Background

UN WOMEN is committed to facilitate Government of Pakistan in institutionalizing gender equality and promoting women’s empowerment in its work through innovative and catalytic programming. UN WOMEN’s work is guided by the Beijing Platform for Action (BPFA), Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the frameworks provided by the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). UN WOMEN strategy in Pakistan is about strengthening the capacity of government, non governmental and UN system to deliver on gender equality commitments by ensuring that voices of women and human rights based approach are integrated fully in the development agenda of the country.

In Pakistan UN WOMEN is managing a series of programmes around CEDAW, women’s human rights and empowerment working with both government and non governmental organizations as well as in coordination and partnership with the rest of the UN system in Pakistan. The work involves amongst others, facilitating the organizations of meetings, workshops, seminars, consultation etc., at provincial and federal level and for this purpose UN WOMEN Pakistan is keen to hire the services of an experienced company, consultancy firm, organization in the field of facilitation and event management.

The role of the Facilitation company/organization is to:

Company TORs:

1. Should be able to provide high class services including:
• Facilitating workshops/meetings/consultations/conferences;
• Documentation including generating reports of the workshop/conference/consultation/seminar, and minute the meetings etc
• Developing and compiling conference/workshop/meeting/consultation material in folders/bags;
2. Event Management, as and when required
3. Translation/interpretation services for the event proceedings as well as for the material, on as and when required basis.


Following TORs of facilitator are envisaged for the facilitation purposes.:

1. Review consultation/conference/meeting/workshop concept note and background documents, assist in conceptualization, designing and developing consultation/ meeting/ workshop/ seminar/ materials in consultation with the UN WOMEN team;
2. Assist in finalizing the event agenda, conceive and develop session plans for the event, develop group work templates, presentation, outstation participants’ guidelines, , text for invitation letter and banner etc in consultation with UN WOMEN team.
3. Provide communication services for confirmations of the participants through phone, fax and email in order to ensure maximum participation to the event;
4. Should be able to synergize and make linkages during facilitation process;
5. Provide translation/interpretation as may be required in various contexts including meetings, workshops, community meetings, etc, and to support the contracted translators to effectively undertake their translation work,
6. To provide guidance and support to working groups/sub-groups as requested on participatory approaches with communities and with groups
7. Should be sensitive to the group dynamics and have understanding of the nuances of the participants in order to manage the facilitation articulately.
8. To be able to develop and analyse workshop/consultation/conference evaluation forms.
9. Excellent presentation skills.



General outputs include:

1) An increased understanding by participants of the briefing workshop purpose, focus and approach, guiding principles, the linkages between process and methods.
2) Increased skills and knowledge of participants in workshops to achieve the intended output
3) Translated documents and materials to support the team as needed
4) Consistency in translation approach and understanding of the contextual sensitivity of their translation work by contracted translators
5) A sense of inclusion and respect felt by participants in group discussions and workshops
6) Update on specific issues of focus in consultations/meetings
7) Provide advice, and conduct other tasks as needed in support of the implementation

Event Facilitation & Training
1. Advise presenters in workshops/meetings/consultations how best to maximize comprehension of the information and active engagement of the group in discussing, raising issues, drawing conclusions, etc.
2. Advise presenters and the UN WOMEN team on cultural, politically correct and other contextual dimensions that may affect the conduct and outputs of the workshop
3. Assist in the identification, organization and preparation of the workshop/meeting/consultations spaces that will best accomplish the objectives set viz comfort, seating, layout, presentation space, break-out space, etc.;
4. Solicit feedback from workshop, and meeting participants through informal and formal means to gauge reactions of participants.
5. To assist in the writing-up of information and outputs that may be needed for follow-on sessions during the workshop;


Translation
6. Provide translators/interpreters with guidelines for translating discussions with key stakeholders to ensure consistency in standards, and to be responsive to the sensitivities within the context.
7. Assist in the development and translation of materials needed to support the workshops.

Criteria for selection:
The following criteria will be used to evaluate project proposals:

a) Quality of proposal,
b) Institutional capacity to undertake the above mentioned tasks.
c) Justifiable budget

The duration of the contract will be 1 year and is expected to start in July 2009.

Draft Format for submission of /Proposals
It can/may include the following information
- background and previous experience of the organization, specific samples of work accomplished previously following the areas identified in the call for proposal eg social sector experience, working with Civil Society, NGOs, International NGOs, UN and Government Meetings
- Team Info with CVs of facilitators etc
- Audit and Financial Statement
- Registration of the company/ organization
- costing of different parts of work eg rate in terms of planning, actual and reporting, separately
- availability throughout the year 2009
- Sample reports of conference, workshops and other such events


The proposals hardcopies as well as softcopies will be received by Ms. Arooj Asad, Admin/HR Assistant, UN WOMEN Pakistan.

2. Address: UN WOMEN, UNHCR Building, Diplomatic Enclave No. 2, Qualid -i- Azam University Road, Sector G-4, Islamabad
3. E-mail: arooj.asad@unifem.org
4. Fax: + 92 51 8357723



Organizations should submit the relevant material by 17 July 2009 5pm.
Please also find below the tentative plan of trainings/meeting/workshops for 2009

Activity Numbers of days (excluding travel)

CEDAW expert group meetings federal and provincial 15
Gender equality committees federal and provincial 18
Coordination meetings 10
Conferences 3
Internal meetings 5
Trainings-capacity buildings 15