DirecciónBackground
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.
The Government of Albania has made national and international commitments to advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women in many different socio-economic aspects. Several international conventions and platforms, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform for Action, demonstrate Albania’s commitment to the realization of women’s rights and the achievement of gender equality and SDGs as women’s equality and empowerment is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, but also integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development.
Over the past years, UN Women 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 Planning and Budgeting (GRB) has been identified as important tool for advancing gender equality in key national documents as in accordance with existing Albanian national policy documents on social inclusion and gender equality. In this framework, Albania has made important steps towards the institutionalization of Gender responsive budgeting at central and local level.
UN Women Albania is currently implementing its Strategic Note (SN) 2022-2026 which aims to ensure that “All Women and girls enjoy and exercise their human rights in a gender equal society and meaningfully contribute to Albania’s sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development and EU integration”. To achieve such result, UN Women will focus on three outcomes, which mirror verbatim the areas of focus of the United Nations Albania:
- Increased and more equitable investment in people to remove barriers and create opportunities for those at risk of exclusion.
- Innovative and integrated policy solutions that accelerate sustainable, productive and inclusive development.
- Gender-responsive governance that strengthens equality and non-discrimination.
Across its interventions, UN Women Albania will address key thematic areas of focus in line with the Global Strategic Plan 2022-2025: ending violence against women; women’s economic empowerment; gender-responsive budgeting; Gender responsive governance; as well as promoting cross-cutting principles including the principle of Leaving No One Behind, and engagement of new and emerging partners such as the private sector to advance gender equality in the country. This approach aims to support the Government of Albania to implement its commitments on human rights and gender equality, in line with its National Strategy on gender Equality (NSGE) 2021-2030, and the EU Acquis Communautaire. All interventions undertaken by the Country Office aim to address structural causes of gender inequality, addressing discriminatory practices and reach women and girls who are at greatest risk of being left behind.
As part of the implementation of its new Strategic Note, UN Women will continue supporting Gender responsive governance at local level as well as influencing and supporting implementation of national-level policy documents affecting local level, working closely with municipalities being engaged across UN Women Albania’s projects and interventions, including but not limited to the following projects:
- UN Joint Programme „Ending Violence Against Women in Albania Phase II“, being implemented by UN Women, UNDP and UNFPA with support from Sida.
- The „Gender Rural Equality and Tourism (GREAT)“ project, being implemented with FAO and with support from AICS Tirana.
- Regional programme „Transformative Financing for Gender Equality in the Western Balkans”, implemented with support from Sida in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Serbia and Kosovo.
- UN Joint Programme “Leave No One Behind”, supported by SDC and implemented by UN Women, UNDP, UNICEF and UNFPA.
- The project “Empowering Women in Politics and Decision-Making in Albania”, supported by Sida as part of UN Women Global programming.
To support the programmatic work and technical support on Gender responsive local planning and budgeting across the various projects of the office and as part of the implementation of its strategic note, UN Women Albania is seeking to recruit a National Consultant.
The consultant will work individually and also in cooperation with other local or interNational Consultants engaged by the office for relevant assignments.
See UN Albania UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework:
See UN Women Global Strategic Plan here:
All references to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the overall guidance of the Head of Programmes and the direct supervision of the relevant UN Women Albania project managers, the National Consultant is expected to conduct assignments upon request which include but not limited to (some assignments may require working in a team with other consultants):
- Preparation and or/adaption of training materials and facilitation of trainings on Gender responsive planning and budgeting at the local level for Municipal staff and councilors (including contributions to sessions related to gender analysis, gender mainstreaming and local governance role and competences, Gender responsive services etc.).
- Mentoring and coaching of Municipal staff, especially budget users, social protection/inclusion staff, and gender equality employees and local coordinators against Domestic Violence to ensure sustainability of GRB application in the MTBP.
- Review of relevant draft strategic, policy, planning and budgeting documents from a gender perspective and production of relevant analysis, knowledge products, briefs, or info brochures.
- Assistance to municipal staffs in implementing gender-responsive social planning and budgeting practices, including their application to different social financing mechanisms.
- Assistance to municipalities in identifying the needs of vulnerable women and aligning them with innovative, gender-responsive municipal services through pilot initiatives that should serve as best practices.
- Costing of Gender responsive services/action plans and other measures in target areas/municipalities as well as support institutions for budgeting them.
- Provision of inputs and contribution to the preparation of relevant concept notes, project proposals, UN Women reports, upon request by UN Women.
- Participation/presence in meetings/workshops/round tables/study visits on relevant topics where the consultant’s expertise will be required and upon request by UN Women.
- Missions to Municipalities in Albania and outside Albania (for relevant events upon request by UN Women) and prepare mission/event reports for each travel (in English).
- Support to record tracking and keeping full documentation of the work conducted, and results achieved in the framework of this consultancy.
- Provision of periodic reports and time sheets (in English) for the assignments undertaken and the implementation of activities and other reports upon request by UN Women.
Expected deliverables:
- Work plan and mission plan for each assignment requested by UN Women (to be agreed by UN Women).
- Materials for capacity building (training/coaching/mentoring) including agenda (Albanian and English), presentations, modules, handouts, pre- and post-training evaluation tools, participants’ list, training report (as per agreed format with UN Women in English).
- Written inputs (in track changes and/or side comments) for strategic, policy, planning and budgeting documents reviewed upon request by UN Women (in English or Albanian based on request).
- Analyses, costing and peer review of relevant documents upon UN Women request (English or Albanian based on request).
- Inputs to concept notes, draft project proposals, knowledge products, tools, briefs, UN Women reports and other relevant similar documents which will require the expertise of the consultant (in English or Albanian based on request from UN Women).
- Presentations/briefs prepared and delivered in meetings/workshops/round tables/study visits upon UN Women request.
- Meeting minutes/reports where the consultant participates on behalf of UN Women (English or Albanian based on request by UN Women).
- Summary reports on the technical support for each assignment undertaken (to be submitted before each installment and upon request by UN Women project managers).
- Technical inputs and on-demand reports on specific initiatives when requested.
Duration and remuneration:
The duration of the contract will be for up to 180 working days within the contract period. The payment will be made in installments and upon satisfactory completion of respective tasks and deliverables foreseen by each installment, and submission and approval by UN Women.
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
Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:
Functional Competencies:
- Thorough knowledge of Gender responsive planning and budgeting processes.
- Strong presentation, facilitation, reporting and writing abilities in English and Albanian.
- Diverse organizational skills in various settings.
- Proven ability to work within limited time constraints in the preparation of high-quality documents.
- Strong ability to interact effectively with various partners and stakeholders, with focus on Municipality experts and public administration.
- Possesses the ability to work independently.
- Good computer skills in Windows environment, knowledge of internet communications and command of MS Office applications (Word, Excel, Power Point).
Required Skills and Experience
Academic Qualifications/Education:
- Master’s degree in gender studies, human rights, public policy, or any other related area of study.
- Additional trainings and certifications on gender equality and Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting would be considered an asset.
Work Experience:
- A minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience in the field of gender equality, human rights, good governance, or public finances.
- Demonstrated expertise in working with Local Governments, with focus on social services/social protection policy planning and local budgeting processes, including development of gender equality policy documents.
- Experience in conducting trainings, mentoring of LGUs and other institutions as well as CSOs.
- Previous experience or familiarity with the UN system or similar international organizations is considered an asset.
Language:
- Fluency and proficiency in spoken and written Albanian and English required.
Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments:
- Financial Proposal specifying the daily fee in Albanian Lek for the tasks specified above. As well, given the travel missions in the context of this assignment the interested consultant should provide: a) a travel rate by private vehicle per kilometer b) Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) for overnight stays, c) DSA rate for travel within the same day exceeding 10 hours.
- Payment will be made as per the payment schedule in the contract upon (i) satisfactory completion of tasks; (ii) provision of deliverables specified in the ToRs; (iii) submission of and approval by UN Women; and (iv) submission of the certification of payment.
Recommended Presentation of Offer:
Qualified and interested candidates are required to apply online:
- A Letter of Confirmation of Interest including a brief description explaining why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment.
- UN Women Personal History Form (P11) including past experience in similar assignment. Can be downloaded at: or
- Financial Proposal specifying the daily rate in Albanian Lek for the tasks specified in this assignment, and rates for the expected travel, as specified in the section above (Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments)
NOTE: APPLICATIONS WITHOUT THE FINANCIAL OFFER WILL BE TREATED AS INCOMPLETE AND WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED FOR FURTHER ASSESSMENT.
All applicants should note that this is a retainer contract and therefore there is no guarantee by UN Women of minimum number of days the consultant will be engaged for. The contract will not exceed the total number of working days as stated above. If additional days are required from the consultant, this will be done through a separate contract extension to the parent contract.
Evaluation of applicants:
Candidates will be evaluated using a cumulative analysis method taking into consideration the combination of the applicants’ 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.
Technical Evaluation –70 points:
- Master’s degree in gender studies, human rights, public policy or any other related area of study (max 10 points)
- A minimum of -7 years of relevant professional experience in the field of gender equality, human rights, good governance, or public finances (max. 20 points)
- Demonstrated expertise in working with Local Governments, with focus on social services/social protection policy planning and local budgeting processes, including development of gender equality policy documents (max 20 points)
- Experience in conducting trainings, mentoring of LGUs and other institutions as well as CSOs (max. 15 points)
- Previous experience or familiarity with the UN system or similar international organizations is considered an asset (max 5 points)
Financial Evaluation – 30 points
Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) in the technical evaluation would be considered for financial evaluation.
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. The calculation formula applied is as follow:
p = 30 (µ/z); where: p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated; µ = price of the lowest priced proposal; z = price of the proposal being evaluated.
How to Submit the Application: To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:
- Download and complete the UN Women Personal History Form (P11)- or
- Merge your UN Women Personal History Form (P11), the Financial Proposal, and the Letter of Confirmation of Interest 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:
- UN Women retains the right to contact references directly. Due to the large numbers of applications, we receive, we are able to inform only the successful candidates about the outcome or status of the selection process.
- The consultancy post is open to local (Albanian) individuals or foreign individuals with valid temporary or permanent residence in Albania.
- Applications without the financial offer will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
- The individual consultants should take the mandatory learning security course prior to commencement of assignment– details will follow before the issuance of contract.
