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.

The 2020 QCPR calls for the United Nations Development System (UNDS) to enhance and accelerate gender mainstreaming through inter alia, the implementation of the United Nations country team performance indicators for gender equality and the empowerment of women (the UNCT-SWAP GE Scorecard). The UNCT-SWAP GE Scorecard is a planning and reporting tool for assessing the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming for use by the country teams in the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework.

Following the launch of the updated UNCT-SWAP GE Scorecard in 2018, new frameworks, guidance and tools have been introduced as part of UN repositioning, key being the introduction of the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework in 2019 and the new Management and Accountability Framework in 2021. UNCT-SWAP GE Scorecard reporting has also rapidly expanded, from 9 UN Country Teams reporting in 2018 to 61 reporting in 2021. In East and Southern Africa, this increased from 3 UNCTs in 2018 to 13 UNCTs in 2021.

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) and the UN Economic and Social Commission (ECOSOC), consequently, made explicit the requirement of the UNDS to a) invest more in GEWE within the development and humanitarian spheres through both stand-alone programming as well as mainstreaming of gender equality; and b) monitoring a transparent, harmonized and systemic manner the quality and scope of investment on GEWE, and the impact this has on the lives of women and men, girls and boys.

Both the UNCT-SWAP and UNCT Gender Equality Marker (GEM) provide an opportunity to promote gender mainstreaming across Cooperation Framework planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation. This includes focused action on the promotion of GEWE by enabling increased understandings of financing trends and identification of needs and gaps within the context of the UNCT-SWAP Action Plan, the UNCT Joint Work Plan and the Annual Funding Framework.

To this effect, it is critical to build the capacities of Resident Coordinator Offices (RCOs) and different UNCT inter-agency working groups and Action groups to provide strategic guidance and leadership in the implementation of the UNCT Gender equality marker among others. Secondly, it is important that UNCTs understand the opportunities and strategies for mainstreaming GEWE issues, needs and priorities at different stages of the Cooperation Framework cycle. This includes understanding how to apply existing UNCT accountability frameworks and tools such as the UNCT-SWAP GE Scorecard and the UNCT GEM.

As the global champion for GEWE, and given its mandate within the UNDS, which is to lead and coordinate the UN system’s work and promote accountability on gender equality, UN Women is planning a four-days training to UNCT gender focal points and UNDCF Action Groups on the UNCT – SWAP and GEM. The training provides an opportunity for UN Women to support the RCO’s and UNCTs gender focal points and the Action Groups established to monitor implementation and reporting on GEWE results.

The virtual training content will combine both technical knowledge and skills required to effectively support RCOs and UNCTs with the coordination, oversight and implementation of the mandatory UNCT GEM to the Joint Work Plan. The content will be informed by the broader on-going UN Reform agenda. The training will be supported by practical examples from other countries. In addition, there will be sharing and cross learning among participants.

In this context, UN Women is seeking to hire qualified international consultant to facilitate virtual trainings for UN Women multi and country offices and UNCTs in the East and Southern Africa Region. The consultant should be able to design and implement a virtual training session on the use of the UNCT Gender Equality Marker for various audiences. 

Objectives of the assignment

The consultancy aims at providing practical skills to UNCTs in both UN Women ESAR presence countries and NRAs to utilize the UNCT Gender Equality Marker to effectively mainstream gender in their plans and work.

Scope of work

The Consultant will utilize multi-faceted approaches to design and deliver context responsive and practical training for the various UNCTs to enable them competently understand the UN Reform Agenda and Evaluation of the UNCT GEM, the GEM and its application in gender mainstreaming as well as equip them with skills for effective Joint Planning around their respective UNSDCFs. There will be a need for tailored captivating training sessions to ensure that the participants exhaust their training needs around this topic. 

Duties and Responsibilities

1. Design virtual training programme with training material covering at the minimum the following key issues:

• The UN Reform Agenda and Evaluation of the UNCT GEM.
• Introducing the Gender Equality Marker.
• Applying the UNCT GEM.
• Action Planning for Joint Work Plans of the UNSDCF.

2. Facilitate major points of discussion e.g. using Power Point that could be easily referred to in the organization of the training.

3. Facilitating the theoretical and methodological part of the training by focusing on issues related to GEM.

4. Create list of necessary readings on the topic and where possible provide soft copy for distribution to trainees.

5. Facilitating a practice-oriented training, where participants are encouraged within the limited time available, to practice use of the GEM.

6. Conduct pre and post training assessment to evaluate the outcome of the training.

7. Prepare a training report summarizing feedback on the trainees and recommendations for similar engagements in the future.

Deliverables

1. PowerPoint slides and training agenda for each training session.
2. Final training reports for each training.

Work Schedule

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/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional Competencies

• Ability to establish, build and sustain effective relationships with clients;
• Strong training skills;
• Ability to create, edit and present information in clear and presentable formats, using appropriate IT functionality;
• Communication.      

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Masters in gender studies, international development, economics or related disciplines is required.

Experience:

• At least 10 years of practical experience of work on gender mainstreaming in development programmes/projects at national and international levels;
• Experience of integrating gender in UN inter-agency processes related to the UNSDCF;
• Hands on experience of using UNINFO and applying the UNCT Gender Equality Marker or similar tracking tools;
• Experience of conducting trainings for UN staff on gender equality and gender mainstreaming;
• Experience of applying Results Based Management (RBM) in the context of inter-agency planning tools such as UNSDCF.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required.

Reservation:

UN Women reserves the right to discontinue the recruitment due to any unforeseen circumstances. The output of this assignment shall belong to UN Women and Partners.

Note:

Please note that applications without a completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

UN Women Personal History form (P-11) can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment

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, colour, 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. 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, colour, 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. (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.)