Background

Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls;  the empowerment of women, the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action,  peace and security. In Latin America and the Caribbean, UN Women addresses these challenges as they are manifest within the particular cultural and economic contexts of the region and according to national priorities. Notable challenges include inequalities and insecurity – both of which intersect with and exacerbate gender based discrimination.

Notwithstanding the classification of nearly all countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as middle-income countries, a closer look at the region reveals territorial asymmetries, high levels of inequality and social exclusion as distinctive features, with particular impact among women, indigenous and Afro-descendant people and youth. According to the Latin American Human Development Report 2010, ten of the fifteen most unequal countries in the world are in LAC. There is also a growing concern related to public security, and the emergence of new forms of violence against women (VAW) is gaining attention. Of special concern in the region is a growing occurrence of femicide.

There exists a strong policy framework in Latin America and the Caribbean. All LAC countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and 14 have ratified the Optional Protocol. The region also ratified the Inter-American Human Rights system, which includes a strong regional instrument to combat violence against women, the Belém do Pará Convention. Following the Beijing Platform and the signing of international conventions, institutional reforms have included: changes in National Constitutions, the creation of Women Affairs Ministries or Institutes, reforms to Civil Codes, penalization of Gender-Based Violence, implementation of gender equality policies; and electoral legislation that supports the enactment of gender quotas in 13 countries.

In order to effectively respond to the demands in the region for positive change, UN Women has recently established a regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Panama, and is strengthening its presence in countries throughout the region in order to support delivery of results for gender equality and the empowerment of women.

Resource mobilization efforts for gender equality in Latin America are embedded within a changing paradigm for the partnership for development..^[1] –     As a region with a large number of middle income countries, resource mobilization presents many context-specific challenges and opportunities. UN Women offices will be engaging in a wide variety of efforts to mobilize resources, working within the reality of the strained financial climate among traditional donors. However, the recent financial crisis has also served to underline how fast certain emerging markets are growing compared the high-income countries^[2] – hence the need for creative strategies to mobilize resources from new and diverse sources.
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[1] “While North-South cooperation remains the main form of development cooperation, South-South cooperation continues to evolve, providing additional diversity of resources for development. At Busan, we now all form an integral part of a new and more inclusive development agenda, in which these actors participate on the basis of common goals, shared principles and differential commitments. On this same basis, we welcome the inclusion of civil society, the private sector and other actors.” Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness

[2] Overseas Development Institute: The role of aid to middle-income countries: a contribution to evolving EU development policy http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/docs/7189.pdf

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will develop a resource mobilization vision/ strategy for the region overall through 2017, as well as specific country level strategies in countries with a UN Women Representative – with an emphasis on innovative financing in the context of the changing aid architecture and emerging opportunities in the region. Within the framework established by the UN Women Global Resource Mobilization Strategy, the LAC strategy will include resource mobilization milestones and targets for the region overall, and in specific countries where UN Women has a Representative.

The strategy will consist of an overall regional assessment of the situation of gender equality, making the case for increased resources, it will make a strong link to UN Women programming experience and plans as defined in the Strategic Plan, annual workplans, and programme portfolios. It will outline a way forward to improve the cultivation of new donors, including private sector donors, and management of donor relations on the part of UN Women management and staff. The consultant will develop a number of templates, and ancillary materials to support the roll out of the strategy at the country level.

 

Donor intelligence and innovative strategies:

• Assessment of the priorities of traditional donors in the region and countries with UN Women Representatives, as these relate to UN Women strategic priorities.
• Assessment of innovative financing options currently in practice in the region (including among UN and other partners), and where possible, an assessment of the pros and cons of such experiences.
• Forward looking suggestions for innovative financing approaches that are yet to be tested.
• Alerts to management as and when immediate opportunities for resource mobilization arise.

Competencies

• 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 organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity.

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN values and ethical standards.
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UN Women.
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.
• Excellent analytical and organizational skills.  

• Ability to lead strategic information collection, analysis and result-based use of information.
• Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation.
• Ability to apply Resource Mobilization and Partnerships building theory to specific Institutional contexts.
• Excellent communication skills including writing and presentation skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Remuneration:

• Remuneration will be based on experience and qualifications and UN Rule and Regulations applying a competitive selection process.