responsive proposals; and

X

is the maximum financial points obtainable (30 points)

Technical evaluation will be represented through desk review of applications. Interviews and/or written tests will be organized if needed only, depending on the short-listed candidates’ qualifications.

Technical Qualification Evaluation Criteria: The technical part is evaluated based on its responsiveness to the Terms of Reference (TOR).

No.

Criteria

Maximum points

Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women studies, law, international development, or a related is required.

A first-level university degree with 2 additional years of progressively responsible experience at the national and/or international level may be accepted in lieu of Master’s degree.

Master’s – 15 pts

University degree – 10 pts

15

  1. At least 7 years (with Master’s degree) or 9 years (with first-level university degree) of proven experience working in drafting national level policies and/or papers in the area of Ending violence against women and girls.

*7 years (**Master’s* *Degree) or 9 years (first-level university degree) – 12 pts, each year over 7 (or 9) years - 1 pts up to a max 15 pts*

15

  1. Minimum 3 years’ experience in working in the area of developing National Action Plans for the prevention of violence against women and girls.

3 years of experience – 10 pts. Each year over 3 years – 1 pt up to a max 15 pts

15

  1. Experience in carrying out analysis of consultation findings in the area of ending violence against women and synthesizing complex information into clear, well-articulated written documentation.

Up to 7 pts

7

  1. Experience in Pacific Islands’ development context and socio- cultural, political, and economic systems and knowledge of situation of violence against women in Fiji.

Up to 6 pts

6

  1. Experience working with diverse group of people with sensitivity and inclusivity, including effective communication

Up to 7 pts

7

  1. Fluency in verbal & written English is required.

Up to 5 pts

5

Maximum Total Technical Scoring

70

Financial Qualification Evaluation Criteria: In the Second Stage, the financial proposal of candidates, who have attained minimum 70% score in the technical evaluation (at least 49 points), will be compared.

WINNING CANDIDATE

The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring + financial scoring).

Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit fully completed application on the UNDP Vacancy Site.

Submission Package:

  1. Cover letter explaining the suitability of the consultant: applicants are encouraged to address experience and qualifications listed in the ‘criteria for technical evaluation’.
  2. Duly filled Personal History Form (P11) and/or Curriculum Vitae (CV) of Consultant including records of experience in similar assignments and specific outputs obtained; P11 can be downloaded at: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
  3. Financial proposal – specifying 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 (daily rate and number of anticipated working days and any other possible costs).
  4. Please read, use and complete ANNEX I and ANNEX II below to provide your financial proposal.

Applications without a complete financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. UN Women reserves the right to accept or reject any bid.

The consultancy recruitment process will be governed by the rules and regulations of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

Deadline of all submission: 20th August 2021

Annex I

Price Proposal Guideline and Template

The prospective Individual Contractor should take the following explanations into account during submission of his/her price proposal.

  1. Lump Sum Amount

The price proposal should indicate a "lump sum amount" which is "all-inclusive"; All costs (professional fees, living allowances, communications, consumables, etc.) that could possibly be incurred by the Individual Contractor needs to be factored into the proposed price.

UN Women will not withhold any amount of the payments for tax and/or social security related payments. UN Women shall have no liability for taxes, duties or other similar charges payable by the Individual Contractor in respect of any amounts paid to the Individual Contractor under this Contract, and the Contractor acknowledges that UN Women will not issue any statements of earnings to the Individual contractor in respect of any such payments.

Contract price is fixed to activities/deliverables indicated in the ToR, regardless of the changes in the cost components (such as days invested for completion of the deliverables.)

  1. Travel costs

As this is a home-based consultancy, no travel costs are envisaged for this assignment.

  1. Daily Subsistence Allowance

Not applicable.

  1. Currency of the price proposal

The applicants are requested to submit their price proposals in USD.

In case of proposals in other currency, these shall be converted into USD using the official UN exchange rate for currency conversion at the date of applications’ submission deadline.

Annex II

Price Proposal Submission Form

[ Mandatory document for the Consultant to complete and submit]

To: United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Ref: Individual International Consultant – To prevent the Fiji National Action Plan to prevent Violence Against Women / VAW, UN Women Fiji MCO

Dear Sir / Madam,

I, the undersigned, offer to provide professional consulting services to UN Women within the scope of the referred Assignment. Having examined, understood, and agreed to the Terms of Reference and its annexes, the receipt of which are hereby duly acknowledged, I, the undersigned, offer to deliver professional services, in conformity with the Terms of Reference.

My maximum total price proposal for the assignment is given below:

Estimated Costs (in USD$)

Unit of Measure (e.g. Day, Month, etc)

Unit Price

(USD$)

No. of Units

Total Price

(USD$)

Consultancy Fee

Daily Fee

$

Other Related Costs (please specify)

$

Total USD$

$

*** Please be informed that for shorter assignments than a full day, the daily rate will be pro-rated into hourly rate.

I confirm that my financial proposal will remain unchanged. I also confirm that the price that I quote is gross, and is inclusive of all legal expenses, including but not limited to social security, income tax, pension, etc., which shall be required applicable laws. I agree that my proposal shall remain binding upon me for the duration of the contract timeline i.e. ________________ days / weeks / months / year.

I understand that you are not bound to accept any proposal you may receive.

[ Signature]

Date:

Name:

Address:

Telephone / Fax:

Email:

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: jobs.undp.org