International Consultant to Support a Study Tour to Sweden
to Facilitate the Exchange of Experiences and Learnings for the Government of
Georgia on Mainstreaming Gender in Public Service Employment Systems
Organization: UN Women
Location : Home-based, Georgia
Application Deadline : 17-Aug-23 (Midnight New York,
USA)
Job Category : Gender Equality
Type of Contract : Individual Contract
Post Level : International Consultant
Languages Required : English
Starting Date : (date when the selected candidate is
expected to start) 21-Aug-2023
Duration of Initial Contract : 22 working days
Expected Duration of Assignment : 21 August 2023 – 15
November 2023
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.
UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment,
including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will,
therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.
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 in Georgia
supports state and non-state partners towards the achievement of substantive
gender equality in Georgia. In line with national and international commitments,
UN Women works on the levels of policy and legislation, institutions and
grassroots, in order to achieve transformative results for increased gender
equality and greater protection of the rights of women and girls.
Women’s participation in decision-making is a fundamental
prerequisite for gender equality and good governance. Yet women continue to be
underrepresented in political and decision-making processes globally. The
underrepresentation of women in decision-making is a major impediment to progress
across all critical areas of concern of the Beijing Declaration and Platform
for Action (BPfA). The prioritization of gender equality and women’s rights is
further mainstreamed throughout the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and
its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with SDG 5 dedicated to “achieve
gender equality and empower all women and girls”, with 14 proposed indicators
to measure its progress. In addition to measuring the proportion of seats held
by women in national parliaments and local governments (SDG indicator 5.5.1),
SDG Target 5.5 also measures the proportion of women in managerial positions
(SDG indicator 5.5.2), which includes, inter alia, the share of women in the
public service.
In Georgia, women’s rights to engage in politics on an equal
footing with men have a legal basis in the Constitution of Georgia and
Georgia’s Law on Gender Equality and are reinforced through a number of the
country’s international commitments (The Constitution is the supreme law of
Georgia and recognizes the supremacy of international treaties over domestic
laws, unless a treaty contradicts the Constitution.).Yet attaining gender
equality in political life and in decision-making more broadly remains a key
development challenge in the country and women are underrepresented as decision
makers in leading positions of power, whether in elected office or the civil
service at both the national and local levels (UN Women, “Women in
Decision-Making”, issue brief (2021). Available at https://georgia.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2021/04/women-in-decision-making.). Women are underrepresented in
the legislative and executive branches of the Government, in both central and
local governments, as well as in the managerial positions in the judicial
system. As of today, out of 140 MPs, only 27 were women (19.3 per cent -
Parliament of Georgia, “Members of the Parliament”. Available at https://parliament.ge/en/parliament-members/.).The
President of Georgia is a woman; however, women remain underrepresented in
public office, holding 2 of the 13 ministerial posts (including the Prime
Minister), i.e. 15.4 per cent. Georgian public service also has a significant
gender imbalance, with women comprising 31 per cent of the total public service
workforce, and only 35 per cent within the rank I managerial positions. The
gender gap widens even further when considering the gender balance in top
managerial positions– across public service entities only 13 per cent of heads
and deputy heads are women.
Since 2020 UN Women has been working with the Civil Service
Bureau (CSB) – key government agency in charge of coordinating public
employment policies in Georgia – in strengthening gender equality and promoting
women’s leadership in public service. As a result of these efforts, CSB adopted
its first ever internal Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan, set up
internal mechanisms on the prevention and response on sexual harassment and
carried out Gender Impact Assessment of the Law of Georgia on Public Service.
These initiatives were conducted within the framework of the “Good
Governance for Gender Equality in Georgia” (GG4GEG) project generously funded
by the Government of Norway in 2020-2023.
In April 2023 UN Women, with the generous support of the
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) launched a four-year project
“Women’s Increased Leadership for Democracy in Georgia” (WILD). The
impact-level goal of the project is to ensure that women and girls in all their
diversity fully and equally participate in decision-making and benefit from
gender-responsive governance in Georgia. In order to contribute to the
achievement of this impact-level goal, the project sets forth two interlinked
outcomes, which are as follows - outcome 1: Women and
their organizations in all their diversity are engaged in and influence
political life and decision-making at all levels in Georgia; and outcome
2: Gender equality and women’s meaningful participation and leadership
at all levels is promoted through adoption and implementation of
gender-responsive legislative and policy frameworks and practices.
Within the framework of the WILD project, UN Women plans to
further support the government of Georgia in strengthening gender equality in
public service. In line with these efforts and to ensure that the Georgian
public service benefits from the internationally established standards,
methodologies, and best practices in advancing gender equality in public
service, UN Women Georgia is planning to organize a study tour in Sweden for
the government of Georgia.
The study tour will offer a platform to the participants to
get acquainted with the Swedish public sector counterparts and learn and
discuss about successful policies and practices on promoting gender responsive
and inclusive public employment, which has one of the strongest public
employment systems in OECD countries. Sweden reports one of the highest levels
of general government employment among OECD countries, reaching close to 30% of
total employment. A multi-generational public service workforce presents
opportunities to combine the experience of long-serving staff with younger
employees in development, for example through intergenerational work teams and
mentoring programmes. Sweden has almost equal percentage of central government
employees aged 55 years or older and employees aged 18-34, which equals 24 and
23 per cent respectively. A gender-balanced cabinet is a strong indicator of a
government’s commitment to gender equality. Sweden has the highest
representation of female MPs (47%) as well ministerial position (57,7%) among
OECD Countries (Government at a Glance, 2021, OECD. Available at: https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/1c258f55-en.pdf?expires=1689168166&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=A7F014AA5B6339E61B05483F05CF1E23). At the same time, Sweden has one
of the strongest national and regional gender machinery. The governmental
position with the highest responsibility for gender equality in Sweden is the
Minister for Gender Equality and Labour. The Division for Gender Equality is
one of two governmental bodies responsible for the promotion of gender
equality. It is located within the Ministry of Labour which is headed by both
the Minister for Labour and Gender Equality and Minister of Housing and Deputy
Minister of Labour. Independent equality body - the Equality Ombudsman in
Sweden - is an independent government agency that works on behalf of the
Swedish parliament and government to promote equal rights and opportunities and
combat discrimination. Parliamentary body responsible for gender equality is
the Labour Market Committee. The country has one of the most advanced regional
structures: the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR)
represents the government’s, professionals’, and employers’ interests vis-à-vis
Sweden's 20 county councils/regions and 290 municipalities, which inter alia,
provides support to increase the number of women in the highest political
positions; promotes gender equality in working life, including working
conditions and wages; and mainstreams gender into municipal and regional
decision-making and services ( Available at: https://eige.europa.eu/gender-mainstreaming/countries/sweden#toc-structures).
Sweden is the member state of the European Union while Georgia aspires to join
the EU and the country is in the process of implementation of the reform agenda
driven by the 12 key recommendations set forth for Georgia by the European
Union as a precondition for the country’s EU candidacy status. Therefore, it is
of strategic importance for UN Women to support public employees to receive
relevant knowledge and experience from the EU member state. Based on the above
information, Sweden proves to have one of the most progressive and
sophisticated experiences in developing progressive policies on public service,
hence study tour in Sweden will provide an opportunity for Georgian public
sector representatives to benefit from Sweden’s experience and lessons learned.
Representatives of women’s national machinery, CSB and human resources managers
from line ministries/state agencies will take part in the study tour.
The study tour will take place on 23-27 October (tentative
dates) in Stockholm, Sweden.
The working language will be English.
The detailed objectives of the study tour are:
-
to facilitate the development of new connections, networks, and
knowledge-sharing partnerships between Georgian and Swedish counterparts to
advance gender equality in public employment policies and practices in Georgia
-
to increase the capacity of the government of Georgia on mainstreaming gender
in public service through identifying and sharing best practices from Swedish
public sector related to women’s empowerment in the workplace.
-
to familiarize participants with the tools and instruments on advancing gender
equality and women’s leadership in public service in Sweden at the national,
regional and local levels.
-
to learn from the Swedish experience about strengthening family-friendly
employment policies and promoting work-life balance in public service.
-
to
learn from the Swedish experience about combating discrimination in the
workplace, including about anti-discrimination and anti-sexual harassment
mechanisms in Swedish public sector.
- to learn from
the Swedish experience about how gender equality is integrated in the capacity
development interventions for public servants.
-
to
learn from the Swedish experience what special measures are set up in public
service for promoting women’s leadership, including in decision making
positions.
- to
learn from the Swedish experience about existing methodologies and practices on
creating evidence and collecting data on gender equality in public service.
-
to
facilitate the learning on institutional arrangements and organizational
accountability on gender equality issues in public service
The study tour should represent a balanced informational and
educational programme with some interactive elements to be included into the
agenda. The agenda should include meetings with the representatives of the
Government of Sweden and government agencies, who are engaged and lead in
advancing gender equality agenda in public service.
To the extent possible the study agenda should be designed
to include country-specific examples and practical aspects, tailored to the
needs and expectations of the study tour participants. The target audience
includes high-level government officials (Heads of Offices, Heads of
Departments) from public sector. The participants will be accompanied by UN
Women team.
In order to organize the study tour, UN Women intends to
hire international consultant. The objective of the assignment is to support UN
Women in organizing a study tour to Sweden to facilitate the exchange of
experiences and learnings for the Government of Georgia on mainstreaming gender
in public employment systems.
Duties and Responsibilities
Duties and responsibilities of the International
Consultant are:
- Develop
a detailed agenda for the study tour for a group consisted of estimated up
to 17 representatives from Georgia (public servants and UN women) and
establishing clear objectives and key activities, in close cooperation
with the UN Women office in Georgia.
- Arrange
all meetings in advance of the study tour and ensure the objectives of the
meetings are clearly conveyed to the Swedish counterparts/representatives
of various public institutions and any other relevant identified actors.
- Prepare
and submit the electronic copy of the study tour information package for
the participants (handouts, profiles, background information, relevant
training materials, analytical materials, etc).
- Coordinate
and ensure the successful implementation of the study tour by arranging
interpretation (if needed), accommodation, meals, and local transportation
in cooperation with the UN Women office in Georgia. The costs of the
accommodation, local transportation and meals for the study tour
participants will be covered by the UN Women office in Georgia.
- Serve
as facilitator during the meetings as needed.
- Prepare
a report of the study tour, which should include the assessment of
participants’ knowledge gained from the study tour and agreed follow-up
interventions/action points.
Deliverables:
Deliverable 1: Detailed draft agenda in English
for the study tour and logistical details developed and submitted to UN Women
by 8 September 2023 (8 working days)
Deliverable 2: Final agenda for the study tour
including all logistical details, meetings confirmed and study tour package
developed and submitted to UN Women by 22 September 2023 (6 working days)
Deliverable 3: The implementation of the study tour
coordinated and led (including the facilitation of the meetings) during 23
October – 27 October 2023 (tentative dates) (5 working days)
Deliverable 4: The final report in English
summarizing the activities of the study tour and the results/ follow-up
interventions developed and submitted to UN Women by 10 November 2023 (3
working days).
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: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Bachelor’s
Degree in Public Policy, Social Science, or other related fields.
Experience:
- At
least two years of experience in organizing and implementing study visits
and other capacity development programmes for people with different
background, cultures, and languages.
- Previous
experience in working with multi-stakeholders essential: governments,
civil society, community-based organizations, international organizations
and other.
- At
least two years of experience in the area of gender equality and women’s
empowerment will be a strong asset.
Language:
- Fluency
in Swedish and English.
Evaluation Procedure:
The candidates will be evaluated in three stages: according
to minimum qualification criteria; technical and financial evaluation.
The candidates must possess the following minimum
qualification criteria to be eligible for further technical evaluation:
- Bachelor’s
Degree in Public Policy, Social Science or other related fields.
- At
least two years of experience in organizing and implementing study visits
and related programmes for people with different background, cultures and
languages.
- Previous
experience in working with multi-stakeholders, such as: governments, civil
society, community-based organizations, international organizations and
other.
- Fluency
in Swedish and English.
The candidates will be evaluated in three stages: according
to minimum qualification criteria followed by technical and financial
evaluation.
Technical evaluation criteria (including minimum
qualifications):
- Bachelor’s
Degree in Public Policy, Social Science, or other related fields (max 50
points)
- At
least two years of experience in organizing and implementing study visits
and related programmes for people with different background, cultures and
languages (max 100 points)
- Previous
experience in working with multi-stakeholders essential: governments,
civil society, community-based organizations, international organizations
and other (max 80 points)
- At
least two years of experience in the area of gender equality and women’s
empowerment will be a strong asset (max 70 points)
- Fluency
in Swedish and English (max 50 points)
Maximum total technical score amounts to 350 points. Only
candidates who have passed over the minimum qualification criteria and have
accumulated at least 245 points out of maximum 350 under technical evaluation
will qualify for the next stage i.e. evaluation of their financial proposals.
Evaluation of submitted financial offers will be done based
on the following formula: S = Fmin / F * 150
S – score received on financial evaluation;
Fmin – the lowest financial offer out of all the submitted
offers qualified over the technical evaluation round;
F – financial offer under consideration.
The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has
accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring + financial
scoring).
Management arrangements:
The contractor will report to and work under direct
supervision of UN Women Governance & Participation in Public Life
(G&PPL) Programme Analyst and under the overall supervision of the UN Women
Deputy Country Representative.
Financial arrangements:
Payment will be disbursed upon submission and approval of
deliverables and certification by UN Women that the services have been
satisfactorily performed as specified below:
- Deliverable
1 – 30%
- Deliverables
2, 3, 4 – 70%
Application submission package:
- Duly
filled in Personal History Form PHF11 that can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process
- CV;
- Financial
Proposal - lump sum proposal/offer* in USD (including breakdown of this
lump sum amount, indicating all necessary costs to complete this
assignment).
*The applicants are required to submit an aggregated
financial offer: “aggregated financial offer” is the total sum of all financial
claims of the candidate, including travel costs (ticket, DSA etc.) for
accomplishment of all tasks spelled out in this ToR.
How to Submit the Application:
- Download
and complete the UN Women Personal History Form (P11)- https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process
- Merge
your UN Women Personal History Form (P11), CV and the Financial Proposal
into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment
to be uploaded.
- Click
on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement).
- Click
'Apply Now' button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and
then click 'Submit Application;'
- Upload
your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents
(underlined above).
- You
will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your
application by the system.
Notes:
- UN
Women retains the right to contact references directly. Due to the large
numbers of applications we receive, we are able to inform only the
successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection
process.
- Applications
without the financial offer will be treated as incomplete and will not be
considered for further assessment.
- The
individual consultants should take the mandatory learning security course
prior to commencement of assignment– details will follow before the
issuance of contract.
At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and
inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains,
compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender
identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis
covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis
of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.
If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation
in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in
your application.
UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that
is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN
Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of
authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to
adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct
expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference
and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of
academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be
required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)
