UN WOMEN Jobs - 58199- Consultant: Gender and FGM/C Policy Guidelines

Consultant: Gender and FGM/C Policy Guidelines

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Home Based (w/ Possible Travel)

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

24-Aug-2015

Application Deadline :

29-Jul-15 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

12 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

12 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

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. This consultancy will be conducted under the auspices of the UN Women Ending Violence against Women section in New York. The UN Women Ending Violence against Women section in New York is dedicated to providing knowledge-based policy and programming guidance to a diverse array of stakeholders at international, regional and country levels; provides substantive support to intergovernmental processes; and leads global initiatives to address violence against women and girls, often partnering with other UN agencies and stakeholders. UN Women’ work is broadly focused on prevention, services, research and data, and safe public spaces covering all forms of violence against women and girls and various harmful practices, including female genital mutilation/cutting.

Violence, including harmful practices against women and girls, is one of the most universal and pervasive human rights violations in the world. Country data shows that 35% of women in the world have experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point in their lifetime, mainly by their partners. genital organs for non-medical reasons.1 According to the latest figures, more than 130 million girls and women alive today have been cut in the 29 countries in Africa and the Middle East where FGM/C is concentrated.2 FGM/C, however, is also practiced by certain ethnic groups in Asia and Latin America and in many western countries to which practicing communities have migrated.

FGM/C is usually carried out by elderly people in the community (usually, but not exclusively, by women) designated to perform this task or by traditional birth attendants. Among certain populations, FGM/C may be carried out by traditional health practitioners, (male) barbers, members of secret societies, herbalists or sometimes a female relative. In some cases, medical professionals perform FGM/C. This is referred to as the “medicalization” of FGM/C. Around one in five girls subjected to FGM/C were cut by a trained health-care provider. In some countries, this can reach as high as three in four girls.3

FGM/C has no health benefit, but rather has detrimental consequences on the bodily integrity and sexual and reproductive health of girls and women. Immediate complications include severe pain, shock, haemorrhage, tetanus or infection, urine retention, ulceration of the genital region and injury to adjacent tissue, wound infection, urinary infection, fever, and septicemia. Haemorrhage and infection can be severe enough to cause death. Long-term consequences include anaemia, the formation of cysts and abscesses, keloid scar formation, damage to the urethra resulting in urinary incontinence or difficulty in urinating, menstrual disorders, recurrent bladder and urinary tract infections, fistulae, dyspareunia (painful sexual intercourse), sexual dysfunction, hypersensitivity of the genital area, increased risk of HIV transmission, as well as psychological effects. FGM/C can also cause infertility and creates challenges at childbirth, including prolonged labours that can result in foetal death.4

Efforts have been undertaken at international, regional, national and local levels to address the practice, including through legislation, policies, programmes and large-scale advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns. FGM/C is a recognized practice of gender discrimination and a violation of the rights of girls and women. International and regional instruments throughout time, from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) to the most recent General Assembly Resolutions in 2014 “Intensifying global efforts for the elimination of female genital mutilations” and “Intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls”, have provided an important normative basis for its abandonment. At the national level, efforts include: the passing of legislation to ban the practice; development of policies; capacity building of health, justice and protection institutions; and together with civil society, initiatives in communities to change the social norms that condone and perpetuate the practice.

In 2008, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) launched a joint programme to support governments, communities, and girls and women in abandoning the practice. The first phase of the Joint Programme (2008-2012) aimed to help reduce the practice of FGM/C/C among girls aged 0-15 by 40%, and to eliminate FGM/C/C in at least one country by 2012. An evaluation of this first phase was undertaken in 2013 confirming that overall, the joint programme had helped to expand and/or accelerate existing change processes towards the abandonment at national, sub-national and community levels, and had contributed to strengthening the momentum for change at the global level. 7 Building on the success of this first phase, a second phase was launched (2014-2017) with a total of 17 countries, to further scale up the coordinated approach that had yielded results towards FGM/C elimination.

UN Women, given its normative, coordination and operational mandate in gender equality and women’s empowerment and its dedicated work on violence against women and girls, was invited to join the joint programme as a collaborating partner in phase II in order to strengthen the gender equality and women’s empowerment component of the programme at global, regional and country levels, initially through the development of policy guidelines and a training on gender and FGM/C. Though both components will be aligned and developed in parallel, this terms of reference focuses specifically on development of the policy guidelines.

Duties and Responsibilities

Role of the consultant:

The successful consultant will conduct a thorough mapping of resources to compile existing policy guidelines and materials related to gender, violence against women and girls and harmful practices, with a particular focus on FGM/C and will prepare a technical background/synthesis paper, outline and indicative content for the policy guidelines. The successful candidate will consult (through virtual consultations) an established advisory board to guide the process and provide recommendations and feedback to the draft deliverables. The successful candidate will develop the policy guidelines based on the research and recommendations of the advisory board. The successful consultant will be expected to lead and facilitate the process for the consultations with the support of UN Women.

Objectives of the consultancy:

To engage a high-level advisory board (in consultation with UN Women) consisting of diverse stakeholders at various stages in the development of the policy guidelines on FGM/C;
To develop policy guidelines on the prevention and response to FGM/C based on the knowledge base to date on gender, violence against women and girls and harmful practices.

Work assignment

The following activities will be undertaken by the consultant in close collaboration and consultation with UN Women (EVAW Section):

Compile and review existing policy guidelines and materials related to gender, violence against women and girls and harmful practices, especially FGM/C;
Prepare a synthesis paper (max.20-35 single-space pages) for a technical virtual consultation with the advisory board that will provide direction for the outline and core elements of the policy guidelines. The paper is expected to include a draft outline with the core elements and indicative content for the policy guidelines for consideration by advisory board participants;
Present the background paper and outline to the advisory board through a webinar (to be hosted by UN Women);
Based on the research and consultation, produce a second and final draft of the background paper and outline;
Prepare a first draft of the policy guidelines based on the background paper for virtual review and feedback by the advisory board;
Prepare a second draft of the policy guidelines based on background paper and recommendations of the advisory board;
Facilitate a final round of inputs, comments and feedback from the advisory board (through virtual consultation);
Finalize and submit final policy guidelines, including any annexes and supporting documents (e.g. spreadsheet of resources identified).

Main outputs:

Synthesis paper on the links between gender, violence against women and girls and harmful practices as they relate to the prevention of and response to FGM/C; and a draft outline of the core elements of the policy guidelines on FGM/C;
Coordination and facilitation of one webinar and two virtual consultations with the advisory board;
Final policy guidelines on FGM/C based on research and recommendations of the advisory board, including with any supporting documents (e.g. annexes and excel spreadsheet of resources).

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

Functional Competencies:

Excellent level of conceptual and analytical capacity;
Ability to work in a multicultural environment and in a team;
Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to establish priorities and work independently;
Ability to write in a clear and concise manner and to communicate effectively in English;
Demonstrates use of initiative and ability to make appropriate linkages in work requirements;
Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback;
Meets deadlines for delivery of products or services;
Able to work virtually, using communication technologies;
Strong interpersonal skills;
Proven skills in desktop computer software such as Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A Master’s Degree in international development, human rights, public health, gender studies, social work, social policy or similar.

Experience:

A qualified practitioner in the field of gender equality, ending violence against women and/or harmful practices (including FGM/C)who has worked in the area of policy for at least 15 years including at the international level, preferably with experience working with Member States;
Practical experience with programming in developing countries is also considered an asset.

Language:

Fluency in English is required (oral and written);
Proficiency in French is desirable.