International consultant to take the role of Master of Ceremony of the Launch Event of the Research: The dark side of digitalization: Addressing technology-facilitated violence against women in Eastern Europe and Central Asia In the framework of the 16 D

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; the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development; human rights; as well as humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women Europe and Central Asia Regional Office cover 12 countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo[1], Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Ukraine). UN Women ECARO works on analysis, research, and knowledge management that provides the evidence base to UN Women country and regional office on gender equality, women's empowerment and violence against women and girls, and positive social norms.

In line with the UN Women’s commitment to end violence against women, as emphasized in the Strategic plan 2021-2025, the UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia has implemented comprehensive research on technology facilitated violence against women (TF VAW) in 13 countries of the ECA region: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo,[2] Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Türkiye, and Ukraine.  Moreover, the research aims to pave the way for a safer digital environment for women and girls in the region by urging all relevant stakeholders to invest to prevent technology-facilitated violence against women but also to equip policymakers, CSOs, and the public with the knowledge and tools needed to effectively prevent and address TF VAW.

The campaign is rooted in the action-oriented research “The dark side of digitalization: Technology-facilitated violence against women in Eastern Europe and Central Asia” and it will be launched  on 29th of November and will convene more than 400 stakeholders from the region and beyond. The event will be organized by UN Women and co-convened with the Generation Equality Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence and the Action Coalition on Technology and Innovation, and committers to be confirmed.  

The event will;

• present the findings of the recommendations of the research;
• invite stakeholders/informants who participated in this exercise to discuss offer their insights on the research (rep national machinery, rep police, rep CSOs, rep Ombudsperson office, etc.); and
• discuss what is next to address technology-facilitated violence against women and , sharing their perspectives and proposed policy responses to prevent and address online violence against women (members of the Technical Advisory Board and others). 

Within this context, the UN Women ECA Regional Office is seeking to engage a high skilled journalist and moderator for the launch event with on 29  November 2023.

[1] For the European Union, this designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence. For UN Women, references to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).

[2] References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).

Duties and Responsibilities

The primary purpose of this consultancy is to act as a master of ceremony to ensure a successful, well-presented and hosted event.

Under the supervision of the Programme Specialist, UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECA), the tasks of the consultant will include, but will not be necessarily limited to the following:

• Liaise with the UN Women to ensure proper preparations ahead of time and smooth running of the event;
• Familiarize with the any logistics and technical issues of the launch event as needed;
• Develop a script together with UN Women to support the moderator’s role;
• Implement the agenda of the event and ensure that the various sections of the event start and ends on time;
• Ensure the effective management of time for the event while keeping the event on track with honour and respect;
• Keep the event running on time while making it look easy;
• Announce and provide a description of/instructions for each aspect of the event (opening, panel sessions, etc.);
• Prepare brief topical remarks on the content of key presentations to share upon their conclusion; To follow up speakers’ presentations and speeches with two or three takeaways that would make the facilitator look competent in the subject and active listener;
• Have a mastery of the components of the event, from start to finish, with estimations of time, roles, functions, and notes concerning responsibility;
• Participate in online rehearsals;
• Ensure that the presenters and special guests are present and ready for and during the different sessions;
• Creatively communicate messages of the event, both planned and ad-hoc (best practices, show cases, messages from beneficiaries, etc.);
• Cooperate with the UN Women team as needed.

Deliverable	Review and Approvals Required
A fully moderated and facilitated launch event	Programme Specialist UN Women ECA Regional Office

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Programme Specialist, UN Women ECA Regional Office, the consultant shall serve as an active Moderator (Master of Ceremony) of the launch event.

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

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent moderation and negotiating skills;
• Ability to analyse and capture the essence of discussion;
• Good communication skills, written and oral;
• Ability to plan and prioritise, and to work under pressure.

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:	A post-graduate university degree or equivalent in Public Relations, English Language or Literature, Communications, Journalism or Creative Writing and/or in a relevant field.
Experience:	A minimum of five years of experience in chairing/moderating/facilitating sessions in international forums and conferences; Proven experience in chairing/moderating in-person and online international events including UN events, preferably in the field of gender equality and/or ending violence against women; Experience in engaging with governments, civil society organizations and international development partners; Good knowledge of gender equality and women's rights issues is highly desirable; Familiarity with the stakeholders and events of the Regional EVAW Programme is highly desirable.
Language Requirements:	Fluency in English required (written and oral).

Application procedure

The following documents should be submitted as part of the application:

• Financial Proposal specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this Terms of Reference.
• P11 (and CV) including experience in similar assignments; can be downloaded at http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment, a signed copy should be submitted with the application.

Candidates should have the ability to quickly gather degree certificates and medical certification (of good health) should they be short-listed in consideration of the consultancy post.

Payment schedule

The consultant will be paid in USD on lump sum basis upon the successful completion and acceptance of the deliverable by UN Women Regional Programme Manager.

Evaluation of applicants

Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants' qualifications and financial proposal. 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 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.

Criteria	Total points	Max. Points
Technical Evaluation (70%)	70
A post-graduate university degree or equivalent in Public Relations, English Language or Literature, Communications, Journalism or Creative Writing and/or in a relevant field.		5
A minimum of five years of experience in chairing/moderating sessions in international forums and conferences		20
Experience in chairing/moderating online international events including UN events in the field of gender equality and/or ending violence against women		10
Experience in engaging with governments, civil society organizations and international development partners		5
Good knowledge of gender equality and women's rights issues is highly desirable.		10
Familiarity with the stakeholders and events of the Regional EVAW Programme is highly desirable.		10
Functional competencies required		10
Financial Evaluation (30%)	30
TOTAL	100

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

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.)