Re-advertisement: National consultant to conduct a Situation Analysis of the rights of persons with disabilities and develop Proposal for a joint UN project to further disability inclusion i

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Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

  1. Background and Context

The UN Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (PRPD) supports the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). It applies a rights-based approach to disability, in line with the CRPD.

The United Nations (UN) in Montenegro is embarking on a two-year programme to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in the country with the support of the PRPD. UNICEF, as the administrator of the funds for the four-months inception phase, is seeking a national consultant to support the UN Country Team as part of a two member-team that also includes an international consultant to:

  • conduct a Situation Analysis of the rights of persons with disabilities in Montenegro based on Guidance from the UN PRPD
  • develop a Project Proposal with goals and activities to contribute to sustainable improvement of the rights of persons with disabilities and overall implementation of CRPD in Montenegro as part of a UN joint project over the period of 20 months.

The Analysis and Proposal will be developed through meaningful participation of persons with disabilities and their representative organizations (rights holders) and in close collaboration with government institutions (duty bearers) and other interested stakeholders.

  1. Purpose and Objective

The overall purpose of the consultancy is to support the UN in Montenegro to conduct a Situation Analysis and develop a fully-fledged Project Proposal. The analysis and proposal aim to contribute to transforming the CRPD and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into concrete policies, systems, programs and services to realize the rights of persons with disabilities in Montenegro.

The Situation Analysis’ main focus is to identify key obstacles to realization of the six preconditions for disability inclusion in Montenegro (equality and non-discrimination, service delivery, accessibility, participation of persons with disabilities, CRPD-compliant budgeting and financial management, accountability and governance) and the causes thereof. The analysis will also set out key progress in the realization of the rights of persons with disabilities and disability inclusion. It will identify priorities in Montenegro for fulfilment of the CRPD and disability inclusive Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as key stakeholders and their capacities, including capacity gaps, and which ongoing development processes need to be more disability inclusive. The analysis will apply a human rights-based approach to change processes, where empowerment and collective action of rights holders (persons with disabilities and their families) is a key pre-condition along with sufficient capacity and authority (human, systemic and financial) of duty bearers to fulfil their obligations as outlined in national legislation and international conventions.

The Analysis will be used to identify key priorities where the PRPD program funding can provide the biggest impact in accelerating CRPD implementation and enhancing disability inclusion in the broader development processes in Montenegro.

  1. The Analysis primarily is designed to:
  2. Serve as a base line for the design of a full-fledged Project Proposal
  3. Inform the UN Country Team of gaps in disability inclusion in on-going national processes and programs and recommend further in depth analysis where needed
  4. Build mutual understanding and working relationships between UN entities, government authorities, Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), the National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI), civil society organizations (CSO), the private sector and academia, as a basis for future co-design of joint programs
  5. Strengthen knowledge and capacity of above stakeholders to include and address the rights of persons with disabilities as outlined in the CRPD more effectively
  6. Serve as an advocacy tool for OPDs and other civil society partners, national and international.
  • More specifically the Analysis should:
  • Describe the legislative and policy context on the rights of persons with disabilities and non-discrimination; identify gaps in the policy and legislation and describe their practical implementation; identify the reasons for gaps in implementation.
  • Describe discrimination and inequality between persons with and without disabilities in a range of areas and levels of society (health, education, livelihoods, employment and political life) and from family and to community level. Challenges for women, girls and marginalized groups should be specifically described, and main reasons for continued discrimination should be identified.
  • Assess the level of accessibility and affordability of support services for various groups of persons with disabilities, including community-based support and deinstitutionalization efforts (targeted efforts) and identify the most urgent gaps.
  • Assess the level of accessibility and inclusiveness of mainstream services such as education, health, social assistance and services, livelihood and employment and identify the most urgent gaps.
  • Describe policy and practice in terms of accessibility to information (easy-to read, sign language interpretation, braille etc) and to public spaces (including official buildings and UN offices).
  • Map how ongoing development and humanitarian initiatives funded by the UN and other international partners fare in terms of disability inclusion in program design and budgets (existence of explicit goals, indicators, measures, budget lines and monitoring data).
  • Include a brief assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on the fulfilment rights of persons with disabilities and highlight particular vulnerabilities and rights violations the pandemic has exacerbated or created.
  • Describe the functioning of coordination mechanisms and contributions already made by stakeholders (in government at the national and local level, disability movement, international cooperation, civil society, academia etc) and identify capacity gaps of key duty bearers and OPDs. Obstacles to participation of persons with disabilities and OPDs should be specifically analyzed.
  • Assess the availability and functioning of national monitoring mechanisms, systems and tools, including existence and quality of statistics and disaggregated disability monitoring data. Identify possible gaps and obstacles.
  • Highlight good practices for disability inclusion that could be scaled up or replicated.

The full proposal will include a theory of change, outcomes, outputs and activities, and will be developed in line with guidelines of the PRPD. The maximum length of the analysis is 35 pages.

  1. Methodology and Technical Approach

The Consultant reports to the UNICEF Child Protection Officer and will work under the coordination and guidance of the UN Technical Team as part of a two-member team that includes an international consultant. The team of consultants will collaborate with the National Coordinator for the inception phase of the PRPD project.

The Consultant will follow the PRPD guidance for conducting a Situation Analysis of the rights of persons with disabilities (annexed) and further guidance on the development of the full proposal (yet to be released).

In the process of analysis and development of the proposal, the consultant will use the three cross cutting approaches of the PRDP of enabling full and effective participation of persons with disabilities through their representative organizations; ensuring the inclusion of marginalized and underrepresented groups of persons with disabilities; and addressing gender inequality and advancing the rights of women and girls with disabilities. OPDs will be core partners in the entire process in recognition of their expertise and wide networks.

The methodology for the analysis will include but is not limited to:

  • Desk review/literature review
  • Focus group discussions
  • Interviews with key informants
  • Stakeholder mapping
  • Consultation and validation

All activities will be undertaken with full respect for COVID-19 epidemiological measures.

  1. Activities and Tasks

Under the direct supervision of the UNICEF Child Protection Officer and jointly with the international consultant, the national consultant will conduct in-depth situation analysis of the status of implementation of the CRPD and disability inclusive SDGs.

Based on the Situation Analysis findings, the Consultant will facilitate an inclusive process with OPDs, government, UN and other relevant stakeholders to agree on:

  • the main cross-sector challenges for advancing inclusion of persons with disabilities in essential policies, plans and implementation of programs
  • a list of preconditions that require urgent attention
  • opportunities for influencing national SDG planning and implementation processes.
  • Following the identification of priorities, the Consultant will prepare a detailed UN Joint Project Proposal, including narrative and log-frame, that include outcomes and outputs as well as budget. The Situation Analysis and the proposed outcomes and outputs will be reviewed by the PRPD Technical Secretariat before the project proposal is prepared.

The team of the national and international consultant should participate in the induction workshop on the CRPD, conditions of disability inclusion and disability inclusive SDGs, organized by OPDs as part of the four months inception phase.

  1. Deliverables and Timeframe

Under the guidance and supervision of Joint UN project team and the UNICEF Child Protection Officer respectively, the Consultant is expected to deliver, jointly with the international consultant, the following with the below provided tentative dates:

Deliverables

Due Date

Review and Approvals Required

Conduct an in depth Situation Analysis based on the PRPD guidance and including:

-Desk review/literature review

-Focus group discussions

-Key informant interviews

-Stakeholder mapping

-Broad consultations with DPOs and underrepresented groups

-Drafting the analysis

1st week July 2021

Joint UN project team

Presentation and consultations with all concerned stakeholders on the analysis and validate findings relevant to the program design phase

2nd week July 2021

Joint UN project team

Revising the analysis on the basis of the comments of the PRPD Technical Secretariat

3rd week of July 2021

Joint UN project team

Development of fully-fledged draft Project Proposal with detailed log-frame outlining objectives, activities, outputs, and outcomes, budget and narrative and the structure and nature of the multi-stakeholder partnerships validated by UN agencies and national stakeholders, followed by consultation and validation, and submission of the final proposal

By 10 August 2021

Joint UN project team

Submission of a final report on the consultancy

By 15 August 2021

UNICEF

The consultant will be engaged for the period from 15 June 2021 to 15 August 2021.

  1. Travel

The consultant may be required to visit persons with disabilities and engage in work at the community level, jointly with the international consultant for the Situation Analysis and developing the full programme proposal. This will be needs-based and depends on the epidemiologic situation as regards COVID-19.

The consultant will work remotely and in Montenegro, in line with UNICEF business operation procedures that take into account the COVID-19 epidemiological situation.

  1. Management and Organization

Management: The Consultant will be supervised by the UNICEF Child Protection Officer. The consultant will work in a team with an international consultant, from the office/home in line with UN Eco House policy related to adherence to COVID-19 epidemiological measures. The consultant will receive support from the joint UN project team, and the national coordinator of the inception phase.

Organization: A National Consultancy, individual, is required, meeting the criteria described below. A UNICEF email account will be provided to the Consultant.

Schedule: This assignment will be carried out from 15 June to 15 August 2021.

  1. Minimum qualifications and requirements

Education

  • University degree in social science (law, political science, social work or another relevant technical field).

Experience

  • A minimum of three years of professional work experience in working in the area of disability and/or the rights of persons with disabilities.
  • A minimum of three years of experience in analysis, research, evidence generation and writing of Project Proposals.
  • Prior experience in social inclusion of persons with disabilities in Montenegro.
  • Experience in working with/for an organization of persons with disabilities is considered as an asset.
  • Experience in working with United Nations agencies is considered as an asset.

Language

  • Excellent command of local language (spoken and written)
  • Fluency in spoken and written English

Other

  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
  • Strong analytical skills
  • Strong skills in formulating strategies and concepts
  • Excellent writing skills
  • Demonstrated tact and high sense of responsibility and discretion
  • Demonstrates integrity and high ethical standards
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
  1. Application procedure

To apply for a vacant position, a P-11 form and motivation letter should be submitted through the “apply” button;

The candidates are requested to submit a financial offer as a separate document consisting of a daily fee for the services to be provided, travel and subsistence costs as/ if applicable.

Note: Qualified applicants with disabilities are highly encouraged to apply.

Inclusion of needs and estimated costs for reasonable accommodation in financial proposals are highly welcomed.

  1. Selection method

All applicants will be screened against qualifications and requirements set above. Candidates fully meeting all the requirements will be further evaluated based on the criteria below.

1. Technical Criteria - Interview – 70 % of total evaluation– max. 70 points

  • Education: 10 points
  • Previous experience: 20 points
  • Technical questions at the interview: 30 points
  • Other: 10 points

Only candidates who obtained at least 70% of points from the technical part (who will score at least 49 points) will be qualified for considering for financial proposal evaluation.

2. Financial Criteria - 30 % of total evaluation – max. 30 points.

  • The lowest price proposal will be awarded the full score assigned to the commercial proposal as per formula: lowest offer / financial offer of the candidate x 30.

The recommendation for award of contract will be based on best combination of technical and financial score. Based on verified nominations and final scores, contract negotiations could be initiated with one or more successful candidates.

Mandatory learning: Upon concluding the recruitment process and prior to signing the contract, all Consultants and Individual Contractors, including those working from home, must complete the following online courses:

  • Ethics and Integrity at UNICEF
  • Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Abuse of Authority (PSHAA)
  • Sexual Exploitation Abuse (PSEA)

​Consultants and Individual Contractors must complete the following course before commencement of any travel on behalf of UNICEF.

  • BSAFE security training

​​​Any consultant or individual contractor who is issued a UNICEF email address must complete the following courses no later than 30 days after signature of contract.

  • Fraud Awareness
  • Information Awareness Security Course (only for consultants/individual contractors with a UNICEF email address)

The above courses can be found on Agora through the following link:

AGORA: Log in to the site (unicef.org).

  1. Budget and Remuneration
  • Payment schedule

The payments will be made upon successful completion of the deliverables and submission of invoices.

  • Recourse

UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.

  • Budget and Remuneration

Interested contractors are requested to submit their financial offer consisting of fee for the services to be provided, travel and subsistence costs, as applicable.

  1. As part of the selection process, the UN will select the individual who proposes the lowest fee from the list of individuals who are deemed suitable for achieving all tasks in time, and as per the criteria and deliverables stipulated in the Terms of Reference. Costs for reasonable accommodation if included a proposal, will not be counted in the selection of the individual and will thus not put any individual at a disadvantage.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce and encourages qualified female and male candidates from all national, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities to apply.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles 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.

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Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

Added 2 years ago - Updated 2 years ago - Source: unicef.org