National Consultant with technical expertise on social issues to support the informal Women´s Advisory Board (WAB) on Sustainable Peacebuilding

Background

Under the supervision and guidance of the UN Women Programme Officer on Women, Peace and Security, in coordination with UN Women Programme Analyst on WILG and UN Women Moldova senior management, the selected consultant is expected to work closely with WAB members and WAB facilitator to (1) extract, synthetize and substantiate issues faced by women affected by the frozen Transnistrian conflict, in terms of social security and beyond, and based on these (2) formulate concrete proposals of items recommended to be included on the negotiation agenda, at the appropriate level (e.g. Working Group level, or higher),depending on the typology/ magnitude/urgency of the issues voiced by women. The consultant shall develop and provide background, research, analytical data supporting the proposals, to the extent possible.

The recipients of the proposals shall include, but are not limited to: Co-Chairs, members of the relevant Working Groups; the Bureau for Reintegration Policies, OSCE Special Representative for the Transnistrian Settlement Process; Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova; the OSCE mediator in the Transnistria Settlement Process. The Special Representative on Gender of the OSCE Chairpersonship shall be informed, consulted and engaged at the appropriate stages of the process. Other relevant stakeholders may be approached on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with UN Women and relevant actors.

More specifically, the Consultant is expected to:

• Closely monitor the evolutions of the negotiation process to identify gaps and entry points of social nature;
• Jointly with WAB members and the other consultants from the Expert Review Group, develop, test, and validate a standardized Tool for the identification of social issues and beyond.
• Using the Tool, hold in-depth consultations with WAB members to extract/collect the key issues faced by women in the area of social security in the context of the protracted Transnistria conflict;
• Conduct research, analysis to substantiate the identified issues, as appropriate;
• Ensure thematic specific consultation with key stakeholders before validating the final version of a deliverable;
• Formulate concrete proposals/recommendations for the settlement process actors with specific issues/entry points pertaining to social security from gender perspective to be included on the negotiation agenda;
• Validate the respective proposals items with WAB members before these are formally submitted by WAB Secretariat to the relevant settlement process actors. Consult with other parties, as appropriate.
• Lead/support the development of position papers, non-papers, advocacy briefs, other written outputs as relevant;
• Deliver trainings, workshops, hold focus group discussions, participate in meetings/ consultations/events, and support various advocacy efforts as identified jointly with UN Women;
• Perform other relevant tasks, as requested by UN Women for the successful implementation of the assignment.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision and guidance of the UN Women Programme Officer on Women, Peace and Security, in coordination with UN Women Programme Analyst on WILG and UN Women Moldova senior management, the selected consultant is expected to work closely with WAB members and WAB facilitator to (1) extract, synthetize and substantiate issues faced by women affected by the frozen Transnistrian conflict, in terms of social security and beyond, and based on these (2) formulate concrete proposals of items recommended to be included on the negotiation agenda, at the appropriate level (e.g. Working Group level, or higher),depending on the typology/ magnitude/urgency of the issues voiced by women. The consultant shall develop and provide background, research, analytical data supporting the proposals, to the extent possible.

The recipients of the proposals shall include, but are not limited to: Co-Chairs, members of the relevant Working Groups; the Bureau for Reintegration Policies, OSCE Special Representative for the Transnistrian Settlement Process; Head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova; the OSCE mediator in the Transnistria Settlement Process. The Special Representative on Gender of the OSCE Chairpersonship shall be informed, consulted and engaged at the appropriate stages of the process. Other relevant stakeholders may be approached on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with UN Women and relevant actors.

More specifically, the Consultant is expected to:

• Closely monitor the evolutions of the negotiation process to identify gaps and entry points of social nature;
• Jointly with WAB members and the other consultants from the Expert Review Group, develop, test, and validate a standardized Tool for the identification of social issues and beyond.
• Using the Tool, hold in-depth consultations with WAB members to extract/collect the key issues faced by women in the area of social security in the context of the protracted Transnistria conflict;
• Conduct research, analysis to substantiate the identified issues, as appropriate;
• Ensure thematic specific consultation with key stakeholders before validating the final version of a deliverable;
• Formulate concrete proposals/recommendations for the settlement process actors with specific issues/entry points pertaining to social security from gender perspective to be included on the negotiation agenda;
• Validate the respective proposals items with WAB members before these are formally submitted by WAB Secretariat to the relevant settlement process actors. Consult with other parties, as appropriate.
• Lead/support the development of position papers, non-papers, advocacy briefs, other written outputs as relevant;
• Deliver trainings, workshops, hold focus group discussions, participate in meetings/ consultations/events, and support various advocacy efforts as identified jointly with UN Women;
• Perform other relevant tasks, as requested by UN Women for the successful implementation of the assignment.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Integrity
• Professionalism
• Cultural sensitivity and respect for diversity
• Gender sensitiveness and empathy towards women’s rights issues
• Respect for UN principles

Core Competencies:

• Communication
• Planning and Organizing
• Organizational Awareness
• Team working ability
• Accountability
• Leadership

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

• Master’s degree in social sciences, law, gender studies, security studies, other areas relevant for the assignment;
• Additional certifications in one of the areas relevant for the assignment would be an asset.

Experience: 

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in the development/implementation of policy documents/ strategies, laws, projects in areas relevant to the assignment, including from Gender perspective;
• Proven experience in developing research, policies, security-related studies, etc. on social issues, including from gender perspective;
• Track record of cooperation with security sector and/or specific experience related to the Transnistrian settlement process is a strong advantage.
• Strong track record of cooperation with civil society organizations.
• Work experience with international organizations, including UN agencies, will be considered an asset.

Language skills: 

• Excellent verbal and written Romanian and Russian languages. Fluency in English language is required.

Application procedure:

This is a local position; therefore only citizens of the Republic of Moldova are eligible to apply. Applications should be submitted on line and include fully.

Interested individual consultants must submit the following documents/information to demonstrate their qualifications in one single PDF document:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from  https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc);
• Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment, please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment;
• Letter of Intent to include a brief overview of the consultant’s previous experiences makes the candidate the most suitable candidate for the advertised position. It should reflect the above-mentioned required skills and experience.
• Financial proposal – specifying a total lump sum amount for the task specified in Terms of References. The Financial proposal shall include a breakdown of this lump sum amount (daily rate). 
• Applications received after the close date will not be accepted;
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

The United Nations in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply