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 engagements globally are guided by the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (PFA), among others.

UN Women Somalia’s revised Strategic Plan 2014-17 deepens its engagement within two major areas, i.e. women’s political participation and leadership, and access to justice. During 2016, UN Women will further explore how to best engage and play a value added role within a third focus area: ending violence against women (VAW). 

In order to support initiatives against VAW and to boost UN Women’s key role in advocacy, coordination, technical advice and knowledge management, and to ensure more informed decision making in UN programming addressing gender equality, UN Women is planning to arrange a ‘Women’s Intergenerational Dialogue’ to be launched on March 8th and run as dialogues in different parts of Somalia and end at the first day of the 16 Days of Activism in 2016. The Dialogues will be held in form of a Conference, aiming at bringing together a cross section of Somali society – across the regional, clan and generational divides - to discuss the status of women and human rights in Somalia, with a special focus on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).  It is envisaged that the Dialogues will help shape an intergenerational platform in the fight against FGM and other forms of discrimination against women. It is further proposed to precede this National Dialogue through a series of local level Dialogues held on Women’s Day, 8 March 2016.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant is responsible for ensuring the following:             

• Ensuring close coordination with the UN Women Somalia Country Programme Manager and the UN Women Somalia team to agree on approach, meeting schedule, and priorities, and keep in close dialogue on issues and way forward;
• Meeting with key government institutions, civil society and UN agencies and UNSOM to ensure that the Intergenerational Dialogues build on existing experience and lessons learned;
• Initiate collaboration and coordination with relevant partners;
• Review relevant research and knowledge products;
• Meet with relevant development partners.

Deliverables:

• An Inception Note (max. 3 pages excluding annexes, i.e. meeting schedules, mission plan) outlining the approach to the consultancy including key issues to discuss with each group of partners, method of working (with a specific focus on consultation and discussions. The Inception Note shall be delivered no later than 3 working days after the start of the Consultancy;
• An initial debriefing with the Country Program Manager and other UN Women Somalia Nairobi-based staff sharing key impressions, and suggestions of ways forward, following initial meetings in Nairobi, before travels to Somalia, and regular briefings and discussions as relevant and planned in the Inception Note;
• Draft a TOR for the Intergenerational Dialogues that sets of the tasks for a company to design and implement the Intergenerational dialogues. To be delivered 10 working days after the start of the consultancy;
• Minutes from a set of guidance meetings with the selected company;
• One reports from each of the Intergenerational Dialogues;
• Final report to be presented at the start of the 16 Days of Activism.

The consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women Somalia Country Programme Manager, and in close collaboration with other UN Women staff, as well as with other UN agencies’ gender advisors.

Competencies

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 in difficult 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:

• Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position;
• Posses basic knowledge or organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master degree in Sociology, Gender, Development Studies, Law, or related field.

Experience:

• Minimum 7 years extensive experience in gender based violence, FGM, reconciliation, women empowerment. Experience from similar assignments a significant advantage;
• Experience from having led relevant/similar assignments in fragile contexts required;
• Training experience from relevant topics for this assignment an advantage;
• Experience working in Somalia or other fragile and conflict affected states significant advantage.

Language:

• Fluency in the English language required;
• Knowledge of Somali not required but would be an advantage.