UN WOMEN Jobs - 57419- International Consultant: Baseline on Gender Indic

International Consultant: Baseline on Gender Indicators and Review of National Gender Policy

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Monrovia, LIBERIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

06-Jul-2015

Application Deadline :

30-Jun-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

Four(4) Months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

Four(4) Months

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

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), grounded on 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 at various levels; 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, the 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. In Liberia, UN Women leads the United Nations Country Team on gender equality and the empowerment of women. In line with the implementation of the UN One Programme in Liberia, UN Women is embarked on scaling up its support in the four priority areas as aligned to the Government’s Agenda for Transformation i.e. 1. Governance and Women Participation; 2. Women’s economic empowerment; 3. Women, peace and security; and 4. Coordination and gender mainstreaming in national development priories.

After a decade of peace, Liberia is resolutely turned toward the future and consolidating the gains and dividends of peace. Characterized as both a post-conflict country, and a fragile state, Liberia is facing the challenges of transitioning from a country marked by the fourteen year civil war to a country resolutely turned toward the future. Liberia is confronting the challenges of persistent structural poverty, highly unequal income distribution, and lack of access to basic services for the vast majority of the population. The consequences of the civil war only further exacerbated the situation, destroyed the existing infrastructure and lay the groundwork for the significant reconstruction and development priorities which need to be addressed today in Liberia. The Ebola outbreak further exacerbated the vulnerability faced by women impacting their livelihood, access to opportunities, as well as halting peace building processes. Despite the presence of emblematic leaders in advancing women’s rights and strong state commitment as well as the continued improvements in global rankings, the status of women in Liberia remains marked by gender disparities and the persistence of cultural norms which limit the recognition and exercise of women’s human rights and compromise future development.

The Government of Liberia through mandated ministries such as Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection is committed to addressing its institutional development needs and capacity gaps in order to more effectively play its role in consolidating the policy gains through improved implementation and anchoring them in a whole of government accountability framework. As the Ministry’s key partner, UN Women is particularly well placed to accompany them in this process through the provision of technical assistance, capacity building, and policy guidance.

Although the Ministry plays the lead coordination role within the Government of Liberia for the promotion of gender equality, there are multiple Government institutions and ministries with the responsibility of implementing the National Gender Policy, particularly within the implementation of pending national reforms. These reforms also take into consideration the ongoing processes of the Ebola recovery through the Economic Recovery and Stabilization Plan (ERSP), Review of the Agenda for Transformation, as well as taking into account UNMIL drawdown. The various government institutions are central to the success of the National Gender Machinery with active stakeholders and participants in the assessments, analysis.In partnership with Sweden, UN Women is undertaking a Preparatory Phase of the Gender Sector Support Programme, which will provide a baseline and evidence to inform and longer-term strategic interventions to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women in Liberia.

About the Position

In line with the above, and the need to further increase support to gender actors in implementation of the gender commitments, it is important that a baseline is established for all key gender indicators included in the Agenda for Transformation, the National Gender Policy and its action plan, the National Plan of Action for UNSCR 1325, Economic Recovery and Stabilization Plan, and identify the data gaps for effective designing of strategic interventions to develop the capacity of these machineries, and well as monitoring. Under the overall guidance from the Country Representative, and direct supervision of the Deputy Representative, the consultant will work with the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, and other relevant ministries as well as with UN Country Team and other stakeholders in establishing the baseline of gender inventions on all indicators as highlighted in the policy documents, as well as the gaps to inform the broader programme development.

Duties and Responsibilities

Summary of Key Functions:

Literature review of existing documentations on the 2013 - 2017 UNDAF, Liberia’s Agenda for Transformation (AfT), the National Gender Policy and its action plan, the National Plan of Action for UNSCR 1325; Economic Recovery and Stabilization Plan, and other relevant policy documents;
Review of the National Policy on Gender including the development of Action Plan UNSCR – Second Generation.

Description of Functions:

Literature review of existing documentations on the 2013 - 2017 UNDAF, Liberia’s Agenda for Transformation (AfT), the National Gender Policy and its action plan, the National Plan of Action for UNSCR 1325; Economic Recovery and Stabilization Plan, and other relevant policy documents;
Take lead in the review of policy and legal frameworks regarding gender equality and women empowerment in Liberia;
Convene and facilitate sessions with research institutions and key stakeholders including the UN system on available data and research on gender commitments and implementation – including ongoing programmes;
Draft report on initial findings based on the review and consultations with various stakeholders;
Validate the report with stakeholders and national and subnational level – with selected technical group representative of Civil Society, government ministries, and NGOs, and other relevant players;
Develop a synthesis document on the current status of gender interventions in Liberia – including an executive brief paper.

Review of the National Policy on Gender including the development of Action Plan UNSCR – Second Generation:

Conduct consultations on the relevance of the current National Gender Policy as aligned to the current national recovery and development trends in Liberia;
Assess the progress made and challenges faced during the last 3 years of the implementation of the policy;
Analysis and document lessons learned and emerging issues relevant to gender equality and the empowerment of women in Liberia – considering the impact of Ebola on women and girls;
Validation of findings and recommendations from the review – by convening sessions at national and subnational level;
Develop a comprehensive report on recommendations and emerging issues to address to promote gender equality.

Deliverable(s):

A final baseline report on all key gender indicators included in the UNDAF, Agenda for Transformation, the National Gender Policy and its action plan, the National Plan of Action for UNSCR 1325 available for identify the data gaps for effective monitoring;
Report on progress made in the implementation of the National Gender Policy – highlighting key achievement, gaps, and recommendations consideration in light with ongoing national priorities.

Competencies

Core values and Guiding principles:

Integrity:

Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.

Professionalism:

Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity:

Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Competencies:

Ethics and Values:

Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity.

Organizational Awareness:

Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.

Development and Innovation:

Take charge of self-development and take initiative.

Work in teams:

Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds.

Communicating and Information Sharing:

Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication.

Self-management and Emotional Intelligence:

Stay composed and positive even .moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others.

Conflict Management:

Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution.

Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing:

Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge.

Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making:

Demonstrate informed and transparent decision making.

Functional Competencies:

Knowledge of statistical theory and applications and the ability to monitor and collect research data to assess accuracy, validity, and integrity;
Ability to analyze statistics and other data and to interpret and evaluate results, and create reports and/or presentations.
Ability to effectively utilize computer software (i.e. MS Excel, Access, oracle, etc.) for database development and management.
Communicating clearly and objectively the work done and the resulting findings. Use appropriate standards for reporting certain findings or recommendations;
Ability to follow instructions through a standard work process;
Ability to perform routine tasks and to check work for accuracy before completion of tasks;
Ability to write comprehensive assessment and/or research reports.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in Social Science, Economics, or equivalent; Certified in Monitoring and Evaluation

Experience:

Minimum 8 years of proven experience in the following areas:

Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls;
Developing strategies for conducting baseline studies and/or research;
Review of policy and legal frameworks with specific in experience on gender related policies and strategies
Working with UN Country Teams, Government officials, and Civil Society, and the private sector
Organizing, describing and interpreting collected data;
Survey design, research study, with a focus on gathering gender statistics and/or data on women and girls, men and boys; and
Assessment of rural and urban communities.
Strong writing skills.

Language:

Fluent in English.

Note:

Shortlisted candidates may be requested to provide samples of their previous work.