Background

The Spotlight Initiative is a global partnership between the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in support of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. It was launched in September 2017 by the UN Secretary-General and the EU High Representative and Vice President (HRVP). The 500 million Euro Initiative provides a model for partnerships with donors, civil society, and the UN to deliver on the SDGs in a comprehensive manner leveraging comparative expertise. SDG 5 and the achievement of gender equality are placed at the centre of efforts (alongside Goal 16) with the aim to provide an enabling environment for the implementation of all goals. Within the UN, the Initiative will operationalize the UN development system reforms and model a new way of delivering on the SDGs in an integrated way, leveraging collaborative advantages. Three Core Agencies: UNDP (the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population (UNFPA) and UN Women) will work together with other UN agencies to make large-scale investments in priority countries.

The program seeks to strengthen laws and policies at national and sub-national levels as well as address the negative and pervasive socio-cultural norms that drive Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Harmful Practices (HP) and their inter-linkages with Sexual and Reproductive health Rights (SRHR) whilst entrenching transformative change. However, there are legal and legislative gaps which exist and engender long-standing negative socio-cultural norms due to conflicts between formal laws and customary laws/practices. It is therefore imperative that an assessment of conflicts between customary and formal laws within the scope of analyzing root causes of GBV through behavioral factors is conducted to provide solutions of how to address these gaps.

Under the supervision of the UN Women Spotlight Programme Specialist, an individual consultant will be engaged to conduct a study assessing customary laws and possible facilitators for gender equality and women’s empowerment, assess conflicts between customary and formal laws; analyze root causes of GBV through behavioral factors and how to address existing gaps.

Duties and Responsibilities

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

Task1: Conduct a study assessing conflicts between customary and formal laws which engender GBV, HP and infringement of SRHR in Spotlight states.

Task 2: Assess customary laws which act as facilitators for gender and SRHR transformative

Practices in Spotlight states.

Task 3: Review Customary laws (including Sharia law) of Spotlight Initiative states from a gender perspective to document best practices and harmony with international and national laws

Key Deliverables

Competencies

UN Women Core Values:

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

Professionalism: Demonstrates professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

Respect for Diversity: Demonstrates an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrates an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.

Core Values and Guiding Principles

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling UN Women values and ethical standards.
• Demonstrates a commitment to UN Women’s mission and vision.
• Able to work effectively within a team.
• Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability.
• Able to multi-task and juggle competing demands.
• Can assess and prioritize work needs quickly.
• Able to relate to external partners, including other international organizations and agencies, NGOs, , etc.

Functional Competencies

• Knowledge of organizational development processes
• Knowledge and expertise in administrative practices and company incorporation
• Capacity to work with diverse groups, networks and partners including governments, donors and civil society.
• Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with people from varied cultures and professional backgrounds.
• Results based management skills.
• Ability to produce well-written documents demonstrating excellent interpersonal communication skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Gender Studies, International Development, Law, Human Rights, Political Science, International Relations, or another related field.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in organizational development and /or business management
• Knowledge and experience of working in business management and incorporation environment
• Knowledge of documentation and knowledge products
• Knowledge of program management and results-based management tools
• Demonstrated ability to work in an independent manner; ability to organize work efficiently and deal with multiple tasks
• Strong IT Skills. Experience in the use of computers applications and software packages

Language:

• Excellent oral and written English skills