The Position:

How you can make a difference:

UNFPA is the lead UN agency for delivering a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled.  UNFPA’s strategic plan (2022-2025), reaffirms the relevance of the current strategic direction of UNFPA and focuses on three transformative results: to end preventable maternal deaths; end unmet need for family planning; and end gender-based violence and harmful practices. These results capture our strategic commitments on accelerating progress towards realizing the ICPD and SDGs in the Decade of Action leading up to 2030. Our strategic plan calls upon UN Member States, organizations and individuals to “build forward better”, while addressing the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on women’s and girls’ access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, recover lost gains and realize our goals.

In a world where fundamental human rights are at risk, we need principled and ethical staff, who embody these international norms and standards, and who will defend them courageously and with full conviction.

UNFPA is seeking candidates that transform, inspire and deliver high impact and sustained results; we need staff who are transparent, exceptional in how they manage the resources entrusted to them and who commit to deliver excellence in programme results.

Purpose of consultancy:

Gender-Based Violence affects a large proportion of women and girls as well as LGBTQI+ community. According to WHO (2013) estimates, globally 35% of women and girls in the African region 45% of women have experienced intimate partner violence and/or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. Violence has serious consequences for women’s physical health including poor sexual and reproductive health and mental health. It also has adverse economic and social consequences for women, their children and families. In South Africa the first Prevalence Survey is about to be released - and from existing population-based surveys it is very high levels of intimate partner violence (IPV) and non-partner violence in particular, with IPV being the most common form of violence against women.

South Africa’s Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) Response Fund was launched by His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, in February 2021, to tackle the scourge of GBVF in South Africa. The Fund aims to play a critical role in making change happen, based on research, awareness and practical support to organisations actively engaged in the fight against this scourge. The Fund’s work is guided by the National Strategic Plan on GBVF1 , and has the ultimate goal of a South Africa free from GBVF against women, children and LGBTQIA+ persons in our lifetime. 

UNFPA is partnering with the GBVF Fund for the building of a capacity strengthening
strategy for 66 Civil Society Organisations (CSO) that have been identified by the fund to lead GBV prevention and response at downstream level, as well as a Micro-Assessment for 39 CSOs that are in third and final phase. UNFPA will share the Micro-Assessment tool with the Fund to enable, review and contextualise. 

The Civil Society Sector has always been in the forefront of prevention and responding to Gender-Based Violence in South Africa. Their contribution is articulated in the National Strategic Plan on Gender based Violence and Femicide. The identified organisations should comply with the set minimum standards on due diligence by the Fund, including minimum governance/financial management criteria, and setting up appropriate governance structures that promote good corporate governance. The fund discovered some of the implementation gaps among the selected organisations including, resource mobilisation, monitoring and evaluation as well as governance.

 It is vital to support the Civil Society sector in strengthening its approach to violence against women as a public health problem as much as a gender inequality problem and a human rights violation. A capacity strengthening strategy will offer tools, also apply a public health approach to prevention strategies as well as to provide appropriate referral mechanisms to health, psychosocial and justice sectors, as prescribed by the UN Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Victims of Violence2 . The Civil Society Sector sector plays a pivotal role in prevention, response, data gathering and referral mechanism to women and girls and LGBTQI+ who experience violence. Most CSOs have a community presence and are able to respond effectively to GBV. This can enable this sector to identify women in abusive relationships early, also identifying children of abused women who may need services and provide referrals for physical health care as well as psychosocial and mental health support and other supportive services. The UNFPA has developed a district directory of services in two provinces ( Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal); this tool can be adapted and scaled up in other districts to strengthen community-
clinical referral mechanisms.

Scope of work:

The purpose of this consultancy is to develop and pilot tailored tools to strengthen capacity of the funded Civil Society sector on GBV Prevention, response, results based management, planning, reporting, governance and in applying concepts, evidence and guidelines for addressing violence against women and girls, as well as LGBTIQ+ communities. This culminates into a stronger response strategy at community level in realisation of the whole society approach, prescribed by the NSP on GBVF.

Specific objectives include:

1. Map the specific gaps and needs of the 66 CSOs to be supported, through a rapid assessment.
2. To develop training tools to facilitate the CSO capacity strengthening both paper based and technology supported training tools - utilising as reference the UN Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Victims of Violence,
3. To organise a ToT using the tools developed, with the objective of understanding violence against women, girls and LGBTIQ+ as a public health threat including its health consequences through policy discussion.
4. To facilitate the exchanging of experiences and lessons learned among represented Civil Society organisations from efforts to prevent and respond to violence against women,
5. To reinforce concepts, evidence and recommendations from UN Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Victims of Violence
6. To strengthen the Results based management approach of the CSOs supported, including performance management framework
7. To strengthen referral mechanisms and utilise existing referral tools to improve referrals.
8. Technical support on proposal development and resource mobilisation to sustain the CSO led GBV prevention and response initiatives

Duration and working schedule:

The consultancy will have a duration of maximum 04 months (October 2024 -January 2025).

Place where services are to be delivered:

The consultancy will be primarily home-based, with field visits to the relevant partners, facilities and organisations as needed.

Delivery dates and how work will be delivered (e.g. electronic, hard copy etc.):

All products will be delivered via electronic means (email). The consultant is expected to deliver the following products by the indicated dates:
● By 25th October 2024: an inception report relating to the
methodology/approach (20% of payment);
● By 15th November 2024: draft training tools
● By 15th December 202: Approved training tools(20%)
● By 15th December 2024: approved training report - (20% of payment);
● By 31 January 2025: Approved progress report
● By 28 February 2025: approved final report (30%)

Monitoring and progress control, including reporting requirements, periodicity format and deadline:

Monthly meetings will be held between the consultant the GBVF Fund 1 and UNFPA to provide feedback on progress, get guidance from UNFPA on the conduction of activity, as well as to address any questions that may arise during the conduction of the work. It is the responsibility of the consultant to proactively propose a monthly calendar of meetings and document the discussions and recommendations for follow-up. The products will be reviewed and appraised by UNFPA for approval and payment. The edits and inputs provided need to be considered in the final revisions and generation of final versions of the products. The consultant must submit the
products in Word version (.doc or .docx) within the stipulated timelines.

Supervisory arrangements:

The consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Gender M&E Analyst, as well as the GBVF Fund 1 (Programme Head).
 

Expected travel:

Travel may be required for methodology documentation and facilities visits for the case studies. These will be costed and funded by UNFPA based on the approved inception reports.

Required expertise, qualifications and competencies, including language requirements:
● Advanced degree in the field of Social Sciences, gender, Public Health or Demography;
● At least 7 years of professional experience in the field of gender; experience and knowledge of gender linkages with population and development and public health will be considered an asset;

● Experience in developing and facilitating trainings in the field of GBV is a must.
● Prior experience with working with the Private sector/Civil Society and
Government.
● Excellent writing skills in English and capacity of synthesis (documented in an excerpt of work authored by the candidate).
● Excellent interpersonal communication and presentation including ability to use presentation tools such as Microsoft Powerpoint, Google Slides, etc.

Inputs / services to be provided by UNFPA or implementing partner (e.g support services, office space, equipment), if applicable:

The Consultant must have own laptop and internet connectivity. UNFPA and GBVF Fund 1 will provide access to initial background documentation as required.

UNFPA Work Environment:

UNFPA provides a work environment that reflects the values of gender equality, diversity, integrity and healthy work-life balance. We are committed to ensuring gender parity in the organization and therefore encourage women to apply. Individuals from the LGBTQIA+ community, minority ethnic groups, indigenous populations, persons with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. UNFPA promotes equal opportunities in terms of appointment, training, compensation and selection for all regardless of personal characteristics and dimensions of diversity. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is at the heart of UNFPA's workforce - click here to learn more.

Disclaimer:

Selection and appointment may be subject to background and reference checks, medical clearance, visa issuance and other administrative requirements. 

UNFPA does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process and does not concern itself with information on applicants' bank accounts. 

Applicants for positions in the international Professional and higher categories, who hold permanent resident status in a country other than their country of nationality, may be required to renounce such status upon their appointment.