UN Women seeks to recruit an International Consultant to Develop the Second Phase of Liberia National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security

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.

UN Women’s goal in Liberia is to promote women’s human rights and gender equality which are key in sustaining and furthering achievements in stability and development. In this regard, its programming in the Country is connected to five corporate priority areas: women’s leadership and political participation; enhancing women’s economic empowerment (WEE); and engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes (WPS), advancing women’s rights to live free from violence (VAW) and Gender Responsive Governance. In addition, UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s joint work in advancing gender equality.

In the framework of the Women Peace and Security corporate priority area, UN Women Liberia provides support to increase the participation of women in decision making at all levels across development the social, political and economic spectrum including on peace and security. In this regard UN-Women Liberia is supporting the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MGCSP) in implementing the Liberia National Acton Plan on UN SCR 1325 (LNAP 1325) and strengthening the capacities of Gender equality advocates to lead and meaningfully engage in transitional and peacebuilding processes.

Gender inequality in Liberia is widespread and cuts across all sectors and despite major policy commitments and the ratification of international conventions including CEDAW and the MAPUTO Protocol which call for increased participation of women in decision making, gender gaps continue to exist.

In 2009, Liberia became the first country to domesticate the UN SCR 1325 demonstrating a profound interest in women’s participation in peacebuilding and conflict resolution process. The Liberia National Action Plan for the implementation of the UN SCR 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (LNAP 2009 – 2013) emphasized building an inclusive society where women’s rights are protected. The LNAP is divided into four pillars that include: protection, prevention, participation and empowerment and promotion.

Since the development of the LNAP, the Government of Liberia was able to undertake several key actions to implement the action plan. However, significant challenges remain and continue to impede full and adequate implementation of the action plan. A comprehensive assessment was conducted in November 2015 which recommended a number of action points for full implementation of the LNAP and the overall UN SCR 1325.

Similarly, 2015 Concluding Observations of the CEDAW committee recommended the Government of Liberia to give due consideration to the Committee’s General Recommendation No. 30 (2013) on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations by ensuring that the national action plan on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) is regularly reviewed in order to address all areas of concern and ensure durable peace. In addition, the Committee recommended to take into consideration the full spectrum of the Council’s women and peace and security agenda.

In light of the above, UN Women Liberia seeks to hire an International Consultant to support the Government of Liberia to review the previous LNAP and develop a second phase of the LNAP that will facilitate the implementation of the Women Peace and Security Agenda at National Level.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the assignment

The main objective of this consultancy is to support the Government of Liberia in the development of a second phase of the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security and inform relevant stakeholders about the significance of developing in this plan. Scope of work and tasks

Under the overall guidance and management of the UN Women Peace and Security Specialist and supervision from the Program Specialist on Gender and Peacebuilding in collaboration with the Deputy Minister for Gender, the Consultant will perform the following tasks:

Task: Desk Review and development of the consultancy plan

• Conduct a desk review of existing relevant documents (Home-based);Conduct preliminary consultations with, MGCSP and UN Women to develop a draft plan of consultancy activities (virtual or in person);
• Develop a consultancy work plan (Home-based);

Task: Conduct consultative meetings and workshops to raise awareness and support the Government to build ownership of the second phase of the LNAP.

• Conduct in-depth interviews with civil servants in ?the security sector and other relevant government entities, and with development partners as well as Civil Society Organizations involved in the implementation and monitoring of the LNAP to assess the effectiveness of the implementation structure, assess implementation status and evaluate lessons learned and challenges (approximately 12 days In-country);
• Develop concept notes for a series of consultative meetings in Monrovia and at sub-regional level (approximately 2 days and home-based);
• Develop appropriate tools and materials to facilitate ??consultative meetings (Home-based);With the support of the National Consultant analyze data and information collected in the consultative meetings and in- depth interviews (approximately 5 days and home-based);
• Draft a report with the recommendations from the validation workshops and in-depth interviews (approximately 3 days);

Task . Development of the second phase of the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security

• Draft the second phase of the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security which will include a clear implementation and monitoring structure (approximately 7 days and Home-based);
• Draft a result based logical framework which will include clear indicators, targets, baseline, responsible institutions, and estimated budget (approximately 5 days and home-based);
• Develop Terms of Reference for the proposed implementation structure (approximately 5 days and Home-based);
• Submit the draft LNAP to UN Women and MGCSP for inputs

Task . Conduct validation workshops (In-country)

• Develop concept notes for a series of validation workshops in Monrovia and at sub-regional level (approximately 2 days and home-based);
• Develop appropriate tools and materials to facilitate ??validations workshops (approximately 2 days) (Home-based);
• With the support of the National Consultant facilitate validations workshops (approximately 7 days In-country);

Task . Finalize and submit the second phase of the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security (In-country)

• Incorporate recommendations and agreements from validations workshops into the draft National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security
• Finalize and submit the final version of the second phase of the National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security

Duration of the assignment

The total duration of the assignment will be from 10st of October 2018 to 15th of February 2019. This includes both in country and home-based assignments.

Inputs

• UN Women will provide the Consultant with background materials relevant to the assignment
• The Consultant is expected to work using his/ her own computer.
• UN Women will cover costs of translation of materials
• Selected candidates will need to submit prior to commencement of work:
• A copy of the latest academic certificate
• UN Women P-11 form, available via ?http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment
• A statement from a medical doctor of ‘good health and fit for travel’
• Before any travel outside of Monrovia, the consultant will need to provide proof (certificate) of “Basic and Advanced Security in the Field” (which can be accessed here: undss.trip.org)’.

Expected Deliverables

The International Consultant will produce the following deliverables:

Deliverables                                                                                                                                                                   Indicative Deadline

• Detailed consultancy activity plan agreed upon with UN Women and MGCSP  15th of October 2018
• Draft Concept notes to conduct a series of consultative meetings?in Monroviaand at sub-regional level. 18th of October 2018
• Report of the in-depth interviews? and consultative workshops which? will include findings and 10th of November 2018 
• recommendations,?and relevant informationto develop the? second National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security.
• Draft of the Second National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security.? The draft will include a result 5th December 2018  based logical framework which will capture clear indicators, targets, baseline data, implementation timeline responsible institutions, and estimative budget as well as terms of referencefor the proposed implementation structure.
• Final report of the consultancy which will include a summary of the activities delivered.?The report will  1st February 19 2018         capture recommendations, and will include annexes such as, questionnaires, tools, concept notes,materials developed for the consultative and validations workshops and the final version of National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security

All the deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports should be submitted in writing in English.

Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the first installment, the deliverables and related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women. The period of the review is one week after receipt.

Competencies

• Excellent facilitation and training skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in Gender Studies, law, social science or other related fields.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in the field of women peace and security
• Proven experience facilitating high level consultative workshops for Governmental Institutions and CSOs
• At least 2 years of experience in providing policy advice and technical assistance on women, peace and security to government institutions;
• ?Prior experience in developing National Action Plans on UN SCR 1325 will be an asset;
• Practical knowledge on Results Based Management (RBM);
• Proven experience in conducting research in the area of gender equality and women empowerment;
• Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, Internet and email.

Language:

• Proficiency in oral and written English.

Submission of application

Interested candidates are requested to submit electronic application to liberia.procurement@unwomen.org no later than 27th ?of September 2018.

Submission of package

• Cover letter;
• CV, including contact information for 3 references;
• Financial proposal. The financial proposal shall specify a total lump sum amount per each deliverable, including any travel, per diem and administrative fees, based on the template in Annex 1. The lump sum costs must be accompanied by a detailed breakdown of costs calculation.

All applications must include (as an attachment) the CV and the financial proposal. Applications without financial proposal will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further processing.

Please note that only short-listed candidates will be invited to the interview.

Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis.

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

A two-stage procedure is utilised in evaluating the proposals, with evaluation of the technical proposal 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

Experience and skills 80 %

Language and other skills 20 %

Total Obtainable Score 100 %

Only the candidates who fit the minimum requirements will be longlisted, and additional documentation may be requested. Candidates with a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically-qualified candidates and will be shortlisted for potential interview.

Annex I: Financial Proposal

BREAKDOWN OF COSTS SUPPORTING THE ALL-INCLUSIVE FINANCIAL PROPOSAL

Breakdown of Cost by Components:

Deliverables    Percentage of Total Price (Weigh) for payment)     

Fixed price     

Due Date

Detailed consultancy activity plan agreed upon with UN Women and MGCSP – 15th of October 2018

Draft Concept notes to conduct a series of consultative meetings in Monrovia and at sub-regional level.   18th of October 2018

Report of the in-depth interviews and consultative workshops which will include findings and recommendations, and relevant information to develop the Second National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security                             10th of November 2018

Draft of the Second National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security. The draft will include a result based logical framework which will capture clear indicators, targets, baseline data, implementation timeline, responsible institutions, and estimative budget as well as terms of reference for the proposed implementation structure   5th December   2018

Final report of the consultancy which will include a summary of the activities delivered. The report will capture recommendations, and will include annexes such as, questionnaires, tools, concept notes, materials developed for the consultative and validations workshops and the final version of National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security 1st  February 2019

All the deliverables, including annexes, notes and reports should be submitted in writing in English.

Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the first installment, the deliverables and related reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women. The period of the review is one week after receipt.

The lump sum costs should include all 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.

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.