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. Placing women's rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women is mandated to lead and coordinate United Nations system efforts, to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It is also mandate to provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

In 2009 UN Women conducted a research which has indicated that prostitution and human trafficking are present problems in Palestinian society, and that it is immensely difficult to obtain detailed information and accurate data related to this issue. Individuals in prostitution are at greater risk of contracting HIV, and those who purchase sex are at risk of transmitting it to other sexual partners, such as wives. Further information gathering, analysis and updating of existing information is key for planning future HIV/AIDS and awareness and prevention interventions.

UN Women in partnership with SAWA – All the Women Together Today and Tomorrow NGO (SAWA NGO), expect updating the previously conducted HIV/AIDS research (in 2009) that may yield new information which will help to spur greater interest in the issue of HIV infection and prevention among other NGO’s, government ministries, and other relevant bodies. This interest might take the form of later, in-depth research studies, further public education, and/or improved service provision.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the overall supervision of UN Women, the day-to-day supervision of the SAWA Director, and SAWA’s main researcher,  the Research Assistant will undertake the following tasks, duties and responsibilities:

Work in close collaboration with SAWA’s main researcher to: 

• Conduct interviews with a variety of actors (government, Community leaders, CSOs, youth groups, women’s leaders, etc);
• Provide insights into the findings of field research, using substantial local knowledge (political, institutional, cultural, etc);
• Documenting and analyzing critical experiences from key informants through community and home visits;
• Conducting focus groups with groups of informants;
• Meeting with the main researcher on weekly basis to discuss and follow up on interviews and meetings with institutions and key informants;
• Participate in the training on HIV/AIDS provided by the main researcher to SAWA staff and volunteers;
• Translation of key interview documents related to the field work.
• Conduct other duties as required.

Time frame:

• The assignment is expected to start on 15 October 2014 and be finalized by 15 December 2014.

Key deliverables

• Detailed report on interviews conducted with key informants, including analysis of the data.
• Final report on the progress activities and interviews conducted.

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.

Core Competencies:

Results oriented

• Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals, generates innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations.

Ethics and Values

• Demonstrating / Safeguarding Ethics and Integrity.

Organizational Awareness

• Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Developing and Empowering People / Coaching and Mentoring

• Initiative-taking; coaching and mentoring ability.

Working in Teams

• Acting as a team player and facilitating team work.

Communicating Information and Ideas

• Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively.

Self-management and Emotional intelligence

• Creating synergies through self-control.

Conflict Management / Negotiating and Resolving Disagreements

• Managing conflict.

Knowledge Sharing / Continuous Learning

• Learning and sharing knowledge and encourage the learning of other.

Functional Competencies:

• Sound knowledge of international standards on human rights, women's rights and related instruments; 
• A proven ability to liaise with a variety of stakeholders and partners, including government and international organizations; 
• Strong analytical, dialogue, consultation and communication skills; 
• Maturity, ability to take decisions under pressure and ability to deal with matters that are politically or culturally sensitive;
• Ability to work as a member of a team;
• Demonstrated experience in timely delivering of products;
• Sound understanding of the Palestinian legal systems;
• Excellent research and analytical skills;
• Strong commitment to women's rights and to human rights in general;
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational and communication skills;
• Ability to work under pressure and as part of a team.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: 

• BA degree in gender, women studies, science or any other relevant field.

Experience: 

• Minimum four years of relevant work experience in human rights monitoring, data collection, communication or advocacy.
• Significant relevant experience in gender-focused data collection;
• Knowledge on Palestinian laws on Violence against Women, sexual exploitation and human trafficking;
• Knowledge on HIV/AIDs and its key population,
• Good communication skills (comprehension, written, and spoken) in Arabic.

 Languages

• Written and oral proficiency in Arabic and English is required.