UN WOMEN Jobs - 69516- International Consultant

International Consultant – Gender Advisor

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Vientiane, LAO PDR

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

19-Dec-16 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

3 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

3 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

Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women 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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates the efforts of the United Nations system to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. UN Women provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

In Lao PDR, UN Women endeavours to address issues related to women’s economic empowerment as one of its focus areas. UN Women will commence a new project on women’s economic empowerment as a part of a regional programme early 2017 in order to strengthen gender responsiveness of macroeconomic policies, strengthen the implementation of CSR and the WEPs, and accelerate effective SME development. As a kick off, UN Women will launch the flagship publication “Progress of World’s Women”, UN Women aims to highlight and alert policy makers and key stakeholders on gender aspects of macroeconomic policies, which may have had an adverse impact on women’s lives. The publication was launched at the global and regional levels last year and the national launch targeting the Lao audience will trigger a new and relevant discussion in the context of the ASEAN Economic Integration and the expected increase in economic growth as a result. In the same launch, “Situation on Women Market Vendors in Vientiane: A Baseline Report” will also be launched, which aims to draw attention of policy decision makers and key national stakeholders to the women market vendors, who largely represent vulnerable workers in the informal sector. Most of them sell mainly vegetables, fruits, cooked food and crafts. They have not been seen as potential agents to drive economic growth. A number of the women market vendors are relatively young. Although it is quite simple for them to start business in the market with limited capital, education and skills, many women market vendor are vulnerable own-account workers, who lack opportunities for economic empowerment and social protection and are kept outside key economic policies. It is expected that markets for fresh produce will continue to be the main places for women’s economic activities and dominated by women vendors in the next decades in Lao PDR.

Resource mobilization is one of the most crucial aspects in the portfolio of UN Women in Lao PDR. Where most donors do not have fund earmarked for gender equality and/or women’s empowerment, funds should be proactively sought in order to be able to support the government commitment under the SDGs.

UN Women is placed uniquely to co-chair an inter-agency group on gender. It allows UN Women to influence the work of other UN agencies in relation to the implementation of the UN Partnership Framework (UNPF). UN Women’s leadership and technical assistance in his regard have to be strengthened as per the recommendations of the Gender Score Card report, conducted in conjunction with the UNDAF evaluation.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective of The Assignment:

The overall objective of this consultancy is to provide key technical and coordination support to the UN Women initiatives in the area of women’s economic empowerment and resource mobilization that supports the implementation of the UNPF. The consultant will work as an integral part of the project office in Lao PDR.

Scope of Work:

Under the supervision of the Country Manager based in the UN Women Regional Office, the consultant will perform the following key services:

Technical guidance for the National Coordinator (NC) for WEE for finalization, inception and establishing an implementation system of the Lao country component of the regional women’s economic empowerment project (including women market vendor/SME development and WEP/CSR):

Collate, with the National Coordinator on WEE, input from national stakeholders to design and finalize project details and an annual work plan for the Lao country component. The NC will compile the zero draft and the consultant will provide technical quality assurance and finalize the TORs, clearly showing his/her value-addition;
Provide technical guidance to the NC on WEE in organize, with support from the project office, an inception workshop consulting with the regional project manager and compile a report for the workshop;
Provide technical advice for identifying strategic work for responsible parties and consultants. The NC will compile the zero draft and the consultant will provide technical quality assurance and finalize the TORs, clearly showing his/her value-addition;
Provide technical advice for implementation of the project, including developing a monitoring framework and setting up a data collection system. The NC will compile the zero draft and the consultant will provide technical quality assurance and finalize the monitoring and data collection framework/plan, clearly showing his/her value-addition;
Provide guidance for developing an outreach/communication strategy for the project.

Resource mobilization:

Analyse opportunities for resource mobilization and update a donor intelligence note and provide input for the Country Manager for LEADS;
Draft concept notes/proposals consulting with potential donors and RO advisors and programme support team.

Advocacy (international women’s day):

Plan events and explore partners for co-organizing and funding;
Draft a concept note for events and coordinate partners;
With assistance with the National Coordinator(s), reach out to local speakers and invitees;
Organize events, by being responsible for the technical content and providing oversight for logistical arrangements; (launch of “Progress of World’s Women” and “Situation on Women Market Vendors in Vientiane: A Baseline Report”);
Coordinate with the Technical Facilitator and the Country Programme Manager to plan the launch;
With assistance with the National Coordinator on WEE, reach out to local speakers and invitees;
Organize events, by being responsible for the technical content and providing oversight for logistical arrangements.

Expected Output/Deliverables:

Input on and detailed work plan for the Laos component of the regional WEE project, tentative timeline: Late February (first draft), Late March (second draft);
Input and quality assurance provided for the TORs of technical consultants/personnel and RPs, tentative timeline: Mid March (first draft), Mid April (second draft);
Draft framework for monitoring and data collection, tentative: Early April (first draft), Mid May (second draft);
Annual report for outcome 10 of the UNDAF, tentative timeline: 5 working days before the deadline of the RCO;
Report on resource mobilization and partnership development including the way forward and suggestions, tentative timeline: 25 May;
Draft concept note for international women’s day, tentative timeline: Mid January;
List of invitees and speakers for international women’s day, tentative timeline: 20 February;
Event report on international women’s day, tentative timeline: Mid March;
List of invitees and speakers for the report launch, tentative timeline: 20 January;
Report on the report launch, tentative timeline: Mid February.

Competencies

Competencies:

Integrity:

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

Professionalism:

Demonstrating professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive of work.

Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing diversity:

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

Conflict Management:

Addressing conflicts proactively while acknowledging different feelings and views.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s degree or equivalent in political science, economics, international development, gender studies, law, social science or related field.

Experience:

A minimum of 15 years of relevant experience in technical cooperation, including planning with national counterparts and designing development projects/programmes. The incumbent is expected to have a solid experience in implementing, monitoring and evaluating such development programs;
Strong technical expertise in women’s economic empowerment and women’s equal opportunities and treatment as reflected in national development plans and legislation. is required;
Proven work experience in resource mobilisation and relations with the donor community;
A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in designing and facilitating major international consultations with great understanding of both contents and process of consultations to inform research and programme formulation is required;
Knowledge of and work experience on gender equality and women’s rights with experience in the Asia-Pacific region is required. Those specifically in Lao PDR is an asset;
Previous experience with UN agencies is an advantage;
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with particular experience in designing media and knowledge-sharing products and publications is required;
Ability to work efficiently and responsively within a multicultural environment and in a team;
Strong commitment to gender equality, human rights and respect for diversity.

Language Requirements:

Fluency in oral and written English is required.