National Consultant to develop special report on access to social and health services for elderly women living in rural areas

Background

I. 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 Programme Office in Serbia is implementing a three-year Project “Support to Priority Actions for Gender Equality in Serbia II”, funded by the European Commission. The Project supports the Government of the Republic of Serbia in effective implementation of the EU Gender Equality Acquis. UN Women Serbia is implementing the Project, in close cooperation with the Coordination Body for Gender Equality, the Ministry of European Integration, the EU Delegation in Serbia and other partner institutions and women's organizations. Furthermore, the project provides ongoing support to institutions and civil servants in achieving gender equality.

Under the scope of the project UN Women Office in Serbia is supporting the Government’s efforts and provide technical guidance in gender analysis and assessment of selected sector documents, programmes and measures. The aim of the assistance is to provide recommendations and guidelines for the development of gender responsive policies and programs. This means that based on the needs or request from the Government institutions, a review of key public policies from the aspect of gender equality will be undertaken, based on the availability of data and relevance. This will lead to findings and development of recommendations related to the enhancement of the position on women in Serbia.

During 2022, the Office of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Serbia implemented a program Strengthening Economic and Social rights of Elderly Women in rural areas. Through the program, they have produced an extensive analysis of the legal framework that defined the position of elderly women living in rural areas, as well as an analysis of the position and conditions in which elderly women live in the countryside. Also, they have developed an instrument for collecting data on certain social services available to elderly women in rural areas (mainly availability, access and quality of social and health care at home services). The Ombudsman has distributed the developed questionnaires to relevant state and provincial institutions, local self-government units, health centers, licensed providers of social services and civil society organizations so as to collect relevant data on the realization of social and economic rights of elderly women in rural areas (approximately to 400 addressees/potential respondence).

The Office of the Ombudsman reached out to UN Women with the request for providing expert support in processing and analyzing the data collected from the field, which would result in an extensive report with conclusions and recommendations.

II. Objective

The objective of this consultancy assignment is to develop special report on the realization of social and economic rights of elderly women in rural areas examined through the accessibility and quality of social and health services in rural areas in Serbia.

Duties and Responsibilities

III. Duties and Responsibilities

Working under the overall supervision of Project Officer the consultant will be responsible for the following:

Support the Office of the Ombudsman in collecting data and survey responses from approximately 400 respondents (state and provincial institutions, local self-government units, social and health care institutions and civil society),
Analyze the data and prepare an independent report on behalf of the Office of the Ombudsman.

IV. Deliverables and Timeline

Deliverables

Timeframe

Report on survey implementation, overview of the process and data collected

5 June 2023

Draft report on access to social and health services for elderly women living in rural areas (in Serbian)

30 June 2023

Final report on access to social and health services for elderly women living in rural areas (in Serbian)

15 July 2023

Competencies

V. Competences and Qualifications

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

Functional Competencies:

Experience in the field of gender equality and women's rights issues.
Experience in preparing publications on gender-related issues.
Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively, and creatively with a broad range of stakeholders.
Very good communication, presentation, and advocacy skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Academic Qualifications:

Master’s degree in sociology, psychology, humanitarian, or gender studies required. PhD would be considered as an advantage.

Experience:

Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in preparing publications, professional papers and analysis,
Minimum of 3 years of experience in the field of gender equality,
Experience in development of at least one similar report in terms or methodology and complexity,
Previous experience in collaboration with national institutions and/or independent state bodies is required.

Language:

Fluency in written and spoken English and Serbian language (written and oral).

Application procedure:

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

P11 with past experience in similar assignments; can be downloaded at https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc , a signed copy should be submitted.
Financial Proposal Specifying a total lump sum amount for the tasks specified in this Terms of Reference can be downloaded from the following link: https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-07/confirmation.docx . The financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (daily rate and number of anticipated working days and any other possible costs).

In order to apply please merge your P11 and the financial proposal into a single PDF file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded.

Any request for clarification must be sent by standard electronic communication to the e-mail info.serbia@unwomen.org

Evaluation of applicants:

Consultants will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of qualifications and financial proposal. 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 below defined technical and financial criteria.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.

Evaluation Criteria

Max points

TECHNICAL EVALUATION (70%)

Language Requirements

Fluency in written and spoken English and Serbian.

REQUIRED

Education

Mater’s degree in sociology, psychology, humanitarian, or gender studies required.

PhD would be considered as an advantage.

10

0: without relevant degree

10: master’s degree

Professional Experience

Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in preparing publications, professional papers and analysis

20

0: less than 5 years of experience 15: 5 years of experience

20: more than 5 years of experience

Minimum of 3 years of experience in the field of gender equality

20

0: without experience

15: 3 years of experience

20: more than 3 years of experience

Expirience in development of at least one similar report in terms or methodology and complexity

15

0: without experience

10: one similar report developed

15: more than 1 report

Previous expirience in collaboration with national institution and/or independent state bodies is required

5

0: without experience

5: proven expirience

Total technical

70

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, colour, 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.)