National Consultant –Technical support to support implementation of programming on Connect with Respect (CWR) and gender-responsive positive parenting in three municipalities

Background

To address the global challenges of VAWG, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations have partnered on a new multi-year programme, the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative. The Spotlight Initiative aims to support transformative change on the ground to end violence against women and girls. The overall vision of the Spotlight Initiative in Timor-Leste is that women and girls enjoy their right to a life free of violence, within an inclusive and gender equitable Timor-Leste. The programme is aligned to the Timor-Leste “National Action Plan on Gender-based violence (2017-2021) and National SDG Roadmap, particularly on SDGs 5 and 16. It will contribute to the National Strategic Development Plan and reinforce Timor-Leste’s Development Plan and reinforce Timor-Leste’s implementation of commitments under the Beijing Platform for Action, the Concluding Observations of the CEDAW Committee, the Convention on the Rights of the Child, among other international obligations.

 

The program was globally launched in 2017 and began implementation in Timor-Leste in 2020. There are five UN agencies participating in the Timor-Leste Spotlight Initiative. There are the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Labour Organization (ILO). The Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO) provides overall strategic oversight and coordination for the Spotlight Initiative within the UN, with UN Women acting as the Technical Lead.

 

Despite progress which has been made, violence against women and girls, and particularly intimate partner violence, remains widespread, with 38% to 59% of women in Timor-Leste between the ages of 15 to 19 experience violence in their lifetime.1 As stated at Timor-Leste’s State Progress Report on CEDAW in 2019 and the report for the Beijing Platform of Action +25, there is a need for a comprehensive approach to ending violence against women and girls (VAWG).

 

The Spotlight Initiative will contribute to the elimination of domestic violence, including intimate partner violence (DV/IPV), by responding to the needs of women and girls and addressing the underlying causes of violence against women and girls, using a multi-sectoral and intersectional approach across the ecological model. This will involve strengthening and widening partnerships and solidarity across civil society, government, media, private sector and development partners. Based on the approved design of the Spotlight Initiative in Timor-Leste, programming will be focused in Ermera, Bobonaro and Viqueque Municipalities.

 

It is important to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) principle of national ownership and the commitment to leave no one behind. These are both key goals of the Spotlight Initiative. Civil society networks and organizations have been accorded a unique role in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Spotlight Initiative at country level and as such, are important partners in supporting the implementation of key strategies to prevent and respond to VAWG.

 

Spotlight’s approach to primary prevention uses the ecological model, understanding that work at multiple levels is needed to prevent violence against women and girls. This model understands that gender equality is the root cause of VAWG, and various factors increase the risk of violence and other factors serve as protective factors at the individual/relationship and at the community level. Disability, gender inequitable attitudes, childhood exposure to violence and men’s use of transactional sex, are some of the risks for victimization.

 

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of the most prevalent violation of human rights worldwide. In Timor-Leste, at least one in three women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence during her lifetime. Justification of violence remains high, with 74 percent of women and 53 per cent of men aged 15-49 agreeing with at least one justification for wife beating.[1] A 2013 Baseline study on masculinities in Timor-Leste found that “in general, the acceptance of or tolerance for GBV increases with age”.[2] These numbers highlight the critical need to initiate prevention efforts when children are still forming their perceptions about gender norms.

 

Timor-Leste’s National Action Plan on Gender Based Violence (NAP GBV) recognizes the role of the education sector in prevention violence against women and girls. Comprehensive school-based interventions and parenting programmes are recognized as a promising area of investment for preventing violence against women and girls.[3]. The sector can play a role in laying down the foundations for gender equality, non-violence and healthy relationships. VAWG in and around schools undermines the achievement of high quality, equitable education for all children. Safe and inclusive schools which teach students to be respectful of each other are key to changing not only the education system, but society as well.

 

The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) has taken steps to include messages and activities to mainstream gender equality and respectful relations as part of its Basic Education curriculum reform from 2013-2015, with materials and inputs provided by various partners, including UN Women. Since 2018, with the generous support of the Governments of the Australia and the Republic of Korea, UN Women has partnered with the MoEYS to pilot extra-curricular sessions for pre-secondary and secondary students based on the Connect with Respect[4] curriculum developed through a collaboration with various partners under the UN Girls Education Initiative. The sessions contribute a component of a whole-school approach which aims to engage teachers, parents and students in understanding the consequences of violence against women and girls and works with schools to promote respectful relationships and gender equality and raise visibility of the issue in schools and communities.

 

The whole-school approach involves multi-level interventions targeting teachers and other school staff, students, parents and the local community, creation of reporting mechanisms and national advocacy in line with existing policy commitments. This includes attention to raising understanding of intersectional issues such as disability, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Connect with Respect is designed for students between 11 and 14 years of age and provides age-appropriate learning activities across a range of subjects, including literacy development programme, social studies, pastoral care, life-skills, civics, health, sexuality education and values education programmes.

 

In Timor-Leste, UN Women has worked in partnership with the Timor-Leste Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport and three schools in Dili and Liquica to roll-out the Connect with Respect Toolkit for extra-curricular educational programming, complementing the existing curriculum. In 2020, UN Women has been supporting development of new a positive parenting curriculum.

 

These activities complement UN Women’s ongoing work to support the women’s machinery (Secretary of State for Equality and Inclusion- SEII) in its role leading the prevention pillar and leading the monitoring and coordination of the NAP GBV 2017-2021 and in support of UN Women’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS). It also reinforces prevention activities by sister UN agencies and other development partners collaborating with the MoEYS through implementation of whole-school approaches to prevent VAWG

 

[1]  General Directorate of Statistics (2016). Demographic and Health Survey: Dili. Available at: https://timor-leste.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Timor_Leste_2016_Final_Report.pdf

[2] Wigglesworth, Ann, Niner, Sara, Arunachalam, Dharmalingam, dos Santos, Abel Boavida and Tilman, Mateus (2015). Attitudes and Perceptions of Young Men towards Gender Equality and Violence in Timor-Leste. Journal of International Women's Studies, 16(2), 312-329. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol16/iss2/20

[3] See https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article=1799&context=jiws

[4] https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2016/04/connect-with-respect

Duties and Responsibilities

The main objective of this consultancy is to support UN Women’s partners, as part of its collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, to implement Connect with Respect and complementary gender-responsive positive parenting programming in three municipalities as part of a whole-school approach to eliminate violence against women and children.

 

This consultancy will contribute to:

 

Spotlight Initiative Outcome 3.1: National and/or sub-national evidence-based programmes are developed to promote gender-equitable norms, attitudes and behaviours, including on Comprehensive Sexuality Education in line with international standards, for in and out of school settings.

 

And more specifically implement:

 

Spotlight Initiative Activity 3.1.4: Strengthen and expand whole-school approaches (Connect with Respect in 3 municipalities) with MoE / NGO partners. Expansion of whole-school approaches through engaging teachers, school administrators and staff, parents, students and community members (school personnel capacity building; ToT for facilitators with teacher training institute- INFODEPE; student selection and roll-out). This will utilize existing teacher and facilitator networks established by UNICEF in the target municipalities

 

 

Scope of work/Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Head of Office in Timor-Leste, supervised by UN Women’s Spotlight Initiative Programme Specialist, and collaborating with the Spotlight Initiative team (including other UN agencies), the National Consultant will provide support and technical assistance to key partners (particularly CSO implementing programming and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport). This will specifically include the following tasks:

1. Support implementation of Connect with Respect and gender-responsive parenting sessions in three municipalities through civil society partner and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport

• Support planning, implementation, monitoring and documentation of CWR and parenting sessions. Identify challenges or bottlenecks and work together with CSO partner, MoEYS and UN Women to identify solutions
• Monitor activities in 15 schools in each municipality (total of 45 schools)
• Maintain ongoing contact with trainers and authorities in each school
• Provide accompaniment to CSO partner to identify areas for mentoring of trainers and school authorities on whole-school approaches and how to undertake this mentoring
• Ensure that CSO and related monitoring and evaluation processes are completed and reported to UN Women in a timely manner
• Support CSO partner to develop documentation and submit programmatic documentation to UN Women as per agreed timeframes and formats
• Ensure that Do No Harm approaches are integrated into all activities and that facilitators have information about how to recognise situations of violence and refer these to appropriate service providers. This will include facilitation of sessions on Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Sexual Harassment and Referral Pathways with MoYES and school administrations.

 

 

1. Provide coordination and administrative support to Connect With Respect Reference Group at national level. This will be established by the CSO implementing this activity. The purpose of the group is to provide guidance on planning and implementation, review progress and reporting.

• Support development of a Terms of Reference for the CWR Reference Group and process of recruitment for members aligned to key principles of Spotlight
• Ensure timely and professional preparations for meetings of the Reference Group and lead on presentations and documentation for meetings
• Enable training for the Reference Group on monitoring and evaluation, data collection, data analysis and reporting will be conducted by Melbourne University, which has been contracted for technical support in these areas. This training will include:

• Three-day training to UN Women programme staff and CWR Reference Group on monitoring and evaluation, data collection, data analysis and reporting
• One day mentoring and periodic coaching to CWR Reference Group and support to develop an action plan to roll-out CWR in their schools and communities.
• One day reflection with CWR Reference Group members and development of first year report detailing pre- and post-test assessment results, recommendations, lessons learned and good practices for future. 

 

1. Provide guidance for CSO partner and MoYES to conduct timely implementation, monitoring and evaluation

• Support CSO partner to develop detailed workplan and to regularly monitor workplan to meet agreed timelines
• Act as liaison between UN Women and CSO partner and MoEYS to identify any challenges in implementation of workplan and identify solutions
• Ensure that monitoring and evaluation is carried out based on agreed tools, particularly by supporting CSO partner and MoEYS to ulitize tools
• Consolidate and review documentation provided through monitoring and evaluation processes
• Contribute to UN Women’s reporting for the Spotlight Initiative
• Be available as a back-up trainer for CWR or parenting sessions, as needed
• Ensure that logistical and technology-related preparations are made for remote trainings
• Ensure that documentation for translation is identified clearly and in a timely way and act as liaison with UN Women for planning of translation services

 

1. Document lessons learned and best practices

• Support to CSO partner and MoEYS to identify examples and how to document lessons learned and good practices
• Identify opportunities to share learnings (for example presentations, workshops, calls for papers) and support people involved with CWR and parenting programming to present
• Identify methods to provide feedback to communities involved in CWR and parenting programming
• Act as contact point and liaison for information generated by UN Women and the Spotlight Initiative globally
• Support identification and implementation of sustainability and exit strategy, including through allocation of resources to continue the programming via MoYES and coordination with other relevant EVAWG programmes.

 

 This consultant will also collaborate with:

• non-government organization rolling out CWR and complementary parenting programming
• a consultant developing and piloting a positive parenting curriculum (remote)
• a team from Melbourne University which is developing training materials, providing training and support on monitoring, evaluation and documentation of CWR (remote)

 

Duration of the assignment

The total duration of the assignment will from 9 November 2020 – 8 November 2021.

 

Indicative timelines for this Activity are:

 

Phase I	November – December 2020	Set up and confirmation of: schools (student and parent participants); trainers; and Reference Group
Phase II	January – February 2021	Training of facilitators and Reference Group meetings
Phase III	March – September 2021	Implementation of programming in Ermera and Bobonaro
Phase IV	June – December 2021	Implementation of programming in Viqueque Follow up on programming in Ermera and Bobonaro

 

 

 

 

Key Deliverables

 

Deliverables	Activities	Indicative timeline
1. Initial Workplan	1.1) Initial consultancy activity plan agreed with UN Women, including identification of project planning tools 1.2) Review of relevant documents and consolidation of documents in a cloud-based application which can be accessed by all actors involved in this activity	13 Nov, 2020
2. Final Workplan	2.1) Workplan agreed with CSO partner and consultant 2.2) Consultation with other Spotlight agencies regarding programming at municipal level	15 December, 2020
3. Support to training on Connect with Respect and parenting curriculum with Master Trainers - Agenda and logistics plan	3.1) Plans for communications technology and logistical requirements 3.2) Liaison with trainers to confirm plans 3.3) Liaison with translators to confirm plans 3.4) Liaison with CSO and MoEYS to confirm participants 3.5) Full participation in training sessions, so consultant can act as backup trainer as needed	20 January, 2021
4. Provide inputs to Spotlight Initiative -Report approximately 5 pages, according to guidance on format	4.1) Gather content from partners and UN Women staff 4.2) Provide content for Activity 3.1.4, according to Spotlight Initiative Timor-Leste guidance	31 January, 2021
5. Plans and documentation for Connect with Respect Reference Group – TOR, selection criteria, minutes of meeting	5.1) Support CSO partner to develop TOR and selection criteria and get agreement from MoEYS 5.2) Ensure final documentation of members chosen for Reference Group 5.3) Support convening of first meeting	15 February, 2021
6. Report on the technical support provided to roll-out Connect with Respect and gender-responsive positive parenting programming in Phase I and lessons learned - Report of 15 pages plus Annexes and presentations to Spotlight team and Connect with Respect Working Group	6.1) Support implementation of Connect with Respect in Phase I municipalities through civil society partner and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport 6.2) Support implementation of gender-responsive parenting sessions in initial municipalities through civil society partner 6.3.) Identification of opportunities to share learnings and best practices 6.4) Ensure appropriate representation of the donor in all activities and printed materials	1 May, 2021
7. Plans for roll-out in Phase II - Workplan	7.1) Documentation of agreed workplan with CSO and MoEYS and UN Women 7.2) Coordination with other Spotlight Initiative activities in the municipality 7.3) Ensure appropriate representation of the donor in all activities and printed materials	15 May, 2021
8. Support to CSO partner and MoEYS to document learnings and best practices - presentation in Tetum and English	8.1) Consult with CSO partner and MoEYS to document learnings and best practices (the methodology for this will be agreed with UN Women) 8.2) Documentation of learnings and best practices 8.3) Development of a 15 minute presentation (Powerpoint) in both English and Tetum with Spotlight formatting	15 May, 2021
9. Report on the technical support provided to roll-out Connect with Respect and gender-responsive positive parenting programming in Phase II and lessons learned - Report of 15 pages plus Annexes plus presentations to Spotlight team and Connect with Respect Working Group	9.1) Support implementation of Connect with Respect in Phase II municipalities through civil society partner and Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport 9.2) Support implementation of gender-responsive parenting sessions in initial municipalities through civil society partner 9.3) Support Follow-Up on Phase I municipalities	1 November, 2021

 

All the documents, including reports, questionnaires, presentations, and reports should be submitted in the English language, or if in Tetum, include an English summary.

 

Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the instalment all submitted reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women.

Inputs:

 

• The consultant is expected to use their own computer.
• UN Women will provide the consultant reference materials printing facilities, and internet access as needed, will facilitate coordination with key stakeholders.
• UN Women will facilitate in coordination the CSO partner logistics and transportation support when travelling out of Dili to municipalities if required in support of the assignment.
• UN Women will provide Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) to cover expenses outside of the Duty Station when applicable, as per UN Women rules and regulations.

All arrangements will need to be adapted to current conditions, guidelines and requirements related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Competencies

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• 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:

https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

 

Functional Competencies:

• Strong commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women, with demonstrated experience of researching or working on gender issues;
• Strong research and writing skills, with strong analytical skills and creative thinking;
• Ability to think and work logically and work precisely with attention to detail;
• Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Previous experience (also volunteer experience) from the non-profit sector is an advantage.
• Ability to multi-task and address competing priorities
• Ability to produce quality deliverables in a timely manner
• Strong computer skills, including Word, Excel, and Power Point

 

Required Skills and Experience

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

Required skills and experience

Education:

Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Education, Social Work, Communications, Psychology, Gender and Development or other relevant fields.

 

Experience

• At least Master’s degree with three years experience or Bachelor’s degree with five years of experience of work on gender equality, women’s rights and prevention of violence against women and girls.
• Experience in adult learning methodologies, training design and implementation
• Knowledge of best practice in social change-oriented activities, particularly focussed on violence against women and girls
• Commitment to transformative change for gender equality
• Management of projects, including monitoring and evaluation

 

Language and other skills:

• Proficiency in oral and written English and Tetum languages
• Computer literacy and ability to effectively use technology for remote meetings
• Familiarity with MoEYS personnel and structures would be an advantange.

 

 

 

Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit electronic application to UNDP Job site, not later than COB October 23, 2020

 

Submission package

• CV and copy of the latest academic certificate. 
• Letter of Interest containing the statement on candidate’s experience in the field of recruitment.
• Sample of written work relevant to the assignment.
• The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount per each deliverable, including travel and administrative fees, based on the template in Annex 1. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation. The actual payment will be payable based on the stated lump sum for each satisfactorily achieved deliverable.

 

All applications must include the CV and the financial proposal. Both CVs and financial proposal need to be uploaded as one fine/ attachment. Applications without a financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Selected candidates will need to submit prior to commencement of work:

1. UN Women P-11 form, available from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
2. A statement from a medical doctor of ‘good health and fit for travel

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis.

• Technical Qualification (100 points) weight; [70%]
• Financial Proposal (100 points) weight; [30%]

A three-stage procedure is utilized in evaluating the proposals. Candidates who are fulfilling all the required skills and expertise will go to the technical evaluation process. The evaluation of the technical proposal is being completed prior to any price proposal being compared.  Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the technical qualification evaluation will be evaluated.

 

Technical qualification evaluation criteria:

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

           

Technical Evaluation Criteria	Obtainable Score
Education	10%
Experience and skills	70 %
Language and other skills	20 %
Total Obtainable Score	100 %

 

Only the candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically-qualified candidates.

 

Financial/Price Proposal evaluation:

 

• Only the financial proposal of candidates who have all the required skills and expertise and have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation will be considered and evaluated.
• The total number of points allocated for the price component is 100.
• 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 70% score in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

 

 

 

Annex I: Financial Proposal  

 BREAKDOWN OF COSTS SUPPORTING THE ALL-INCLUSIVE FINANCIAL PROPOSAL 

 

Breakdown of Cost by Components: 

 

Deliverables	Percentage of Total Price (Weight for payment)	Fixed price	Due date Indicative
1. Initial Workplan			13 November, 2020
2. Final Workplan			15 December, 2020
3. Report on the Support provided to training on Connect with Respect and parenting curriculum with Master Trainers including Agenda and logistics plan			20 January, 2021
4. Provide inputs to Spotlight Initiative -Report approximately 5 pages, according to guidance on format			31 January, 2021
5. Plans and documentation for Connect with Respect Reference Group – TOR, selection criteria, minutes of meeting			15 February, 2021
6. Report on the technical support provided to roll-out Connect with Respect and gender-responsive positive parenting programming in Phase I and lessons learned - Report of 15 pages plus Annexes and presentations to Spotlight team and Connect with Respect Working Group			1 May, 2021
7. Plans for roll-out in Phase II – Workplan and support to CSO partner and MoEYS to document learnings and best practices – presentation in Tetum and English.			15 May, 2021
8. Report on the technical support provided to roll-out Connect with Respect and gender-responsive positive parenting programming in Phase II and lessons learned - Report of 15 pages plus Annexes plus presentations to Spotlight team and Connect with Respect Working Group			1 November, 2021

 

 

The lump sum costs should include professional fees, travel and administration costs and expenses related to the consultancy. All prices/rates quoted must be exclusive of all taxes. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.