UN WOMEN Jobs - 48407- Programme Advisor: Gender-Responsive Peacebuilding

Programme Advisor: Gender-Responsive Peacebuilding

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Bogota, COLOMBIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Oct-2014

Application Deadline :

13-Aug-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

6 months

Languages Required :

English Spanish

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 months - extension possible

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

UN Women is the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women created to accelerate progress on gender equality and the realization of women’s rights. UN Women is a dynamic and strong champion for women and girls, providing them with a powerful voice at the global, regional and local levels.

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. Placing women's rights at the center 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.

UN Women’s goals in Colombia are to promote the rights of women and ensure their inclusion in peacebuilding and reconstruction processes in Colombia; to promote the political and economic empowerment of women; and to end violence against women and girls. UN Women Colombia supports the efforts of the State to develop and implement gender responsive policies to advance women´s rights, and civil society efforts to advocate for women’s rights. It also coordinates and collaborates with the UN System for greater impact to advance gender equality.

In order to achieve these goals, UN Women Colombia works mainly deploying the following functions:

Support national efforts to promote and enhance gender equality and women’s empowerment by providing policy advice and institutional support to the State in policy and programme development that is supportive of progress towards gender equality in all areas.

Provide technical and financial support to projects and initiatives linked to its mandate;
Undertake advocacy on issues critical to gender equality;
Support the State in implementing and monitoring intergovernmental agreements;
Contribute to generating knowledge on gender equality and disseminating good practices on the subject;
Contribute to strengthening the coordination and accountability of the United Nations System on gender equality, incorporating gender mainstreaming. Provide capacity development and training.

In recent years there has been significant development in Colombia legislation and jurisprudence to recognize and define the scope of the rights of women. However, there is a considerable gap between policy and implementation that needs to be deepened. In particular, the 50-year persistent internal armed conflict in the country has had particular impacts on women who have been victims of a range of human rights violations. From 1995 to 2011, violence associated with this conflict has generated nearly 4 million internally displaced persons - 49% of whom are women. In the context of armed conflict in Colombia, sexual violence, exploitation and sexual abuse has been found to be widespread and systematic

In August 2012 it was confirmed that the Government of Colombia and the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP) had concluded six months of secret exploratory talks destined to end more than five decades of armed warfare between them. The “General Agreement for the termination of the conflict and the construction of a stable and lasting peace” was signed in Havana on 26 August 2012 and is a framework for “direct and uninterrupted talks” on issues which are central to Colombia’s stability and development, including rural development policy, political participation; DDR and related issues; the problem of illicit drugs; and the rights of victims. In this context the Colombian government led a constitutional amendment to allow the adoption of transitional justice mechanisms to facilitate the end of the conflict and secure accountability for conflict-related crimes to date.

The peace talks and transition in Colombia is an opportunity to advance women’s full participation as well as to further opportunities for gender equality. Under the overall supervision of the UN Women Representative in Colombia, and in close coordination and articulation with the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in the Country and the UNCT, the main role of this Advisor is to support and strengthen the capacity of the United Nations System in Colombia for implementing the UN Secretary General’s 7 point Action Plan on gender-responsive peacebuilding.

Working under supervision of the UN Women Country Representative and in close coordination and articulation with the Resident Coordinator of the United Nations the Programme Advisor will:

Support the implementation of the identified strategy on the UN Secretary General’s 7 Point Action Plan on Gender-Responsive Peacebuilding, with specific emphasis on: post-conflict planning - implementation and monitoring mechanisms, transitional justice, DDR, security sector reform and economic recovery;
Undertake systematic gender analysis of data and information of the peace agreements, bringing analytical evidence from other countries, and provide continuous advisory support to UN Women and the RCO as required;
Support UNCT Coordination on women, peace and security through the identification and formulation of joint programming opportunities, participation in interagency task forces, and provision of high level analytical advice;
Support UN Women work in its advice to Government entities and civil society organizations on peace building, with a particular focus on development of capabilities to articulate agendas and undertake joint advocacy;
Provide assistance and technical support to any other tasks related to this area of work, assigned by UN Women and the Resident Coordinator's Office.

Expected Output(s):

Analytical briefs and systematic advice on the priority issues identified (post-conflict planning - implementation and monitoring mechanisms, transitional justice, DDR, security sector reform and economic recovery);
Capacity building workshops on Res 1325 and connected to key stakeholders as requested (UNCT, Government, women's organizations, development partners);
Operational plan for the implementation of the "UN SG 7 Action Point Country Strategy" addressing specific recommendation;
Joint Programme proposals for the implementation of the strategy, and provision of substantive inputs for the upcoming UNDAF on women, peace and security.

Competencies

Strong knowledge of the UN human rights system;
Strong knowledge of the UN’s women, peace and security mandate and related inter-governmental processes;
Excellent analytical and writing skills;
Ability to think and work logically and work precisely with attention to detail;
Initiative, sound judgment and demonstrated ability to work harmoniously with staff members of different national and cultural backgrounds;
Ability to work independently and meet tight deadlines in a high-pressure environment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced Degree in Law, Political Sciences, Social Sciences International Humanitarian Law or other Development related field, Master’s Degree and/or and specialization Political Sciences, Social Sciences, Gender or related field.

Experience:

A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience with increasing responsibility in the field of women, peace and security.
Proven ability to dialogue with senior management;
Experience working in an international environment.

Language(s):

English and Spanish are required.