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. 

UN Women South Africa Multi-Country Office (SAMCO) is based in Pretoria, South Africa and serves five countries: South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and ESwatini.

In pursuit of its mandate, UN Women has partnered with De Beers Group in a programme aimed at enhancing the capacity of micro-entrepreneurs in South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana since 2018 to implement the Acceleration of Women Micro-Entrepreneurs (AWOME) programme was developed in 2018 in Musina and Blouberg through Hand in Hand, implementing partner, and in collaboration with the Local Municipalities (LMs) in Limpopo Province.   In Namibia, programme is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare (now known as the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Services after the restructuring announced by the President in 2020). In Botswana, AWOME is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport, and Culture.

Phase II of the AWOME programme is ending 30 September 2023 and identified focus intervention were:

Micro-entrepreneurs

• Increased revenue from their businesses.
• Creation of new jobs and sustain existing jobs.
• Improved predictability and sustainability of income.

Government and other organizations

• Increased capability to support women micro-entrepreneurs.
• Improved access to tailored gender sensitive training materials for microentrepreneurs.
• Job creation e.g., through additional trainers

The engagement of stakeholders continues to play an integral part of the AWOME Programme to maximize the impact to beneficiaries. The stakeholder engagement provides opportunities to link beneficiaries to various support structures/opportunities for complementary support. The Programme stakeholders’ meetings are held in the two municipalities on a quarterly basis with presiding interchanged between the Local Economic Development Managers.

The discussions in the meetings have the broad objective of knowledge sharing, coordinating development actions and distilling information to facilitate joint planning and strategizing on development intervention within the municipalities. 

The stakeholder engagement platform provides a reporting and an accountability structure for the Implementing Partner, UN Women and Municipalities on their various roles played in the success of the Programme.  the same platform has been established in Namibia and Botswana.  In Namibia the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare is the implementing partner for the AWOME Programme and coordinates the activities of the Programme stakeholders.  In Botswana the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sport, and Culture plays the similar role of stakeholder coordination.

Objectives of the assignment:

• To chair the meeting and facilitate the discussions during the meeting with the aim of ensuring that the desired outcomes of the meeting are achieved.
• Solicit feedback and input on the progress to date for the programme.
• Distil lessons learned and establish common understanding on addressing gaps identified.
• Ensure that strategic input is provided on exit and sustainability of the programme.

The assignment requires strong background in running an SIYB programme implementation to enable the steering of discussions in a manner that will ensure outcomes provide strategic information to help inform key actions in the next phase of the AWOME programme.  The workshop will use presentations, discussion groups, plenary session, Question, and Answer session for effective delivery and understanding of the meeting content. The workshop will ensure maximum participation by all participants Specific activities of the meeting will be guided by a detailed programme of events addressing the purpose of the meeting through the delivery of the objectives.

The duties and responsibilities include:

1. To ensure delivery of a coherent meeting based on the agenda and recommend adjustments were deemed necessary;

2. To ensure proper coordination of the meeting activities in terms of flow of presentations and discussions as well as coverage with respect to allocated time guided by the agenda;

3. To stimulate open and productive discussions involving all participants in plenary and smaller group;

4. To consolidate workshop activities in form of presentations, discussions, questions, and comments from small group discussions and plenary;

5. To provide a full report of the workshop activities and deliverable, recommendations, lessons, and participants’ evaluation of the workshop;

6. To provide a comprehensive meeting report with strategies, addressing gaps and recommendations for exit and sustainability of the programme.

Key Deliverables:

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

• Strong knowledge and understanding of enterprise development, SIYB Programme and women economic empowerment.
• Strong knowledge of Results Based management.
• Ability to synthesize program performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making.
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities, and threats to fundraising and develop strategies.
• Good interpersonal, networking, communication skills as demonstrated by successful execution of facilitation work with diverse range of client’s/stakeholders.

Education:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women’s studies, international development, or related field is required.

Experience:

• At least 5 years’ experience in supporting enterprise development in Africa/SADC region. Preferably under the international Labor Organization SIYB Programme. Experience in South Africa, Namibia and Botswana is an added advantage;
• Technical experience in Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) particularly informal sector;
• Experience in facilitating steering committee meetings or work planning/review sessions;
• Experience working with UN agencies, Government and/international organizations is and asset.

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required;
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

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.)