Gender Responsive Budgeting Consultant

Background

Objective of the Consultancy

To contract the services of a Consultant to (i) assess regional and national budgets on VAWG including family violence and (ii) develop and implement a comprehensive advocacy programme to increase and sustain national financing of multi-sectoral programmes  on VAWG and family violence, (iii) supporting specific regional entities to enhance gender responsive budgets, including in citizen security agenda with governmental entities.

Background

The Spotlight Initiative thematic focus in the Caribbean is the reduction in prevalence and incidence of family violence. Family violence includes physical, social, sexual, economic and psychological/emotional abuse and acts of aggression within relationships that are considered as family connections or akin to family. The definition is guided by the domestic violence legislation across the region and the Initiative will take a non-discriminatory approach in advancing a comprehensive approach for all regardless of social status, location, identity or sexual orientation.

The initiative recognizes that family violence is a form of gender-based violence in which women and girls are disproportionately affected The initiative is concerned to address the root causes of this violence, that is, patriarchal, intergenerational, and unequal gender norms and relations between women and men, girls and boys. Family violence negatively affects a range of human rights including women’s and girls’ enjoyment of sexual and reproductive rights.  While the focus of Spotlight is on women and girls, the improved capacities of regional and national institutions to implement laws and policies, collect and analyse data and engage in prevention programming will benefit men and boys some who also experience family violence and all of whom are affected by harmful stereotypes around masculinity.

Every CARICOM country has dedicated domestic violence legislation and laws that advance child protection. Many have drafted national plans and strategies to address gender-based violence, in which ending family or domestic violence is prioritised. While these laws have improved some women’s access to justice, recent prevalence surveys suggest that a significant number of women experience intimate partner violence and that the majority of those do not report to police, or access services to protect and prevent the recurrence of violence. There are very few secondary psycho-educational prevention interventions for men or boys who perpetrate family violence. Policy making and programming development is not sufficiently informed by research and a coordinated approach to administrative data across sectors does not exist in most countries.

Alongside and feeding into system inadequacies, a culture of gender inequality persists and, along with other bases of inequalities, contributes to high levels of gender-based violence against women and girls. This culture and the associated inequalities impede access to survivor-centred, quality, accessible, effective, and non-discriminatory access to services. Gender norms that associate masculinity with power over and control of women are harmful as is the association of discipline of children with corporal punishment. 

However, with the sustained demand by women’s organisations, there is now readily apparent greater resolve to address GBV through systemic approaches. Key inter-governmental and regional institutions have prioritised ending gender-based violence in the period coinciding with the Spotlight Initiative. These include CARICOM and its institutions, OECS Commission, the Caribbean Development Bank. 

Complementing the Spotlight country programmes in six Caribbean countries, the Regional Spotlight Initiative will focus on 4 pillars of programming: i)working to ensure institutions are gender-responsive; ii) establishing comprehensive and evidence based prevention programmes aimed at changing social norms and gender stereotypes; iii)promoting the collection and use of quality, comparable data to inform public policy, advocacy, policy making, and delivery of complimentary services to improve prevention; and iv)supporting autonomous women’s movements to influence, and monitor policy and to ensure accountability.

The regional programme will complement the investments of regional institutions and contribute to the scale, sustainability, visibility, lessons learnt and replication of programming throughout the region. It will address specific regional institutional bottlenecks that impede or limit the reach of technical support to respond to and prevent family violence in CARICOM member countries. In particular, the regional programme will support CARICOM and OECS as the two intergovernmental frameworks leading functional cooperation in the region. The regional programme will add value in a number of ways, including:

• Ensuring that countries without a country level Spotlight programme benefit from the regional public goods developed through the regional programme
• Supporting regional integration and functional cooperation both within and between regional institutions as approaches to ending family violence are mainstreamed into approaches to crime and security, health, justice and data and research
• Build capacities of regional level organisations to provide technical support to national institutions will contribute to sustainability
• Support the demands of civil society for inter-governmental and state action and accountability to end family violence.
• Provide models for Caribbean specific community approaches to support behavioural and cultural change.

 Contract Supervision

Overall supervision by UN Women Representative; Day-to-Day Supervision by Programme and Coordination Specialist, T&T

Duties and Responsibilities

Purpose of the Consultancy

Under the Spotlight Initiative Caribbean Regional Programme, UN Women is seeking a Consultant to support the following under activity 2.3.1. Assess regional and national budgets on VAWG including family violence and develop and implement a comprehensive advocacy programme to increase and sustain national financing of multi-sectoral programmes  on VAWG and family violence, supporting specific regional entities to enhance gender responsive budgets, including in citizen security agenda with governmental entities:

• Complete assessment of countries and regional institutions capacities to apply GRB tools, including the capacity to undertake gender analysis, on VAWG including family violence.
• Complete assessment of country capacity to ensure alignment with national planning and budgeting cycles. Support the development of methodology to assess budget allocations to plans that address VAWG, including family violence.

Scope of Work

• Produce an Inception Report and Workplan, detailing the deliverables, timelines and methodology to be used for the project
• Complete desk review and interviews with country budget and accounting offices and focal points within line Ministries, NGMs, relevant regional institutions and regional CSOs capacities to apply GRB tools on VAWG including family violence.
• Complete a SWOT analysis which will be used to guide discussions on budget allocations
• Develop draft assessment report (no more than 25 pages).
• Facilitate at least 1 consultation on draft assessment report.
• Produce and present institutional assessment report to UN Women and key stakeholders.
• Draft model regional methodology to assess budget allocations to plans that address VAWG, including family violence, and domestic financing and resource mobilization.
• Facilitate at least 2 consultations with stakeholders on draft regional methodology to assess budget allocations to plans that address VAWG, including family violence, and domestic financing and resource mobilization.
  • Consultation 1:  Review the commitment of the regional response to strengthen integration of community, civil society and government efforts as equal partners and stakeholders in addressing financial support for VAWG
  • Consultation 2: Review of the draft methodology
• Produce and present a final version of methodology to assess budget allocations to plans that address VAWG, including family violence to UN Women and key stakeholders.
• Support completion of ‘’How to Video’’ on use of methodology to assess budget allocations to plans that address VAWG, including family violence.

Deliverable and Timelines

• Inception report and workplan - July 2021.
• Desk review and SOWT Analysis - July 2021.
• Develop draft assessment report (no more than 25 pages) - August 2021.
• Draft Assessment Consultation report no more than 15 pages - August 2021.
• Finalised Report and Assessment - September 2021.
• Draft model regional methodology to assess budget allocations to plans that address VAWG, including family violence, and domestic financing and resource mobilization - September 2021 – December 2021.
• Reports from at least 2 consultations with stakeholders on draft regional methodology to assess budget allocations to plans that address VAWG, including family violence - January 2022 – March 2022
• Finalised draft regional methodology to assess budget allocations to plans that address VAWG, including family violence - January 2022 – March 2022.
• How to Video - April 2022
• Final Report - May 2022

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

• Knowledge of the social, cultural and political context of the Caribbean
• Fluency in English and ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
• Ability to interact independently as part of a team.
• Technical knowledge of policies and programmes on gender equality and EVAWG.
• Analytical and report writing skills.

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

Required Skills and Experience

Experience:

• At least 7 years’ experience working on gender equality and human rights, with experience in the area of elimination of violence against women and girls (EVAWG);
• At least 5 years working on gender responsive budgeting;
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible relevant experience in public policy development and implementation;
• At least 5 years’ experience in program budgeting, costing, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting in public sector;
• At least three years’ experience working within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is an asset but not required

Education:

• Have a minimum of a postgraduate qualification in relevant areas: Finance, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Public Administration

Location of activities, expected travels and duration of consultancy:

• The consultant/team is expected to work remotely, utilizing their own office space, computer, internet, telephone and other equipment, as needed, to undertake the assignment.
• The consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 60 working days during the period 5th July 2021 – 30th June 2022.

Coordination & reporting mechanism:

• The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO-Caribbean Representative, with direct reporting to the Programme and Coordination Specialist T&T.

Inputs/services to be provided by UN agency:

• UN Women will facilitate communications with relevant stakeholders and will provide relevant documents prior the start of the consultancy.

Other relevant information or special conditions, if any:         

• The consultancy fee will be negotiated before contracting. Each payment will be based on a predefined and formal agreement between UN Women and the consultant and will be disbursed based on satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables.
• Interviews will be conducted with the shortlisted applicants.
• The consultant should submit, along with his/her application, the curriculum vitae of team members.

Hardware, Software and Communication:

• The consultant must be equipped with a fully functional laptop, which must run Windows 10. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based (Skype or equivalent) is required.

Remuneration

• The remuneration for this contract type is an all-inclusive fee, the organization will not be liable for additional cost or benefits.? Hence, it is the responsibility of the consultant to secure adequate medical insurance for the duration of the contract and it is recommendable that the policy includes coverage for COVID-19 related illness. ??The medical coverage should be international when the contract requires missions or international assignment.
• If selected for this vacant post, proof of medical coverage should be presented before the contract is issued.

References:      

• Minimum of three client references that include the name of the contact person, title and contact information.

Note:

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All applications must be submitted through UNDP jobs. Please do not send applications to UN Women staff as they will not be accepted.