Republic of Moldova

National Consultant/Journalist for writing and disseminating success stories of women with disabilities/UN Women

Vacancy Number: Pr17/01604

Location:	Chisinau, Moldova
Application Deadline:	21 Aug 2017, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Application Extended deadline:	03 Sep 2017, 23:59 (GMT+2:00)
Type of Contract:	Individual Contract
Starting date:	01 Sep 2017
Reference to the project:	UN Women
Expected Duration of Assignment:
Submission Instructions: Interested candidates must submit the following documents/ information to demonstrate their qualification: Letter of Intent with 1-2 pages brief technical proposal describing actions to undertake the assignment (justification of being the most suitable for the work, vision and working approach) as well as attaching relevant reports and deliverables produced in the past; Duly filled Personal History Form (PHF11)/CV, including records on past experience in similar projects/assignments and specific outputs obtained; Please note that only applicants who are short-listed will be contacted. Please note that UN Women Moldova reserves the right to select more than one candidate from this announcement. 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. The United Nations in Moldova is committed to workforce diversity. Women, persons with disabilities, Roma and other ethnic or religious minorities, persons living with HIV, as well as refugees and other non-citizens legally entitled to work in the Republic of Moldova, are particularly encouraged to apply
Supporting Documents: Termeni de Referinta (in Romana) Terms of References.pdf Procurement Notice.pdf Personal History Form (P11) UN Women UN Women Conditions of Service Consultants

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. Placing women’s rights at the center 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.

UN Women is operational in Moldova since 2010 on the basis of former UNIFEM projects, which were laid and active in the country from 2007. It extended continuous support to the Government of Moldova, to key stakeholders from national and local levels, through various programmes and activities aimed at creating an enabling environment for gender equality, recognized as a prerequisite for sustainable development with a strong and active policy on gender equality.

The issue of inequality is particularly acute for women from specific vulnerable groups who face multiple forms of discrimination and one of these groups is women with disabilities. According to Women with Disabilities’ Profile[1] “Women with disabilities are one of the most vulnerable social groups, facing double discrimination, both in terms of gender, because they are women, and also because they have disabilities. About 5.4 thousand girls and 82.5 thousand women, including 30 thousand women of childbearing age, are part of this group. The highest prevalence of disability is characteristic for women in the 55-70 age group, and, with the accentuation of the population aging process and increase in life expectancy, the number of women with disabilities will most likely register higher growth rates compared to that of men.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by UN Member States in 2015 addresses the three dimensions of sustainable development, environmental, social and economic while “leaving no one behind”[2]. To implement this Agenda, countries need to carry out sustainable and inclusive policies, placing people and human rights at the centre of the development process. Furthermore, international conventions to which the Republic of Moldova is a signatory, highlight the importance of involving women with disabilities in public life and decision making. The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in its 2013 Concluding Observations to the combined fourth and fifth periodic reports of the Republic of Moldova has expressed specific concerns that disadvantaged groups of women, including Roma women and women with disabilities, are, in practice, almost completely excluded from political and public life and has suggested to “introduce procedures to ensure their effective participation in elected offices and appointed bodies.”[3] The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes in its preamble that “ women and girls with disabilities are often at greater risk, both within and outside the home, of violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation” and enshrines in Article 6 that “States Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure the full development, advancement and empowerment of women, for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of the human rights and fundamental freedoms set out in the present Convention”. [4] 

While stereotyped views on women’s capacity and role in decision making are strong for women in general, they are particularly strong when it comes to women with disabilities who are in general either invisible in the public sphere or when portrayed, represented as victims. This requires dedicated efforts towards challenging norms and stereotypes, and supporting women with disabilities in various information and awareness raising actions that create a positive image and reduce stigmatization and victimization.

Considering the root causes for their exclusion, such as prejudices and stereotypes, lack of accessible institutions and infrastructure, fear and lack of self-confidence, etc., there is also a need for awareness raising activities to increase the visibility of their positive contribution to society.

With the overall aim to increase visibility and awareness of the potential and enormous contribution of women and girls with disabilities, as well as to challenge existing stereotypes and inspire other women to pursue a higher purpose, UN Women is planning to hire a consultant/journalist to write and disseminate success stories of women with disabilities in Moldova.

[1] http://www.statistica.md/public/files/Cooperare_internationala/PNUD/10_tablouri_femei_RM/prof_3_disabilitati.pdf  

[2] https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld

[3] http://www.refworld.org/pdfid/52f385744.pdf

[4] http://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/convention/convoptprot-e.pdf, ratified by the Republic of Moldova on September 21, 2010

Scope of work

Under the overall direction of the National Programme Officer and in close cooperation with Communications Associate, the consultant will be responsible for the major tasks:

Task 1: To identify, write and promote 10 inspiring stories of women with disabilities (in Romanian and Russian), to include:

• Successful women living with HIV
• Successful women, who managed to avoid domestic violence
• Successful women who are survivors of violence
• Successful women, who managed to resolve huge family challenges
• Successful elderly women
• Successful women who run business
• Successful women in ICT
• Successful women in NGOs, Public intuitions, Political parties
• Successful women from ethnic minorities
• Other successful women
• Successful cases of support to women with disabilities by community members

For this task, the consultant will also take photos of the successful women to be published with the stories.

Task 2: In collaboration with the hired printing company and UN Women coordinate the design of a print publication that includes the success stories of women with disabilities in Romanian and Russian. UN Women will ensure translation to Russian.

Task 3: Organize at least 5 community events (up to half a day each) with up to 40 participants each, 1 in Chisinau, and the rest - outside of Chisinau, with the participation of successful women with disabilities, other women and girls in the community to disseminate the publication and discuss the existing solutions to the most pressing issues. For this task the consultant will ensure the following:

• Find and book a venue in local communities. The location will have to meet accessibility requirements for people with disabilities.
• Invite local community, local organizations, media, local public administration, schools, and other institutions to join the discussions
• Invite successful women whose stories were published in the brochure, to share their stories in local communities
• Promote the events in the local and central media
• Organize coffee breaks
• Moderate the discussions
• Disseminate the print publication to local community, local libraries, and schools.
• Take photos and promote the events in social media

Requirements for experience

Education:

• University degree in journalism, human rights, gender/women studies law, social sciences, international development or related areas

Experience:

• At least 2 years of proven working experience in journalism in the area gender equality and human rights;
• At least 1 year of previous experience of work with minority groups;
• Strong communication and writing skills;

Language skills:

• Fluency in Romanian and Russian. Working knowledge of English will be considered an advantage.

Financial proposal

Financial proposal (in MDL) - specifying a lump sum amount and the number of anticipated working days. The financial offer should include all costs related to completion of the task under the current Terms of Reference.

 

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