National Consultant on Prevention of Sexual Harassment and Capacity Building for Local Government Officials, NOC, Sarajevo, BiH

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 required services are sought through a Joint Programme Gender Equality Accelerator (GEA), financially supported by the European Union (EU), Sweden, and Denmark, and implemented by UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), within the framework of the United Nations’ cooperation with institutions in BiH, with the aim of advancing gender equality and contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Joint Programme (JP) represents a significant shift in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in BiH. It moves away from fragmented, short-term interventions towards a comprehensive, systems-level model designed to address structural barriers and achieve transformative change together with key governmental and non-governmental partners. Designed in consultation with governmental, civil society and international partners and stakeholders and leveraging the collective mandates, expertise, and comparative advantages of four United Nations agencies—UN Women, UNICEF, UNDP, and UNFPA—the JP targets three critical areas:

1.           Eliminating Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG)

2.           Empowering Women Economically (EWE)

3.           Elevating Women in Governance and Leadership (EWG&L)

Under the Joint Programme, the EVAWG and EWG&L pillars jointly support efforts to strengthen the capacity of public institutions to prevent and address sexual harassment as both a form of gender-based violence and a governance challenge. Recognizing that safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces are essential for women's equal participation and leadership, the Joint Programme promotes institutional reforms, leadership accountability and capacity development aimed at strengthening prevention, response mechanisms and organizational culture across public institutions, including local governments.

As part of its support to gender-responsive local governance, UN Women partners with selected cities and municipalities through institutional partnerships formalized by Memoranda of Understanding and tailored to locally identified priorities. Within this framework, the Municipality of Tešanj identified the prevention of sexual harassment in the workplace as a priority area for capacity development. Accordingly, this assignment includes targeted support to strengthen prevention mechanisms, institutional capacities and leadership accountability within the municipality. In parallel, the assignment contributes to broader efforts to strengthen local governance by supporting a specialized training programme for mayors and senior policymakers from local governments across Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a focus on fostering leadership commitment to safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces.

The objective of this assignment is to strengthen the institutional capacity of local governments to prevent and respond effectively to sexual harassment in the workplace through tailored, participatory and practice-oriented capacity-building activities. The assignment aims to enhance the knowledge and leadership capacities of local government officials, elected representatives and senior decision-makers, strengthen institutional prevention and reporting mechanisms, and support cities and municipalities in fostering organizational cultures based on integrity, accountability, equality and zero tolerance for sexual harassment. Particular emphasis will be placed on promoting leadership accountability and equipping participants with practical tools to translate knowledge into institutional action.

To support the implementation of these objectives, UN Women seeks to engage a national consultant with demonstrated expertise in gender equality, prevention of sexual harassment, institutional capacity development and adult learning methodologies. The consultant will design and facilitate tailored training programmes for different target groups, develop practical learning materials and institutional guidance tools, and support local governments in strengthening institutional prevention, leadership accountability and organizational responses to sexual harassment.

The consultant will report to the Governance and Leadership Programme Coordination Specialist, under the overall supervision of the Programme Management Specialist. The Programme Assistant will serve as the focal point for contractual and payment-related matters.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Deliverables

Scope of Work

The scope of work will include, but will not be limited to, the following tasks: 

• Training on Prevention of Sexual Harassment for Public Servants in Tešanj Municipality (4 working days)
  • Prepare a comprehensive training package, including detailed training agenda, facilitator’s guide, PowerPoint presentation, participant handouts, pre- and post- survey of participants and participant evaluation form. (2 working days)
  • Deliver one-day interactive training for public servants in Tešanj Municipality with focus on: recognizing unacceptable behavior, reporting pathways, bystander intervention, respectful workplace culture, and rights and obligations. (1 working day)
  • Prepare training report, including participant lists, participant feedback, knowledge change (pre/post) and recommendations for follow-up activities. (1 working day)
• Training on Prevention of Sexual Harassment for Members of Municipal Council in Tešanj Municipality (4 working days)
  • Prepare a comprehensive training package, including detailed training agenda, facilitator’s guide, PowerPoint presentation, participant handouts, pre- and post- survey of participants and participant evaluation form. (2 working days)
  • Deliver one-day interactive training for Members of Municipal Council in Tešanj Municipality with focus on: political leadership, employer oversight, institutional accountability, creating safe political spaces, leading by example, preventing harassment during council work and public engagement. (1 working day)
  • Prepare training report, including participant lists, participant feedback, knowledge change (pre/post) and recommendations for follow-up activities. (1 working day)
• Specialized Training for Mayors and Senior Policymakers (4 working days)
  • Prepare a comprehensive training session package, including detailed session agenda, facilitator’s guide, PowerPoint presentation, participant handouts, pre- and post- survey of participants and participant evaluation form for a half-day session at the Specialized Training for Mayors and Senior Policymakers at the local level. (1.5 working days)
  • Deliver a half-day interactive session, Leadership for Safe and Respectful Municipal Institutions, in Teslić or another nearby location, as determined by UN Women, for at least 20 mayors and senior policymakers from selected partner local governments participating in or cooperating with the JP GEA as part of the broader Specialized Training for Mayors and Senior Policymakers. The session shall examine the role of local government leaders in preventing sexual harassment and fostering safe, respectful and inclusive workplaces. It should combine expert input with facilitated discussion and practical case analysis and cover, inter alia, leadership accountability, organizational culture, reputational, legal and governance risks, responsibilities of senior management, responding to complaints, creating psychologically safe workplaces, integrating prevention into human resource management systems, and examples of good practice from European municipalities. The session should encourage participants to reflect on practical actions they can undertake within their own cities/municipalities to strengthen institutional prevention and leadership accountability. (0.5 working day)
  • Prepare training report, including participant lists, participant feedback, knowledge change (pre/post) and recommendations for follow-up activities. (1 working day)
  • Develop a practical Institutional Action Checklist for Preventing Sexual Harassment in Local Government (1–2 pages) for mayors and senior policymakers, outlining priority actions to strengthen institutional prevention of sexual harassment, promote safe and respectful workplaces, and reinforce leadership accountability within local government institutions. The checklist should include practical actions related to institutional policies and procedures, reporting and response mechanism, awareness-raising, leadership responsibilities, and monitoring of implementation. It should be tailored to the local government context in BiH and distributed to all participants as a post-training reference tool. (1 working day)

The Consultant shall apply participatory adult-learning methodologies throughout all training activities. Sessions should combine short expert inputs with facilitated discussion, scenario-based exercises, practical case analysis, reflection exercises and peer exchange. Lecture-style delivery should be kept to the minimum necessary to introduce key concepts. 

Training content shall be aligned with relevant legislation in BiH, including anti-discrimination legislation, the Gender Equality Law of BiH, applicable criminal, labour and civil service regulations, as well as international human rights standards, including CEDAW, relevant ILO standards and good international practices on prevention of sexual harassment in public institutions.

At the conclusion of each training, the Consultant shall facilitate the identification of concrete institutional actions that participants can undertake to strengthen prevention of sexual harassment within their respective roles.

The Consultant shall ensure that the training environment promotes open discussion while respecting confidentiality, professional ethics and the sensitivity of participants' experiences.

To facilitate delivery of below outputs, UN Women will provide the consultant the following: 

• Background materials on the JP GEA; 
• Other documents and contacts as necessary.

Deliverables

TOTAL # of days: 12

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. As part of this assignment, the selected consultant is expected to travel to Tešanj Municipality to deliver two trainings on Prevention of Sexual Harassment - one for the public servants at the Tešanj Municipality and other for members of the municipal council. In addition, the consultant is expected to travel to Teslić or another nearby location, as determined by UN Women, to deliver a half-day interactive session on prevention of sexual harassment as part of the Specialized Training for Mayors and Senior Policymakers. All travel costs will be processed and covered separately by UN Women.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

•    Demonstrated expertise in gender equality and prevention of sexual harassment and institutional capacity development.
•    Strong understanding of gender mainstreaming, organizational change, and institutional capacity development processes.
•    Ability to analyze complex political and institutional settings and translate findings into practical recommendations.
•    Excellent presentation, moderation, and communication skills, with the ability to engage diverse stakeholders (political representatives, government, civil society, academia).
•    Ability to plan and manage activities within agreed timelines and deliver high-quality outputs under minimal supervision.

Knowledge Management and Learning
•    Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside UN Women
•    Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas
•    Acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
•    Development and operational effectiveness
•    Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication skills. Communicates sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies
•    Experience in communications and outreach/advocacy
•    Ability to perform a variety of standard specialized and non-specialized tasks and work processes that are fully documented, researched, recorded and reported
•    Ability to review a variety of data, identify and adjust discrepancies, identify and resolve operational problems
•    Uses Information Technology effectively as a tool and resource

Leadership and Self-Management
•    Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback
•    Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
•    Remains calm, in control even under pressure
•    Proven networking skills and ability to generate interest in UN Women's mandate
•    Identifies opportunities and builds strong partnerships with clients and partners
 

Required Qualifications 

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Law, Political Science, Gender Studies, Social Sciences, International Relations, Public Administration, Human Rights, Psychology or a related field is required. A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. – pass/fail 

Experience:

• At least five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in gender equality, prevention of gender-based violence, prevention of sexual harassment, workplace discrimination, human rights, labor rights, organizational development or related fields. – 35 points 
• Demonstrated experience in designing and facilitating participatory capacity-building activities for public institutions, local governments or public administration, including the development of training materials and successful delivery of at least five (5) relevant trainings/workshops. – 35 points
• Demonstrated experience working with public institutions and/or local governments, including provision of technical assistance, advisory services, institutional capacity development or organizational strengthening, through at least three (3) relevant assignments. – 20 points
• Previous experience supporting public institutions or organizations in developing or strengthening institutional policies, procedures or mechanisms related to gender equality, prevention of sexual harassment, workplace dignity or organizational culture, demonstrated through at least two (2) relevant assignments, will be considered an asset. – 5 points
• Previous working or consulting experience with government institutions and/or international organizations/projects, demonstrated through at least two (2) relevant assignments, will be considered an asset. – 5 points 

Languages:

Fluency in Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian is required. – pass/fail

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.