Local Expert in Gender Responsive Budgeting

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 centre 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.

Over the past years, UN Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina has provided support to national and local stakeholders in strengthening democratic governance and advancing women’s rights through initiatives aimed at mainstreaming gender in policy planning and budgeting. Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) has been identified as an important tool for advancing gender equality in key national documents, in accordance with the existing BiH national policy documents on social inclusion and gender equality. In accordance with government priorities stated in the national and local plans and strategies, UN Women has been supporting government efforts in using GRB as a tool to advance gender equality and ensure that women’s needs are incorporated in policies and related budgets. The expected long-term result of these initiatives is the incorporation of gender equality principles, perspectives and priorities not only in policy making, but also in budgeting at the national and local levels, leading to greater accountability and transparency of public finances.

In order to strengthen the work hitherto done and ensure sustainability of the interventions on GRB, UN Women has initiated a regional programme with participation of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Serbia and North Macedonia on “Transformative Financing for Gender Equality towards more Transparent, Inclusive and Accountable Governance in the Western Balkans” (2020-2024) funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation. The main programme approach will be transformative financing as an enabling factor for policy and financing actions to accelerate implementation of existing national and international commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment. Furthermore, the work in this regard is also implemented through support to sustainable development agenda of the country as many aspects of governance and economic development are addressed in national policy, planning, budgeting, and accountability frameworks. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the project includes activities focused on enhancing the institutionalization of GRB at central and local level.

*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.

The local level component covers total of 12 local self-government units in the country, that have piloted and implemented gender responsive budgeting initiatives. The cooperation with those LGUs will continue, focused on upscaling the proven approaches in mainstreaming gender in sectoral programmes through gender analysis, introduction of gender specific objectives and measures, and monitoring progress and impact on lives of women and men. To support these LGUs to mainstream gender in sectoral programmes and to introduce gender specific objectives and measures that help the monitoring process and impact at local level, UN Women is seeking to recruit two local experts that will provide capacity development and gender responsive budgeting mentoring support to the LGUs.

Objective and scope of work

The objective of the assignment is to strengthen the capacities of the local administration and municipal/city council members on gender responsive programme planning and budgeting. More specifically, the aim is to further strengthen the capacities of local administration of the 12 LGUs that have already been exposed to GRB capacity development and/or have implemented GRB initiatives and have undertaken specific measures to engender their local programming and budgeting. UN Women will support this by assisting the local administration to analyse specific local programmes and budgets and develop gender specific measures and indicators, as well as by mentoring the local councillors to review local policies from a gender perspective.

With this TOR, UN Women is seeking to hire two local experts to provide expert, training and mentoring services on gender responsive budgeting. The consultants will be responsible for delivering expert training and mentoring services to 12 municipalities that have already piloted GRB initiatives and have the basic capacities and skills to mainstream gender in policies and programmes. Each expert will cover a total of 6 LGUs.

The team of experts will work under guidance and supervision of UN Women Governance and Leadership Coordinator who will ensure operational and logistical support and ensure the work between the experts is synchronized and well-coordinated.

Duties and Responsibilities

Based on the above-described objectives of the assignment, under the supervision of UN Women Governance and Leadership Coordinator and in close collaboration with UN Women Gender Responsive Governance programme team, the two local experts are expected to undertake the following tasks and responsibilities:

Desk-review of findings of relevant programme analyses conducted in the framework of the project, training evaluations and other materials on gender mainstreaming and gender responsive budgeting to inform their work on the assignment;
Conduct initial unified capacity needs assessment in the targeted municipalities for the purposes of designing tailored training and mentoring approach;
Develop and deliver standard orientation programme for capacity building of local administration and members of municipal councils and commissions for equal opportunities to introduce the objectives of the local level training and mentoring on GRB;
Provide mentoring support to 12 LGUs that have implemented GRB and have undertaken specific measures to engender their local programming and budgeting through tailored interventions based on the needs and capacities of each municipality, develop local action plans and/or strategies on gender equality;
Deliver training in gender responsive budgeting and results-based management to public officials from targeted departments of the 12 LGUs, local commissions for equal opportunities between women and men/gender equality commissions, and commissions for budget and finance;
Facilitate ex-ante and ex-post training evaluation aligned with measurable indicators in consultations with the Governance and Leadership Coordinator:
Develop a check-list to monitor and track progress and results achieved at local level, including documenting good practices;
Extend expert support and training services to the associations of municipalities and cities in FBiH and RS by developing a training and mentoring programme on gender responsive budgeting for the needs of their training activities;
Facilitate exchange of good practices and lessons learned among local level policy and budget makers by participating and facilitating thematic roundtables and thematic events on GRB;
Participate in introductory session and regular preparatory and coordination meetings with UN Women and other consultants throughout the assignment;
Provide the Governance and Leadership Coordinator with regular updates on the progress of implementation of the assignment for the final report on the assignment;
Facilitate workshops with participation of public officials from different municipalities to exchange experiences and learn from each other;
Support LGUs with gender analyses of one policy/area (at least one per municipality) which will have a specific budget allocation from the LGUs budget;
Prepare quarterly progress reports summarizing results (changes in capacities, engendered local programmes and budgets, lessons learned, recommendations and pictures from the activities);
Prepare individual reports on the assignment.

Deliverables and timeframe

The local experts will each be expected to complete the below tasks within the indicative timeframe

No.

Tasks

Deliverables

Indicative number of consulting days per consultant

Due dates

1

Prepare a detailed plan for the assignment

Work plan for the assignment developed and approved by UN Women
Internal and external consultations to inform selection of LGUs conducted and 1 page brief with conclusions approved by UN Women

3

1 AUG 2022

2

Conduct initial capacity needs assessment (in 6 selected municipalities and in coordination with the other experts)

Training needs assessment report with identification of capacity needs and interventions produced and approved by UN Women
Training and mentoring plan for 12 LGUs developed jointly with the second expert and approved by UN Women

5

15 AUG 2022

3

Desk review of relevant analyses, training materials, training evaluations and local actions plans on GE

Detailed outline of the training and mentoring programme and proposed exercises developed and approved by UN Women

4

30 AUG 2022

4

Develop and deliver standard orientation programme to 6 LGUs (in coordination with the other experts)

Training programme with exercises and handouts delivered for selected municipalities

7

30 SEP 2022

5

Develop training programme and materials for training and mentoring of 6 LGUs and deliver two advanced training sessions

Training Agenda, detailed training and mentoring programme with exercises and handouts delivered following approval of UN Women
Pre/post training evaluation questionnaires approved by UN Women, final analysis of the evaluations submitted to UN Women

4

31 OCT 2022

6

Develop detailed technical assistance plan and deliver continued mentoring support to the 6 LGUs

Technical assistance plan with specified activity timetable and expected results developed and approved by UN Women
Quarterly progress updates on the mentoring work and results submitted and approved by UN Women

40

(with regular quarterly updates until 30 JUN 2023)

Mentoring plan by 31 OCT 2022

Mentoring delivered by 30 JUN 2023

7

Support LGUs with gender analyses of one policy/area (at least one per municipality) which will have a specific budget allocation from the LGUs budget

Policy areas and methodology for gender analysis discussed with each of the 6 LGUs and UN Women and a concept note for each developed and approved by UN Women
Gender analysis report for each of the 6 LGUs produced and approved by UN Women, and validated by respective LGUs

20

10 APR 2023

7

Monitor and track progress in engendering local level programs and/or development of new action plans/local strategies

A check-list and reporting template developed and approved by UN Women
Consolidated inputs to G&L Coordinator on the results of the training and mentoring work

7

(with regular quarterly updates until 30 JUN 2023)

30 JUN 2023

8

Extend expert support and training services to associations of cities and municipalities

Training Agenda, detailed training programme with exercises and handouts prepared and training delivered following approval of UN Women
Pre/post training evaluation questionnaires approved by UN Women, final analysis of the evaluations submitted to UN Women

4

15 SEP 2023

9

Preparing progress reports summarizing results (changes in capacities, engendered local programmes and budgets, lessons learned and recommendations)

Consolidated inputs to the progress reports and the final joint report of the team of experts (to be compiled equally by the two selected consultants)

3

31 OCT 2023

10

Reporting

Final individual report with specific information on the results achieved, challenges and opportunities in English (max. 3 pages)

3

15 NOV 2023

Total

100

25 NOV 2023

Any envisaged travel and accommodation costs should be covered by the consultant.

Competencies

Core Values/guiding principles:

Integrity - Demonstrate 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 Consultant knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.
Cultural sensitivity and respect for diversity - Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Additionally, the individual should have an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Planning & Organizing – Develops clear goals in line with agreed strategies, identifies priorities, foresees risks and makes allowances accordingly.
Organizational Awareness - Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
Teamwork - Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.
Accountability – Takes ownership of all responsibilities and delivers outputs in accordance with agreed time, cost and quality standards.

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:

Knowledge Management and Learning

Shares knowledge and experience
Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside UN Women
Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas, acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
Development and Operational Effectiveness
Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication skills. Communicates sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies
Demonstrates very good understanding of and experience in communications and outreach/advocacy
Ability to perform a variety of standard specialized and non-specialized tasks and work processes that are fully documented, researched, recorded and reported
Ability to review a variety of data, identify and adjust discrepancies, identify and resolve operational problems
Uses Information Technology effectively as a tool and resource

Leadership and Self-Management

Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback
Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
Proven networking skills and ability to generate interest in UN Women’s mandate
Identifies opportunities and builds strong partnerships with clients and partners

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

Master’s degree in public administration, social studies, development studies, gender studies, international relations, or any other degree relevant to the requirements of the TOR. Bachelor’s degree in the relevant field is acceptable in lieu of a master’s degree with additional 2 years of experience.

Experience:

A minimum of 5 years of demonstrated professional experience in the area of gender equality with focus on gender responsive budgeting and/or public policy and budget monitoring
Previous experience in designing and delivering training and/or mentoring programmes on gender equality and gender mainstreaming in policy making and budgeting
Experience and knowledge on local policy and budget development process in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Previous experience working with international organizations would be considered as an asset

Language

Fluency in BCS and English is required

Evaluation of applicants

UN Women applies a fair and transparent selection process that takes into account both the technical qualification of potential consultants as well as the financial proposals submitted in support of consultant applications. Candidate applications will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of applicant experience, qualifications and a financial proposal. The contract will be awarded to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

responsive/compliant/acceptable,
and having received the highest score out of technical and financial criteria defined below.

Based on a desk technical evaluation, only candidates receiving a minimum of 50 points in the technical evaluation will be considered for financial evaluation and validation interview.

Criteria:

Technical Evaluation (70%) – 70 points

Master’s degree in public administration, social studies, development studies, gender studies, international relations, or any other degree relevant to the requirements of the TOR. Bachelor’s degree in the relevant field is acceptable in lieu of a master’s degree with additional 2 years of experience. – SATISFACTORY/UNSATISFACTORY
A minimum of 5 years of demonstrated professional experience in the area of gender equality with focus on gender responsive budgeting and/or public policy and budget monitoring – 20 points
Previous experience in designing and delivering training and/or mentoring programmes on gender equality and gender mainstreaming in policy making and budgeting – 20 points
Experience and knowledge on local policy and budget development process in Bosnia and Herzegovina – 20 points
Previous experience working with international organizations would be considered as an asset – 10 points
Fluency in BCS and English is required – SATISFACTORY/UNSATISFACTORY

Financial Evaluation (30%) – 30 points

Evaluation of submitted financial offers will be done based on the following formula: S = Fmin / F * 30

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 the consideration.