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.

The African Queens and Women Cultural Leaders’ Network (AQWCLN) was launched in Kampala, Uganda from 3-5 September 2013. The establishment of AQWCLN is a response to the Harare Call to Action adopted in May 2012 at the high level meeting “Accelerating Action for Women Empowerment and Gender Equality in the area of HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: Getting to Zero in Africa” hosted by the GlobalPOWER Women Network Africa in collaboration with the African Union and UNAIDS.

One of the commitments in the Harare Call to Action is to establish meaningful partnerships with religious, traditional and cultural leaders in the implementation of programmes to protect and promote the rights of women and girls and work with the African Union Commission (AUC) in promoting the Campaign for Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) and sexual and reproductive health as well as in combating harmful traditional practices. It calls for the creation of a women’s cultural leaders network to improve the lives of women and children in Africa, in partnership with the African Union (AU) and the Regional Economic Communities and with the support of the United Nations and other partners.

AQWCLN aims to build a strong network that will act as a meaningful and effective partner in enabling Africa to fulfil its aspirations as a unified, peaceful and prosperous continent. It will leverage cultural influence at policy and grassroots levels through working in a number of areas including;

• Promoting positive cultural values and the eradication of harmful traditional practices;
• Enhancing efforts to secure peace across the continent;
• Expanding access to quality health care and improving health outcomes for women and girls;
• Improving access to quality education for women and girls;
• Promoting women’s economic empowerment and leadership; and
• Supporting efforts to alleviate poverty, and providing local solutions to promote food security.

AQWCLN had its first meeting in Accra, Ghana organized by the AUC in partnership with UN Women, which brought together Queens, Queen Mothers and Princesses from 15 African countries including Ghana, Uganda, Kenya and Burundi.

The following are the current Board members;

• HRH Sylvia Luswata Mutebi Nagginda  - Queen of Buganda Kingdom;
• HRH Best Kemigisa Olim – Queen Mother of Tooro Kingdom;
• HRH Jennet Kem – Queen Mother of the Moghamo Community in Cameroon;
• HRH Nanahema Awindor – Development Queen Mother from Ashanti Kingdom;
• HRH  Sophie Mathew Obur Ayang – Princess from Shuluk Kingdom, South Sudan.

With the launch of the Network members are desirous to establish it as an entity recognised by law and with the powers and structures necessary for it to achieve its objectives. Towards this goal AQCWLN wishes to develop a constitution as its governing document where its objectives, legal structure and governance are enshrined and explained. The constitution, being an important legal document that can be enforced by the courts if necessary, has necessitate the recruitment of a reputable legal practitioner, with experience in working with voluntary, not-for profit, non-governmental organisations to assist AQCWLN in the process.

UN Women wishes to support this initiative, building on its partnership with AQCWLN, and the complementarity between the objectives of the network and UN Women’s mandate and work in Eastern and southern Africa Region.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the leadership of the Regional Director, and in close consultation with the Regional Advisor, Leadership and Governance, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:

Phase One : Preparation on draft constitution and by-laws (6 working days)

• Undertake consultations with UN Women and (on behalf of the Board) Her Royal Highness Nanahemaa Adjoa Awindor, Queen Mother, Ashanti Kingdon, and HRH Jennet Kem (Queen Mother of the Moghamo, Cameroon) to clarify the objectives and needs of the Network. The consultant is expected to keep a record of the consultations;
• Conduct desk review of constitutions of like-minded institutions;
• Conduct a due diligence search of the relevant laws of Ghana to ensure compliance, bearing in mind that AQCWLN is intended to be a continent-wide organisation registered in Ghana;
• Prepare a draft constitution and by-law;
• Submit the draft to UN Women.

Phase Two: Presentation of the draft constitution to the Board (4 working days)

• Attend the first meeting of the Board;
• Make a presentation of the draft constitution and by-laws to the Board; making clear explanations for the different provisions; and satisfactorily responding to questions and requests for clarification; 
• Take note of the agreed changes to the document(s);
• Prepare final draft of the document(s) and submit to UN Women soft copies in MS Word and pdf.

Phase Three : Registration of the Network (5 working days)

• Prepare all documents necessary for the registration of the network; including obtaining the necessary signatures from AQCWLN board members;
• Submit documents to the offices mandated to register non-governmental organisations such as AQCWLN, and follow up till registration in completed and the certificate of registration is issued to AQCWLN;
• Submit the original certificate and the file to UN Women or other person at the request of UN Women.

Competencies

Ethics and Values:

• Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

•  Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

• Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams:

• Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

• Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

• Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Conflict Management:

• Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

• Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

• Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

• Demonstrated People Management Skills;
• Proven ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
• Ability to lead strategic planning, programme;
• development and implementation, results-based management and reportin;
• Ability to develop and maintain strong partnerships;
• Ability to manage complexities.
  

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Masters Degree in law or other relevant field.

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years professional experience in legal practice and with proven experience in performing similar tasks as is required in this TOR; including managing the registration process for non-governmental organisations;
• Substantive experience and record of accomplishment in the area of political participation.

Language Requirement:

• Fluency in written and oral English.