Background

The 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, peace and security. Following the signing of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE), by world leaders in September 2015 at the UN General Assembly in New York, UN Women assists efforts to uphold agreed gender equality norms, working through regional coordination mechanisms and UN Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG) teams.

UN Women co-chairs the UN coordination mechanism, Issue Based Coalition on Gender, jointly with UNFPA and provides technical support on strengthening gender equality and the empowerment of women, promoting joint action at the regional level in support of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as supporting the work of UN country teams on gender mainstreaming.  At the country level, UN Women works with resident coordinators and other UN entities through UN country teams, leading gender theme groups, and actively engaging in joint results groups and joint programmes to strategically address gender-based inequalities.

In Botswana, UN Women is engaged through the South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO), which works closely with the UN Country Team in Botswana to support national stakeholders in advancing gender equality agenda in the country, in line with the objectives and priorities set in the National Vision 2036 (2017-2036), the National Development Plan 11 (2017-2023) – and the associated District and Urban Development Plans, to ensure that policy implementation and public resource allocation is aligned to the SDGs.

UN Women in collaboration with the Government of Botswana, through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MFED) and the Ministry of Nationality, Immigration and Gender (MNIG), is supporting the implementation of a joint programme for operationalizing the SDG Financing Strategy through an Integrated National Financing Framework (INFF).  The joint programme has the primary objective of undertaking much needed reforms on tapping into domestic and international public and private SDG financing. The focus is to diversify the economy and the Government of Botswana's revenue generating capacity to support the realization of the SDGs at national and local levels. In addition, it seeks to support the Government’s desire to achieve efficiency in spending in all sectors, avoid waste in the public sector, address corruption and illicit financial flows. The four participating United Nations Organizations: UNDP, UNICEF, UN Women and UNFPA, are working with MFED and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as with other development actors to support the implementation of the joint programme.  The Ministry of Nationality, Immigration and Gender is responsible for implementing the gender component, which focuses on integrating gender analyses and responsive strategies into the INFF for SDG implementation and ensuring that it is in line with the priorities of the Government of Botswana.  

In this context, UN Women SAMCO seeks to hire an International Gender Specialist to conduct the gender analysis of the policy, planning, financing and institutional landscape in Botswana, in relation to the SDG targets and indicators associated with Gender Equality and Women Empowerment and use the analysis to provide recommendations on how the INFF can be made gender responsive. The Gender Specialist will closely work with the Joint Programme Coordinator and the MFED, the MNIG and the International Consultant for the development of the INFF.

Duties and Responsibilities

Scope of work and tasks to be delivered

Under the overall guidance of UN Women SAMCO and the Joint Programme Coordinator, and in collaboration with a national gender responsive planning and budgeting specialist, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:

Task 1. Develop a Consultancy Work plan

• Conduct preliminary consultations with senior management and technical officers at the MFED, MNIG, Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO), UN Women and other UN agencies to facilitate development of a consultancy plan in collaboration with the national specialist on gender responsive planning and budgeting (GRPB);
• Develop and submit a work plan for accomplishing the tasks.

Task 2. Conduct a gender analysis of the policy and institutional landscape on public finance management in Botswana in relation to SDG financing

• Work with the national GRPB specialist to undertake a comprehensive review of the policy and legal documents on public finance management in Botswana at national, sector and local government level;
• Conduct a mapping of the institutional landscape and roles of different sectors in the implementation of public finance management policies and reforms; 
•  Assess whether the public finance management policies and institutional framework in Botswana are supportive to the implementation of SDG targets and indicators related to gender equality and women empowerment.

Task 3. Facilitate a stakeholder inception meeting on mainstreaming gender into the Integrated National Financing Framework for SDGs

• Develop the necessary material (including a PowerPoint presentation), for raising stakeholder awareness on tried and feasible approaches as well as entry-points for mainstreaming into the INFF, based on best practices at regional and international level, as well as within the policy and legal context of Botswana;
• Facilitate a stakeholder inception meeting with the national GRPB specialist, under the guidance of UN Women SAMCO, RCO, MFED and MNIG, in the presence of stakeholders from relevant UN agencies and MDAs.

Task 4. Undertake a gender analysis of the National Development Plan and Approved Budgets in relation to the implementation of SDG targets and indicators on gender equality and women empowerment

1. Liaise with the national GRPB specialist to review the National Development Plan 11 (2017-2023)   of Botswana and its alignment to SDG targets and indicators on gender equality and women empowerment;
2. Undertake a gender analysis of the alignment between SDG gender-related targets and the Approved National Budgets of FY 2018/2019, 2019/20, and 2020/2021;
3.  Identify entry points and opportunities for strengthening alignment between gender-related SDG targets and the national planning and budgeting processes.

Task 5. Develop a synthesis of SDG-anchored gender equality financing strategies for integration into the INFF

1. Collate and synthesize the evidence and information generated under task 2, 3 and 4 to develop a synthesis of SDG-anchored gender equality financing strategies that are in line with government priorities;
2. Facilitate a stakeholder validation workshop (physical and virtual) of the synthesized SDG-anchored gender equality financing strategies;
3. Work with the International Consultant for the INFF on mainstreaming the agreed-upon gender equality financing strategies into the INFF.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity;
• Integrity;
• Professionalism.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:  https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

• Good understanding of national context including the development plans; social protection mechanism and the gender equality situation;
• Strong analytical skills on gender and economic policy and women’s economic empowerment;
• Strong communications skills in spoken and written English;
• Strong drafting skills and ability to produce a variety of knowledge products for different audiences and purposes;
• Ability to produce impactful communications materials and knowledge products;
• Strong commitment to knowledge-sharing within a multicultural environment;
• Ability to design and deliver training and other capacity building strategies in the area of gender and economics to a variety of audiences;
• Basic project management skill.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Public Finance, Law, Public Administration or other related fields.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of experience in gender mainstreaming, gender and human rights assessments, planning and budgeting;
• Proven experience facilitating high level consultative workshops for government institutions and CSOs and local community members;
• Experience in working with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning in developing countries;
• Previous experience on SDG financing an asset;
• Proven experience in conducting research in the area of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Language and other skills:

• Proficiency in oral and written English;
• Computer literacy and ability to effectively use office technology equipment, internet and email.  Excellent facilitation and training skills.