UN WOMEN Jobs - 52382- Consultant to Review National Dialogue and Reconci

Consultant to Review National Dialogue and Reconciliation Processes in Political Transitions

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Home-based

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

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

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

45 days over 4 months

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, 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.

A number of international instruments emphasize the right to equal access to justice, due process and redress for human rights violations, and the importance of women’s participation in decision making mechanisms, including national dialogue and reconciliation processes. UN Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) recognizes women’s leadership as a resource for peace, and that peace-making and peacebuilding are more effective when redress for gender-based injustices and the promotion of women’s empowerment are included. The Secretary-General’s 2010 Report on Women’s Participation in Peacebuilding includes a United Nations system-wide Seven-Point Action Plan to take forward the promises of Resolution 1325, calling on UN entities to take more systematic action to ensure women’s participation in, and availability of, gender expertise to peace and post-conflict planning processes. The Seven-Point Action Plan includes a commitment to ensuring the rule of law systematically promote women and girls’ rights to security and justice before, during and after conflict. However, women are still a marginal presence in the ranks of mediators, and peace negotiators and are often absent at the peace table. As a result, their concerns are rarely reflected in post-conflict recovery planning, programmes and spending.

UN Security Council resolution 2122 (2013), the most recent of the seven Security Council resolutions on women peace and security, calls for a significant implementation shift to build women’s participation and leadership, to strengthen the accountability of peace and security institutions to this agenda, and to build the analytical and knowledge base in this area of peace and security actors worldwide. In this respect, gender-responsive national dialogue and reconciliation processes can provide a platform from which women can inform and influence post-conflict institutional arrangements for governance, land reform, economic recovery, security sector reform and justice to promote and protect women’s rights and support their full and equal participation.

National dialogues and reconciliation processes can address a diverse set of issues, take various formats and involve different timeframes. These processes can play a critical role in healing and building of national identity, overcoming divisions of the past, allowing societies to have a common vision, creating support for peace processes, widening support for peace agreements, generating agreements around critical steps in peacebuilding processes and addressing issues regarding the design and role of state institutions, such as the constitution, decentralization, justice and the security sector. The effectiveness of these processes is dependent on the inclusiveness of the process, including with regard to women. Broad and open participation is necessary to create the buy in to reform processes and generate a critical mass of support for change, which might be affecting the elite and vested interests negatively.

In his 2013 report on Women, Peace and Security, the Secretary-General referred to a trend in recent years towards the use of reconciliation or dialogue commissions in conflict-affected states. He noted that while these bodies have a critical role to play in post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding, they should not be a substitute for accountability, a cover for impunity or a substitute for victims’ rights and access to reparations. The Secretary-General’s report goes on to request, in view of the growing importance of national dialogue and reconciliation processes in political transitions, a review of women’s participation in these processes and their gender-specific impacts, calling for vigilance that these processes not be used to facilitate impunity for serious crimes.

UN Women is recruiting a consultant to conduct a review of the gender responsiveness of formal and informal national dialogue and reconciliation processes in political transitions. Under the supervision of the Acting Chief Advisor, Peace and Security, the consultant will analyse good practices, effectiveness in addressing issues that requires inclusive dialogues and agreements regarding peacebuilding and statebuilding, including agreements around the design and role of various state institutions, as well as identify the challenges these important institutions and processes face in promoting women’s rights and furthering gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Duties and Responsibilities

Conduct a review of operational and policy guidance on formal and informal national dialogue and reconciliation processes that currently exists, including reports and evaluations;
Review the range of formal and informal national dialogue and reconciliation processes to date, their nature, definition, issues discussed and summary of impacts on furthering women’s rights;
Assess whether the participation of women has affected the outcome of the processes and whether that had a sustainable impact on policies, institutions and the political and peacebuilding processes in the country;
Conduct a review of existing practice to date related to formal and informal national dialogue and reconciliation processes and mechanisms as they relate to gender equality and women’s rights, as well as women’s direct participation in the set-up and conduct of these processes;
Look specifically at the question of roles and responsibilities of different actors and stakeholders in formal and informal national dialogue and reconciliation processes and mechanisms, including resourcing. This will include the role of national actors (government, civil society, etc.) and the international community;
Develop recommendations on future practice in this area.

Deliverables:

The consultant will prepare a written report setting out the findings of the commissioned study within 4 months from the start of this contract. The report should include relevant case studies detailing good practices and lessons learned. UN Women and partner will provide comments and feedback to the consultant. The consultant will then integrate the feedback and present the final report to UN Women. In preparation for the Report, the consultant will submit an annotated outline to UN Women and partners for comments within 15 days from the start of the contract. Upon finalization of the report, the consultant will prepare a knowledge product for UN Women on how reconciliation processes and mechanisms can work for women. The knowledge product will synthesize the material in the report, detailing the core elements of gender-sensitive dialogue and reconciliation processes and include case studies.

Competencies

Strong knowledge of the UN’s women, peace and security mandate, as well as peacebuilding mandate and related inter-governmental processes;
Strong knowledge of constitution-making bodies, or national dialogue, national consultation or reconciliation mechanisms or transitional justice processes and mechanisms;
Excellent analytical and writing skills;
A past publications record is highly desirable;
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
Highest standards of integrity, discretion and loyalty.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A master’s degree in gender studies, law, development, political science, international relations or a related field.

Experience:

A minimum of 7 years of experience related to gender within the field of law, development, political science, international relations or transitional justice;
Experience working on national dialogue and reconciliation processes an asset.

Language:

Fluent in English;
Other UN languages an asset.