International Communications Consultant to facilitate development of the Ukraine National Advocacy and Communication Strategy on Gender Equality

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.

UN Women has been working in Ukraine since 1999 to help the country meet its gender equality commitments and unlock progress for both women and men. Since 2015, UN Women has been scaling-up its presence and programme. UN Women facilitates gender mainstreaming in humanitarian needs assessments and planning to better meet acute and lifesaving humanitarian needs. UN Women supports greater engagement of women, particularly those facing compound discrimination due to displacement, age, disability, ethnic or other backgrounds. UN Women also contributes to recovery and peacebuilding efforts, advocating for and supporting implementation of the United Nations agenda on Women, Peace and Security, which to date comprises eight UN Security Council Resolutions, and aims to ensure women’s full and meaningful participation in conflict prevention, peace-building and post-conflict reconstruction processes.

UN Women also strives to support longer-term national reforms in Ukraine, including, public administration, justice, decentralization and security sector reforms, while promoting gender equality and women’s human rights and accountability. 

The Ukrainian Constitution, policy and legal frameworks guarantee equality for men and women in Ukraine in all sectors. The country adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action (BPfA) (1995) and has ratified the main international instruments on gender equality and women’s rights, including the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Nevertheless, structural barriers to gender equality and women’s empowerment have not been addressed and gender discrimination remains widespread. The efforts to advance gender equality are consistently challenged by adverse social norms, patriarchal attitudes and discriminatory stereotypes entrenched in Ukrainian society. Advances in gender equality are further impeded by weak rule of law, lack of implementation and efficient mechanisms for enforcement, accountability, monitoring and evaluation are not fully in place. Gender equality and women’s rights have not yet become a priority under the Government’s comprehensive reform agenda that, while covering eighteen sectors, does not effectively integrate gender equality perspectives at any level.

UN Women is currently working with the Office of the Vice Prime Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration on strengthening of the national gender equality machinery as a central policy-coordinating institution with the main task of supporting government-wide mainstreaming of gender equality at all policy levels.

In order to support the efforts of the Ukrainian gender machinery to mainstream gender throughout the Government and the reforms processes, consistent advocacy and gender equality messaging will be fundamental. For this purpose, UN Women is looking to hire an International Communications Consultant on Gender Equality to provide strategic advice to the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration to draft a national advocacy and communications strategy on gender equality and an action plan on gender equality communication and outreach for 2018-2020. This work will also be developed in consultation with a working group under the leadership of the Vice Prime Minister, Strategic Communications Advisor to the Vice Prime Minister, Press Office of the Vice Prime Minister, with participation of the members of the civil society and development partners, UN Women and other relevant actors.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall direction of the Office of the Vice Prime Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, direct oversight of the UN Women Programme Specialist and in close collaboration with UN Women Communications and Advocacy Specialist, the incumbent shall be responsible for:   development of a national communications strategy on gender equality which will provide a communications framework for all stakeholders working on issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment in Ukraine; and increase awareness and build understanding of the public about gender equality and women’s human rights and their centrality for development and peace in Ukraine. The strategy will also inform and contribute to strengthening the accountability for gender equality and women’s rights commitments in reforms, planning and budgeting and spending by targeting state officials.

More specifically, the consultant will achieve the following tasks:

Task 1:  Develop a National Communications Strategy on Gender Equality and 2018-2020 Action Plan based on international best practices in development and implementation of national communications strategies on gender equality, and available analyses of the policy and legislative framework of national and international commitments of Ukraine and data and research on gender equality and women’s empowerment in Ukraine. In order to ensure that this task is accomplished in line with the local communications practices and the government standards followed within the UN:

•               Make an assessment of the communications needs of the Government of Ukraine on gender equality (desk review); 

•               Identify the good practices in Communications 4 Development and ensure that these practices and strategies are integrated into the National Communications and Advocacy Strategy on Gender Equality;

•               Elaborate a draft of a National Communications and Advocacy Strategy on Gender Equality and 2018-2020 Action Plan for implementation of the Strategy;

•               Integrate in suggested changes and feedback from the members of the Working Group.

Task 2:  Provide communications training for the responsible teams of the Office of the Vice Prime Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration on implementation of the communications strategy and Government Public Affairs officers on gender equality, and advancing implementation of the 2018-2020 action plan.

Task 3: Provide advice on the elaboration of knowledge products and visibility materials on gender equality of the Office of the Vice Prime Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration to be developed in compliance with the national communications strategy on gender equality.

The assignment will include at least one mission to Ukraine to provide the training.

Key Deliverables and Timeframe

The selected consultant shall be responsible for delivering the following outputs, comprising the main milestones:

Deliverables/milestone and tentative timeframe for completion of task:

•               Draft Communications Strategy with 2018-2020 Action Plan developed - by 19 February (15 working days);

•               Final draft strategy and action plan with integrated changes from the Working Group;

•               Training for the communications team of VPM Office and Government Public Affairs officers on implementation of communications strategy and action plan - by 2 March (2 working days);

•               Final Report on activities conducted under the assignment including recommendations for the development of knowledge products and the submission of the final Strategy and Plan - by 7 March (3 days).

Total - up to 25 days.

All the deliverables should be agreed with and approved by UN Women Programme Specialist and Communications and Advocacy Specialist and the final draft strategy and action plan should be endorsed by the Vice Prime Minister on Eu and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine. The timeframe for the work of the International Communication Consultant is tentatively planned from 19 January-9 March 2018, with an estimated total volume of work not to exceed 25 working days, including at least 1 trip to Ukraine, coordinated in advance with the UN Women country office management, upon contracting. 

Note: The mentioned number of working days has been estimated as being sufficient/feasible for the envisaged volume of work to be completed successfully and is proposed as a guideline for the duration of assignment. It cannot and shall not be used as criteria for completion of work/assignment. The provision of envisaged deliverables approved by the Programme Specialist will be the only criteria for the international consultant’s work being completed and eligible for payment/s.

Management arrangements

Organizational Setting: The Contractor will work under the overall direction of the Office of the Vice Prime Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, and direct supervision of the UN Women Programme Specialist and will participate in all working meetings appointed by the government and UN Women.

Contributions: UN Women will put at the contractor’s disposal all available materials and necessary information for tasks achievement and will facilitate the meetings, as needed.

Travel

All envisaged travel costs must be included in the financial proposal. In general, UN Women should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the contractor wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.

In the case of unforeseeable travel, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between the respective business unit and contractor, prior to travel and will be reimbursed.

Performance evaluation

Contractor’s performance will be evaluated against such criteria as: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, accuracy, and quality of the products delivered.

Financial arrangements

• Payments will be disbursed in one installment upon submission and approval of deliverables  as detailed in the above table and certification by UN Women Programme Specialist that the services have been satisfactorily performed.

Competencies

Core Values

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies

• Excellent co-ordinational and managerial skills;

• Effective Communication;

• Inclusive Collaboration;

• Stakeholder Engagement;

• Creative Problem Solving;

• Accountability;

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree in communications, media, journalism, social sciences, gender studies, public affairs, political science, international relations or relevant field.

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years of work experience relevant to the assignment, including at the international level;

• Previous experience of drafting communication and advocacy strategies on gender equality and women’s rights, such as for the government, international organizations, civil society, private sector etc;

• Advanced understanding of gender equality and women’s human rights is a must;

• Familiarity with the UN Communications rules and procedures is a must. Experience working for UN Women is an asset;

Language skills:

• Fluency in verbal and written English required. Knowledge of Ukrainian and/or Russian would be a strong asset.

Evaluation of Applicants:

Applications will be evaluated based on the cumulative analysis taking into consideration the combination of their qualifications and financial proposal. A two-stage procedure is utilized in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. The award of the contract should be made to the individuals whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Responsive/compliant/acceptable;
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

Technical criteria and interview, 70% of total evaluation – max 70 points for technical criteria.

The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria.

Technical Evaluation Criteria and maximum obtainable points:

Criterion A – Relevant education (10 points);

Criterion B – Language skills (10 points);

Criterion C – Relevant Experience (max 50 points):

• Minimum 7 years of work experience relevant to the assignment, including at the international level (15 points);

• Previous experience of drafting communication and advocacy strategies on gender equality and women’s rights, such as for the government, international organizations, civil society, private sector etc (20 points);

• Advanced understanding of gender equality and women’s human rights is a must (10 points);

• Familiarity with the UN Communications rules and procedures, experience in developing communications strategies for the UN is a must. Experience working for UN Women is an asset (5 points).

Total Obtainable Score – 70 points

Financial/Price Proposal evaluation:

• Candidates who fail to submit a price proposal will not be considered;

• Only the financial proposal of candidates who have attained a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation will be further considered and evaluated;

• The total number of points allocated for the financial/price component is 30; and

• The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

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).

Winning Candidate

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

Application and submission package:

The candidate’s application should include:

Letter of Intent with justification of being the most suitable for the work, vision and working approach, specifically indicating:

• Reflection of communication skills and experience;

• Skills in using web platforms, specifically social platforms;

• Samples of previous articles, visibility materials developed, and other similar and/or related products.

Completed and signed UN Women Personal History (P-11) form, that can be downloaded from: http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment.

Proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount with a breakdown of a daily professional rate per number of anticipated working days to include all costs (telephone etc.).

Interested candidates are requested to apply no later than 24:00 (EEST) 14 January 2018 by submitting 2 attachments:

technical (P-11 and a Letter of Interest) as well as financial proposals to the following e-mail address: procurement.ukraine@unwomen.org with a subject “International Communications Consultant to facilitate development of the Ukraine National Advocacy and Communication Strategy on Gender Equality.”

Applications without financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

UN Women applies fair and transparent selection process that would take into account the competencies/skills of the applicants as well as their financial proposals.

The format shown on the following tables is suggested for use as a guide in preparing the Financial Proposal

Cost Breakdown per Deliverables*(Lump Sum, All Inclusive)

Deliverables - # of days and Percentage of Total Price (Weight for payment) -   Price, US$

1   

2   

3   

4   

 Total max. # of working days (100%)     US$ ……

*Basis for payment tranches