National Consultant to Support the Secretariat for European Affairs and the Sector Working Group Justice on Gender Mainstreaming

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 (GE) and gender mainstreaming translate into action globally. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Progress of North Macedonia in recent years respecting and promoting gender equality is highlighted in a series of international commitments and in national legal and policy frameworks. The main achievements in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment reside in the country’s institutional capacity development for the work on gender equality. The legal provisions guaranteeing women’s rights and gender equality are largely in place – the Law of Equal Opportunities of Women and Men, the Election Law amendment instituting quotas, the Action Plan for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 (2020-2025), and the ratification of the Istanbul Convention are normative achievements that influence the institutional practice in promoting gender equality in North Macedonia.

However, gaps in policy development and slow implementation of the adopted legislation are important structural obstacles to achieving gender equality. Improvements are needed in both strengthening institutional capacities and enhancing cooperation between the gender mechanisms, the key ministries and civil society organizations in order to increase gender mainstreaming in all aspect of government work - primarily policy development and budgeting - as the means for achieving gender equality.

The Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III) presents a solid policy-driven approach, with strategic and dynamic deployment of assistance, putting the fundamental requirements for EU membership at the core of the instrument. It identifies six thematic windows as facets of the EU policy for enlargement, interlinked in a complementary manner, with several cross-cutting themes, such as gender equality and the rights-based approach, to be mainstreamed.

The SIDA-funded project “Gender Equality Facility” (GEF) aims at supporting the Government of North Macedonia in transposing the EU Gender Equality acquis, strengthening the effective implementation of national and international legal frameworks on gender equality and women’s rights, mainstreaming gender equality into EU integration and planning processes for pre-accession assistance, and strengthening institutional mechanisms for gender equality in line with EU standards. The intervention will also address challenges in implementation of laws and gender equality policies by providing support for enhancing coordination and monitoring of gender equality policies and measures. In the medium to longer-term, and in line with the EU Gender Equality Strategy 2020-2025 and the Principles of the EU Gender Action Plan III (2021-2025), the Project aims to secure implementation/application of gender equality legislation, policies and standards through policy dialogue, technical expertise and guidance, development and sharing of good practice, and strategic partnerships and cooperation.

Main partners of the Project are the Secretariat for European Affairs (SEA, the main project beneficiary), Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) structures, the Equal Opportunities Department at the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP), and National Gender Machinery officers.

The UN Women Office in North Macedonia is seeking the services of an experienced national consultant to provide support to the managerial, operational, and human resources of the Secretariat for European Affairs (SEA), with specific focus on gender mainstreaming in the Sector Working Group (SWG) on Justice.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women North Macedonia GEF Project Manager, and direct supervision of the GEF Coordinator for Output 1, the National Consultant will provide substantive input, guidance, and technical support on gender mainstreaming and EU integration to the SWG on Justice, which will include the following tasks:

Coordinate closely with the UN Women’s GEF Project Team and Coordinator for Output 1, the Head of Office as applicable, the Secretariat for European Affairs, the International Consultant to Support the Secretariat for European Affairs and the Sector Working Group on Justice in Gender Mainstreaming (as relevant), the relevant IPA Departments/Units in the line Ministries, relevant IPA Coordinator/s, and members of the SWG on Justice;
Provide expert advice on EU-aligned gender mainstreaming in the scope of the work of the SWG on Justice to SEA and the relevant IPA Coordinator, through the UN Women Office in North Macedonia, and troubleshoot as needed, incorporating national gender equality legislation, EU sector-specific gender mainstreaming Guidance for the justice sector, the use of sex-disaggregated data and gender statistics, reflection of women’s entitlements, rights and needs, EU Gender Equality Law, relevant Thematic Objectives of the EU Gender Action Plan III (2021-2025), and IPA III regulations;
Maintain communication and good working relations with designated staff of the SEA;
Conduct consultations with SEA and the members of the SWG on Justice on possibilities, modalities and procedures for gender mainstreaming;
Contribute to and provide comments/suggestions on (draft) documents of the SWG on Justice, such as rules and procedures, plans and strategies (such as documents related to the judiciary, citizenship, civic justice, civil rights, criminal justice, anti-corruption, rule of law, human rights and freedoms, anti-discrimination, access to justice, among others), reports, briefings, background papers, summaries, knowledge products, and similar;
Contribute to and provide comments/suggestions related to gender mainstreaming in the annual revision of activities and results envisaged in the National Programme for the Adoption of the Acquis, 2021-2025, relevant to the scope of work of the justice area;
Regularly and actively participate in meetings of the SWG on Justice, and support the SWG Coordinator to ensure consistent gender mainstreaming throughout the scope of work of the SWG on Justice;
Strategically advise on planning, meetings, and milestones of the work of the SWG on Justice;
Support with technical advice the SWG on Justice, in achieving results on gender equality related to the thematic justice focus area in the EU accession processes;
Identify gender training needs of government representatives engaging in the justice sector;
Identify and document good practices, technical expertise and strategic opportunities for promoting gender equality in the justice sector and in the context of EU integration; Suggest concrete measures and propose measurable indicators;
Liaise with relevant technical staff of the EU Delegation in the country and with other supporting parties, as requested by the Project Manager and Coordinator for Output 1, in agreement with the UN Women Head of Office;
Participate in and contribute to capacity development activities undertaken by the GEF Project as per the GEF Work Plan;

Throughout the assignment, the National Consultant is expected to:

Maintain close contact with the GEF Coordinator for Output 1 and the GEF Project Manager;
Provide regular briefings, status updates/reports, following an agreed timeframe;
Liaise and coordinate with the UN Women GEF International Senior Gender Mainstreaming and EU Integration Consultant, and as relevant, with the International Consultant to Support the Secretariat for European Affairs and the Sector Working Group “Justice” on Gender Mainstreaming;
Perform any other duty related to this ToR as assigned by the UN Women GEF Project Manager and Coordinator for Output 1, in agreement with the Head of Office.

Expected deliverables

Deliverables

Indicative Days

Timeframe

1

Consult and coordinate with the GEF Project Manager and Head of Office in conducting an initial meeting with relevant SEA and/or representatives of the SWG on Justice, including production of minutes of the meeting

1

Within 2 weeks of start of the consultancy

2

First (tentative) Workplan of the consultancy, discussed with the GEF Coordinator for Output 1 and approved by the Project Manager

1

Within 2 weeks of start of the consultancy

3

Bi-monthly review and update of Workplan, list of Deliverables and tasks performed

5

The deadline of submission for each assignment will be indicated with the instructions for each assignment.

4

Gender review of, and contribution to, strategic documents of importance for SEA/SWG on Justice, in agreement with the UN Women Office in Skopje.

Guidelines on gender mainstreaming in competition and innovation sector based on the recommendations from the gender gap analysis conducted by the international expert

Up to 40

The deadline of submission for each assignment will be indicated with the instructions for each assignment.

5

Participation in, and contribution to, strategic meetings, consultations, training sessions, and similar in collaboration with SEA, the SWG on Justice, IPA-related structures; submission of mission reports to the UN Women Office in Skopje, as relevant.

Up to 22

The deadline of submission for each assignment will be indicated with the instructions for each assignment.

6

Final report with indication of key achievements, deliverables, and recommended follow-up action.

1

Two weeks prior to the end of the contract

Total

70

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:

Proven record of advanced knowledge on gender equality/gender mainstreaming;
Excellent ability to review strategic documents from a gender perspective;
Proven research, analytical and report writing skills;
Excellent writing skills in English;
Ability to work in coordination with multiple stakeholders;
Ability to analytically review and consolidate documents from varying sources;
Ability to lead and coordinate teams;
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
Excellent analytical skills and strong writing and editing skill (Macedonian and English).

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

Advanced university degree (minimum master’s degree or equivalent) in legal studies, human rights, anti-corruption, gender studies, social sciences, development studies, or areas related or relevant to the requirements of the ToR;
A University Degree (Bachelor’s degree / first level) in legal studies, human rights, anti-corruption, gender studies, social sciences, development studies, or areas related or relevant to the requirements of the ToR, with a combination of two additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

At least 5 years of work experience in the areas of judiciary, citizenship, civic justice, civil rights, transitional justice, criminal justice, anti-corruption, rule of law, human rights and freedoms, and related fields, including analytical and research experience;
A minimum of 3 years of engagement in gender analysis and gender mainstreaming at the level of policy review and programming in the areas of judiciary, citizenship, civic justice, civil rights, criminal justice, anti-corruption, rule of law, human rights and freedoms, anti-discrimination, access to justice, and related fields;
At least 3 years of practical experience in donor-funded reform projects in the EU (pre-) accession context that encompass support to the alignment of the national legal and policy framework with international obligations on women’s rights and gender equality as well as with EU Gender Equality Law;
Previous engagement in supporting justice reform and/or EU approximation projects in North Macedonia/the countries of the Western Balkans, implemented in direct collaboration with government, will be considered an asset;
Proof of solid skills in coaching, facilitation and institutional capacity development with government is considered an asset;
Previous experience with international development organizations, EU Delegations, and/or the United Nations is considered an advantage.

Language requirement:

Fluency in Macedonian and English (written and spoken)

Other skills:

Good computer skills in the Windows environment, knowledge of internet communication and command of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Power Point), Zoom and MS Teams.