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National Consultant to support the parliamentary sub-committee on “Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence against Women”

Tirana

  • Organization: UNWOMEN - United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
  • Location: Tirana
  • Grade: Consultancy - Consultant - Contractors Agreement
  • Occupational Groups:
    • Democratic Governance
    • Women's Empowerment and Gender Mainstreaming
    • Public Policy and Administration
    • Gender-based violence
    • Drugs, Anti-Money Laundering, Terrorism and Human Trafficking
  • Closing Date: Closed

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. Placing women's rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Albanian has made important steps in the area of gender equality and end of violence against women. The country is party to key human rights treaties, including the including the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention).  In terms of the national legislation, the first Law on Domestic Violence was approved in 2006 and has been later amended to better align it with the relevant international standards. In 2011, a coordination mechanism for the treatment of domestic violence cases was introduced. In 2008, the Law on Gender Equality came into effect and included the establishment of the national gender machinery. Amendments to the Criminal Code in 2012 and 2013 were initial steps to criminalising some forms of violence against women within the scope of the Istanbul Convention. Recent amendments to the Code on Criminal Procedures, in the context of broader justice reform, improve the status of victims in criminal proceedings and include a specific provision for victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking.* (1)

* (1) Law No.35/2017 “On amendments the law No.7905/21/03.1995 on the Code on Criminal Procedures”.

At the policy level, from 2011 to 2015, the Government of Albania implemented the “National Strategy on Gender Equality and Reduction of Gender based Violence 2011-2015”. In 2016, a new National Strategy and Action Plan on Gender Equality 2016-2020” (NSGE 2016-2020) was adopted. The four strategic goals of the NSGE 2016-2020 are: (i) economic empowerment of women and men; (ii) effective and equal participation of women in public and political decision-making processes; (iii) reduction of gender-based and domestic violence; and (iv) strengthening of the coordinating and monitoring role of the National Mechanism on Gender Equality.

In Albania, UN Women provides technical assistance to national partners (governmental and non-governmental institutions) on the implementation of existing international and national commitments to women’s rights and gender equality, including CEDAW and Istanbul Convention. Currently, a UN Joint Programme “Ending Violence against Women” funded by Government of Sweden is being implemented by UNDP, UN Women and UNFPA in partnership with Albanian Government. The Joint Programme is in line with Output 2.5 of the UN’s Programme of Cooperation for Sustainable Development (PoCSD) with the Government of Albania (GoA) and aims at: strengthening the normative and accountability framework related to GB-VAW; improving institutional practices, services and coordination for survivors of GB-VAW; and challenging norms pertaining to GB-VAW at the state, community and individual levels. These results aim at bringing institutional and behavioural change in preventing and responding to GB-VAW, thereby contributing to freeing women and girls from all forms of GB-VAW and from the threat of such violence.

In this context, the Albanian Parliament is one of the key partners of UN Women towards our common efforts to ensure women empowerment and elimination of gender-based discrimination. In addition to its legislative mandate, the Parliament has increased its oversight role on gender equality and end of violence against women. On December 4th, 2017, the Parliament passed the resolution "On Condemnation of Violence Against Women and Girls and increase of Effectiveness of Prevention Legal Mechanisms”, which calls on the central and local government as well as the judiciary to undertake a number of urgent measures to address violence against women. Through this resoluation, the Parliament established the parliamentary sub-committee on “Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence against Women” (under the Parliamentary Commission on Labour, Social Affairs and Health). The sub-committee has become a very active body in promoting and monitoring the implementation of international and national commitments on gender equality, including the resolution on ending violence against women.

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical support to the the parliamentary sub-committee on “Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence against Women” (herein after referred to as sub-committee) to perform its duties related to the promotion of gender equality, women’s empowerment and oversight of the implementation of the resolution On Condemnation of Violence Against Women and Girls and increase of Effectiveness of Prevention Legal Mechanisms” (the resolution).

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women Albania Head of Programme Unit and Project Manager for UN Joint Programme on EVAW and in close collaboration with the Chair, members and secretary of the sub-committee, the consultant will be responsible for:  

  • Supporting the sub-committee to identify its main priorities in the area of gender equality and ending violence against women and develop Action Plan/Work Plan, in accordance the international and national commitments on gender equality and the Albanian’s parliament resolution on ending violence against women and the resolution on SDGs;
  • Providing technical support to the chair and  members of the sub-committee on the implementation of the resolution and annual workplans, including periodic communication with central and local government;
  • Planning and coordinating the visits and participation of members of the sub-committee in meetings and events related to gender equality and gender-based violence;
  • Supporting the sub-committee to increase its visibility and strengthen its relations with other parliamentary committees, civil society, international organizations and other partners working in the area of gender equality at the national and regional level, women’s empowerment and of ending violence against women;
  • Supporting the sub-committee to organize activities, hearing sessions, meetings in order to implement its tasks according to the resolution (s).
  • Supporting and facilitating the relationships and cooperation of the subcommittee with partners at the regional level;
  • Identifying the needs for capacity development of members of the sub-committee in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment and coordinate with UN Women and other organizations to provide the necessary support.

Deliverables:

  • Monthly workplans for the consultancy agreed and discussed with the  chair of the sub-committee and cleared by UN Women;
  • Documents drafted to support the activity of the sub-committee, in accordance with the sub-committee’s workplan, including draft letters, reports, communication with various stakeholders, minutes of meetings, visibility documents;
  • Draft Work Plan/Action Plan of the sub-committee developed in consultations with its members;

Note:

  • Technical inputs and other on-demand reports on specific initiatives when requested by the sub-committee will be reviewed and agreed with UN Women for quality assurance;
  • Quality of relationships with partners is central to success and will be assessed by the chair of the sub-committee and UN Women throught the duration of the contract.
  • UN Women and the chair of the sub-committee on “Gender Equality and Prevention of Violence against Women” will provide the Consultant with background materials related to the assignment
  • The consultant is expected to work using her/his own computer.

Duration of the Work

The consultant will be contracted for a maximum of 50 days over a period of 12 months starting from the signature of the contract, with the possibility of extension.

Competencies

Core Values:

  • Respect for Diversity
  • Integrity
  • Professionalism

Core Competencies:

  • 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: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

  • Proven research, analytical and drafting skills,
  • Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with various public and non-public stakeholders including in the areas of gender equality and violence against women;
  • Excellent writing skills in English and Albanian;
  • Strong interpersonal skills;
  • Strong initiative-taker;
  • Focuses on impact and results for the partner;
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.

Required Skills and Experience

Required Skills and Experience:

Qualifications/Education

Advanced degree in human rights, social sciences, development studies, gender studies or similar discipline;

Work Experience

  • At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in the areas of gender equality and development, women’s empowerment, gender-based violence, human rights;
  • Specific knowledge and experience related to the international (CEDAW, Istanbul Convention) and national legal framework and policies related to women’s rights and gender-based violence;
  • Experience in coaching, mentoring and coordinating with the central and local government, parliament and international organizations.
  • Previous experience with UN and/or other international organizations would be an advantage.

Language requirement

  • Proficiency in written and spoken English and Albanian, including gender and policy terminology;

Schedule of Payments:

Payment will be made as per the payment schedule in the contract upon (i) satisfactory completion of tasks; (ii) provision of deliverables specified in the ToRs; (iii) submission of monthly time-sheets and brief results-based progress reports based on the prior agreed work plan about implemented activities and achieved results with attached supporting submitted; and (iv) submission of the respective invoice.

Recommended Presentation of Offer:

Qualified and interested candidates are asked to submit their application no later than 3 September 2019.

The application should contain:

Cover letter explaining the applicant’s interest in applying for the position.

Filled Personal History Form (P11 form) including past experience in similar assignments and contact details of referees (blank form can be downloaded from: http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment/); please upload the P11 instead of your CV

Financial Proposal - Financial proposal specifying the daily fee in Albanian Lek. Please note that the financial proposal is all-inclusive and shall consider various expenses incurred by the consultant/contractor during the contract period (e.g. fee and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services). Other travel costs different from the above will be covered by UN Women separately

Evaluation of applicants:

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications and financial proposal. Contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

Responsive/compliant/acceptable; and

Having received the highest score out of below defined technical and financial criteria.

Applications will be assessed according to the following Technical Criteria:                      

  • Advanced degree in human rights, social sciences, development studies, gender studies or similar discipline (10 points)
  • At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in the areas of gender equality and development, women’s empowerment, gender-based violence, human rights; (25 points)
  • Specific knowledge and experience related to the international (CEDAW, Istanbul Convention) and national legal framework and policies related to women’s rights and gender-based violence; (20 points)
  • Experience in coaching, mentoring and coordinating with the central and local government, parliament and international organizations;(10 points)
  • Previous experience with UN and/or other international organizations would be an advantage. (5 points)

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.

The maximum number of points assigned to the financial proposal is allocated to the lowest price proposal. All other price proposals receive points in inverse proportion. The calculation formula applied is as follow:

p = 30 (µ/z); where: p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated; µ = price of the lowest priced proposal; z = price of the proposal being evaluated.

How to Submit the Application: To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

  • Download and complete the UN Women Personal History Form (P11)- http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
  • Merge your UN Women Personal History Form (P11), the Financial Proposal, and Cover Letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded;
  • Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement);
  • Click 'Apply Now' button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click 'Submit Application;'
  • Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above);
  • You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Notes:

  • UN Women retains the right to contact references directly. Due to the large numbers of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.
  • The consultancy post is open to local (Albanian) individuals or foreign individuals with valid temporary or permanent residence in Albania.
  • Applications without the financial offer will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
  • The individual consultants should take the mandatory learning security course prior to commencement of assignment– details will follow before the issuance of contract.
UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
This vacancy is now closed.
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