TERM OF REFERENCE Consultancy: Research on Gender sensitive Remittance Transfers and Asset Building in the Philippines

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1 TERM OF REFERENCE Consultancy: Research on Gender sensitive Remittance Transfers and Asset Building in the Philippines Title: National Economic Consultant Type of Contract: SSA Project Name UN Women Project on Promoting and Protecting Women Migrant Workers Labour and Human Rights: Engaging with International, National Human Right mechanisms to Enhance Accountability Duration: 25 August March 2015 (Maximum of 60 working days) Duty Station: Home based Application deadline: 10 August 2014 I. GENERAL BACKGROUND Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women will work 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 centre of all its efforts, UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. In this regard, economic empowerment is one of the priority areas of the UN Women Strategic Plan UN Women works with governments and multilateral partners (UNDP, ILO, World Bank, regional development banks) to promote women s economic empowerment and increase their access to economic opportunities, especially for those who are most excluded. Around the world, a record number of women are now migrating to seek work and better lives. For many, migration yields these benefits; for others, it carries dangerous risks, such as exploitation in domestic jobs, and vulnerability to violence. Migration policies and practices have been slow to recognize these risks and take steps to make the process safe for women. Funded by the European Union, the UN Women Project on Promoting and Protecting Women Migrant Workers Labour and Human Rights: Engaging with International, National Human Right mechanisms to Enhance Accountability aims to promote the rights of women migrant workers and protect them against exclusion and exploitation at all stages of migration. More specifically it will contribute to this overall objective by: i) strengthening strategic international human rights mechanisms, national oversight institutions, parliaments, governments to ensure accountability to women migrant workers at all stages; and ii) to strengthen women migrant workers organizations and their support groups to effectively engage with the above stakeholders to ensure greater accountability at all stages. The project will focus on actions at the global level and national implementation in Mexico, Moldova and the Philippines. 1

2 This consultancy focuses on the implementation of the global initiative in the Philippines with particular attention to the research on the trends, policies and programmes on gender sensitive remittance transfer and asset building. Despite extensive studies on remittance transfers in the Philippines, there is a limited understanding of remittances from the gender perspective. Remittances are considered the most visible and straightforward index by which to measure migrants contribution to the development of their countries of origin. In the Philippines, the impact of migration on the economy is evidenced by the inflow of remittances, the alleviation of unemployment to some extent and other changes in the labour market. Remittances have increased tremendously, particularly in the past 10 years. Increased accessibility to official and competitive channels to remit money as well as improvement in remittance related technologies have also contributed to increased remittance flows. In the Philippines, remittances contribute approximately 8 10 per cent of GDP and therefore overseas employment is among the most important sources of the Philippines export earnings. 1 The competitiveness of Filipino migrant labour in the global market in terms of productivity and wages play a significant role in maintaining the country s positive economic indicators even in times of regional or global financial crisis or low points of economic cycles. However, more efforts are required to understand different volumes, patterns and use of remittances from the gender perspective. Furthermore, studies show that while women play a key role in as recipients and managers of remittance in many countries, it is usually male heads of households who make decision regarding remittances spending in some countries.this also has direct implications on productive verses non productive use of remittances by recipient households. In addition, the incentive for women migrants to use remittances in productive investment products will come from better investment opportunities in the economic and financial market. II. OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT The key objective of this assignment is to lead the research efforts to review of trends, policies, and programmes on gender sensitive remittance transfers and asset building in the Philippines. In this regard, the National Economic Consultant t will work closely with the global research team that develop the overall analytical and methodological support to the UN Women project on Promoting and Protecting Women Migrant Worker s Labour and Human Rights: Engaging with International and National Human Rights Mechanisms to enhance Accountability. He/she will ensure that the gender perspective is integrated in the research plan, final conclusion and recommendations. III. SCOPE OF WORK Under the supervision of the Programme Specialist of the UN Women Regional Office, the National Economic Consultant will be responsible for leading and conducting the research in close collaboration with the global research team as well as the national research institutions, including the Institute for Labour Studies (ILS), Department of Labour and Employment (DOLE) and the Philippines Migration Research Network (PMRN). The assignment includes writing the research paper, issue brief highlighting key messages from the paper, as well as ensuring substantive contributions from the local researchers and relevant institutions. More specifically the National Economic Consultant will perform the following services: Part I: Produce policy Research paper to review trends, policies, and programmes on gender sensitive remittance transfer and asset building including three key components: i) Review the existing 1 IOM Country Migration Report: Philippines 2013, available at 2

3 literature on gender differential patterns and use of remittance in the Philippines; ii) Assessment of the methodology used in the existing studies and identify good practices and gaps taken into consideration the gender perspective, sampling frames, designs and variability, context specificity and roles of the financial institutions; and iii) Recommendations for further studies and policies relating to gender sensitive migration and remittances in the Philippines (maximum 50 pages or approximately 12,5000 words) Produce a policy/issue brief (for communication and advocacy) on gender sensitive remittance transfer and asset building based on the research paper (4 pages or maximum of 1,000 words) The methodology includes desk reviews and interviews with banks, financial institutions, micro finance institutions, women migrant workers and their families (total of 100 respondents in each pilot). A standard design will be developed in consultation across the three countries (Mexico, Moldova and the Philippines) and country analysis will be synthesized into the global knowledge product. Part II Working in close collaboration with the National Migration Expert Consultant under the UN Women Project on Promoting and Protecting Women Migrant Workers Labour and Human Rights: Engaging with International, National Human Right mechanisms to Enhance Accountability, the National Economic Consultant will jointly: Produce policy paper on gender migration and development based on secondary data and use of primary data from interview in the situation analysis and remittance studies (30 pages or approximately 7,500 words) IV. EXPECTED OUTPUT/DELIVERABLES The consultant is expected to deliver the following: 1. The overall research and time plan for production of the study, including literature review of existing research work 2. Annotated outline and methodology adapted as suitable for the specific context of the Philippines 3. Research paper to review trends, policies, and programmes on gender sensitive remittance transfer and asset building including three key components: i) Review the existing literature; ii) Assessment of the methodology used in the existing studies and identify good practices and gaps taken into consideration the gender perspective, sampling frames, designs and variability, context specificity and roles of the financial institutions; and iii) Recommendations for further studies and policies relating to gender sensitive migration and remittances in the Philippines 4. Policy Issue brief on gender sensitive remittance transfer and asset building (based on #3) 5. Annotated outline for the policy paper on gender migration and development 6. Policy paper on gender migration and development V. PROVISION OF MONITORING AND PROGRESS CONTROLS Outputs The overall research and time plan for production of the study, including literature review. Timeline First week of Sep

4 Annotated outline and methodology adapted as suitable for the specific Mid Sep 2014 context of the Philippines First draft policy research paper to review trends, policies, and programmes on Early Nov 2014 gender sensitive remittance transfer and asset building Final draft policy research paper to review trends, policies, and programmes on End Nov 2014 gender sensitive remittance transfer and asset building Draft policy Issue brief on gender sensitive remittance transfer and asset End Nov 2014 building Draft annotated outline: policy paper on gender migration and development Mid Nov 2014 Final draft annotated outline: policy paper on gender migration and Mid Dec 2014 development First draft Policy paper on gender migration and development End of Jan 2015 Final draft Policy paper on gender migration and development End of Feb 2015 VI. COMPETENCIES Core Values/Guiding Principles: Integrity: Demonstrating consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct. Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing diversity: Demonstrating an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity. Specific Competencies: Thorough knowledge of international and national mechanisms to protect Women Migrant Workers. Knowledge of CEDAW framework. Expertise and knowledge on gender, migration and labour market Strong research and analytical skills. Capacity to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time. Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback. Team player, self starter, innovative and able to work with minimum supervision and with sound judgment VII. DEGREE OF EXPERTISE AND QUALIFICATIONS Education: University Master s degree or higher in economics, development economics, social science and/or related field. Experience: A minimum of 15 years of related experience. Demonstrated experience in research and data analysis. Publications in academic and policy fora on gender, migration and labour market 4

5 Experience with UN and/or UN Women highly desirable. Experience of international development institutions and well developed networks of international migration and gender experts Language Requirements: Fluency in oral and written English is required. Fluency in Filipino (Tagalog) language VIII. Selection Criteria The candidates will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria: (i) educational background and work experience as reflected in their CV and relevant publications; and (ii) the short substantive and financial proposal (daily consultancy rate). 5