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.

In September 2017, the EU and the UN launched an ambitious joint partnership to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls worldwide. The Spotlight Initiative (SI) aims at mobilizing commitment of political leaders and contributing to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Initiative aims at ending all forms of violence against women and girls, targeting those that are most prevalent and contribute to gender inequality across the world. The Spotlight Initiative will deploy targeted, large-scale investments in Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Pacific and the Caribbean, aimed at achieving significant improvements in the lives of women and girls. Guyana, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago are three of the countries in the Caribbean to benefit from this transformative initiative.

The overall vision of the Spotlight Initiative is that women and girls realize their full potential free from violence. The Spotlight Initiative will directly contribute to the achievement of three of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Goal 5 on Gender Equality, Goal 3 on good health and well-being and Goal 16 on inclusive and peaceful societies. The program will contribute to the elimination of Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) through the creation of a broad partnership with Civil Society, Government, Private Sector, Media, among others; and build a social movement of women, men, girls, boys and transgender people as champions and agents of change at the national, subnational and community levels. A specific focus will be on reaching and including in the program women and girls who are often isolated and most vulnerable to sexual & gender-based violence (SGBV) and harmful practices (HP) due to intersecting forms of discrimination.

The SI Country Programmes will use a multi-sectoral, multi-layered, interlinked community-centered approach to the implementation of the interventions on the following six Outcome Areas based on the socio-ecological model for addressing SGBV: 

  • Pillar One: Legislative and Policy Frameworks
  • Pillar Two: Strengthening Institutions
  • Pillar Three: Prevention and Social Norms
  • Pillar Four: Delivery of Quality, Essential Services
  • Pillar Five: Data Availability and Capacities
  • Pillar Six: Supporting the Women’s Movement and CSO

 

Spotlight Jamaica

The SI in Jamaica will address three key priority areas within the overall focus on Family Violence against women and girls: 1) Child Sexual Abuse, 2) Intimate Partner Violence and 3) Discrimination against vulnerable groups.

The SI in Jamaica will be national in scope and targeted intervention will focus on the following four parishes: The Kingston Metropolitan Area (Kingston and St. Andrew), St. Thomas, Clarendon, and Westmoreland.

The Women’s Health Survey (2016) has identified a lifetime prevalence rate of 27.8% of physical and/or sexual violence against women aged 15 to 49 years by an intimate partner in Jamaica. This figure is slightly lower than the regional average of 30%.  Intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence against women, suggesting that women and girls are especially vulnerable to violence in the home by someone they know.

The meaningful engagement of women's rights groups and relevant civil society organisations, including those representing young women and groups facing intersecting forms of discrimination (rural, those living with HIV/AIDS, women and girls living with disabilities, LGBTQI persons, etc.), is a key principle of the Spotlight Initiative.

In line with this, the Jamaica Spotlight Initiative, as with other priority countries, has established a Civil Society National Reference Group (CSNRG) as an institutional mechanism to bring in civil society participation and expertise. The CS-NRG serves to advise the Spotlight Jamaica Programme and to advocate and partner in support of the Jamaica Programme to achieve its objectives.

 

Duties and Responsibilities

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The Consultant will provide support to the Spotlight Civil Society National Reference Group (CSNRG) and strengthen their capacity to support and provide inputs into the Spotlight country programme implementation, including communications, visibility and advocacy

 

SCOPE OF WORK

The Consultant shall deliver the following results: -

  • Develop strategic framework for Civil Society National Reference Group (CSNRG) meetings
  • Coordinate the planning and facilitation of meetings with the CSNRG, including the organization of venue and catering
  • Support and coordinate the implementation of the CSNRG workplan and support all advocacy activities led by the CSNRG
  • Coordinate and facilitate a CSO Monitoring and Advocacy 2-Day Training Retreat
  • Support the coordination and development of the CSNRG Spotlight Shadow report which will include:
    • An assessment of the activities and impact of the Spotlight Initiative
    • Recommendations for increased coordinated inputs from the CSNRG into the Spotlight country programme implementation, including improved communications, visibility and advocacy
    • An assessment of the meaningful engagement of CSOs and communities of key and vulnerable groups across the 6 Pillars of the Spotlight Initiative with clear recommendations for improved engagement
  • Lead Consultations with CSOs and key stakeholders for Phase II of the Spotlight Initiative and develop a comprehensive Report

 

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

The Consultant will work under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO-Caribbean Representative with direct reporting to the UN Women Planning and Coordination Specialist in Jamaica.

 

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 organisation and the diversity of its staff; Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity.
  • Professionalism: Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work.

 

Core Competencies:

  • Results oriented: Plans and produces quality results to meet established goals, generates innovative, practical solutions to challenging situations.
  • Ethics and Values: Demonstrating / Safeguarding Ethics and Integrity.
  • Organisational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment.
  • Working in Teams: Acting as a team player and facilitating teamwork.
  • Communicating Information and Ideas: Facilitating and encouraging open communication in the team, communicating effectively.
  • Self-management and Emotional intelligence: Creating synergies through self-control.

 

Functional Competencies:

  • Knowledge of the social, cultural, legal and political context of Jamaica
  • Fluency in English and ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.
  • Ability to interact independently and as part of a team.
  • Technical knowledge of policies and programmes on gender equality and EVAWG
  • Analytical and report writing skills

 

Required Skills and Experience

Experience:

  • Minimum of three years’ experience working on gender equality and human rights, especially in the area of elimination of violence against women and girls (EVAWG)
  • At least three years’ experience working with civil society organisations, women’s groups, or community-based organisations
  • Minimum of three years’ experience hosting multi-stakeholder consultations and developing comprehensive reports
  • At least three years’ experience working within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)

 

Languages:

  • Fluency in English and ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing.

 

Education:

The Consultant should meet the following criteria:

  • Postgraduate qualification in relevant areas: Law, Human Rights, Public Policy, Social Sciences, Gender Studies or any similar field
  • Bachelor’s Degree in above fields and at least three years’ demonstrated experience in the relevant fields will be accepted in lieu of a Post-Graduate degree.

 

LOCATION AND DURATION

  • The consultant is expected to be home-based and will work remotely, utilizing their own computer, internet, telephone and other equipment, as needed, to undertake the assignment.   
  • The Consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 30 calendar days during the period 7 February 2022 – 31 March 2022

 

REMUNERATION

  • The consultancy fee will be negotiated before contracting. Each payment will be based on a predefined and formal agreement between UN Women and the consultant and will be disbursed based on satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables.
  • The remuneration for this contract type is an all-inclusive fee, the organization will not be liable for additional cost or benefits.

 

HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, AND COMMUNICATION:

  • The consultant must be equipped with a fully functional laptop, which must comfortably run Office 365 programs, using operating systems Microsoft Windows 10/11, or Mac OS X 10.11 or upward. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based (Skype or equivalent) is required. 

 

REFERENCES:

  • Minimum of three client references that include the name of the contact person, title and contact information.

 

OTHER:

  • The consultant contracted will be required to sign a statement of confidentiality and freedom from any conflict of interest with potential future contractors with respect to the TORs and work that they will be delivering.

Note:  

Submissions to UNDP Jobs are limited to a maximum of 10 MB, virus-free or corrupted contents to avoid rejection, and no more than 1 email transmission.   All applications must be submitted through UNDP jobs.  Please do not send applications to UN Women staff as they will not be accepted.  

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.   

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.   

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination.  All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check).