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. Placing women's rights at the centre of all its efforts, 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. The empowerment of women and gender quality is not a sectoral policy but a comprehensive policy that should guide other kinds of policies and it is a cornerstone of any kind of political agenda.

UN Women is seeking two consultants to develop a resource and experts database on public policies on gender equality. The consultants will report to the Country Representative of the UN Women training centre in Santo Domingo. The resource and experts database will serve two purposes:

  • It will be used by UN Women's training centre in Santo Domingo to provide capacity development opportunities in gender responsive public policy development for government, non-governmental and UN professionals who are tasked with developing effective public policies.
  • It will be a key reference for UN Women staff and partners on the ground in their support to countries to enhance their public policies on gender equality.

The location of this initiative in Spain is recognition of the rapid progress that the country has made in aligning its public policies with global commitments to advancing gender equality. It will begin by identifying resources in Spain, Europe and Latin America/Caribbean and, based on assessment of this first phase, can be expanded to include other regions.

Deliverables:

By the end of the first year, the consultants will deliver the following:

  • A mapping of resources and a database populated with relevant data on the most effective public policies on gender equality promulgated by government agencies and the private sector in Spain (Government of Spain, Governments of the different Autonomous Communities and local authorities, as well as private sector partners) and the experts that have been involved in creating these.
  • A mapping of resources and a database populated with relevant data on the most effective public policies on gender equality in force throughout Europe (at regional, national and local levels and including government and private sector policies), and the experts that have been involved in creating these.
  • A mapping of resources and a database populated with relevant data on the most effective public policies on gender equality in force throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (at regional, national and local levels and including government and private sector policies), and the experts that have been involved in creating these.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Country Representative of the UN Women training centre in Santo Domingo and in close consultation with other relevant UN staff, the consultants will liaise with partners in the relevant countries and regions. They will be responsible for:
  • In consultation with relevant UN Women colleagues and relevant experts, finalizing and presenting to the UN Women Programme Appraisal Committee a full-fledged strategy and two-year workplan for this initiative.
  • Drafting relevant background notes on the substantive requirements of the electronic and manual systems that will be required to create, maintain and constantly update the database.
  • Collecting, analyzing and validating information on public policies to advance gender equality from governments and local institutions in Spain, Europe and in Latin America and the Caribbean, including by developing a set of criteria with which to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different public policies.
  • Coordinating with Spanish, European and Latin America/Caribbean Authorities, academics, and women's organizations to ensure the widest possible effort to collect and validate information.
  • Coordinating closely with UN Women colleagues in Europe, Latin America/Caribbean and other relevant staff to update them on progress, secure their guidance, and ensure maximum use of the resources that are being collected.
  • Promoting, globally, the development of and participation in the first stage of this initiative to gather the most effective public policies on gender equality worldwide.

Competencies

CORE VALUES / GUIDING PRINCIPLES:
  • Integrity: Demonstrating consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.
  • 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. 
Corporate Competencies:
  • Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards.
  • Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN Women.
  • Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Technical/Functional:
  • Familiarity with Gender-responsive Public Policies.
  • Ability to conduct gender analysis of legal frameworks and policies.
  • Ability to evaluate international gender public policies.
  • Knowledge of Public Administration, with special reference to public administration in Europe and/or Latin America.
  • Ability to produce concise and easy to understand text on complex issues. 
  • Demonstrated ability to interact with high-level-decision-makers and to develop productive partnerships.
  • Excellent networking skills.
    Previous experience with UN processes.
Behavioral:
  • Ability to work in an international and multicultural environment. 
  • Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude.
  • Excellent interpersonal communication skills, initiative and ynamism. 
  • Works collaboratively with colleagues to achieve organizational goals.
  • Maturity, ability to take decisions under pressure.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Master's Degree (or equivalent) in Social, Law and/or Economic Sciences.
  • Postgraduate studies (Master's degree, etc.)  in gender will be a  strong asset.

Experience:

  • The candidate will require at least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in gender, public policies or public administration.
  • Track record of success in promoting women's human rights and gender equality in professional capacity.
  • Proven expertise in presentation skills, negotiations and partnerships.
  • Experience in programme design, coordination and implementation.
  • Proficient in IT skills and on line communications and programmes.

Languages:

  • For this consultancy, fluency in English and Spanish (both oral and written) is required.
Note:
In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.
 
All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment

Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.