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.

The Independent Evaluation Service (IES) conducts Country Portfolio Evaluations to provide an independent and systematic assessment of the contributions made by UN Women to development results with respect to gender equality at the country level to feed into learning on what strategies work well and what needs strengthening. The Independent Evaluation Service (IES) is primarily conducting this CPE to assess the contributions of UN Women in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in Nepal over the course of its Strategic Note 2023-2027, to support enhanced accountability for development effectiveness and learning from experience. A secondary purpose is to identify UN Women’s comparative advantage in Nepal and support decision-making for the office strategy moving forward.

The primary intended users of this evaluation are UN Women Nepal Country Office and their key stakeholders including the government, civil society organizations, development partners and other UN agencies as well as UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Headquarters, including the Senior Management Team and IES. UNCT Nepal may also use the findings of this evaluation as key inputs to its new UNSDCF. The primary intended uses of this evaluation are:

• Support decision-making regarding the development of the next Strategic Note.
• Accountability for the development effectiveness of the existing Strategic Note in terms of UN Women’s contribution to gender equality and women’s empowerment as well as organizational effectiveness, learning, and knowledge management. And UN Women’s contribution towards the implementation of the UNSDCF.
• Learning on effective, promising and innovative strategies and practices
• Capacity development and mobilization of national stakeholders to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women.

UN Women is seeking to recruit a consultant to update the existing policy brief on gender. This policy brief aims to provide a concise, evidence-based overview of Nepal’s most pressing challenges and opportunities related to gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). It highlights persistent gaps in achieving SDG 5 in line with Nepal’s national priorities, identifies gender related key structural and emerging barriers across thematic areas, and underscores the urgent need to shift from policy commitments to effective implementation. By outlining priority issues and actionable recommendations, the brief seeks to inform government and development partners in accelerating progress on GEWE in line with international commitments, including CEDAW, the Beijing Platform for Action, the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, and ensuring that Nepal’s transition toward middle-income status is inclusive and sustainable for all women and girls.

The consultant will report to the Monitoring and Evaluation Analyst and work closely with NCO team and different thematic working groups to complete this assignment.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Evaluation consultants are integral members of the evaluation team. The work of the consultant will be home-based with domestic travel expected within Nepal and she/he/they will need to connect with the team during Asia and the Pacific working hours via online platforms. Under the overall oversight of the Regional Evaluation Specialist and in close collaboration with CPE focal point and evaluation team members, the consultant will contribute to the following phases of evaluations:

Planning Stage:

• Reviewing all relevant documents (i.e. Strategic notes, project documents, donor and/or other monitoring reports, evaluation and audit reports, etc.) to identify efforts relevant to the evaluation topic.
• Providing support to the portfolio analysis to provide an overview of the different efforts undertaken by the CO for the thematic area.

Inception Stage:

• Contribute to the development of an inclusive Evaluation methodology which is tailored to relevant inquiry in the thematic area (including through the evaluation matrix, data collection tools etc)

Data Collection Stage:

• Support interviews, focus group discussions, and consultations by taking detailed notes and ensuring adherence to ethical guidelines.
• Contribute to evaluation analysis by capturing results, challenges, gaps and learning pertinent to the evaluation topic.
• Providing translation/interpretation support as necessary.

Reporting Stage:

• Provide substantive inputs to the final synthesis report.
• Support to case study through inputs on the thematic areas.
• Other tasks as assigned by the supervisor.

Deliverables:

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. Domestic travel is required for this consultancy.

UN Women has developed a UN Women Evaluation Consultant Agreement Form for evaluator that must be signed as part of the contracting process, which is based on the UNEG Ethical Guidelines and Code of Conduct. All data collected by the consultant must be submitted to the evaluation manager in Word, PowerPoint or Excel formats and is the property of UN Women.  Proper storage of data is essential for ensuring confidentiality and a data protection plan will be developed during the inception phase. The evaluation’s value added is its impartial and systematic assessment of the project. As with the other stages of the evaluation, involvement of stakeholders should not interfere with the impartiality of the evaluation. The evaluators have the final judgment on the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation report, and the evaluator must be protected from pressures to change information in the report. Proper procedures for data collection with rights holders who may have been affected by violence must be adhered to as outlined in the Improving the collection and use of administrative data on VAW  and WHO Ethical and Safety Recommendations for research on violence against women. Additionally, if the evaluator(s) identify issues of wrongdoing, fraud or other unethical conduct, UN Women and UNDP procedures must be followed and confidentiality be maintained. The UN Women Legal Framework for Addressing Non-Compliance with UN Standards of Conduct, and accompanying policies protecting against retaliation and prohibiting harassment and abuse of authority, provide a cohesive framework aimed at creating and maintaining a harmonious working environment, ensuring that staff members do not engage in any wrongdoing and that all allegations of wrongdoing are reported promptly, investigated and appropriate action taken to achieve accountability.

The evaluation will adhere to the United Nations Evaluation Group (UNEG) Guidelines on the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Evaluation. All AI tools and methods applied will comply with principles of transparency, accountability, fairness, and data privacy. Ethical considerations will be prioritized to ensure that AI use does not introduce bias, compromise confidentiality, or undermine human oversight. The evaluator will document AI-related processes and decisions to maintain integrity and trustworthiness throughout the evaluation. 

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:

• A proven track record in conducting assessments/evaluations/studies in the development sector.
• Demonstrated research and analytical abilities 
• Experience collaborating with diverse stakeholders,
• Experience in facilitation and communication
• Familiar with the UN programming principles, the SDGs, and the development financing frameworks. 

Required Qualifications:

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Gender, Development Studies, International Affairs or similar fields 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:

• At least five years of progressively responsible work experience in evaluation, research, review, assessment related to GEWE, specifically in Nepal
• Strong knowledge and understanding of GEWE issues in Nepal including gender-responsive governance and women’s economic empowerment.
• Proven experience working on gender equality and women’s rights, specifically in Nepal 
• Analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently. 
• Excellent English communication and writing skills. Working knowledge of Nepali is an added advantage. 

Evaluation Criteria

The maximum score that the candidate can achieve for this consultancy is 100. Candidates who receive a score higher than 60 out of 80 will be shortlisted for the interview:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in Gender, Development Studies, International Affairs or similar fields is required. (10 points)
• At least five years of progressively responsible work experience in evaluation, research, review, assessment related to GEWE, specifically in Nepal. (30 points)
• Proven experience along with strong knowledge and understanding of GEWE issues in Nepal including gender-responsive governance and women’s economic empowerment. (30 points)
• Analytical skills with strong drive for results and capacity to work independently. (10)
• Interview (20 points)

Languages:

• Fluency in English and Nepali is required.

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.