International consultant to support the establishment of the Alliance for Central Asia in the area of SGBV

Background

The Spotlight Initiative (SI) is a global initiative of the United Nations which has received generous support from the European Union.  The Initiative is responding to all forms of violence against women and girls, with a particular focus on domestic and family violence, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and harmful practices, femicide, trafficking in human beings and sexual and economic (labour) exploitation. Further information can be found at https://www.spotlightinitiative.org

The Spotlight Initiative (SI) Regional Programme for Central Asia and Afghanistan managed from Almaty, Kazakhstan, in cooperation with the participating countries, aims to harness the collective expertise, experiences, challenges and enthusiasm of gender equality advocates from the five Central Asian countries, as well as Afghanistan.

The Spotlight Regional Programme’s Pillar 2 aims at institutionalizing a broad-based Alliance for Central Asia, which is capable and positioned to set and drive regionally legislative, policy and institutional guidelines and models in the area of SGBV. The absence of regional inter-governmental and regional non-governmental bodies or organisations, including academia, is a challenge unique to Central Asia. Such conditions have resulted in limited opportunities for joint learning, innovation and knowledge generation on tackling the bottlenecks and advancing the gains in combatting SGBV. Given the complexities of cross-border alliances, the development of the Central Asia Alliance for ending SGBV will firstly be in illustrating the power of collective action and leveraging the work of the ongoing SI Country Programmes in the region. It is expected that the Alliance will be a mechanism for planning, funding, and delivering on SGBV work across the region through the convening of relevant stakeholders from the five Central Asian countries and Afghanistan around thematic SGBV areas to build the Central Asia Alliance in a consistent and coherent fashion.

Specifically, the Alliance will focus on:

• Mobilisation of greater political will and commitment towards ending all forms of SGBV and harmful practices in Central Asia
• Deepening Central Asia’s access to best practices and innovation in the prevention, protection and multi-sectoral response to SGBV and harmful practice upholding a survival-centred approach and core principles of social justice;
• Strengthened regional-specific tools and knowledge on how to leverage greater financing for SGBV at the national and sub-national levels;
• Creating a sustainable space for dialogue, innovation and sharing of best practices among traditional and non-traditional partners on ending SGBV, including partnering with NGOs and activists; youth networks for Central Asia; male champions including supportive husbands and fathers; faith-based leaders; National statistical offices and global/regional SDG monitoring processes, Private Sector in Media and Technology, and survivors of SGBV.

 A nascent Central Asia Alliance for ending SGBV and harmful practices will emerge through strengthened cross-border networking and experience sharing, collective capacity development and awareness-raising on international norms and standards, and hands-on work with international and national experts in the development of SGBV Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) “models” grounding in international norms related to SGBV.

The Alliance will be comprised of National Women’s Machineries (NWMs), relevant line Ministries including Health, Education, Social protection, Interior and Justice as well as Rule of Law representatives from the Courts and Police, Parliamentarians, civil society networks, grassroots and community level organisations, as well as women’s rights activists and voices of women from communities often left in the margins. The Alliance will be owned and shaped by the five national Central Asian countries with the participation of the relevant stakeholders from Afghanistan. Technical and coordination support will be provided by the Secretariat of the Alliance, which is planned to be established by end of 2022.

 

It is planned that the Alliance will have a structure that will include task-focused and result-oriented groups (Secretariat, CSOs, national stakeholders) based on the range of thematic areas for combatting SGBV such as:

1. Reviewing SGBV legislation in Central Asia and ensuring its alignment with international norms and standards (Outcome 1)
2. Capturing  best practices in Central Asia and beyond and providing technical assistance in adaptation and national contextualization of the Regional Models of SOPs on SGBV, tools and guides to align with international norms;
3. Designing GRB tools for strengthening SGBV legislative and service provision;
4. Developing Regional SOP Models/Tools for SGBV case referral/case management response across the countries;
5. Designing Regional Best Practices and Tools for advocating for social norm change (mobilizing men as champions and faith-based leaders in SGBV elimination and gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) mainstreaming; empowering youth to challenge gender norms and stereotypes, coordination of a number of campaigns such as the Regional Platform for engaging men and boys, HeForShe Campaign, Y-Peer Networks at the national level, building on the “#Don’t Be Silent” movement);
6. Developing Central Asia SGBV Data Collection Models in the areas of Prevalence Data; Administrative Data; and Data on Perceptions and Attitudes, usage of Global and regional SDG monitoring processes;
7. Strengthening CSO capacities and regional women’s movement through networking platforms for CSOs in Central Asia to engage them in joint regional advocacy, sharing knowledge, experiences, and best practices.

In this context, the SI Regional Programme is seeking a consultant who will provide technical expertise and coordination support in establishing the Central Asia Alliance.  

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

1. Develop an approach and submit a detailed workplan with a timeframe for desk review, including documents to be reviewed, coordination meetings/calls with the Spotlight Initiative Regional Programme team and Country Programmes in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, Gender Theme Groups in Central Asia, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Central Asia, stakeholders, and stages of Alliance creation and maintenance with clear deliverables at each stage, timeframe and reporting/communication etc;
2. In consultations with the respective partners, develop a Guidance Note on the Alliance  institutional set-up/ arrangement and appropriate management model specifying its structure, modus operandi, financing mechanisms, accountability, including composition, structure and membership of task-focused and result-oriented groups (Secretariat, CSOs, national stakeholders) of the Alliance, based on the range of thematic areas for combatting SGBV; It should include principles that guide the process of knowledge exchange, including coordination between the groups, interaction, workforce roles and responsibilities of each group within the Alliance, mechanisms of involving key stakeholders, donors and institutions for collaboration, timeframes, needed human resources, financial requirements and accountability systems both towards partners and beneficiaries; 
3. Provide draft Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Alliance Secretariat and Annual Workplan for year 2023, including the ways how the Alliance will promote the knowledge and evidence, resources and tools, and political will and action needed to address SGBV in Central Asia. It should include an analysis and description of the conditions under which it will function and provide a framework for the next steps, including the establishment and further activities. The ToR should include risks associated with its setting/maintenance, challenges and their mitigation measures as well as long-term sustainability of the Alliance;
4. Submit draft ToRs for the Alliance Secretariat members – Coordinator, Communications Specialist, and Admin/Finance Associate;
5. Develop ToR for the Civil Society Regional Reference Group (CS-RRG) as the Alliance consultative body guiding the work on engaging with CSOs of Central Asia to serve as a driving force of the Alliance;
6. Hold a discussion of the abovementioned documents with the Spotlight Regional Steering Committee, including the Head of the EU Delegation, UN Resident Coordinator, Heads of UNFPA, UN Women and UNDP, and a member of the Civil Society Regional Reference Group; 
7. Hold a discussion of the developed guidelines on institutional arrangements and set-up mechanisms of the Alliance with the key members of the Alliance (NWMs, relevant line ministries (health, education, social protection, interior and justice, including Rule of Law representatives from the courts and police) as well as Parliamentarians, civil society networks, grassroots and community level organizations, women’s rights activists and voices of women from communities), Spotlight Initiative Regional Programme and Country Programme teams in Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Minutes of these consultations with key findings and recommendations should be agreed upon and submitted for review and approval;
8. Identify entry points (benefits) for the CA countries to host the Alliance, from the perspective of fulfilling global commitments on EVAWG, such as Generation Equality Forum, CEDAW and UPR recommendations, etc.; 
9. Finalize and submit a final report with all required supporting documents as attachments.

The consultant is expected to work from home and conduct online consultations with the Technical Coherence Specialist and in close cooperation with Spotlight Initiative Regional Programme team members. All deliverables are submitted to and approved by the Technical Coherence Specialist.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration

Required Skills and Experience

The selection process of consultant will be by following criteria:

Education:

- Advanced degree in Development studies, Public Policy and Administration, Gender studies, management of organizations and other related fields.  

Experience:

• At least 5 years of professional experience in strategic planning, working with and building partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally (supporting materials or link to the site where the document is available to learn about the candidate’s experience);
• Previous background from leading roles in partnership and/or consortia formation and management;
• Experience in working on rights-based approaches including intervention models to address multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination (supporting materials or link to the site where the document is available to learn about the candidate’s experience);
• Knowledge and understanding of social and political issues in Central Asia would be of distinct advantage;
• Experience with UN agencies and other international organizations, as well as with government agencies for promoting gender equality is an asset;
• Previous experience of working in Central Asia (desirable).
• Solid skills in facilitation of processes, workshops and meetings

Languages:

- Excellent writing and speaking skills in English and Russian. Knowledge of language/s of Central Asia is an asset.

• Evaluation process

Applicants must meet the above minimum qualification requirements which will be included in the technical evaluation process in the future. The next stage of the assessment process will be maintained by cumulative analysis methodology of technical proposal (70%) and the financial proposal (30%) of the candidate.

 Technical evaluation criteria:

	Criteria	Maximum points
Education	Advanced degree in Development studies, Public Policy and Administration, Gender studies, management of organizations and other related fields	20
Professional work experience	At least 5-7 years of professional experience in strategic planning, working with and building partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally; Previous background from leading roles in partnership and/or consortia formation and management; Experience in working on rights-based approaches including intervention models to address multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination; Knowledge and understanding of social and political issues in Central Asia would be of distinct advantage; Experience with UN agencies and other international organizations, as well as with government agencies for promoting gender equality is an asset; Previous experience of working in Central Asia (desirable). Solid skills in facilitation of processes, workshops and meetings	80   80   30   80   10   10 15
Languages	Excellent writing and speaking skills in English (10) and/or Russian (10). Knowledge of any Central Asian language (5)	25
Maximum total technical scoring (70%):	350

Only candidates, who will accumulate at least 245 (70%) points of the maximum 350 points during the technical evaluation process, will be qualified for financial proposal*.

* Each candidate will be requested to submit consolidated financial proposal (a "consolidated financial proposal" that includes applicant's all expenses required to perform the tasks, including travel expenses for the task, etc.).

The financial offers of the technically qualified candidates will be requested and will be weighted in terms of selection points as per below formula:

B = T + Clow / C x 150 where

T- is the universal technical score awarded to the evaluation of the proposal (only those proposals that pass 70% of the technical evaluation);

C is the financial offer of the candidate; and

Clow- is the lowest financial proposal among all evaluated candidates;

137 is the maximum financial point that can be obtained.

The successful candidate will have accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical and financial scoring).

Payment will be made only if expected results will be achieved agreed package of documents and reports provided without delay and approval of UNDP SI.

• Application Process:

All documents should be sent including:

• CV/ UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment

• Technical proposal describing how the expected assignment will be performed. The technical proposal should also include:

         -           Experience in strategic planning, working with and building partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally (supporting materials or link to the site where the document is available to learn about the candidate’s experience);

           -          Previous background from leading roles in partnership and/or consortia formation and management;

-            Experience in working on rights-based approaches including intervention models to address multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination (supporting materials or link to the site where the document is available to learn about the candidate’s experience).

• Financial proposal, including a USD amount to include all costs and expenses the consultant will have to fulfill all tasks within the framework of this ToR.

Only candidates who have passed the preliminary selection will be informed.

Kindly note, that the system will only allow one attachment, hence all supporting document e.g. P11, CV must be scanned as one attachment. Applications without the completed UNDP P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

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