International Gender Statistics Consultant for the Rural Development Agency of Georgia

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 in Georgia supports state and non-state partners towards the achievement of substantive gender equality in Georgia. In line with national and international commitments, UN Women works on the levels of policies and legislation, institutions, and grassroots, in order to achieve transformative results for increased gender equality and greater protection of the rights of women and girls.

UN Women Georgia is implementing the Women’s Economic Empowerment in the South Caucasus (WEESC) Project with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC). The overarching goal of the project is to ensure that women, particularly the poor and socially excluded, in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia are economically empowered and participate in relevant decision-making. To reach this goal, WEESC applies a holistic approach, enabling linked interventions at three levels: grassroots, policies and legislation, and institutions.  The chosen approach and the implementation of the WEE agenda in the South Caucasus during WEESC Phase I (2018-2021) served as a catalyst for action at all levels and supported the state and non-state partners to enhance progress towards the achievement of substantive gender equality in all three countries. In August 2021, UN Women started implementing the second main phase (2021-2024) of the WEESC project, which aims to leverage UN Women and its partners’ joint results in Phase I and further prioritize alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia with a view to improving the three countries’ progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals as well as the compliance to their international human rights commitments under CEDAW and other legal instruments, particularly in terms of equitable economic development and addressing women’s rights.

In the scope of WEESC, UN Women has been actively cooperating with government, public and non-governmental institutions to ensure that they are strengthened to develop and deliver gender-responsive programmes, policies and services for women’s economic empowerment in Armenia and Georgia. This cooperation involves partnership with the Rural Development Agency (RDA) of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture (MEPA) of Georgia.

The Rural Development Agency implements and manages programs/projects initiated by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia[1]. The Agency was established in 2012 in order to promote rural development in Georgia and to increase the well-being of rural residents by delivering required resources in most effective and correct ways.

The long-standing cooperation of UN Women and RDA includes, but is not limited to, a Gender Impact Assessment (GIA) of RDA’s largest programme “Plant the Future”[2], the findings of which have influenced the first pilot state programme targeting small landowner rural women to establish greenhouses, which was launched in 2022 with UN Women support.

One of the most recent activities under WEESC Phase II was supporting RDA to initiate the "Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan 2022-2024." According to the mentioned strategy and action plan, one of the tasks of the RDA is to develop and implement a system for the regular collection and utilization of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data which will enable the Agency to conduct gender-responsive evaluations of its programs. For this purpose, UN Women intends to hire an International Consultant to respond to the following objectives:

• To conduct reviews of the activities and consultations related to the collection and use of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data within the Rural Development Agency of Georgia.
• To develop comprehensive solutions and tools for the Rural Development Agency to facilitate the regular collection and use of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data and gender indicators. (This can primarily be done for programs targeting individual beneficiaries, but also can include a review of programs covering businesses, identifying possibilities for the collection and use of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data).
• To provide technical support to the Rural Development Agency in implementing the proposed solutions and tools.

All activities have to be implemented with close coordination with the Rural Development Agency and UN Women.

[1] https://www.rda.gov.ge/en

https://www.rda.gov.ge/en/programs

[2] https://georgia.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2022/11/gender-impact-assessment-of-the-state-programme-plant-the-future

Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the International Consultant are:

• Conduct an inception meeting with representatives of the Rural Development Agency and deliver a presentation that explains the necessity and rationale for incorporating gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data, gender indicators, and their use in the decision-making process.
• Assess the current state at the Rural Development Agency for the collection and use of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data, gender indicators and identify shortcomings.
• Based on the assessment propose detailed solutions for the Rural Development Agency regarding the collection and use of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data, develop gender indicators, data collection tools, and define data sources for the Rural Development Agency. (This can primarily be done for programs targeting individual beneficiaries, but also can include a review of programs covering businesses, identifying possibilities for the collection and use of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data).
• Conduct consultations and validation workshops with the Rural Development Agency, to validate the proposed solutions.
• Based on the consultations and validation workshops, produce the final product for the Rural Development Agency, including a detailed list of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data, gender indicators, data collection tools, data sources, and their utilization in decision-making processes.
• Provide training and coaching sessions for the Rural Development Agency to support the Agency to implement the proposed solutions.

Deliverables:

• Deliverable 1: A detailed work plan in English language by 12 January, 2024 (0.5 working days)
• Deliverable 2: An inception meeting with representatives of the Rural Development Agency and a presentation explaining the necessity and rationale for incorporating gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data, gender indicators, and their utilization in the decision-making process by 25 January, 2024 (1 working day)
• Deliverable 3: A report assessing the Rural Development Agency's current state for gathering and analyzing gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data, current shortcomings, and the framework document providing detailed solutions for the Agency to collect gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data, defining data collection tools, data sources, developing gender indicators, and their integration into decision-making processes by 29 February, 2024 (9 working days)

Specifically, the report and the framework document should include:

• An assessment of the current state at the Rural Development Agency regarding the gathering and usage of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data.
• A detailed list of recommended gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data for the Rural Development Agency to collect.
• A detailed list of recommended gender indicators for the Rural Development Agency to have.
• Recommended data collection tools and data sources for the Rural Development Agency to collect gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data and to develop gender indicators.
• Identification of areas in which the Rural Development Agency can utilize the gender statistics and indicators.

(The work has to be implemented with close coordination with the Rural Development Agency and UN Women.)

• Deliverable 4: A validation workshop with the Rural Development Agency to discuss the proposed gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data, gender indicators, data collection tools, data sources, and their utilization in decision-making processes informed by the findings of the assessment by 8 March, 2024 (1 working days)
• Deliverable 5: The final product (the final framework document) for the Rural Development Agency, including a detailed list of gender statistics and sex-disaggregated data, gender indicators, data collection tools, data sources, and their utilization in decision-making processes by 22 March, 2024 (2 working days)
• Deliverable 6: Training and coaching sessions for the Rural Development Agency to support the implementation of proposed solutions by 25 April, 2024 (4.5 working days)

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

• Proven experience in secondary and primary research
• Proven experience in gender statistics collection and analysis
• Familiar with human rights terminology
• IT literacy
• Flexibility 

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

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in social sciences, statistics, economics, agricultural economics, or in another relevant field (PhD will be an advantage).

Experience: 

• At least five (5) years of relevant professional experience in gender statistics and data production, dissemination and use supporting government institutions preferably in the agriculture and/or rural development sector.
• At least three (3) years of relevant professional experience in delivering trainings, coaching and other capacity building activities would be an asset.
• Good understanding and proven knowledge of gender mainstreaming principles.
• Excellent writing skills with demonstrated ability of producing high-quality reports or publications, preferably in the area of gender statistics.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English.

Evaluation Procedure:

The candidates will be evaluated in three stages: according to minimum qualification criteria; technical and financial evaluation.

The candidates must possess following minimum qualification criteria to be eligible for further technical evaluation:

• Master’s degree in social sciences, statistics, economics, agricultural economics, or in another relevant field (PhD will be an advantage)
• At least five (5) years of relevant professional experience in gender statistics and data production, dissemination and use supporting government institutions preferably in the agriculture and/or rural development sector
• Fluency in written and spoken English

The candidates will be evaluated in three stages: according to minimum qualification criteria followed by technical and financial evaluation.

Technical evaluation criteria (including minimum qualifications):

• Master’s degree in social sciences, statistics, economics, agricultural economics, or in another relevant field (PhD will be an advantage) (max 60 points)
• At least five (5) years of relevant professional experience in gender statistics and data production, dissemination and use supporting government institutions preferably in the agriculture and/or rural development sector (max 100 points)
• At least three (3) years of relevant professional experience in delivering trainings, coaching and other capacity building activities would be an asset (max 60 points)
• Good understanding and proved knowledge of gender mainstreaming principles (max 40 points)
• Excellent writing skills with demonstrated ability of producing high-quality reports or publications, preferably in the area of gender statistics (max 50 points)
• Fluency in written and spoken English (max 40 points)

Maximum total technical score amounts to 350 points. Only candidates who have passed over the minimum qualification criteria and have accumulated at least 245 points out of maximum 350 under technical evaluation will qualify for the next stage i.e. evaluation of their financial proposals.

Evaluation of submitted financial offers will be done based on the following formula: S = Fmin / F * 150

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 consideration.

The winning candidate will be the candidate, who has accumulated the highest aggregated score (technical scoring + financial scoring).

Management arrangements:

The contractor will report to and work under direct supervision of the UN Women Project Analyst and/or Programme Analyst.

Financial arrangements:

Payment will be disbursed upon submission of required deliverables and the approval of deliverables by UN Women Project Analyst and/or Programme Analyst that the services have been satisfactory and timely performed, as specified below:

Deliverables: 1,2,3,4,5 (13.5 working days) – 75%

Deliverables 6 (4.5 working days) - 25%

Application submission package:

• CV;
• Duly filled Personal History Form PHF11 that can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process
• Samples (at least 2) of previous work completed, similar to this assignment (if available)
• Financial Proposal - lump sum proposal/offer* in USD: (including breakdown of this lump sum amount indicating all necessary costs to complete this assignment).

*The applicants are required to submit an aggregated financial offer: “aggregated financial offer” is the total sum of all financial claims of the candidate, including travel costs (ticket, DSA etc.) for accomplishment of all tasks spelled out in this ToR.

   Only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

How to Submit the Application:

• Download and complete the UN Women Personal History Form (P11)- https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process
• Merge your UN Women Personal History Form (P11), CV, samples of previous work and the Financial Proposal into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded.
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement).
• Click 'Apply Now' button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click 'Submit Application;
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above).
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

Notes:

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.)