UNDP Consultancy Opportunity: International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

Location: Istanbul, Turkey

Type of Contract: Individual Contract

Starting Date: 10 February 2024

Application Deadline: 15-Jan-24 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level: International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract: 10 February 2024 – 1 May 2025

Time Left: 7d 15h 28m

Languages Required: English

Expected Duration of Assignment: Up to 75 working days within 14 months

International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality, and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups, and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

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. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

The UN Women Europe and Central Asia Regional Office (ECARO) was established in Istanbul, Turkey, in early 2014. It provides support and oversight to country offices in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Ukraine. In addition, the Regional Office directly supports program and project presence in Kosovo (under UN Security Council Resolution 1244), the Republic of North Macedonia, Serbia, Tajikistan, and Turkey. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

Since 2018, UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO) has been implementing a regional component of the Flagship Programme Initiative Making Every Woman and Girl Count: Supporting the monitoring and implementation of the SDGs through better production and use of gender statistics (Women Count), developed by UN Women Headquarters (HQ). The Women Count program aims to affect a radical shift in the production, availability, accessibility, and use of quality data and statistics on key aspects of gender equality and women’s empowerment. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

One of the key priority areas within the ECA Women Count program is dedicated to strengthening national capacities on improving the production of data related to Violence Against Women (VAW). This imperative focus stems from the acute recognition that comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date VAW data is not only an essential benchmark for assessing progress in gender equality and women’s empowerment but also a cornerstone for developing targeted policies and interventions. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

The lack of reliable VAW data has long hindered effective advocacy and policymaking, obscuring the true extent of this pervasive issue and impeding the formulation of evidence-based solutions. By supporting countries in enhancing their VAW data collection mechanisms, the Women Count program aims to illuminate the magnitude of violence faced by women, ensuring that it receives the attention and resources it demands, while fostering an environment where survivors can access quality essential services and justice. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

In 2023-2024, the Women Count program plans to extend its support to two countries in the ECA region with the aim of increasing availability of quality and internationally comparable VAW data: the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Belarus. Kyrgyzstan and Belarus will be embarking on their first nationwide VAW prevalence surveys, starting the early methodological groundwork in late 2023. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

The completion of the survey stands as a central priority action within the National Gender Equality Strategy till 2030, along with its corresponding Action Plan for 2022-2024 in Kyrgyzstan and the National Action Plan for Gender Equality for 2021-2025 in Belarus. These commitments underscore both countries’ strong determination to bridge gender data gaps in the area of ending violence against women. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

The surveys will be implemented in accordance with globally agreed methodological and ethical standards and guidelines such as WHO Multi-Country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence, EU Wide Survey on gender-based survey, United Nations Statistical Commission Guidelines for Producing Statistics on Violence against Women: Statistical Surveys. It is also important that relevant SDG indicators and definition/frameworks put forward by the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 57th session, the Declaration on Elimination of Violence Against Women (DEVAW) and the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) General Recommendation #19 are incorporated. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

Objective: Under the direct supervision of the Regional Gender Data Specialist based at UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (ECARO), the International Consultant on Violence Against Women (VAW) Data and Research will strengthen capacities of the National Statistics Offices of select countries to design, collect, analyze and disseminate prevalence data on VAW for meeting policy and reporting commitments under the 2030 Agenda and the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

The international consultant will work closely with respective NSOs, which will be implementing the quantitative element of study as well as with national consultant/company responsible for qualitative part of the study. S/he will be providing the technical guidance at all stages of the implementation of the study, from the design phase till the data analysis and dissemination. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

A National Reference Group will be set up from the onset of the survey, which will include all relevant partners working on VAW in the country (i.e. government, UN and other international organizations, CSOs, academia). This group will be involved/consulted in the definition of the objectives and scope of the survey, as well as along other phases. This will contribute to the survey being owned by all those stakeholders working on VAW in the country, so that the results can be used for policy and programming. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

Specifically, the assignment envisages provision of support to the National Statistics Committees of the Republic of Belarus and the Kyrgyz Republic to design, collect, and analyze the country’s first-ever nationwide VAW prevalence data. The International Consultant will be working in close cooperation with the national consultant to be hired by UN Women. International Consultant on Violence Against Women Data and Research

Duties and Responsibilities:

Task 1: Support the National Statistics Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic to design, collect, and analyze the country’s first-ever nationwide VAW prevalence data.

1. Guide and support NSC to develop a robust survey methodology defining research objectives, scope, sampling strategy, survey tools methodology (including the questionnaires, data collection protocols, advance letter, flyers, etc.), data collection methods, ethical and safety considerations, and building on international best practices and recent methodologies, and through close consultations with UN Women and other relevant stakeholders (National Reference Group).
2. Prepare required documentation to obtain ethical clearance from the relevant institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee in close coordination with UN Women ECARO.
3. Guide and support cognitive testing of the questionnaire, as well as a pilot survey in a smaller region or community to test the questionnaire, survey procedures, and logistics.
4. Refine the survey design and make necessary adjustments to the survey methodology based on cognitive testing and pilot survey.
5. Guide the development of qualitative study methodology, including data collection tools, methods and sampling strategy, in close collaboration with UN Women, NSC and local consultants/company responsible for the qualitative study.
6. Support and guide the national consultant and NSC to develop a training package for field workers (questionnaire step by step guide, interviewer

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