Gender and Politics Specialist - National ONLY

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. Placing women’s rights at the center 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.

May 2023 marks Lebanon’s municipal elections. Women remain grossly underrepresented in Lebanon, despite women in Lebanon gaining the right to vote in 1952, and a vibrant feminist movement. Despite low representation in all aspects of political life, including 4.6% representation in parliament, and 5.4% of Lebanon’s municipal councilors, positive trends of participation, including through increased women candidacy, have continued. In the 2022 parliamentary elections, the number of female Members of Parliament increased from 6 to 8.

To support more women to run, and lead, UN Women is looking for a gender and politics specialist, to support its work around the 2023 municipal elections, and its support to female and male parliamentarians.

Following election day, and after induction of a number of new female members of parliament, UN Women will work towards supporting female MPs with the provision of technical assistance, roadmap development, and highlighting the most essential legislative reforms that aim at advancing gender equality. The person will be expected to map out politically neutral community based organisations working to support women’s political participation outside Beirut, will support in developing partner proposals, and a road map of support to UN Women and UNDP.

Description of responsibilities:

The consultant will work with UN Women and its partners to support work around the 2023 municipal elections, including support to female and male parliamentarians.

Deliverables:

• Provide technical support to UN Women partners in the implementation of elections programmes (by August 31, 2023)

• Monthly reports (bullet points in an email) (end of each month)

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.

Functional Competencies

• Substantial knowledge and understanding of Election results and electoral processes in Lebanon.
• Demonstrated leadership ability and technical ability to communicate complex ideas verbally and in writing.
• Experience in working with parliamentarians and on issues of gender equality in public life.
• Ability to communicate effectively both in written and oral.
• Ability to build partnerships with elected officials.

Qualifications:

Education and certification

• Master’s degree in international Affairs/Development, Sociology, Political Sciences, Public Administration, Gender and Women’s Studies, with strong knowledge of gender issues, or related discipline.

Experience

• Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in areas of political science, public administration, elections, and research & analysis;
• Expertise on gender issues in elections in Lebanon;
• Experience working in electoral processes, promoting women’s advancement in Lebanon or the region.
• Computer skills, internet communication and command of MS Office is required.

Language requirements

• Fluency in written and oral English and Arabic is a must;
• French is an asset.

Evaluation Criteria:

Individual consultants will be evaluated based on the following methodology: Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 49 points in the technical evaluation would be considered for the financial evaluation.

Criteria Weight Technical: 70% (70 points)

• Criteria 1: Education (10 points)
• Criteria 2: Minimum 7 years of relevant experience in areas of political science, public administration, elections, and research & analysis (10 points)
• Criteria 3: Experience working on elections, with electoral candidates and parties, on gender issues in Lebanon (50 points)

Financial: Lowest Financial Proposal: 30% (30 points)

The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula:

• Contract will be awarded to the technically qualified consultant who obtains the highest combined score (financial and technical);
• The points for the Financial Proposal will be allocated as per the following formula: (Lowest Bid Offered*)/ (Bid of the Consultant) x 30;
• 'Lowest Bid Offered' refers to the lowest price offered by Offerors scoring at least 49 points in the technical evaluation.

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.)