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.

UN Women Training Centre (TC) as the UN leading centre of excellence in training for gender equality offers training for gender equality and women’s empowerment to UN Women staff and UN agencies, as well as to government, civil society and partners.

The TC’s Training for Gender Equality Community of Practice (CoP) is an online community and platform that provides an open forum for dialogue on new and emerging issues related to training and capacity development processes, as well as a platform for articulation and knowledge exchange between training for gender equality practitioners, gender equality specialists, and other key stakeholders from all around the world.

Activities in English, French, and Spanish include virtual dialogues (VD) on UN Women priority areas; collective development of an extensive database of training institutions, courses and materials; collection and discussion of good practices in capacity development for gender equality; and participatory development of related documents. Topics for virtual dialogues include how training for gender equality has been implemented (perspectives, methodologies, evaluation, levels of commitment and results) and how training can be a concrete mechanism for building capacity for gender mainstreaming, and a way to make development cooperation more inclusive and responsive.

At the moment, there are more than 1,300 members from all regions and institutional affiliations in the CoP. During the first two years, the discussions focused on training for gender equality needs and gaps in UN Women focus areas. Some key issues mentioned include evaluation and impact of training and the gaps between policy and practice and between training and practice.

The CoP aims to become a reference on training for gender equality at the international level, achieving the following specific outcomes:

• Ongoing discussion and debate on key issues related to training for gender equality in UN Women priority areas and other topics;
• Ongoing discussion forum to provide input and feedback on TC methodologies, conceptual frameworks, reference documents, resources, courses, etc.;
• Network of training for gender equality trainers, experts and other stakeholders;
• Dissemination of information on TC courses and other activities;
• Dissemination of information on global and regional Training for Gender Equality institutions, opportunities and resources;
• Ongoing identification, documentation and dissemination of good practices in gender training.

As part of this ongoing programme of work, the CoP is currently developing a Compendium of Good Practices in Training for Gender Equality. This is based on good practices submitted by members of the CoP over the course of 2014 in response to a Call
(http://gtcop.unwomen.org/index.php?Itemid=36&lang=en&option=com_content&catid=1%3Anoticias&id=330%3Aconvocatoria-de-buenas-practicas-en-la-capacitacion-para-la-igualdad-de-genero&view=article).

The Compendium will comprise a detailed collection of good practice examples in training for gender equality, as well as a more analytical introduction to the Compendium discussing the key issues involved in selecting good practices. It is expected that the first draft of the Compendium will be submitted by November 2015, to be published by UN Women early in 2016.

The objective of this consultancy is to conduct further analysis and documentation on the good practices which have been selected for inclusion in the Compendium (currently 8-10, expected between 10 and 15 in total). All submissions follow the same format including descriptions of the objectives, methodological approach, resources used, context, results, strengths and weaknesses, lessons learned and recommendations. An initial review process has identified further questions for analyzing each good practice in more detail.

It is expected that the work will be shared between two consultants, and the work will be divided equally between them. The consultants will work under the supervision of the Training and Capacity Development Specialist and alongside the CoP Consultant who will manage the overall research process and development of the Compendium. However, the consultants will be expected to work independently and conduct the research effectively and autonomously. They will also be required to work together, meeting regularly to discuss their progress and any issues arising. The CoP Consultant will provide preliminary research questions for the overall process and each good practice, but the consultants will also be expected to develop further questions and design an appropriate research programme in close consultation with the CoP Consultant and the TC.

Over a period of several months, the consultants will conduct detailed research on the selected good practices, using the most relevant methods - interviews, group interviews, questionnaires, documentary analysis etc. – to be agreed upon in collaboration with the Training Centre and COP Consultant. It is expected that this will be done remotely, by telephone and video conferencing. However, a meeting at the Training Centre in Santo Domingo may be convened if deemed essential for conducting the analysis and documentation. After the analysis and documentation is completed, the consultant will produce a report on each of the good practices, following a format to be agreed upon with the COP Consultant. If further research is required, the consultant will conduct this and revise the reports accordingly. A general report will also be produced jointly by the two consultants as per the clarification provided in the table below, setting out the common challenges, issues and findings of the analysis and documentation process and reflecting on methodologies for researching good practices in training for gender equality. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Training and Capacity Development Specialist and alongside the CoP Consultant, the consultants will be responsible for the delivery of the following products:

• Detailed programme and work plan for the analysis and documentation process. Including activites such as: Analyze all relevant documentation and submitted good practices; Hold meetings with COP Consultant and Training Centre team to discuss tasks and timeline; Make initial contact with representatives of each good practice organisation; Prepare and submit detailed programme and work plan for the analysis and documentation process (due by 7 May 2015);
• Methodology and summary of initial meetings. Including activities such as: Develop and submit detailed methodology and system for recording information; Hold introductory meetings with representatives of each good practice organization to discuss process and mutually plan research (due by 22 May 2015);
• Report on each good practice. Including activities such as, Conduct detailed review, analysis, research, and documentation on each good practice using most appropriate methods; Conduct follow-up activities where necessary in order to complete report; Produce full report on each good practice following mutually agreed format (due by 21 August  2015);
• General report on documentation of good practices in training for gender equality (to be produced together by both consultants based on clearly defined labour division between the team members agreed by the TC). Including activities such as: Reflect on the key challenges and issues that arose during the documentation process; Produce a report detailing these and proposing key questions for further reflection; Include literature on good practices where relevant; Contribute to Training for Gender Equality Expert Group meeting, including preparation of a presentation (due by 31 August 2015);
• Revised reports on each good practice. Activity: Revise reports based on feedback from CoP Consultant and Training Centre team (due by 11 September 2015);
• Final version of reports on good practices. Including activities such as: Participate in meeting with CoP Consultant and Training Centre team to receive final comments and feedback on reports; Conduct further research where necessary to complete missing information or explore issues in more detail; Revise and submit reports based on feedback using agreed format (due by 9 October 2015);
• Final version of general report on researching good practices (to be produced together by both consultants based on clearly defined labour division between the team members agreed by the TC). Including activities such as: Participate actively in CoP Virtual Dialogue on Good Practices (a 2-hour webinar and a two-week online forum); Revise general report based on in-depth discussions and further critical reflection (due by 19 October 2015).

Competencies

Core Values and Guiding Principles:

Integrity:

• Demonstrate the values of United Nations and UN Women, act without consideration of personal gain, resist undue political pressure in decision-making, no abuse of power or authority, stand by decisions in the organization’s interest, and take action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behavior.

Professionalism:

• Show pride in work and achievements, demonstrate professional competence and mastery of subject matter, conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments and achieving results, motivated by professional rather than personal concerns, show persistence when faced with challenges, and remain calm in stressful situations.

Respect for Diversity:

• Work effectively with people from all backgrounds, treat all people with dignity and respect, treat men and women equally, show respect for and understand diverse opinions by examining own biases and behaviours to avoid stereotypical responses, and do not discriminate against any individual or group.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

• Promoting Ethics and Integrity / Creating Organizational Precedents.

Organizational Awareness:

• Building support and political acumen.

Developing and Empowering People / Coaching and Mentoring:

• Building staff competence, creating an environment of creativity and innovation.

Working in Teams:

• Building and promoting effective teams.

Communicating Information and Ideas:

• Creating and promoting enabling environment for open communication.

Self-management and Emotional intelligence:

• Creating an emotionally intelligent organization

Conflict Management / Negotiating and Resolving Disagreements:

• Leveraging conflict in the interests of the organization & setting standards

Knowledge Sharing / Continuous Learning:

• Sharing knowledge across the organization and building a culture of knowledge sharing and learning

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Masters level or equivalent in social sciences, international development studies, gender studies, or related fields.

Experience:

• Minimum of 2 years of work experience;
• Proven experience in conducting independent research;
• Good knowledge of gender equality policies and issues;
• Some understanding of training for gender equality;
• Ability to work independently and manage time and deadlines successfully;
• Strong written and communication skills.

Language:

• Excellent skills in oral and written English and Spanish required;
• Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese is an asset.