Back National Consultant for Development of the Methodology for Calculation of Accommodation Costs in Safe Houses, Local Consultancy, Sarajevo, BiH

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.

Millions of women and girls worldwide suffer from some form of gender-based violence and harmful practices, be it domestic violence, rape, female genital mutilation/cutting, dowry-related killing, trafficking, sexual violence in conflict-related situations, son preference and the undervaluing of daughters, or other manifestations of abuse. In fact, for women and girls aged 16-44, gender-based violence is a major cause of death and disability. Up to 70 per cent of women experience violence in their lifetime. Violence against women persists in every country in the world as a pervasive violation of human rights and a major impediment to achieving gender equality. Such violence is unacceptable, whether perpetrated by the State and its agents or by family members or strangers, in the public or private sphere, in peacetime or in times of conflict.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), current research points to widespread experiences of violence against women across the country. The first prevalence survey on Violence against Women (VAW), conducted on a representative sample of adult women in BiH in 2013, showed that nearly half had experienced VAW, and 6% of women had specifically survived sexual violence (SV) prior to the age of 15.  Perpetrators were mostly current or former partners. Survivors of SV often did not perceive themselves as victims; they were unaware of the available protection services, and most of them did not seek help of any organization or institution, due to the view that “they did not need help”, or because of fear, shame and low trust in institutions. The latest VAW prevalence survey, conducted by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2019 revealed that 4% of women reported surviving SV by a current or former partner and 0.4% by a non-partner since the age of 15.  The OSCE survey also found that a large proportion of women had experienced sexual harassment: 28% since the age of 15 and 10% in the 12 months prior to the survey.

UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programs and services needed to implement these standards. 
The provision of safe, accessible, and quality accommodation services for survivors of violence is a fundamental obligation under the Istanbul Convention and one of the key pillars of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s multisectoral response to violence against women and domestic violence. Over the past decade, the authorities at entity, cantonal, and municipal levels, in cooperation with civil society organizations, have taken important steps to strengthen the system of protection and support for survivors. The introduction of new laws on protection from domestic violence and violence against women in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina marks a significant advancement, setting the foundation for more effective coordination between competent institutions and service providers.

Despite these positive developments, challenges remain in ensuring sustainable financing and equitable access to safe house services across all cantons in FBiH. Differences in financing mechanisms, standards of service provision, and cost structures among safe houses have created disparities that limit the consistent application of protection measures and affect the long-term sustainability of these essential services.
To support the authorities of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in further strengthening institutional mechanisms and ensuring the sustainable provision of protection and support services for survivors of violence, in line with the Istanbul Convention and GREVIO recommendations, the UN Women Country Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina is seeking to recruit a National Consultant for the Development of the Methodology for Calculation of Accommodation Costs in Safe Houses. The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women Programme Management Specialist and the direct supervision of the UN Women EVAW Protection Coordinator.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Under direct supervision of the UN Women EVAW Protection Coordinator and overall supervision of the UN Women Programme Management Specialist, in close cooperation with the FBiH Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, and safe houses representative, the consultant is expected to deliver the following products:

Deliverables

The consultant will be expected to submit the following deliverables within the indicative timeframe: Deliverable Expected completion time (due day) Indicative days Payment Schedule 

November 30, 2025

December 18, 2025

TOTAL # of days                                                                                                                     20

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy; therefore, the assignment does not require presence at UN Women premises, nor is the consultant expected to travel in order to complete the given assignment. 

Reporting
The Consultant is expected to report regularly to UN Women BiH CO the progress of the completion of the deliverables. UN Women will work to provide the comments to the deliverables in 7 working days period. The consultant is also expected to inform UN Women of any unforeseen challenge or risk that might occur during the duration of the assignment.

In the development of the deliverables, the consultant should allow time for deliverables to be reviewed and commented by the UN Women CO BiH before their finalization. All deliverables should be submitted to the UN Women EVAW Protection Coordinator in B/C/S language in accordance with the above outlined timeframe. The final deliverables from item 6 above should be delivered by December 18, 2025, at latest.
 

Competencies :

Core Values:

Core Competencies:

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge Management and Learning
•     Shares knowledge and experience
•     Seeks and applies knowledge, information, and best practices from within and outside UN Women
•     Actively works towards continuing personal learning and development in one or more practice areas,
•     acts on learning plan and applies newly acquired skills
•     Development and Operational Effectiveness
•     Demonstrates excellent written and oral communication skills. Communicates sensitively, effectively
•     and creatively across different constituencies
•     Demonstrates very good understanding of and experience in communications and outreach/advocacy
•     Ability to perform a variety of standard specialized and non-specialized tasks and work processes that
•     are fully documented, researched, recorded and reported
•     Ability to review a variety of data, identify and adjust discrepancies, identify and resolve operational
•     problems
•     Uses Information Technology effectively as a tool and resource

Leadership and Self-Management
•     Focuses on result for the client and responds positively to feedback
•     Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude
•     Remains calm, in control and good humored even under pressure
•     Proven networking skills and ability to generate interest in UN Women’s mandate
•     Identifies opportunities and builds strong partnerships with clients and partners 

Education and Certification:

A Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, public administration, social policy, or a related field, or a first-level university degree in the same fields combined with two additional years of relevant professional experience may be accepted.  Pass/Fail.

Experience: 
•     At least five (5) years of progressively responsible professional experience in the field of social work, social policy development, or economic analysis of social services. — 30 points
•     Proven experience in developing methodologies, cost analyses, or financial models related to social protection or service provision for vulnerable groups, including survivors of violence. — 25 points
•     Experience working with governmental institutions at entity or state level on issues related to budgeting, social protection systems, or financing of social services. — 25 points
•     Demonstrated experience in producing a minimum of three (3) high-quality analytical reports, assessments, or policy documents in the area of social work, social protection, or gender equality. — 20 points
•     
Languages:
•     Excellent communication and written skills in B/C/S are required. Pass/Fail
•     Communication and written skills in English would be considered an asset.

Interview will be conducted as part of selection process.
 

How to Apply

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.