Background

Background/Context

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 leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality (GE) and gender mainstreaming translate into action globally. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

The Law on Gender Equality, enacted by the Parliament of Serbia in 2021, within articles 45 and 46, establishes a comprehensive framework to achieve gender-balanced governance in the field of sports. Article 45 emphasizes the promotion of sports, recreation, and healthy lifestyles for all genders, ensuring balanced representation and equal opportunities in sports activities, and considering fertility procedures when financing these activities. Article 46 introduces special measures to support publicly funded sports programs that promote gender equality and challenge gender stereotypes. Additionally, it mandates balanced gender representation in the management and supervisory bodies of sports organizations.

In alignment with this legislative framework, UN Women is engaging a National consultant to advance the position of women in sports. The consultant's tasks include preparing a work plan with a clear timeline of activities, conducting desk reviews of relevant national, EU, and National documents, as well as analyses and reports with a focus on gender in Serbia. The consultant will also undertake a stakeholder analysis, coordinate with and obtain data from relevant public administration bodies, and draft a thematic analysis on gender in sports. The main findings will be extracted to prepare specific recommendations on gender mainstreaming in sports. The final deliverable will be a comprehensive report on the assignment submitted to UN Women. This engagement aims to leverage the consultant's expertise to enhance the representation of women in sports governance and ensure equal opportunities for participation and leadership in sports activities, fostering an inclusive and equitable sports environment in Serbia.

The objective of this assignment is to support the office in strengthening the capacities of public administration in gender mainstreaming and addressing gender equality issues, UN Women is seeking to recruit a National Consultant to conduct a thematic analysis on “Gender and Sports” in the Republic of Serbia.

Duties and Responsibilities

Description of Responsibilities/ Scope of Work

Working under the overall supervision of UN Women Programme Management Specialist, the consultant will be responsible for the following:

The objective of this assignment is to support the program team in analyzing the "Sports" policy area from a gender perspective and identifying the needs of public administration for effective gender mainstreaming.

• Conduct desk review of relevant national, EU and international legal and strategic documents, policies, as well as knowledge products;
• Conduct desk review of available analyses and reports, focusing specifically on gender in sports, in the Republic of Serbia;
• Undertake a stakeholder analysis of main actors relevant for promoting women/girls and gender equality in sports;
• Obtain recent gender data in sports in close collaboration with the Ministry of Sports, the  State Statistical Office, and other relevant public administration bodies that collect relevant data;
• Analyze the data and information obtained during the data collection and desk review period;
• Draft a thematic analysis report on “Gender and Sports” at the national level;
• Extract main findings on gender issues, including but not limited to possible gaps identified at legal, policy, budgetary, and implementation levels;
• Prepare a succinct set of recommendations for areas of improvement with specific focus on the advancement of gender mainstreaming, and the promotion of equal opportunities for women and girls in sports;
• Submit the final report on the assignment to UN Women.

Deliverables

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy. 

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/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values 

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES: 

• Good knowledge of human rights and gender equality and international and national commitments to human rights and gender equality;
• Strong analytical skills;
• Strong writing skills;
• Good communication, presentation, networking, and advocacy skills

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master's degree in the area of gender studies, law, management, international relations, political sciences, social sciences, or an area relevant to the requirements of the TOR.
• PhD in the area relevant to the TOR will be seen as an advantage.

Experience:

• At least 5 years of experience in the field of gender equality and sport;
• At least 5 years of relevant experience in conducting analysis and/or gender mainstreaming;
• At least 5 years of experience in research and/or gender analysis, including collection and systematization of complex data and identification of sources of information related to policy-driven issues.

Languages:

• Fluency in written English is required.
• Fluency in Serbian is required.

Selection matrix  

The qualification of the individual is evaluated based on the following qualification evaluation criteria:

How to Apply 

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)

Managers may ask (ad hoc) for any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience, such as research papers, reports, presentations, publications, campaigns, or other materials.

How to Submit the Application: To submit your application online, please follow the steps below:

• Download and complete the https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc  
• Merge your UN Women Personal History Form (P11) and Cover Letter into a single file. The system does not allow for more than one attachment to be uploaded.
• Click on the Job Title (job vacancy announcement).
• Click 'Apply Now' button, fill in necessary information on the first page, and then click 'Submit Application;'
• Upload your application/single file as indicated above with the merged documents (underlined above).
• You will receive an automatic response to your email confirming receipt of your application by the system.

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 Unit-ed 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.)