JOB DESCRIPTION

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; empowerment of women; and 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.

As an EU candidate country, currently undertaking accession negotiations, Albania needs to ensure that its national legislation on gender equality and non-discrimination is fully compliant with the EU acquis and other international obligations such as the SDGs, the CEDAW Convention, and others. Currently, the country is in the process of assessing and reviewing key laws and policies on gender equality, including the Gender Equality Law and the Law on Domestic Violence, with a view to address gaps that have impacted the laws’ effective implementation in practice and their limited alignment with international and EU standards. In addition, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection will also embark in the mid-term review of the National Strategy for Gender Equality, which will be an opportunity to assess whether the planned results and investments for gender equality in the country have been achieved. Across these efforts, it is essential that relevant investments are foreseen in the implementation of such legal and policy frameworks, and that gender responsive budgeting is used as a key tool to cost and plan for the implementation of these legal and policy provisions.

In this context, the country office is seeking to hire national consultant who will be assisting the the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in costing ongoing and upcoming legal and policy review of relevant legislation and policy frameworks, as applicable to UN Women’s mandate and priorities on gender equality.

This will include support to the following UN Women projects: “UN Joint Programme EVAW phase II” supported by Sida, the Sida supported “Direct implementation of UN Women Strategic Note 2022-2026”, the AICS funded “Empower Women for Rural Development in Northern Albania”, and other upcoming programme interventions where the consultant will be requested to provide inputs related to gender responsive budgeting. .

Description of Responsibilities /Scope of Work

Under the supervision of UN Women Albania’s Head of Programme and relevant project managers, the national consultant will provide technical assistance to national institutions, particularly the Ministry of Health and Social Protection (MoHSP) , the Ministry of Finance as the lead Ministry, which reviews the fiscal impact of proposed laws to ensure compliance with budgetary limits. or the relevant ministry leading the review of specific legislation, as applicable., in the financial costing element in laws and strategic documents.

The consultant will support the integration of gender-responsive budgeting principles into costing exercises, ensuring alignment with Albania’s budgetary frameworks and development priorities.

Every assignment under the retainer contract will be guided by a specific assignment clearly stipulating the nature and scope of work, list of deliverables, timeframe and the outcome. The consultant will be expected to undertake the following tasks:

• Review relevant laws, strategies, plans and policy documents and etc, at central and local level to identify fiscal implications and opportunities for gender-responsive budgeting.
• Coordinate with inter-ministerial working groups and stakeholders to gather input and validate costing elements.
• Conduct consultations with line ministries, UN agencies, public institutions, local government units and development partners to refine and validate the costing methodology.
• Develop detailed gender sensitive costing plans with financial targets and recommendations for resource allocation from government and donors.
• Prepare costing documents for action plans and other documents or services based on request by UN Women.
• 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.
• Support relevant ministries, public institutions, local government units and other relevant partners in discussions with the Ministry of Finance regarding costing analyses.
• Prepare financial impact assessments of draft laws and strategies, and policy documents at central and local level including short- and long-term fiscal implications.
• Draft scenarios outlining potential risks and benefits based on financial analysis.
• Deliver presentations and briefings on costing work to national institutions and UN Women as required.

Notes:

• Technical inputs and other on-demand reports on specific initiatives when requested will be evaluated by peer review for quality.
• Quality of relationships with UN Women team and partners is central to success and will be assessed.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

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 Values and Competencies Framework:

Functional Competencies:

• Proven research, analytical and drafting skills,
• Demonstrated ability to interact effectively with various public and non-public stakeholders including in the areas of gender equality and violence against women;
• Excellent writing skills Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing in English and Albanian;
• Strong interpersonal skills;
• Results orientation
• Focuses on impact and results
• Ability to work and adapt to a dynamic working environment, judgment, results-orientation, and ability to perform under pressure;

Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Advanced university degree in economics, finance, public policies, business administration or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• 17 years of national development experience with a particular emphasis on gender responsive budgeting and

gender mainstreaming in national policies, strategic planning and monitoring public policies;

• Experience in working with Albanian government institutions in public finance legislation, costing legislation and policies on social rights and equality, international and national commitments in this regard;
• Experience in Albanian finance management system, legislation, and policies on social rights and equality, international and national commitments in this regard. Experience with legal framework related to human rights would be an asset;
• Previous experience with UN system or similar international organisations would be desirable

Language

Proficiency in written and spoken English and Albanian.

Statements :

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women”s empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.