Terms of Reference

Introduction: UNIFEM Southern Africa and Indian Ocean Islands Sub Regional Office

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) is the women’s fund that provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies that promote women’s human rights, political participation and economic security.

UNIFEM is guided by its Strategic Business Plan (SBP) with the objective of contributing to the realization of women’s empowerment towards poverty eradication, gender inequality and all forms of human insecurity in both stable and fragile states.

UNIFEM Southern Africa and the Indian Oceans Regional Office (herewith referred to as UNIFEM SARO) covers 14 countries. These are: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Lesotho, Mozambique, Mauritius, Malawi, Madagascar, Namibia, Seychelles, Swaziland, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

In its work plan for 2010 UNIFEM has prioritized the following countries: Comoros, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

Background and justification for the development of a country strategy

UNIFEM builds its Sub Regional Strategy and annual Work plan on a clear understanding and identification of the situation experienced by women vis-à-vis gender justice and equality in each of the countries of the region. At the same time, as per its mandate of driver of gender equality within the United Nations system, UNIFEM acts in line with UN Assistance Development Frameworks (UNDAFS) being rolled out in the countries giving technical support to UN sister Agencies and governments and advocating to have women’s priorities observed. UNIFEM also recognizes the crucial role that the governments’ national development plans/strategies play in setting the agenda/priorities at country level, and therefore the need of having gender issues included.

In light of the above mentioned roles, and based on the priority given to countries for 2010, UNIFEM seeks to develop country strategies that shape UNIFEM’s interventions at country level. The country strategy will be developed in consultation with the relevant national partners and will build on discussions already held and on going initiatives within the United Nations Country Team (UNCT), UN Development Group (UNDG), and its Gender and Human Rights Cluster, that UNIFEM leads. Decisions coming from these consultations will inform UNIFEM’s country strategy as well as its contribution to the different phases of the UNDAFs, with the objective of clearly laying out its role as gender driver and development partner in the countries.

In order to have a country strategy developed for Lesotho, UNIFEM Southern Africa seeks the services of a national consultant with expertise on gender and development.

Objectives, outputs and methodology of the consultancy

1.      To clarify how UNIFEM’s strategy and  activities will contribute, over the upcoming two years, to national development priorities (as articulated in 5 - and 10 - year plans; PRSPs; etc.); the UNDAF/CCA or any other framework for UNCT priorities; the country’s gender equality priorities (including relevant national plans of action, CEDAW concluding comments, recently agreed laws and policies, etc.)

2.      To provide an overview of the capacities (including human, technical and financial) and partnerships that UNIFEM has and needs to carry out this strategy and what steps UNIFEM is putting in place to ensure that its contributions are sustainable

3.  To assist UNIFEM to move from a “project-based” focus to a holistic programming framework, ensuring that distinct donor supported UNIFEM projects  in a particular country are linked, conceptually, as part of an overall strategy for UNIFEM assistance to advance national gender equality priorities in that country.

Ouputs:

• A finalized UNIFEM country strategy for Lesotho that clearly show the following;

o   Executive Summary (One page)

o   Country context (two pages): This section should include an overview of the relevant parts of national development priorities; key challenges and opportunities for advancing gender equality  (using the most recent data and statistics available)

• Justification (2 pages): a holistic picture of the work that national partners and major development partners in the country are undertaking to  contribute to advance gender equality  and women’s human rights, particularly in relation to the areas in which UNIFEM will be working. Justification will also include the evolution of UNIFEM’s work and partnerships in the country.
• The Country Strategy (2 pages): This session should be a succinct presentation of the anticipated goal, outcome-level results and overarching strategies that will frame UNIFEM’s programme for the next two years. It should be aligned with the UNIFEM regional or sub-regional strategy. It should encompass the programmes and partnerships that UNIFEM is currently managing, as well as the programmes and partnerships that UNIFEM is planning or seeking support for.
• Risks, Assumptions and Mitigation Strategies
• Log frame ( 2pages):
• Management arrangements (half page):
• Monitoring and evaluation
• Resource mobilization framework: (half page
•  
• A complete list of the used information sources.
• A complete list of the informants contacted to obtain the necessary data.

Methodology:

o  The country strategy should be developed in consultation with Governments (National Women’s Machinery, Planning Ministries etc.), women’s organizations, UN agencies, and other stakeholders.

o   Reviewing literature so that the country strategy clarifies how it links with the approved National Development Plans.

o   The strategy should identify the key partnerships that UNIFEM will strengthen and/or forge in the country and regional level.

o   The strategy should encompass all of the distinct initiatives that UNIFEM is supporting in the country, as well as those that it hopes to launch over the coming two years.

Qualifications/Requirements

Only CVs accomplishing the following outline criteria will be considered:

a) University degree and Masters in development, social sciences or other related fields. Gender studies will be an asset

b) At least three years of experience in the field of development ideally in close relation with gender issues.

c) Proven experience on research and data management.  

d) Proved country experience and knowledge in the field of women’s rights and gender

e) Proved knowledge of the development instruments used by the UN System

f) Excellent command of both spoken and written English coupled with excellent communication and reporting skills.

Submission of CVs

Please kindly submit CVs by 10 June 2010 to denise.guimaraes@unifem.org

Duration of the contract and remuneration

The consultant will sign a Special Services Agreement with UNIFEM.  

The duration of the contract will be of 10 days.  

Remuneration under this contract will be in line with UN rates

Reference Documents

The following documents will be available as reference material for the white paper:

• UNDAF Lesotho 2008-2012
• Gender Mainstreaming Tool Kit & Resource Guide available at  http://www.undp.org.ls/Documents/GMS_toolkit.pdf
• UN Lesotho Gender Assessment Report available at:  http://www.undp.org.ls/Documents/Gender_assessment_2005.pdf
• UNDP Country Programme Action Plan 2008-2012
• UNDP Country Common Assessment of Lesotho
• UNDP Country Programme Document for Lesotho (2008-2012)
• Lesotho MDG Report
• Lesotho CEDAW Report
• UNDP website for Lesotho: http://www.undp.org.ls
• Key development and planning documents of the Government of Lesotho and especially its National Gender Machineries

*Disclaimer

The material arising from the consultancy team shall be the property of UNIFEM and cannot be used without the express consent of UNIFEM SARO.