UN Women: International Consultant - Governance, Peace and Security (Intersectional Approaches), Home-based

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.

Through the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) in Bangkok, as well as multi-country, country offices and programme presences, UN Women builds on a long history of support to governments and women’s movements. UN Women’s programs in Asia and the Pacific focus on governance, peace and security, ending violence against women, humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction, women’s economic empowerment, and HIV/AIDS.

UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP), through its Governance, Peace and Security (GPS) Unit, leads policy and programme development and implementation in the areas of women’s leadership and decision-making and the advancement of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda. This includes supporting peace building initiatives; facilitating the development, implementation, and monitoring of National and Regional Action Plans on WPS; promoting gender-responsive security sector reform; and advancing emerging and non-traditional WPS priorities such as Gender, Climate, Peace and Security and Women, Peace and Cybersecurity. The GPS Unit applies an intersectional approach across its work, with a strong focus on disability inclusion, youth engagement, and the meaningful engagement of men and boys as allies in advancing gender equality and sustainable peace. In line with CEDAW General Recommendation No. 40 on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems, the GPS Unit supports women leaders and women-led organizations to strengthen their participation, influence, and leadership across political, peace building, and governance processes.

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

The International Consultant on Governance, Peace and Security will undertake the following tasks:

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of regional developments on women’s human rights, governance, and peace and security, and integrate information into policy development, analysis, outreach, and advocacy efforts, supporting an intersectionality approach to Governance Peace and Security, with a focus on disability inclusion.
• Support UN Women Offices in Asia and the Pacific and collaborate with UN Country Teams, Resident Coordinators Offices, and human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms to support national, regional, and global analysis and reporting on gender equality, empowerment of women, and women’s human rights with a focus on CEDAW General Recommendation 40 implementation.
• Provide briefings and participate in UN meetings related to early warnings systems linked to human rights and prevention.
• Coordinate and participate in joint activities with various stakeholders in the areas of governance, and peace and security, including collaboration with UN agencies, civil society, and regional women's networks.
• Support ROAP, including its leadership and UN Women Country Offices in the region to provide guidance and support and assist in the development and implementation of programmes that focus on human rights, governance, and peace and security with a focus on youth leadership and disability inclusion
• Prepare briefing notes, background papers, summaries, talking points, and other necessary documents, as required by senior management.
• Advance targeted and mainstreamed programmatic, policy, and advocacy work on leaving no one behind by actively engaging with marginalized communities, conducting inclusive consultations, and incorporating diverse perspectives into initiatives, as well as acting as the disability inclusion focal point for the region.
• Establish and strengthen close working relationships with key stakeholders from civil society and regional organizations, emphasizing inclusivity and engagement with diverse and under-represented groups.
• Support resource mobilization for the implementation of human rights, governance, and peace, and security initiatives in the region.
• Other duties as required.

Outputs:

Monthly progress reports are to be submitted, describing work completed and listing any outputs finalized during that month related to tasks outlined above. Payments will be made upon approval of the progress reports by the Regional Policy Advisor on Governance, Peace and Security. The International Consultant will report to the Regional Policy Advisor on Governance, Peace and Security.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. For travel on a mission, if required and agreed upon, travel costs and Daily Subsistence Allowance (DSA) will be provided. Travel Authorization will be granted to the consultant prior to the travel date. Travel will be managed following UN Women travel policy.

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

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

Functional Competencies:

• Excellent analytical skills
• Excellent writing skills
• Strong interpersonal skills and effective communication with staff at all levels of the organisation.

Education and Certification:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in law, human rights, international development, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in similar fields in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Minimum five years of experience at the national or international level on human rights and/or gender equality/ Women Peace and Security
• Experience collaborating with diverse women-led civil society organisations, including Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs), Youth organisations
• Experience working in the UN System for Asia and the Pacific is an asset.
• Excellent command of written English, with proven report writing experience.

Languages:

• Proficiency in English is required.

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.