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 center of all its efforts, UN Women lead and coordinate United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

South Sudan has undergone series of civil strives starting from 1955 through 1972, 1982 to 2013, 2016 and many more unrecorded internal war incidences before and after its independence in July 2011. The overage civil wars of armed violence have created a huge humanitarian crisis, loss of lives and livelihoods, torture, rape, and other forms of conflict-related and gender-based violence especially against women and girls, destruction of property, and forced recruitment of youth into armed militias in South Sudan. In August 2018, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), with the support of the Governments of the United States of America, United Kingdom and Norway (also known as the Troika), and the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) in consultation with the concerned parties proposed a peace agreement for warring parties in South Sudan which was signed in August 2018 – known as the Revitalized Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

Within the Agreement, critical issues pertaining to the need for economic empowerment for youth and women was discussed. Article 4.15.1.5 of the R-ARCSS calls for the establishment of Women Enterprise Development Fund (WEDF) which will provide women with subsidized credit to do business. Women account for over 60% of the population in South Sudan, and yet they remain mostly excluded from official market avenues and represent the poorest segments of the South Sudanese population. The Government of South Sudan subsequently gave the mandate for the establishment of the Women Enterprise Fund to the Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare (MGCSW). The Ministry was established as South Sudanese National Ministry in 2010 but with a history that dates to 1994 when the first SPLM Convention was organized, and a Secretariat of Gender and Child Welfare was established. The scope of the mandate of the Ministry covers gender equality and women’s empowerment, which is in line with UN Women’s mandate. The Ministry has been tasked by the Government of South Sudan to establish and implement the Women Enterprise Development Fund

Objectives:

1. To upgrade the development of the first model for Women’s Enterprise Development Fund (WEDF) to a comprehensive model (phase 2) based on consultations with stakeholders and experiences of peculiar areas that were not captured in the first model;
2. To assess the situation of women entrepreneurs, inclusive of micro, medium and macro businesses, and highlight any specific barriers faced by women entrepreneurs in the country and identify ways in addressing their needs;
3. To review the gender sensitivity of financial institutions and the financing options available to women in South Sudan, and how the WEDF can strengthen/improve/provide additional support to existing systems;
4. Review different types of funding mechanisms and support available to women entrepreneurs in South Sudan as implemented by other relevant partners, including UN agencies;
5. Identify potential partners to collaborate with proposed WEDF;
6. Propose viable options for the institutional and management arrangements of WEDF, including the authority, regulations (funding contributions and executions), management structure and Roll Out Plans.

Scope of Work:

The consultant is expected to:

1. Work hand-in-hand with the Women’s Economic Empowerment Specialist and Women Economic Empowerment Unit of the UN Women in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Gender, Child and Social Welfare;
2. Carry consultations covering the regional/state/county balance, small and big towns, border points, conflict-affected areas, rural counties, administrative areas, and striving areas/women to identify peculiarities and unique areas for women’s economic advancement;
3. Propose a methodology for the consultancy and present chronological steps for the activities to reach the stated objectives;
4. Review relevant development on legislation, policies and financial management practices that might strengthen or hinder the establishment of the Women Enterprise Development Fund and make proposals on changes needed for the Fund to takeoff;
5. Build from the first model and other economic and fund models in suggesting a new improved design for the WEDF for South Sudan;
6. Plan, lead and supervise an experts’ validation workshop on the modalities proposed;
7. Develop and submit a comprehensive report of the consultancy and the proposed comprehensive model with proposed legislative and policy changes, institutional mechanisms, and other criteria, such as selecting beneficiaries.

Expected Deliverables:

1. Produce a comprehensive report on Women Enterprise Fund Model - phase 2;
2. Submit and receive approval for an inception report detailing the methodology and approach to the entire consultancy assignment;
3. Develop a comprehensive model of Women Enterprise Development Fund appropriate for a fragile economy like South Sudan based on analysis of legislation, policies, the situation of women entrepreneurship in South Sudan, consultations with local stakeholders, and experiences of similar models from around the world (Kenya, India, and Bangladesh among example contexts in which similar funds have been developed);
4. Produce an overall report of the consultancy indicating institutions, relevant numbers, types of businesses, and women groups consulted, and capture lessons learned for the consumption of the enterprises and UN Women;
5. Successful validation meeting/workshop and production of final model validated by the experts

Impact of Results:

The key results include direct implementation support for the Revitalized Peace Agreement of South Sudan and technical expertise and support for the Ministry of Gender, Child, and Social Welfare. The results also impact the overall effectiveness of UN Women’s work on economic empowerment for women in South Sudan and improves South Sudanese women’s productivity and access to new businesses, building their resilience to shocks caused by conflict and fragile economy, and contributing to the achievement of equality between women and men.

Annex – Overall Report Format:

Within two (2) weeks of validation/UN Women comments, the consultant will submit a final report between 20 to 25 pages using the prescribed outline below:

• Title page (1 page);
• Table of Contents (1 page);
• Acronyms (1 page);
• Executive Summary (2 pages);
• Background and Context (2 pages);
• Study Objective and Scope (1 page);
• Study Methodology (2 pages);
• Findings, Analysis, Conclusions, and Recommended Approaches to Women Enterprise Fund, its communications and implementation strategies (no more than 15 pages);
• Annexes: including the terms of reference, work-plan, questionnaires, list of key informants, data tables and any other relevant documents.

Core Competencies and Values:

• Demonstrates integrity and fairness by upholding UN values and ethical standards;
• Demonstrates professional competence and is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving result;
• Display cultural, gender, nationality, religion and age sensitivity and adaptability.

Functional Competencies:

• Proven experience in gender responsive and inclusive economic development;
• Proven experience in poverty reduction strategies;
• Experience in conflict resolution and peace building;
• Knowledge of gender equality, including Women’s Economic Empowerment in a conflict/post-conflict context;
• Proven skills and experience in conducting comprehensive gender analyses;
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written);
• Ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor own work plans;
• Previous experience in a conflict, post-conflict setting;
• Field experience is considered an asset;
• Ability to work under pressure;
• Capacity to work with diverse partners including governments, donors, UN country teams and civil society.

Education and certification:

• Masters’ Degree in Economics/Finance/Banking, Social Sciences, Gender and Development or other relevant fields. 

Experience:

• At least 7 years of work experience on economic empowerment issues, including working with financial institutions;
• Expertise in the conduct of program analysis and development, including design of women’s economic empowerment programs, strategies, and models;
• Track record undertaking assignments working on economic development, preferably with the UN;
• Previous experience in a conflict/post-conflict setting;
• Experience in the design of action plans;
• Experience in design, planning and implementation of stakeholders’ meetings/conferences;
• Proven experience in work related to gender equality and women’s empowerment;
• Fluency in English is required, Arabic is considered an advantage.

Please note, that the system will only allow one attachment, and, hence please combine the multiple files while uploading the attachment.

• Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment. Personal History Form P11 that can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment

Qualified women candidates are highly encouraged to apply.

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.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits employ, 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.

 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.

Gender Sensitivity:

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.

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.