Strategic Note Consultant

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 will lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women commits itself to the Leaving No One Behind principle, by supporting targeted actions to remove the obstacles that marginalized and vulnerable groups of women and girls face in exercising their rights.  The work of UN Women is focused around its three-fold mandate:

• Normative work: to support inter-governmental bodies, such as the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the General Assembly, in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms, as well as the translation of these norms at country level;
• Operational work: to help Member States to implement international standards and to forge effective partnerships with civil society; and
• Coordination work: entails work to promote the accountability of the United Nations system on gender equality and empowerment of women (GEEW), including regular monitoring of system-wide progress, as well as more broadly mobilizing and convening key stakeholders to ensure greater coherence and gender mainstreaming across the UN.

UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997. During the current Strategic Note (2018-2022), UN Women Palestine Office focuses its activities on one overarching goal, namely, to support the implementation at the national level of existing international commitments to advance gender equality in line with the national priorities. In support of this goal, and thoroughly taking into consideration the specificities of the Palestinian context, UN Women concentrates its efforts and interventions toward the realization of following strategic goals:  Mainstreaming gender in governance, peace and security; Supporting women's economic security and rights; and Promoting women’s rights and protection against violence.

In line with UN Women Global Strategic Plan (2022-2025) and building from the Country Strategic Note (2018-2022), in developing its new Strategic Note, UN Women Palestine will optimize alignment with conclusions of the review and assessment of Beijing + 25, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other intergovernmental normative frameworks, Generation Equality, and international conventions, the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review 2020 and additional assessments and reviews.

The new Strategic Note (2023-2026) will take into consideration the lessons learned from programme/action plans evaluations and current humanitarian nexus development trends; the United Nation Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF 2018-2022) evaluations, the CCA, the draft UNSDCF (2023-2026), the SDGs and country PQG priorities, the Country Gender Equality Profile, among others and consider and/or redefine strategic areas of interventions.  

The development of the strategic note will also be based on extensive internal and external consultations at regional and national levels with key stakeholders, including Member States, civil society, other United Nations entities, the private sector and other actors working in development field.  In order to build an inclusive participatory Strategic Note that responds to the national priorities, the following actions will be necessary:

• In depth consultations and facilitated meetings with the PALCO team;
• Extensive national consultations with relevant civil society and government partners working with UN Women as well as intergovernmental regional partners;
• Effective participation of United Nations agencies and Resident Coordinator Office as well as the United Nations Special Coordinator for The Middle East Peace Process to ensure synergies between identified national priorities, articulate shared results and identify practical and effective mechanisms to implement UN Women’s coordination mandate.  Consultation with the UNCT will consider potential avenues for collaboration in line with strategic approaches highlighted in the QCPR 2020 and the UNSG report "Our Common Agenda", including specific consultations with UNDP, UNFPA and UNICEF.
• Situation analysis Informed by the new Common Country Assessment, gender related strategies and those focused on achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals;
• Practical integration of the United Nations Reform process as it relates to UN Women’s triple mandate and priorities;
• Risk analysis and development of prevention, mitigation and response strategies to be included in the Strategic Note.

In addition to these consultations, the process of developing the Palestine Country Office's Strategic Note includes:

• Facilitating and documenting the outcomes of a strategic planning workshop for the UN Women Country team;
• Facilitating and documenting the outcomes of a strategic planning session with UN Women Regional Office;
• Disseminating the outcomes of the strategic planning workshop and session to the relevant partners included in the process to ensure feedback loop;
• Drafting and finalizing the strategic note with narrative, results framework, monitoring and evaluation framework, organizational chart and resource matrix; and coordinating the compilation / preparation of relevant supporting documents as identified in the SN guidance;
• Developing the offline monitoring plan with definitions, data sources etc. to facilitate multiyear reporting against SN indicators;
• Entering all work planning data in the online Results Management System.

In order to ensure the process is effective, efficient and consistent with the range of inputs obtained during working sessions, the County Office seeks the services of an International Consultant. The consultant will work in close collaboration under the direct supervision of the Special Representative. 

The Strategic Note (2023-2026) will be based on the following UN Women’s Strategic Note guiding principles:

• Is strategically aligned to national priorities/goals, the results of the Cooperation Framework (or equivalent) and member states’ expectations as set on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR-2020);
• Is focused on and clearly aligned with UN Women’s SP areas of work (2022-2025) and enables PALCO to achieve increasing impact for more women and girls in the State of Palestine;
• Is aligned with relevant intergovernmental frameworks on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls;
• Highlights UN Women’s contribution to support the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Security Council Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security where relevant, and gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development including the Leave No-One Behind (LNOB) principle;
• Is robust in development, peace, security, and humanitarian settings (nexus);
• Is reflective of UN Women’s added value and comparative advantage and leverages key platforms, knowledge products and services to scale-up work in the State of Palestine;
• Is consultative, developed through the engagement of key stakeholders within the country, taking an intersectionality approach and ensuring that groups that traditionally have been left behind are engaged to ensure ownership and appropriateness of the country’s portfolio;
• Is based on evidence, including from:
  • Country portfolio and United Nation Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF 2018- 2021) evaluations, the CCA, the draft UNSDCF (2022-2026), the SDGs, the UNCT-SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard report, among others;
  • SDG monitoring data, previous UN Women results performance and acceleration strategies, ensuring that all major findings in these, other evaluative evidence, and their subsequent management responses and/or implementation plans are reflected in the design and development of the Strategic Note document (including reference to national statistical data);
• Is guided by the principles of Results-Based Management (RBM), Sustainability and a Human Rights Based approach as well as an intersectionality analysis.

The consultant is expected to review relevant documentation (both internal and external), conduct internal and external consultations using a consultative and participatory approach throughout the Strategic Note development process and draft the Strategic Note in line with UN Women corporate guidelines for developing country strategic notes. 

The consultant will be expected to travel to Palestine at least two times during the assignment (one time to conduct in country consultations and one time to present the draft SN).

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of UN Women Representative in the State of Palestine, the Consultant will be responsible for the following specific tasks:

• Review the national context and political developments in the State of Palestine;
• Conduct a desk review of the current UN Women programme in the State of Palestine, the trends/issues related to GEWE in the country and how the UN has been engaged in advancing the same, with practical and substantial recommendations for improved programme cohesion and coherence within the framework of the proposed Strategic Note;
• Analyse Country Cooperation Assistance (CCA) and adopt the United Nations System Development Assistance (UNSDCF 2022-2026) outcomes to which UN Women contributes and detail UN Women’s programme priorities through Strategic Note outputs;  
• Develop a roadmap for consultations, coordination of inputs at national, regional and global level etc. and document the entire SN process through maintenance of a dedicated file on the PALCO SharePoint;
• Engage in stakeholder’s consultation to formulate the draft Strategic Note as guided by national priorities; UNSDCF, UN Women SP and regional strategic vision, and International Normative Framework; 
• Explore the key lessons learned from the Strategic Note 2018-2022 and audit of UN Women Palestine, address key challenges and responses;
• Develop SN outputs based on the draft UNSDCF (Cooperation Framework Outputs) outputs, with corresponding indicators that contribute to the measurement of UNSDCF output-level indicators;
• Use the draft UNSDCF Theory of Change as the foundation for the Strategic Note ToC;
• Lead and provide advice to the Country Office in the development of the Draft Strategic Note 2023-2026 office based on UN Women’s global guidance and requirements for the Strategic Note Development;
• Support the Special Representative to engage in the Strategic Dialogue process, including follow-up with regional and global colleagues as requested by the Special Representative;
• Conduct final consultation in Palestine, including the Regional Office to validate preliminary analysis, results framework, and the key element of the Strategic Note;
• Develop the Strategic Note (including the narrative section and mandatory documents as per the guidelines for development of strategic notes 2021) with: – a ToC; – an Integrated Results Framework; –  an estimate of total financial resources per output per year; – management processes such as Direct Implementation Modality (DIM) of National Implementation Modality (NIM) to ensure effective implementation; – an outline of key partnership strategies and joint modalities to achieve the results stated in the  STRATEGIC NOTE; – monitoring and evaluation activities and period with its dedicated resources through a monitoring and evaluation plan; – Knowledge Management Work Plan; Resource Mobilisation Action Plan; Risk Register   and all the required documents based on UN Women’s global guidance/requirement for Strategic Note in consultation with relevant thematic and functional leads in the Palestine Country Office and the Regional Office.

Deliverables:

1. Deliverable 1: Inception Report with outline of methodology, roadmap for consultation, drafting and validation process, documents for review, 5 May 2022, expected delivery date
2. Deliverable 2: Draft Strategic Note (2023 – 2026) Narrative, Result Framework, and annexes according to the guidelines for development of strategic notes by Country Offices, plus offline monitoring plan, 15 October 2022, expected delivery date
3. Deliverable 3: Final Strategic Note 2023-2026, 10 December 2022, expected delivery date

Competencies

Core Values

•            Respect for Diversity;

•            Integrity;

•            Professionalism.

Core Competencies

•            Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;

•            Accountability;

•            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

• Ability to lead policy review process through consultation with stakeholders;
• Very strong background on gender;
• Experience in assessing impact of policies, strategies and measures from a gender perspective;
• Ability to manage time and meet tight deadlines;
• Focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates strong oral and written communication skills;
• Demonstrates strong research and analysis skills
• Remains calm, in control and good humoured even under pressure;
• Proven networking, organizational and communication skills.
• Sound leadership and organizational skills

Required Skills and Experience

Evaluation criteria:

This SSA modality is governed by UN Women General Terms and Conditions. UN Women will only be able to respond to applicants who meet the minimum requirements.

Candidates should clearly indicate how they meet the above-mentioned criteria in their applications.

The following documents should be submitted as part of the application. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials:

• UN Women P11 including experience in similar assignments; the P11 form can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted;
• Letter of Interest containing the statement on candidate’s experience, including experience in similar assignments and qualification against required qualification, experience and competencies.
• Proposal: 
  • Provide a brief methodology on how they will approach and conduct the work;

Note: Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Please upload as one attachment of the documents as mentioned above online through this website.

Candidates should have the ability to quickly submit degree certificates, medical certification (of good health) expression of Interest (EoI).

Evaluation of applicants

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ qualifications mentioned above, and financial proposal. A contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer receives the highest score out of below defined technical and financial criteria. Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 50 points in the technical evaluation will be considered for financial evaluation.

Technical Evaluation (70%) – max. 70 points:

·        Advanced University Degree (Master's or equivalent), PhD will be an asset (5 points);

·        A minimum of 10 years of the professional experience in visioning and strategic planning, including sustainable development strategies and programmes through multi-stakeholder processes (10 points)

·        At least 5 years of experience of using gender analysis and working on GEWE frameworks, preferably within the UN system (10 points)

·        At least 10 years of experience in Results-Based Management principles, logic modelling/logical framework analysis, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, and participatory approaches, including in results-based planning, including planning of M&E using UN results-based management standards, guidelines, UN planning processes (UNDAF/UNSDCF and/or UN Country Program Documents); (10 points) 

·        At least one previous experience in conducting multidisciplinary/national research/country situational analysis related to 2030 Agenda/SDGs  (5 points)

·        Minimum of 3 years of experience in developing Strategic Notes within the UN,  for UN Women Country Offices an asset; (5 points)

·        Minimum of 5 years of on using the human rights-based approach and concepts to programming, human rights analysis, gender equality (especially gender analysis and GEWE normative frameworks), environmental sustainability, results-based management, and capacity development((10 points)

• Prior work experience of working in international development in a complex setting and with multiple stakeholders, experience in working in the State of Palestine or Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is desirable (5 points)

• Proposal (10 points)

Financial Evaluation (30%) – max. 30 points.

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. A suggested formula is as follows:

p = 30 (µ/z)

Using the following values:

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Only long-listed candidates will be contacted.

Financial proposal. Shortlisted candidate will be requested to submit a financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount breaking down a daily professional fee, proposed number of working days and any related expenses, i.e.  communications expenses.