National Consultant to provide technical assistance and advice to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to implement its commitments in the area of End of Violence against Women

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. 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.

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 behavioral 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.

The Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MHSP) is one of the key partners of UN Women towards our common efforts to ensure women empowerment, elimination of gender-based discrimination and all forms of violence against women. The Ministry is the main institution in charge of advancing gender equality in Albania, as well as coordinating and following the implementation of the NSGE 2016-2020, the legislation on the fight against gender-based violence and other international and national commitments in this area.

The purpose of this consultancy is to provide technical support to the MHSP to perform its duties related to the national and international commitments on the elimination of gender-based violence and achievement of gender equality. The consultant will be primary based at the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women’s Head of Programme Unit and the Project Manager for UN Joint Programme on EVAW and in close collaboration with representatives of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, the consultant is excepted to contribute in the following areas:

• Implementation of the current legislation on gender-based violence and the NSGE 2016-2020, as well as development of a new national strategy on gender equality: 

• Provide technical assistance to, and advise, the MHSP on the overall implementation of the Albanian legislation and national policies related to gender-based violence and the Objective 3 of the National Strategy on Gender Equality and Action Plan (NSGE 2016-2020);
• Support the MHSP to conduct the annual and final monitoring of the implementation of the NSGE 2016-2020, prepare monitoring reports, as well as identify gaps, lessons learned and draw recommendations to be taken into consideration during the drafting process of the new strategy on gender equality;
• Conduct a mapping of the main programmes and projects being implemented at the central and local levels in the area of gender-based violence, during the past three years (funded and implemented by the Government, international organizations, donors or CSOs), identifying the areas (e.g. prevention, protection, prosecution and integrated policies) when the majority of these intervention focus and those where more efforts and support is needed.
• Based on the monitoring process of the current NSGE and the mapping exercise, the consultant will support the MHSP to determine the new priorities in the area of gender-based violence and domestic violence and develop the relevant priorities in the new national strategy on gender equality for the following five-year term;

• Implementation of international commitments on gender equality and end of violence against women:
  • Assist the MHSP to monitor the Action Plan on the implementation of urgent recommendations of GREVIO (group of independent experts in charge of monitoring the Istanbul Convention) addressed to Albania in 2017 and develop an detailed Action Plan for the implementation of all GREVIO’s recommendations with clear responsibilities for all relevant institutions at the central and local levels;
  • Support the MHSP to collect and analyse data to be used for the preparation of the fifth national report to the Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), which is due in July 2020;

• Organization of awareness raising activities and improvement of services for survivors of gender-based violence;
  • Provide suggestions on awareness raising activities against gender-based violence to be organized throughout the year and during the 16 Days of Activism, including in rural areas;
  • Support the MHSP to develop and implement initiatives that challenge harmful gender stereotypes, particularly with the involvement of men and boys;
  • Support the MHSP to develop, coordinate with other partners and implement rehabilitation programmes for perpetrators;
  • Support the MHSP to address the issue of violence against women from disadvantaged groups such as Roma and Egyptian women; lesbian, bisexual and transgender women; women with disabilities through coordinating activities of the NSGE 2016-2020 with those of respective  strategies, including the actions plans on the integration of Roma and Egyptian communities, the protection of the LGBTI community and the rights of persons with disabilities;
  • Support the fundraising efforts of the MHSP to complement public funds for the organization of various activities and coordinate among various donors, international organizations and civil society organizations;
• The consultant will be responsible also for other tasks that may be decided and agreed by the MHSP and UN Women, Albania.

Deliverables:

• Monthly workplans for the consultancy agreed and discussed with representatives of the MHSP and cleared by UN Women;
• Documents drafted to support the activity of MHSP, in accordance with the duties and responsibilities under these terms of reference, including draft monitoring reports, concept notes, communication with various stakeholders, minutes of meetings, visibility documents;

Note:

• Technical inputs and other on-demand reports on specific initiatives when requested by the MHSP 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 MHSP and UN Women through the duration of the contract.
• The MHSP and UN 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 96 (ninety-six) 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

Master’s 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 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;

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 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). In case of travel in or outside of the country related to this assignment, the travel costs 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:                      

• Master’s 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 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.