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.

UN Women’s goal in Timor-Leste is to promote women’s human rights and gender equality as the country works towards sustaining and furthering achievements in stability and development. In this regard, its programming in the country is connected to two corporate priority areas: enhancing women’s economic empowerment (WEE), and engaging women in all aspects of peace and security processes (WPS), supported by integrated efforts to ensure gender-sensitive plans and budgets and women’s right to live free of violence. UN Women also coordinates and promotes the UN system’s joint work in advancing gender equality.

To address the global challenges of VAWG, the UN Family (through UN Women, UNDP, UNFPA and IOM) are collaborating with KOICA and the Government of Timor-Leste to support efforts to end violence against women and girls. Through the Joint UN Project Together for Equality: Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence in Timor-Leste (2020-2024), the United Nations has a goal for women and girls in Timor-Leste to be empowered to enjoy their right to live free of sexual harassment and other forms of violence in public and private spaces and to access quality essential services, in line with the SDGs. As part of its efforts to prevent violence before it begins, interventions addressing WEE and EVAWG will be an important part of the programme.

The Together for Equality (T4E) programme aims to prevent violence against women and girls and ensure that quality essential services are available and accessible to victims and survivors in Timor-Leste, in line with the SDGs and Timor-Leste’s National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence. The programme’s vision aligns with Timor-Leste’s Strategic Development Plan to be “a gender-fair society where human dignity and women’s rights are valued, protected, and promoted by the laws and culture” by 2030. The expected results are:

• Outcome 1: Transformed attitudes, behaviors, and social norms to prevent GBV.
• Outcome 2: Improved access to essential public services (health, justice, and social services) for women and girls, among other survivors of violence, informed by evidence-based responses to GBV.
• Outcome 3: Enhanced legislation and policy environment for eliminating violence against women and girls and other forms of gender discrimination.

Rationale for a Multi-sectoral GBV Hotline and VAC Helpline

Despite Timor-Leste’s strong commitment to tackling GBV through initiatives like the 2010 Law against Domestic Violence and the National Action Plans on Gender-Based Violence, consultations with government, local CSOs, and development partners have revealed that a more holistic response is essential. Significant progress has been made, yet critical gaps in the accessibility and coordination of support services for survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and violence against children (VAC) remain.

One major gap is the fragmented nature of existing support services. Survivors often struggle to navigate various services such as healthcare, legal aid, and psychosocial support due to a lack of coordination. This fragmentation leads to delays and frustration, preventing survivors from receiving the immediate and comprehensive care they need.

Establishing a multi-sectoral GBV hotline and VAC helpline is essential to address these challenges. These services will provide survivors with centralized, reliable points of contact that connect them with all necessary services. By integrating healthcare, legal aid, psychosocial support, and other essential services into accessible platforms, the hotline and helpline will streamline the process of seeking help.

The implementation of a multi-sectoral hotline and helpline will ensure that survivors have immediate access to coordinated services, enhancing their safety and well-being. This centralized approach will not only improve the efficiency of service delivery but also build trust among survivors, encouraging more individuals to seek help. By providing a comprehensive support system, the hotline and helpline will play critical roles in supporting survivors and preventing future violence.

Enhancing access to services for survivors of violence in Timor-Leste has been a priority for the 9th government. To ensure sustainability, development partners, including UN Women, UNICEF, UNFPA, and the Nabilan Programme, are collaborating by leveraging their combined resources and expertise. This initiative aims to bridge gaps in service delivery and provide a cohesive support system for those affected by GBV and VAC.

Duties and Responsibilities

The primary goal of this consultancy is to swiftly and efficiently conduct a desk review, engage in targeted stakeholder consultations, and carry out a focused needs assessment. This comprehensive approach is designed to determine the feasibility and define the operational requirements necessary for establishing a multi-sectoral hotline and helpline dedicated to supporting survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and children in Timor-Leste.

1. Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance and supervision of Programme Specialist EVAWG and WEE (T4E), the consultant will perform the following tasks:

1. Desk Review
   1. Conduct a rapid analysis of global best practices and models of multi-sectoral GBV hotlines and VAC helplines. This will involve examining successful international examples to identify the key operational and success factors that contribute to their effectiveness and sustainability.
   2. Review existing documents, reports, and studies relevant to GBV and child protection services in Timor-Leste and comparable contexts. This analysis will focus on identifying the strengths and gaps in the current systems, as well as the adaptability of global models to the local environment.

1. Stakeholder consultations
   1. Identify and map key stakeholders, including government bodies, NGOs, referral network partners, child protection agencies, and community organizations that are crucial to the successful implementation of the hotline and helpline.
   2. Propose and conduct interviews with selected stakeholders to gather in-depth insights on the opportunities and challenges involved in establishing hotline and helpline and existing landscape of GBV services and child protection in Timor-Leste.

1. Needs assessment
   1. Evaluate existing human, technological, and financial resources available for the hotline.
   2. Assess levels of stakeholder engagement and long-term commitment to the hotline.
   3. Identify gaps in current services that the hotline could address, focusing on improving service accessibility and efficiency.
   4. Provide an overview of the human, financial, and material resources required to establish and sustain the hotline.

1. Operational Model Design

Propose feasible operational models for the hotline and helpline, including plans for potential pilot testing and full-scale implementation. These models should be tailored to the specific needs and capacities identified in Timor-Leste to ensure they are both practical and sustainable.

1. Deliverables

The consultant is expected to submit a report on the following deliverables:

*Payment will be made upon submission of deliverables with All acceptance and Certified by the Supervisor.

All the documents, including reports, questionnaires, presentations and reports should be submitted in English language, or if in Tetum, include an English summary.

Upon receipt of the deliverables and prior to the payment of the instalment all submitted reports and documents will be reviewed and approved by UN Women.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement

Leading by Example Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

• Strong commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of women, with demonstrated experience of researching or working on gender issues;
• Strong research and writing skills, with strong analytical skills and creative thinking;
• Ability to think and work logically and work precisely with attention to detail;
• Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds;
• Previous experience (also volunteer experience) from the non-profit sector is an advantage.
• Ability to multi-task and address competing priorities
• Ability to produce quality deliverables in a timely manner
• Strong computer skills, including Word, Excel, and Power Point

Required Skills and Experience

1. Competences and Qualifications

Education

A degree in a relevant field such as international development, public health, social sciences, or a related discipline. A master’s degree with at least 5 years of relevant experience, or a bachelor’s degree with at least 7 years of relevant experience, is required.

Experience and skills:

• At least, a Master with 5 years of professional experience in gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response, child protection, or related fields, with a strong understanding of the challenges and best practices in these areas or Bachelor with an additional 2 years of experience
• Extensive experience conducting needs assessments, stakeholder consultations, and feasibility studies, particularly in the context of social services, GBV, or child protection.
• Experience working in Timor-Leste or similar contexts is highly desirable.
• Experience in designing and implementing operational models for hotlines or similar multi-sectoral service delivery platforms, preferably in low-resource or developing country contexts is highly desirable.
• Experience managing projects with tight timelines and multiple stakeholders, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality outputs.
• Expertise in drafting clear, concise, and comprehensive reports, including inception, progress, and final reports, with actionable recommendations.
• Ability to effectively communicate complex concepts to a diverse range of stakeholders, both in writing and verbally. Skilled in facilitating discussions, interviews, and consultations.
• Demonstrated cultural sensitivity and ethical awareness, especially when dealing with GBV and child protection issues.

Language and other skills:

• Proficiency in oral and written English
• Proficiency in local languages or knowledge of the local context is an advantage.
• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

Corporate competencies:

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN Women
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

1. Inputs

• UN Women will provide logistics and transportation support when traveling out of Dili
• UN Women will provide Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) to cover expenses outside of the Duty Station when applicable and upon approval of a Travel Plan/ Process.

1. Submission package

• Cover letter
• Updated P11 Form provides information on education qualification and working experience (available from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment)
• Financial proposal which shall specify lump sum for each deliverable provided

All applications must include (as an attachment in one file) P11 and the financial proposal.

1. Evaluation

Applications will be evaluated based on the Cumulative analysis.

• Technical Qualification (100 points) weight; [70%]
• Financial Proposal (100 points) weight; [30%]

A three-stage procedure is utilised in evaluating the proposals. Candidates who are fulfilling all the required skills and expertise will go to the technical evaluation process. The evaluation of the technical proposal is being completed prior to any price proposal being compared. Only the price proposal of the candidates who passed the minimum technical score of 70% of the obtainable score of 100 points in the technical qualification evaluation will be evaluated.

1. Technical qualification evaluation criteria:

The total number of points allocated for the technical qualification component is 100. The technical qualification of the individual is evaluated based on following technical qualification evaluation criteria:

Only the candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% of total points will be considered as technically-qualified candidates.

1. Financial/Price Proposal evaluation:

• Only the financial proposal of candidates who have all the required skills and expertise and have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation will be considered and evaluated.
• The total number of points allocated for the price component is 100.
• The maximum number of points will be allotted to the lowest price proposal that is opened/ evaluated and compared among those technical qualified candidates who have attained a minimum of 70% score in the technical evaluation. All other price proposals will receive points in inverse proportion to the lowest price.

1. Payments

Payments for this consultancy will be based on the achievement of each deliverable and certification that each has been satisfactorily completed. Payments will not be based on the number of days worked but on the completion of each stated deliverable within the indicated timeframes.

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.

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.)