National Consultant for an Independent In itinere Evaluation of the Strategy for the Prevention and Combating of Domestic Violence 2024–2027 in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBIH), 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.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) reflects these global patterns. The first nationally representative prevalence survey on violence against women, conducted in 2013, found that nearly half of adult women had experienced some form of violence, while 6 percent had survived sexual violence before the age of 15. Recent population data shows that women and girls in BiH continue to experience physical, psychological, and sexual violence by both intimate and non-intimate partners. More recent findings from the 2019 OSCE-led survey show that 4 percent of women reported experiencing sexual violence by a current or former partner since the age of 15, and 0.4 percent by a non-partner. The survey also highlighted the high prevalence of sexual harassment, with 28 percent of women reporting such experiences since the age of 15 and 10 percent within the 12 months preceding the survey. Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, committing to comprehensive measures in prevention, protection, prosecution, and coordinated policy-making. Legislative progress has been achieved, including reforms of domestic violence laws and improvements in institutional coordination mechanisms. However, challenges persist in consistent implementation, harmonization across entities and cantons, sustainable financing of services, and effective multisectoral coordination.

Gender-based violence in BiH is closely linked to broader structural inequalities. Women’s labor force participation remains low (32.26%), and economic dependency continues to limit women’s ability to exit abusive environments. Marginalized groups—including Roma women, women with disabilities, rural women, single mothers, and LGBTQI+ persons—face compounded vulnerabilities due to discrimination, poverty, and limited access to social protection systems. Fragmented service delivery, uneven resource allocation, and insufficient institutional capacities further weaken the overall response framework.
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent socio-economic pressures exposed and deepened these vulnerabilities. Demand for protection and social services increased significantly, while economic instability intensified food insecurity and social exclusion among women and vulnerable communities.
These developments highlighted the strong interlinkages between GBV, economic resilience, and the effectiveness of social protection systems.

In response to these interconnected challenges, UN Women—together with UNDP, UNFPA, and UNICEF—implements the Gender and Social Assistance Programme (2025–2029) in BiH as a contribution to the broader Joint Programme Gender Equality Accelerator (GEA). The Programme adopts a comprehensive, integrated, and human rights-based approach aimed at strengthening institutional mechanisms, enhancing service delivery systems, promoting economic empowerment, and ensuring survivor-centered protection frameworks in line with international and EU standards.

Guided by the Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principle, the Programme applies an intersectional approach to address the specific and compounded vulnerabilities faced by women and girls from diverse backgrounds, including Roma women, women with disabilities, rural women, single mothers, LGBTQI+ persons, and other marginalized groups. Through multisectoral cooperation and partnerships with government institutions and civil society organizations, the Programme supports sustainable reforms that respond both to the immediate needs of survivors and to the structural drivers of gender inequality, social exclusion, and economic dependency.

GREVIO has acknowledged several positive legal and policy measures introduced by the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the area of preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, including the introduction at entity level of new criminal offences such as FGM, forced sterilization, stalking, sexual harassment, and forced marriage to align the legal framework more closely with the Istanbul Convention. Building on this progress, the Government of the Federation of BiH adopted the Strategy for the Prevention and Combating of Domestic Violence 2024–2027 and established the Coordination Body for Monitoring its Implementation, led by the Gender Center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Under the overall guidance of UN Women Bosnia and Herzegovina and in close cooperation with the Gender Center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the National Consultant will conduct an independent in itinere evaluation of the implementation of the Strategy for the Prevention and Combating of Domestic Violence 2024–2027 of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Specifically, the in itinere evaluation will assess the level of implementation of the Strategy, examining the effectiveness and efficiency of planned measures against established objectives and expected outcomes, including coherence, quantitative and qualitative aspects of implementation, achievement of objectives, and development effects. The evaluation will summarize achieved results, provide inputs for future strategic planning, and complement the process of preparing a new seven-year strategy by identifying positive areas of action and defining a path for overcoming shortcomings identified in the current implementation period.

The evaluation is carried out based on five key evaluation criteria, as follows:

• Alignment – the extent to which the selected objectives correspond to identified problems and public needs;
• Efficiency – the ratio between planned and achieved outputs and the anticipated (utilized) resources in order to achieve optimal results;
• Effectiveness – the degree to which the objectives of strategic documents have been achieved through comparison of baseline and achieved indicator values;
• Impact – the extent of (positive and negative) changes and consequences of the development intervention (both anticipated and unanticipated), as well as the alignment of outcomes with the needs of target groups;
• Sustainability – the durability of positive changes and outcomes.

The main scope of this evaluation includes:

• Evaluation of the Strategy;
• Evaluation of a report on the implementation of the Strategy;
• Review of successfully implemented tasks during the implementation period;
• Review of unsuccessfully implemented tasks during the implementation period;
• Conclusions with recommendations for action in the preparation of a new strategic document, including obligations arising from the Istanbul Convention.

Under direct supervision of the UN Women EVAW Programme Coordination Specialist and overall supervision of the the UN Women Programme Management Specialist/ Head of Programmes, the consultant is expected to deliver the following products:

Draft Methodology prepared in accordance with the Regulation on the Evaluation of Strategic Documents in the FBiH consisting of a detailed work plan for adapting evaluation methods and developing supporting tools for the evaluation of the strategic document, in line with the Regulation on the Evaluation of Strategic Documents in the FBiH (“Official Gazette of the FBiH”, No. 74/19) and the Manual for the Evaluation of Strategic Documents in the FBiH. As part of this task, the consultant shall collect and review all relevant documents, including but not limited to domestic and international documents, laws, bylaws, as well as guidelines and tools for the evaluation of strategic documents. Based on the above, the consultant may adapt the recommended evaluation methods and tools to the specific evaluation process of the Strategy. Within the scope of this task, the selected consultant is expected to hold at least one meeting with UN Women and the Gender Center of the Federation of BiH in order to ensure a full understanding of all evaluation methods, the evaluation process, and the roles of all involved stakeholders. The selected consultant shall submit the draft methodology, tools, and structure of the evaluation report to UN Women for approval prior to the commencement of the evaluation process;

• Draft Evaluation Report on Strategy Implementation prepared on the basis of collected relevant documents. The consultant shall collect relevant documentation and familiarize themselves with operational plans, reports on the implementation of strategic priorities, and relevant statistical indicators. Additionally, the consultant shall review the key procedures, internal organization, and systematization of the competent institutions/bodies in order to obtain an overview of the institutional and organizational capacities for the planning and implementation of the Strategy. Based on the information collected through the review of relevant strategic plans and reports, key internal regulatory documents, analysis of data collected through evaluation tools, and data collected during participatory and direct meetings, a draft Evaluation Report shall be prepared; and
• Final Evaluation report and presentation – the consultant will finalize the evaluation through validation, consolidation of comments, and final reporting. Subsequently, within the scope of this task, the consultant will present the key findings from the draft evaluation report to UN Women.

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

1. Draft Methodology consisting of: September 4, 2026 3 September 30, 2026 October 26, 2026 15 October 30, 2026 December 4, 2026
   7
   December 18, 2026 TOTAL # of days 25 Input UN Women will provide the Consultant with background materials related to the assignment. The Consultant is expected to work using her/his own computer. Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel This is a home-based consultancy; therefore, the assignment does not require presence at UN Women premises. This consultancy will require some travel to field locations, as per agreed workplan. Any travel to field locations for meetings and events will be pre-arranged and approved in consultation with the supervisor, with all travel expenses covered by UN Women. 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
   • 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: Experience: 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.
   1. A detailed work plan for adapting evaluation methods and supporting tools for the evaluation of the strategic document,
   2. An outline work plan for the Evaluation report, and
   3. The Manual for the evaluation of strategic documents in the FBiH
   1. Development of supporting tools:
      1. Questionnaire,
      2. Data collection tables,
      3. At least 10 interviews with representatives of the relevant institutions, as well as relevant organizations carried out pursuant to accepted work plan.
   1. Detailed draft Evaluation Report shall have no more than 25 pages without Annexes, and shall be prepared as follows:
      1. Introduction (maximum half a page)
      2. Executive summary (maximum 2 pages)
      3. Evaluation context (maximum 1 page)
      4. Methodological approach and activities carried out (maximum 1 page)
      5. Evaluation of the feasibility/progress of the implementation of strategic goals, priorities, and measures using methods such as desk analysis, consultative meetings, questionnaires, online meetings, and focus groups (maximum 2 pages)
      6. Evaluation findings (maximum 15 pages)
      7. Conclusions and recommendations, with a special focus on the preparation of the next strategic document, including obligations under the Istanbul convention (maximum 3 pages)
      8. Annexes (list of reviewed strategic documents, relevant operational plans, and reports on the implementation of the strategic document; list of interviewed persons; methodological and theoretical supporting tools used during the evaluation).
   1. Final Evaluation Report and presentation
   • Integrity;
   • Professionalism;
   • Respect for Diversity.
   • Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
   • Accountability;
   • Creative Problem Solving;
   • Effective Communication;
   • Inclusive Collaboration;
   • Stakeholder Engagement;
   • Leading by Example.
   • Master’s degree or equivalent in economics, law, social sciences, or a related field is required; Pass/Fail
   • A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. Pass/Fail
   • At least 5 years of professional experience in conducting evaluations, assessments, monitoring, or reviews of public policies, strategies, action plans, or development programmes; to be assessed based on the CV/P11 and reference assignments. 30 points
   • Demonstrated experience in evaluating strategic documents, public policies, or sectoral strategies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the application of evaluation methodologies and performance indicators; evidenced through at least two (2) completed assignments of similar scope. 25 points
   • Proven analytical skills and the ability to conceptualize and write in a concise and clear manner; to be assessed through a desk review of a submitted writing sample or previous evaluation/strategic document report (maximum 3 pages). 30 points
   • Experience working on gender equality, violence against women, human rights, social protection, or related public policy areas will be considered an asset. 10 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. 5 points