Developing Gender Responsive Emergency Plans for the Justice, Security And Social Sectors

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 center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

UN Women plays an innovative and catalytic role in the State of Palestine since its inception in 1997. UN Women Palestine County Office focuses its activities on one overarching goal, namely to support the empowerment of Palestinian women and girls and to allow them to enjoy their human rights.  In support of this goal and thoroughly taking into consideration the specificities of the context in Palestine, UN Women concentrates its efforts and interventions in its current strategic cycle (2018-2021) toward the realization of four strategic goals: Ensuring that women have income security, decent work and economic autonomy, all women and girls live a life free from all forms of violence, women and girls contribute and have greater influence in building sustainable peace and resilience, and benefit equally from the prevention of natural disasters and conflicts and from humanitarian action, and a comprehensive and dynamic set of global norms, policies and standards on gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls is strengthened and implemented.

In line with the Palestinian Government’s commitment to  achieve gender equality and to fight Violence Against Women (VAW), and in full partnership with the Justice and Security Sectors, including the Public Prosecution (PP), the Palestinian Civil Police (PCP), the High Judicial Council (HJC), the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) and the Supreme Judge Department (SJD) , UN Women, within its joint programme with UNDP and UNICEF “Promoting the Rule of Law in Palestine- SAWASYA II” is supporting the Justice and Security institutes to mainstream gender into  their procedures and policies, and develop and provide  gender responsive services to women victims and survivors of violence, through providing institutional capacity building and policy level interventions  amongst others.  

As a result  of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and declaring the state of emergency in the Palestinian territory in early March 2020, the justice, security and social  sectors have been heavily impacted, and their capacity to continue providing essential services to women victims and survivors of violence has been sharply diminished. This has critical impact on the protection of women victims and survivors of violence, and increases the risks on their lives, particularly within the surge of violence as demonstrated by data collected by CSOs, UN agencies and others. For instance, as per Sawa’s fact sheet of May 2020, a total of 792 cases have been documented for survivors of violence seeking support and information, marking 52% increase in total number of cases documented in April 2020.

In view of this, UN Women, in partnership with the PCP, the AGO, the HJC, and the MoSD is planning to  develop  emergency plans to effectively respond  and manage VAW cases during and in the aftermath of emergencies, including pandemics.

The emergency plans will be developed in line with the relevant international response frameworks, such as the framework developed by the International Rescue Committee- Women’s Protection and Empowerment Unit, known as the Emergency Response and Preparedness Initiative (ERPI), the Inter- Agency Standing Committee (IASC) guideline and others. Moreover, they should be in adherence with the governmental respective emergency plans and related governmental decisions, notably the latest decision taken by the  Cabinet in its weekly session, number 18/54 on 28 April regarding the adoption of the referral procedures for women victims of violence during emergencies, which considered services of VAW cases during emergencies as essential services.

The main premise upon which the emergency plans will be developed is the underlying rationale that the states are primarily responsible for protecting the well- being of their citizens and other persons on their territory. In line with this, the emergency response plans should be based on a victim- centered, gender justice and human rights approach, which prioritizes the protection of victims and survivors of violence and women’s access to justice. They should be developed upon a well- informed evidence-based analysis, and in a participatory manner that takes into consideration the different impact that the emergency state might have on women, girls, men and boys, with particular focus on the most disadvantaged groups of women and girls facing compounded discrimination, including women with disabilities, elderly women, women living in rural areas and refugee camps and others.

Objective of the assignment:

UN Women within its joint Rule of Law programme “Sawasya” is seeking to recruit an experienced consultant to work closely with the Family and Juvenile Protection Unit (FJPU) at the PCP, VAW Specialized Public Prosecutors (SPPs) at the AGO, VAW judges at the HJC, and the Women’s Unit at the MoSD, to develop emergency  plans for VAW cases in line with the institutions’ respective plans.

The main objective  of the emergency plans is to increase the capacity and readiness of service providers within the justice, security and social sectors, to effectively respond to emergencies, while ensuring the continuity of the provision of quality responsive services to women victims and survivors of violence. More specifically, the emergency plans will ensure a rapid and efficient response to VAW cases in emergencies, by brainstorming and designing different scenarios; preparing for alternative measures that ensure the viability, availability and accessibility to protection and other essential services; and developing guidelines, procedures, and   referral pathway for survivors of violence, including coordination mechanisms between service providers,  to ensure consistent working reference framework during emergencies.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of UN Women Special Representative, the direct supervision of  Sawasya UN Women Programme Specialist, and working in close cooperation and coordination with UN Women Security Sector Analyst and UN Women Programme Analyst on Gender Responsive Prosecution,  the selected consultant will undertake the following tasks: 

Develop an inception report that includes the workplan and the methodology, and share with UN Women for discussion and approval: 

• Meet with UN Women’s technical team and the assigned team from the targeted partners institutions (PCP, AGO, MoSD and HJC) to agree on the assignment’s objectives and the methods and tools that will be used.
• Based on the meetings and consultations with UN Women and partners’ team, develop a methodology and a detailed work plan for each of the target institution, and share with UN Women for feedback. The workplan should include the main objectives of the assignment, deliverables, and time frame
• The methodology should notably consider the following:

Desk review of the mandate and the role of each targeted institution, including respective procedures and policies; emergency plans and other related frameworks.

Literature review of similar frameworks developed at the national, regional, and international levels, with focus on frameworks developed by governmental and CSOs service providers.

Collective and bilateral meetings, consultations, and interviews with representatives of concerned institutions, CSOs and experts in the field.

Ensure a participatory approach, throughout all phases of the work.

Develop four emergency plans for the targeted institutions (PCP, AGO, MoSD and HJC):

• Develop and submit a draft gender responsive emergency plan for each of the targeted four   institutions through full coordination with partners and consultation with UN Women. The emergency plans are expected to ensure a rapid and efficient response to VAW cases in emergencies, by brainstorming and designing different scenarios; preparing for alternative measures that ensure the viability, availability and accessibility to protection and other essential services. For more details on the expected content of the emergency plans, see the objective section. Conduct consultation sessions and 4 validation workshops with the targeted institutions to present and discuss the emergency plans.
• Based on inputs and feedback provided by the respective partner institution and UN Women team, amend, and submit the final versions of the emergency plans.

Prepare and submit progress and final reports:

• Submit a progress report including results of the meetings, workshops, and consultation sessions.
• Submit a final report that includes a description of the assignment’s objectives, methodology, main interventions, target groups, findings, lessons learned and recommendations.

Further to that, the consultant must meet with UN Women on regular basis to update UN Women team on progress and challenges of the assignment.

Key deliverables:

 The assignment has three main deliverables including the following:

The first deliverable includes the following item:

• Approved inception report, including the work plan and the methodology.

The second deliverable includes the following items:

• Approved two emergency plans (PCP and MOSD).
• Approved progress report. The progress report should include an update on the assignment’s progress and challenges, in addition to minutes of related meetings, workshops, and sessions.

The third deliverable includes the following items:

• Approved two emergency plans (AGO and HJC).
• Approved final report that includes an overall description of the assignment, the methodology used, findings, lessons learned, recommendations. In addition to minutes of meetings, and consultation sessions as annexes

Time Frame:

The assignment is expected to start on 10th of August and to end on 10th of January 2020

Competencies

Core values / Guiding principles:

Integrity:

• Demonstrating consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

• Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural Sensitivity / Valuing diversity:

• Demonstrating an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement; and
• 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:

• Sound knowledge of international standards on human rights, gender, and women's rights including international human rights conventions.
• Sound knowledge of emergency frameworks to effectively manage VAW cases within emergencies.
• Sound knowledge of gender equality, including gender analysis, gender mainstreaming techniques and tools, and gender responsive judiciary and security.
• Strong dialogue and communication skills.
• Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships with clients, demonstrating understanding of client’s perspective; anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly; and
• Sound knowledge of the justice, security and social sectors

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• A Master’s degree in gender, law, human rights, social science, public administration, or any other related field.

Experience:  

• At least 4 years working experience in the field of gender justice and violence against women.
• At least 2 previous assignments in developing plans, or policy or procedural documents, such as Standards Operating Procedures or guidelines, preferably in the field of emergency plans.
• At least 2 previous assignments in producing gender analysis reports or gender related studies, particularly in areas related to the most vulnerable groups.
• At least 2 previous working experience in the field of justice and security, and
• Experience with the UN system or/and International Organizations is an asset.

Language:

• Professional knowledge of English, and fluency in Arabic

Application procedure:

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. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please make sure you have provided all requested materials:

• P11 including past experience in similar assignments; can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted

Candidates should have the ability to quickly submit degree certificates, medical certification (of good health) expression of Interest (EoI) should they be short-listed in consideration of this consultancy.

Long listed candidates should provide a sample of a developed plan, policy, or procedural document, preferably in the field of emergency plans.

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:

• A Master’s degree in gender, law, human rights, social science, public administration or any other related field.  (max.10 points)
• At least 4 years working experience in the field of gender justice and violence against women. (max. 10 points)
• At least 2 previous assignments in developing plans or policy or procedural documents, such as Standards Operating Procedures or guidelines, preferably in the field of emergency plans. (max. 15)
• At least 2 previous experience in producing gender analysis reports or gender related studies, particularly in areas related to the most vulnerable groups. (max. 15)
•  At least 2 previous working experience in the field of justice and security. (max.  5)
• Experience with the UN system or/and International Organizations is an asset. (max.5)
• A sample of previous similar assignments (max: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.