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Call for Proposals to select Implementing Partner(s) UNW 2/2012

Promotion and Implementation of Womens Empowerment Principles in Serbia

Under Advancing Women Socio Economic Rights Project The call is open to employers` associations, professional associations, entrepreneurship associations and women in business organisations operating at the national level Deadline for receiving submissions: 23rd September, 2012 2

1. Background UN Womens project Advancing Womens Economic and Social Rights in Serbia and Montenegro is being implemented in the period 20102013, with the financial support of the Government of the Kingdom of Norway. The goal of the project is to contribute to the elimination of gender-based discrimination at the labour market by providing support to key policy and service delivery institutions to mainstream gender in their policies, programs, operations and budgets and to develop informed policy measures. Project aims to strengthen the capacities of duty-bearers and rights-holders to implement international and national commitments to womens economic rights. Key strategies include capacity development of duty-bearers and rights-holders and evidence-based advocacy. More specifically, the project aims to strengthen the capacities of key labour market stakeholders, including corporate sector. Focus of UN Women support is to raise awareness and enhance capacities of selected partners to implement existing commitments under national strategies related to gender equality and employment, especially those related to the removal of gender-based discrimination practices, as well as to develop more gender-responsive policies in the future. The Project is part of the overall portfolio of UN Women in the region of Central and South Eastern Europe (CSEE) and contributes to goals under the UN Women CSEE bi-annual strategic plan for 2012-2013. Womens Empowerment Principles in brief 1. Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality. 2. Treat all women and men fairly at work respect and support human rights and nondiscrimination. 3. Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men workers. 4. Promote education, training and professional development for women. 5. Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that empower women. 6. Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy. 7. Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality As part of this project UN Women works around the promotion and implementation of the Womens Empowerment Principles (WEP), a global initiative of UN Women and United Nations Global Compact. The Principles are offering guidance to business on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. Companies throughout the world have signed up to the Principles and in this way committed themselves to promote gender equality and women's empowerment vis-a-vis their employees but also in their interactions with business partners, suppliers and entrepreneurs along the value chain. The Womens Empowerment Principles Equality Means Business is a partnership initiative of UN Women and the UN Global Compact that encourages engagement with business, civil society, Governments and the United Nations to advance and empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. While designed as a tool for business to strengthen and create company policies and programmes to achieve gender equality, these seven Principles provide a platform for all stakeholders to move their commitments to gender equality closer to implementation. Empowering women to participate fully in economic life across all sectors and 3

throughout all levels of economic activity is essential to build strong economies; establish more stable and just societies; achieve internationally agreed goals for development, sustainability and human rights; improve quality of life for women, men, families and communities; and Propel businesses operations and goals. The Principles emphasize the business case for corporate action to promote gender equality and womens empowerment and are informed by real-life business practices and input gathered from across the globe. UN Women Serbia initiated the first activities at country level around promotion of the Womens Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in 2011. In the framework of a partnership with the local chapter of the UN Global Compact, a comprehensive self-assessment tool that allows companies to critically assess their policies and practices from the perspective of equal opportunities and nondiscrimination was developed. The tool combines questions and practical examples and information, under each of the seven WEPs: how gender equality and leadership interrelate, if policies and practices that ensure respect of human rights and non-discrimination are in place, what path for womens professional development can be taken, if supply chain and enterprise development empower women and how to promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy. In addition, high-level conference "Women's Empowerment Principles: Equality Means Business - Serbian Companies Leading the Way" was organized in March 2012, and was attended by more than 180 businesses. The goal of the Conference was to promote the good practices of Serbian corporate sector that are in line with the WEPs and are contributing to womens empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community. 12 CEOs of companies 1 based in Serbia joined the ranks of nearly 400 CEOs worldwide who have publicly declared their commitment to implementing the Women's Empowerment Principles since their global launch in 2010. WEPs Vision Transform corporate behavior and practices and intentionally position gender equality and womens empowerment as essential core business objectives. WEPs Objective Motivate and guide business to take wide ranging actions to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community and to view such action as an integral and necessary part of corporate sustainability.
1 Actavis,

Avon, Banka Intesa, B92, Carlsberg, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, Erste Bank, IBM, Serbia Post, Transnafta, VIP

Mobile

The aim is establish a network of businesses that demonstrate leadership and commitments on gender equality and womens empowerment in their practices and in this way encouraging others to follow suit. In order to support the further work at the promotion of the Womens Empowerment Principles, UN Women is looking for the implementing partner(s) among employers associations, professional associations, entrepreneurship associations and women in business organisations to work with their members (companies) to sign and implement the Principles. 4

2. Scope of Request for Proposals UN Women Serbia is inviting employers associations, professional associations, entrepreneurship associations and women in business organisations to submit proposals to serve as implementing partners under UN Women Sub-regional Plan for 2012-2013: Outcome 2.3.4: Gender equality advocates influence economic and labor policies and strategies to promote womens economic empowerment; Output: Companies demonstrate leadership and commitment on gender equality and womens empowerment in their practices. Proposals are invited for the design and implementation of a comprehensive project, which will include capacity development component targeting the business sector (applicants membership), advocacy component and practical demonstration of achieved results in relation to the Womens Empowerment Principles. The Project shall: - Propose the methodology for addressing the lack of knowledge within the business sector on gender equality, non-discrimination and women rights that are in line with Womens Empowerment Principles; and that ensure development of capacities of employers on the WEPs and pro-women CSR practices; - Provide companies with information and practical guidance on how to integrate women rights in the business operations (what are the benefits of diversity and non-discrimination to companies resources; how WEPs are related to national Gender Equality Law; how women rights can be part of the value chain and how the community actions can benefit women, etc.); - Identify existing pro-women CSR practices; - Propose sustainable model for continuous capacity development of employers with regards to the Womens Empowerment Principles; - Advocate among the employers for the women rights and inclusion of the pro-women CSR practices; - Advocate among the employers to sign up to the Womens Empowerment Principles. It is expected that implementing partner(s) closely cooperate with UN Women in achieving these results, whereas UN Women will act as a quality check on a defined milestones. In order to ensure sustainability of knowledge and efforts and that the work on promotion and implementation of the Womens Empowerment Principles continues and is lead by the national partners, UN Women will organise a comprehensive training on the Women Empowerment Principles. The selected partner organization(s) will be expected to attend the training in order to increase capacities to act as a resource and information centres and knowledge hub on WEPs. Implementing partner(s) will be responsible to ensure participation of senior management and technical persons at the training. 5

3. Goals and Expected Results The project should contribute to and result in: - Increase in knowledge of the implementing partner(s) on WEPs and engagement in a dialogue with companies about the Womens Empowerment Principles; - The increase in knowledge of companies (members) on womens rights, gender equality and pro women CSR practices; - Increase in identified pro-women practices in line with WEPs and newly introduced pro-women practices in line with WEPs; - Increase in the number of companies signing WEPs Statement of Support; The Call is targeting organizations which can clearly show the expertise and capacity to design and deliver the project as per the above parameters and that have access to large number of employers. 4. Guiding Principles in designing the project Following principles should be taken into account when developing project proposal - Gender-responsive approaches that place first priority on promoting, protecting and fulfilling the human rights of women; - Empowering strategies that enable women to take full participation in economic development and businesses; - Coordination and multi-sector partnerships including among government, nongovernmental, womens and other civil society groups, employers and workers associations; - Commitment to sharing knowledge, by documenting, evaluating and disseminating results, and working with UN Women staff in the process; - Building on lessons learned and recommended practices, to ensure optimal results and use of resources. 5. Application Process a. Who can apply Eligibility Criteria: Proposals can be submitted by an organization with holding a status as employers associations, professional associations, entrepreneurship associations and women in business organisations operating at the national level. The applicants should be non-profit organisations and should be registered and operating in Serbia. In cases where two or more organisations submit a proposal, it should be clearly stated which organisation represents the applicants and takes legal responsibility for administering and implementing the project. UN Women will not consider requests that are: - submitted by individuals or by organizations without a status of employers associations, professional associations, entrepreneurship associations and women in business organizations operating at the national level, - submitted after the deadline for submission.

b. Project funding and duration Duration of the project should be no longer than 12 months. The requested project budget funded by UN Women should not exceed 1.918.000,00 (one million, nine hundred eighteen thousands Republic Serbia`s dinars). c. Process Project proposals should be submitted in UN Women template (provided as the Annex 1) and budget (provided as the Annex 2). All submitted proposals by eligible organizations will be evaluated on the basis of the pre-set criteria by UN Women panel. Organizations whose proposals are short-listed will be invited to provide additional clarifications or modifications to their proposal as needed, on the basis of comments by the Panel, and will be given additional time to submit modified proposals. As a final step in the selection process, UN Women will carry out an assessment of the organizational capacities of the selected implementing partners. To complete the capacity assessment, selected organizations will be requested to provide information on their internal organization, administration and financial procedures. d. Criteria for evaluating project proposals: - Quality of the proposal, ensuring that there is a strong link between the issues to be addressed and the planned activities and results anticipated; - Clearly defined focus, realism and feasibility of intended results; - Strategic partnerships necessary for project success secured; - Strong prospects of sustainability beyond the project duration; - Name of applicant management that are for the training - Justifiable budget; - Institutional capacity to implement the project. e. Submission deadline: 23rd September, 2012. f. Language of submission: English g. Submission of project proposals Project proposals should be submitted by e-mail to: info.serbia@unwomen.org. Subject Line: Name of the Applicant Organisation_UN Women 2/2012 Women Empowerment Principles - Call for Project Proposals Any request for clarification must be sent in writing or by standard electronic communication to the mail: info.serbia@unwomen.org. UN Women Serbia will respond by standard electronic mail.