Purpose of consultancy:
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is the lead UN agency working to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. As part of its 2022-2025 strategic plan, UNFPA is committed to expanding its humanitarian response capacity to safeguard the lives of women, adolescents and youth, particularly adolescent girls. This effort includes addressing Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and mental health and psychosocial issues.

One-stop Centers (OSCs) have proven to be an effective model in addressing GBV, offering integrated services under one roof, including medical, legal, psychological, and social support. Given their critical role in supporting survivors, there is an urgent need to develop a comprehensive guidance document that will support the establishment, management, and monitoring of OSCs across different contexts within UNFPA programming.

At the same time, establishment of One-Stop Centers are often promoted by governments as “silver bullets” without necessarily defining minimum standards or dedicating sufficient attention to the quality of the multi-sectoral services provided and how these are coordinated in support of survivors. There are various ways to operationalize OSCs, depending on factors such as government ownership, available services, and the legislative framework under which they are established. Because of these variations, we aim to understand both the setup and management of OSCs, as their practical implementation can differ significantly
The GBV AoR carried out an inter-agency assessment of One-Stop Centers in the East and Southern Africa region. Preliminary findings indicate the importance of ensuring confidentiality; challenges with regard to survivors only accessing centres one time; and the importance of clear guidance on how to deal with mandatory reporting to the judiciary and police where this is relevant and in a way that ensures safe and timely access to life saving services.

It has been observed that there is overlap in the understanding of the implementation of One-Stop Centers (OSCs) and Women and Girls Safe Spaces (WGSS). Clarifying the distinct roles, functions and objectives of both OSCs and WGSS is essential to ensure that their contributions to UNFPA programming are distinct and complementary, and improving the overall effectiveness of service delivery.

Objective of the Consultancy
The primary objective of this consultancy is to develop a detailed guidance document for the establishment, management and monitoring of One Stop Centers (OSCs) within UNFPA programming. The guidance document will provide practical guidelines, best practices, and actionable recommendations tailored to different contexts, ensuring alignment with UNFPA’s strategic objectives. Field missions will inform the development of the document by gathering data, insights, and case studies from existing OSCs.

Scope of work:
The consultant will be responsible for delivering the following tasks in chronological order:

1. Literature Review and Analysis (approx 2 weeks)
● Defining the sample size in collaboration with UNFPA or committee.
● Conduct a comprehensive review of existing literature, best practices, and guidelines on OSCs with a focus on the integration of services for GBV survivors.
● Analyse the current landscape of OSCs within UNFPA and other organisations, identifying gaps, challenges, and opportunities. In some countries UNFPA might be using a different name (not OSC), those spaces that are actually OSC should be included as well in the analysis. The analysis should also explore the reasons why these countries chose not to use the term “OSC” and instead opted for alternative titles.
● Analyse existing OSC ToRs and compare with WGSS ToRs to look at overlaps
● Conduct a desk-based review of UNFPA’s internal documents on OSC (e.g., country-level guidelines, project reports) to map where UNFPA currently has OSC interventions and identify available guidance documents, including the GBV AoR inter-agency site assessment reports for Somalia and associated One Stop Center site action plan recommendations.
● Review existing regional and global best practices on OSCs in the contexts of emerging challenges such as COVID-19 pandemics, conflict zones and digital technology.
● Develop and deliver an online survey to country offices that are implementing OSCs to identify best practices and challenges.

2. Stakeholder Consultations (approximately 2 weeks)
● Coordinate and facilitate an internal UNFPA working group (Review committee) to share progress and address key questions. In collaboration with HRD and key colleagues the group will be defined and convened. The group should include global, regional and national UNFPA colleagues. The committee will oversee the product development and support the quality assurance process. This Committee will include technical experts from MHPSS, GBV Case Management, GBV specialists and coordinators, SRH specialists etc. at global, regional and national levels. The Committee will have a ToR and clear rules for engagement.
● Conduct remote Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with UNFPA GBV, SRH and humanitarian personnel at global, regional and country levels to gather insights and recommendations on the establishment operation/ management and coordination of OSCs including one KII with the inter-agency GBV AoR working group members having assessed One-stop Centers in Somalia using the Minimum Standards as an entry point to assess quality of care. Based on needs, include in the KII and consultations external stakeholders, such as relevant (I)NGOs or government agencies and WLO and NGOs that implement OSCs on behalf of UNFPA. The country offices selected will provide the list of key stakeholders (stakeholders mapping) for the consultations.
● Set up a structured feedback mechanism to gather inputs from diverse stakeholders and ensure their feedback is systematically integrated in the analysis and final report.

3. Field Missions (2 weeks)
● Define/develop the criteria for selecting field mission countries, ensuring regional diversity.
● Conduct two consecutive field missions, each lasting approximately one week to countries identified and endorsed by the UNFPA internal working group.
● Through the field missions collect qualitative data through FDGs, KIIs, case studies, and assess the effectiveness of existing OSCs in providing comprehensive services to GBV survivors.
o KII: conduct in-person consultations and Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) with key institutions and providers, including Implementing Partners to gain deep insights into OSC implementation, service delivery, good practices, gaps, challenges, and evidence-based successes. Engage with local stakeholders, including government officials, OSC staff, and beneficiaries, to gather firsthand insights.
o FGDs: Ensure that FGDs and interviews adhere to ethical guidelines, including informed consent, confidentiality and cultural sensitivity. Facilitate Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with women and girls to hear first hand how accessing services at the OSC impacts their life.
o Observe and assess services and activities offered OSCS, focussing on services for adult women and adolescent girls.

4. Development of the Guidance Document (approximately 1,5 months)
● Draft a comprehensive guidance document on OSCs for UNFPA programming. The document should be user-friendly, practical, and adaptable to different country contexts. It should not exceed 50 pages in length.
The guidance document should cover at least the following key areas:
○ Rationale and objectives of OSCs within the UNFPA framework.
○ Step-by-step guidelines for the establishment and operationalization of OSCs.
○ Minimum requirements (organisational infrastructure, staff training, facilities, organigram) to ensure adequate quality of care provided in OSCs
○ Best practices for integrating services (medical, legal, psychological, social) in OSCs.
○ Case studies and examples from field missions.
○ Recommendations on beneficiary’s Data collection and information management, protocols to ensure confidentiality and Monitoring, evaluation, including beneficiaries’ satisfaction tool
○ Financing and sustainability strategies.
The document should Include visual aids such as infographics, flowcharts and step by step diagrams to make the guidance more accessible. It should also provide annexes for additional resources such as templates, sample forms and checklists to help operationalize the guidance. The Guidance will ensure that the language used is clear and straightforward, avoiding overly technical jargon to make the document accessible to a wide range of UNFPA country contexts.
● The development of the guidance document will be delivered in close collaboration and under the guidance of the Committee. The collaboration and inputs from relevant regional offices colleagues will be ensured at all stages of the process.
● Provide a virtual orientation workshop (beyond the launch) for key UNFPA staff to ensure they can effectively implement the guidance.

5. Review and Finalization (2 weeks)
● Share the draft guidance document with UNFPA for feedback and revisions.
● Incorporate feedback and finalise the document, ensuring it meets the highest quality standards.
● Produce a presentation summarising the main components of the document to be used for the launch
● Present the final guidance document to UNFPA stakeholders in a structured format, such as a webinar or workshop to ensure understanding and buy-in.

Expected Deliverables and Time frame
The deadlines for each deliverable are in the table below:

Deliverables 2024

Date and Deliverables
2nd December – Detailed work plan which should include schedule of KII with key actors, list of documents to be reviewed with timeline for revision
6th December – Survey to be shared with country offices
27th December – Short Report: Analysis of survey results (5-15 pages)

Deliverables 2025

10th January – Comprehensive literature review and analysis report (15- 25 pages)
13th -27th January – Field Missions (2 countries)
7th February – Detailed reports from the two field missions, including case studies and key findings. This will also feed into the main report. (20-30 pages)
28th February – First draft guidance document on one-stop centers for UNFPA programming.
21st March – Final guidance document on one-stop centers for UNFPA programming.
26th March – Internal webinar to share key findings and the guidance Note (PPTs)

Duration:
The contract is a full-time consultancy of 4 months, starting 26th November 2024 until 26th March
The total number of days is: 80 days (including travel days for the field missions)

Supervisory arrangements:
The consultant works under the technical guidance of the GBViE specialist and in close collaboration with the SRHiE specialists in the Humanitarian Response Divisions in Geneva.

Humanitarian Response Divisions consultancies are under the overall guidance of the HRD Director. All final products and deliverables need to be approved by the Director.

Expected Travel:
Missions to selected priority countries (1 or 2 missions of about 7 days each)

Required Expertise and Qualifications:
Education:
● Advanced degree in public health, social sciences, gender studies, research, or a related field

Consultant Profile, Knowledge and Experience
● Proven experience in GBV Programming (at least 4 years), specifically in the establishment and management of One-Stop Centers or similar integrated service models in low resource humanitarian settings.
● Knowledge/Experience in SRH programming in emergencies and GBV-SRH integration
● Strong understanding of UNFPA’s mandate, particularly in relation to GBV, SRH and humanitarian response.
● Demonstrated experience in conducting field missions, qualitative and quantitative data collection and stakeholder consultations.
● Excellent writing and analytical skills with experience in developing guidance documents or similar publications.
● Strong planning and organisation skills and ability to work under minimum supervision.
● Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
● Ability to work in diverse cultural and humanitarian contexts.

Languages:
● Professional level of English with strong writing skills
● Other relevant languages, particularly French, are a plus.

Required competencies:
Values:
● Exemplifying integrity
● Demonstrating commitment to UNFPA and the UN system
● Embracing cultural diversity
● Embracing change
Core Competencies:
● Achieving results
● Being accountable
● Developing and applying professional expertise/ business acumen
● Thinking analytically and strategically
● Working in teams/ managing ourselves and our relationships
● Communicating for impact
Functional Skill Set:
● Results based programme development and management
● Job knowledge, technical expertise
● Innovation and marketing of new approaches
● Leveraging the resources of national partners/building strategic alliances and partnerships
● Advocacy/Advancing a policy-oriented agenda

How to Apply:
Please send your CV and a cover letter outlining your approach to the assignment. Please include a proposed work plan, timeline, and expected fees. If available, please also include some samples of previous work, particularly guidance documents or reports related to GBV or OSCs.

Application should be sent to ho-recruitment@unfpa.org by 28th October 2024, quoting “Consultancy for Creation of Guidance Document on One Stop Centers” in the subject line.

Late applications will not be accepted. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advanced to the next stage of the selection process.