UN WOMEN Jobs - 52212- International Consultant

International Consultant - Advocacy and Communication

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Kabul, Afghanistan for Initial Mission; Home Based for Retainer Period, AFGHANISTAN

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

20-Dec-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 months (3-4 weeks initial mission, followed by a retainer contract for an average 5-7 day a month

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

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, the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women and 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, peace and security. Placing women's rights at the center of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides support to Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

Organizational Context

UN Women is dedicated to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment in Afghanistan. Since 2002, it has supported the development, monitoring and implementation of policies and programmes that both protect and promote the rights of women. Staff and consultants of UN Women’s Afghanistan Country Office (ACO) are expected to contribute to a professional working environment in which the strengthening of national capacities and human potential is prioritized. Respect for diversity and human dignity is required, as is the active pursuit of a collaborative and inclusive approach to both internal and external stakeholders, including colleagues and partners. UN Women has revised its internal structure so as to ensure greater cohesion between the programme areas, and envisions three pillars: Elimination of Violence Against Women Pillar (EVAWP), Political and Economic and Empowerment (PEEP), Coordination and Advocacy Pillar (CAP). It also created the Management Support Unit (MSU), which will coordinate this consultancy. However, the Consultant will be expected to provide support to all pillars.

The ACO is engaged in intensified resource mobilization efforts to carry out its mandate. In order to capitalize on this interest, it is important that the office consistently presents itself with one voice, positions itself as a thought and action leader on women’s empowerment and gender equality, and demonstrates the impact and results of its interventions. Advocacy and communications, i.e. initiatives that provide and use information with a clearly defined objective, are pivotal in this regard.

It also is important to improve awareness levels of policy makers, donors, and the general public through advocacy and communication initiatives and sensitize policy makers in order to prioritize gender equality and the empowerment of women agenda at the national level.
Advocacy and communication is essential to bringing about changes in policy and the behaviour of people to promote a better atmosphere for women to live free of violence and discrimination. In order to improve and strengthen communication and advocacy initiatives of UN Women, ACO has identified the need to develop an Advocacy and Communication Strategy, but recognises the need for external expertise, to be provided by the Consultant. It is expected that the Consultant will provide guidance for the design and implementation mechanism for the strategy, with particular emphasis on advocacy and communication related activities appropriate to the Afghanistan context. The consultancy is organised in two phases: the onsite conceptual phase (3-4 weeks) followed by home-based technical support.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the Consultancy

The overall objective is to facilitate the development of an “Advocacy and Communication Strategy” for UN Women ACO. The Consultant will be expected to work with Coordination and Advocacy Pillar and the Communication Officer as well as other Pillars to develop a three-year communication and advocacy strategy (2015-2017), including indicators and measurement tools. The Consultant will also be expected to advise the ACO on potential funding for advocacy/communication work, as well as a proposed implementation plan for the strategy.

Key Outputs

The Advocacy and Communication Strategy is developed, using a consultative process. The strategy at minimum should include the way the ACO should communicate/advocate on global campaigns such as Beijing+20, HeforShe, and SG UNiTE, as well as provide clear entry points for advocacy for the key areas of the ACO’s work. It should also review the key upcoming events in Afghanistan and globally (i.e. the Senior Officials Meeting on Afghanistan in Kabul mid 2015; Commission on the Status of Women in March 2015, the UN Women Executive Board hearings in June 2015, and other events of significance for Afghanistan globally and locally), and propose ways of increased advocacy and communications for the ACO to ensure that matters of gender equality and women’s rights and empowerment are advocated by the ACO in a visible, sensitive-to-context, and tangible manner.

Implementation mechanisms for the strategy are proposed, including the establishment and regular update of Facebook and other e-communication/social media means.
The strategy is introduced to the ACO staff, and to external partners as determined by ACO senior management.

Key responsibilities/functions:

PHASE I:
Home based (three days):

Desk review of the related ACO and UN Women documents, policies, strategies and reports within the context. Documents will include but not exclusively: ACO strategic planning documents, knowledge products, reports, available advocacy materials, as well as UN Women corporate guidelines and documents in the area of Communications and Advocacy;
Review ACO’s advocacy and communication existing initiatives, the ongoing global initiatives, and identify potential priorities and areas of focus;
Prepare an inception report, outlining the proposed methodology and timeline including interview guide for bilateral consultations.
Prepare a work plan for the remainder of the 12months period, outlining the retainer contract engagement mechanisms and actions.

On-site in ACO (three weeks):

Coordinate with ACO’s Management and facilitate a workshop to consult with the programme Pillars and identify priority areas for advocacy and communications, as well as audiences and stakeholders in each area, using participatory methods, including brainstorming sessions;
Conduct consultation meetings with key stakeholders, partners and donors including AWN, SIDA, Norway, WAW, AIHRC, OHCHR, with UNCG and GWG for focused group discussions to gain insight into what they think UN Women should prioritise.
Carry focus group discussions with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs);
Draft a complete and costed advocacy and communication strategy, outlining clear objectives, target activities, target audience, deliverables and indicators, as well as an implementation plan for the whole duration and advice on funding opportunities for such work;
Review the current structure, workload and focus of ACO communication and advocacy components and carry out a SWOT analysis to determine the capacity gaps to implement the Strategy;
Prepare the final draft of the Strategy, after consultations with staff, management and other stakeholders identified as critical.

PHASE II:
Home based technical support after the strategy is developed (5-7 days monthly over the remainder of the 12 months):

Support ACO’s online presence, providing inputs for social media campaigns across several platforms, including Facebook;
Propose multiple social media initiatives with the aim of spreading UN Women’s voice;
Advise on matters related to content and overall user experience of social media sites;
Assist with editing of video/audio documentation (documentaries, TV spots, dramas) of ACO activities and events upon request from the Pillars/Communication Officer, ensuring adherence to UN Women’s guidelines for video production and multi-media documentation;
When requested, play a quality assurance role on ACO’s advocacy and communication materials;
Support editing of communication and advocacy materials including but not limited to press releases, media advisories, hand-outs, brochures, factsheets, newsletters, etc. according to ACO’s requests and UN Women’s guidelines for print production.

Competencies

Functional Competencies:

Ability to multi-task; work under pressure and handle numerous tasks simultaneously in timely manner;
Understanding of UN Women procedures, rules and regulations an asset;
Ability to work effectively as a team member;
Excellent communication skills, written and oral;
Excellent and proven analytical and writing skills, ideally in advocacy strategy development;
Creative thinking and ability to take initiative;
Ability to properly set priorities, manage time effectively, and contribute to a team environment of respect, recognition, and mutual accountability in multi-agency, multi-cultural setting.

Core Competencies:

Commitment to upholding the organizational values and principles of UN Women/ Afghanistan;
Demonstrated sensitivity, discretion, tact and courtesy in relation to gender equality and women’s rights, development principles and projects, implementing partners, and national and international personnel of varied nationalities and backgrounds;
Commitment to upholding the organizational values and principles of UN Women Afghanistan;
Strong and proven integrity.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A first level University Degree, preferably in a social science field (communications, political science, sociology, anthropology), journalism or other related field;
Master’s degree is an asset.

Experiences:

At least 5 years of progressively relevant professional experience;
Extensive work experience and proven record in advocacy, policy, campaigns, strategic management with International NGOs and/or UN agencies;
Familiarity with gender and the empowerment of women issues;
Understanding of the social, cultural, and political context of Afghanistan and its impact on women and girls an advantage
Proficiency in the use of computer, office software packages and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages; Ability to design documents by using various software applications;
Knowledge of how to run e-media platforms;
Mentoring/training skills to ensure that knowledge and skills pass to national staff of the ACO
Understanding of UN Women procedures, rules and regulations an asset;

Language:

Fluency in written and spoken English;
Knowledge of local languages (Dari and Pashto) is plus

Required documents to be sumitted:

An updated CV (maximum 4 pages)or UN P-11;
Cover letter, which should include remuneration requirements (daily rate) and contact information for three work-related referees;
Examples of previous work in the area of Communications and Advocacy;
Applications not containing all of the above information will not be reviewed.