Background

I. Organizational context

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, UN Women, based on the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works to eliminate discrimination against women and girls; for the empowerment of women, and to achieve equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, for human rights, in humanitarian actions, and in peace and security. By placing women’s rights at the heart of its work, UN Women leads and coordinates the efforts of the United Nations System to ensure that commitments to gender equality and mainstreaming are translated into action worldwide. At the same time, it exercises substantive and coherent leadership to support the priorities and efforts of Member States, building an effective partnership with government, civil society, as well as other relevant actors.

UN Women comprehensively addresses the root causes of inequality from a perspective of transforming the systems that reproduce gender inequalities and discrimination and with a focus on peacebuilding around:

• Women’s voice, leadership and autonomy
• Strengthening multilateral and regional regulatory frameworks, laws, policies and institutions that promote gender equality at the national and subnational levels;
• Effective participation and protection of women in all areas of peacebuilding, security, and humanitarian action
• Equal access for women to services, goods and resources;
• Financing gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Positive social norms, including participation of men and boys;
• Production, analysis and use of gender statistics; and
• United Nations system coordination for gender equality and the empowerment of women.

The Strategic Plan 2022-2025 seeks to achieve gender equality, the empowerment of all women and girls and the full realization of their human rights. The Strategic Plan is based on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security and subsequent Resolutions under this agenda, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and other outcomes of relevant intergovernmental processes, such as General Assembly resolutions and agreed conclusions of the Commission on the Status of Women. UN Women contributes to the implementation of the Regional Gender Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by placing Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 on gender equality at the center of the SDGs and in coordination with all other Goals in order to ensure comprehensive progress.

II. Antecedents

The illicit trafficking of migrants and human trafficking represent major challenges for all countries. One of these challenges coincides with those territories crossed by mixed migratory flows. Despite efforts, the Central American region needs to strengthen its capacities for the identification and effective prosecution of these crimes. It is necessary to incorporate identification techniques, tools and protocols for data collection, processing and analysis, data exchange mechanisms into the investigation, and the lack of a gender and intersectional perspective that merits the institutional response to both crimes is identified.

In response to this challenge, IOM, UN Women and UNODC are implementing the joint programme “Strengthening the capacities of law enforcement and criminal justice agencies to coordinate and exchange information to investigate and prosecute human trafficking and migrant smuggling.” This project will facilitate the coordination of operations and the exchange of information between police and prosecutors responsible for investigating transnational crimes in Costa Rica. This project aims to become a model for inter-institutional collaboration between criminal justice institutions that can be extended throughout Central America. Throughout this initiative, the team will draw on the experience of UNODC and IOM in combating migrant smuggling, human trafficking and other transnational crimes around the world, as well as on the work of UN Women to strengthen a gender and human rights perspective in the response to them.

The general objectives of the joint program focus on ensuring that Costa Rican institutions effectively coordinate the identification, investigation and prosecution of organized crime and reduce the vulnerability of people on the move to human trafficking and migrant smuggling by incorporating the gender and human rights perspective, with the aim of developing a replicable model in the region.

The proposed results are:

1. At the end of the project implementation, criminal justice institutions in the target communities will exchange information, coordinate investigations and pursue organized crime, with a gender and human rights perspective, using the capacities, mechanisms and tools installed through this project.

2. At the end of the project implementation, migrants will have access to health and financial services (specifically money transfers) that are sensitive to their particular needs, thus reducing the risk of becoming victims of human trafficking.

At the current stage of this program, a technical review of multiple documents is required, both those prepared by UN WOMEN and those prepared by the implementing agencies to ensure the gender, intersectionality and human rights perspective in addressing the crimes of human trafficking and migrant smuggling. In addition, technical support is required in the monitoring of Access to Justice activities and the activities developed at the monitoring and evaluation level by UN Women with direct communication with the person in charge of monitoring and evaluation of the lead agency, as well as other specific technical support for its implementation. To this end, the consultant will be in direct communication with the Program Coordinator and the state counterparts of the Judiciary.

The consultant will have a medium level of independence and can make technical decisions and take actions within the scope of their assignments.

Duties and Responsibilities

III. Objective

The main objective of this consultancy is to provide technical assistance to the Joint Programme “Strengthening the capacities of law enforcement and criminal justice agencies to coordinate and exchange information to investigate and prosecute human trafficking and migrant smuggling”.

The specific objectives are:

• Support coordination in the technical review of documents prepared by the Joint Programme agencies to ensure the incorporation of the gender, intersectionality and human rights perspective.
• Provide technical support in reporting, updating and monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Provide technical assistance to the program in the activities and products of the access to justice component defined in the preliminary action plan determined with the subcommittee on human trafficking with the Judiciary and support the work route defined by said subcommittee.
• Provide technical support for the planned training and dissemination activities of the program’s products.

The expected results of the consultancy are:

• Support in the technical review of documents prepared by the Joint Programme agencies, ensuring the full incorporation of the gender, intersectionality and human rights perspective in each of them.
• Effectively report activities in the Joint Program’s monitoring and evaluation tool, with continuous and rigorous monitoring, ensuring compliance with established indicators.
• Effective technical support in the implementation of activities and products of the access to justice component, in accordance with the preliminary action plan developed with the Judicial Branch’s subcommittee on human trafficking. In addition, the work plan proposed by said subcommittee will have been defined and supported.
• Support for the implementation of scheduled training activities and dissemination of program products, contributing to capacity building and knowledge of available tools and resources.

To this end, weekly meetings will be held between the consultant and the program coordinator, and monthly monitoring reports will be submitted to monitor the progress of the activities.

IV. Scope of objectives/responsibilities

The incumbent is expected to carry out the responsibilities and activities described below in order to achieve the consultancy objectives.

• Analyze and review in detail the documents prepared by the Joint Program agencies, ensuring the effective integration of gender, intersectionality and human rights perspectives.
• Provide concrete recommendations and suggestions to improve the quality and relevance of the reviewed documents.
• Update and maintain records and databases related to the program’s monitoring and evaluation activities.
• Attend follow-up meetings with relevant teams to assess the progress of activities and propose improvement actions.
• Provide technical assistance in drafting documents for the access to justice component, in accordance with the action plan agreed upon with the Judiciary’s subcommittee on human trafficking.
• Participate in the organization and facilitation of training and dissemination activities, including agendas, educational materials, attendance lists and impact evaluations.
• Organize and participate in internal and external meetings related to the implementation of the program, ensuring fluid communication between all parties involved.
• Write and distribute meeting minutes and summaries, highlighting key points, decisions made, and next steps.
• Maintain an updated agenda of activities, deadlines and commitments, ensuring timely fulfillment of all assigned responsibilities.
• Participate in and support the development of face-to-face events, including logistical and technical support.
• Development of weekly meetings between the consultant and the program coordinator.
• Preparation of monthly monitoring reports to monitor the progress of activities.
• Other functions assigned by the program coordination.

V. Payment method

Payment for services will be made on a monthly basis, subject to satisfaction and approval by UN Women. When processing the final payment, the consultant’s performance evaluation must be accompanied by the certificate of payment ( COP ) to process the final payment.

The consulting contract determines the inclusion of all costs (all-inclusive); the Organization will not assume any additional costs or benefits to the fees for services. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the consultant to have medical insurance for the period of the contract and it is recommended that it includes medical coverage for illnesses related to COVID-19. Medical coverage must be international in cases where the contract requires international missions or assignments.

If selected for this vacancy, proof of medical coverage will be required within the first two months of the contract.

VI. Supervision and performance evaluation

The consultancy will be managed by UN Women Costa Rica. The supervision of this consultancy will be carried out by the Coordinator of the MMPTF Joint Programme for UN Women. The consultant is not a United Nations official and will carry out the activities related to the consultancy virtually, from their own workspace in accordance with what was agreed in the work plan.

The consultant will work under the supervision of the UN Women Joint Programme Coordinator and will be supported by the Administrative Assistant, who will be the point of contact for contract and payment issues.

For the proper development of the consultancy, the supervisor will provide the selected person with existing documents and information available to UN Women related to the consultancy topics. It is the consultant’s responsibility to obtain primary and secondary information from other sources, if necessary.

The selected person will maintain permanent coordination with the supervisor for effective execution and development of the products requested in these Terms of Reference and will provide information as requested within the framework of the terms of reference.

Field trips may be required for the performance of the consultancy based on the activities described. If a field trip is determined to be necessary for the performance of the duties, the consultant will receive a DSA payment to cover the associated costs.

VII. Performance indicators

• Products/deliverables presented in a timely manner according to the TDRs
• Quality of work
• Fulfillment of expected results
• Compliance with the aforementioned competencies (Ref. Consultant profile)

VIII. Intellectual Rights , Patents and Other Property Rights

Title to any equipment and supplies that may be provided by UN Women to the Consultant for the performance of any obligation under this Contract shall remain with UN Women and such equipment shall be returned to UN Women upon termination of this Contract or when no longer required by the Consultant. Such equipment, upon return to UN Women, shall be in the same condition as when delivered to the Consultant, subject to normal wear and tear. The Consultant shall be responsible for compensating UN Women for damaged or defaced equipment regardless of normal wear and tear.

UN Women shall be entitled to all intellectual property and other proprietary rights including but not limited to patents, copyrights and trademarks, in relation to products, processes, inventions, ideas, know-how, documents and other materials prepared or collected by the consultant as a result of or in the course of performing this consultancy, and the consultant acknowledges and agrees that such products, documents and other materials constitute works made for hire for UN Women. However, in the event that such intellectual property or other proprietary rights consist of any intellectual property or other proprietary right of the Consultant: (i) that existed prior to the Consultant’s performance of its obligations under this Agreement, or (ii) that the Consultant may develop or acquire, or may have developed or acquired, independently of the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, UN Women shall not and shall not claim any ownership interest therein, and the Consultant shall grant to UN Women a perpetual license to use such intellectual property or other proprietary right solely for the purpose and requirements of this Agreement.

Competencies

IX. Competencies

Core values:

• Professional integrity
• Professionalism
• Cultural sensitivity and diversity of values
• Respect for diversity

Core competencies:

• Gender awareness and sensitivity
• Creative problem solving
• Effective communication
• Inclusive collaboration

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values ​​and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

Functional competencies:

1. Knowledge of human rights and gender perspective.
2. Competence in updating, monitoring and reporting monitoring and evaluation activities.
3. Ability to provide technical support in access to justice activities.
4. Ability to plan, coordinate and execute training programs.
5. Ability to speak clearly and concisely.
6. Ability to communicate effectively.

Required Skills and Experience

X. Selection procedure and requirements for application

The selection process will be carried out through a desk review, in which a formal verification is first carried out to ensure that the applications comply with the documentary evidence to be examined and the minimum requirements established for the consultancy. Then, the technical evaluation of the applications received is carried out, which will be rated based on the technical requirements established in the following rating table:

Shortlisted candidates may be invited to a competency-based interview based on their level of knowledge of the subject area and on the specific topic of this consultancy. The relative weight of the interview, if it is decided to be carried out after the desk review, will be 50% of the total score (i.e. 50% for the table of compliance with the requirements and 50% for the interview).

X I. Documents to be submitted for the application

1. UN Women Personal History Form (P11), which can be found at the following link: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc
2. Personal identification (ID card or passport).

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• When applying, you must upload one (1) PDF file. A guide is attached so that interested parties can complete this step. https://www.wikihow.com/Merge-PDF-Files.
• UN Women assumes no responsibility and only describes one of the many ways to compress application documents. You may use whatever you consider prudent.
• Applications received incomplete or after the closing date will not be considered.
• Only those candidates who qualify on the short list (at least the three with the highest score) will be contacted for an interview (if applicable).
• Applicants who have an employment relationship with public institutions may only be hired if they present proof of a work permit (license) that has not expired and a letter of no objection to the performance of the consultancy, issued by the employing institution. In the event that the relationship is with a research institution, academic center or university, the previous clause will not apply.
• The selected person must have medical coverage and present proof of their coverage within two months of signing their contract.
• In case the consultancy requires travel, medical coverage, vaccines required according to the destination and travel insurance must be confirmed.
• In the case of international consulting, the currency will be in US dollars or the local currency.

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 without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin or any other status provided for by law. All employment decisions are based on qualifications, competence, integrity and the needs of the organization.

If you require any reasonable accommodation to participate in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy towards conduct that is inconsistent with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. Successful candidates will be required to adhere to UN Women policies and procedures and the standards of conduct required of UN Women personnel and will undergo rigorous reference and background checks. Background checks will include verification of academic credentials and employment history. Successful candidates may be required to provide additional information in order to complete a background check.

Applications are encouraged from persons belonging to minority groups, indigenous groups or populations, and persons with disabilities.

All requests will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.