UNDP Jobs - 51890- Recruitment of International Consultant to HIV, He

Recruitment of International Consultant to HIV, Health & Development Team in UNDP- RSC Africa- Senior Specialists

Location :

Home-based with travels as required(Countries within Africa), ETHIOPIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

08-Dec-14 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

100 working Days

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

African countries are signatories to key international and regional human rights instruments which guarantee human rights to all individuals. This includes the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights. The ‘African Women’s Protocol’ specifically recognises the sexual and reproductive health rights of women in the context of HIV and AIDS. In addition to the need to align national legal frameworks with these existing human rights commitments, there is also a growing recognition of the central role of law and human rights in effective HIV responses and, based on principles of accountability and responsibility, of the need to enjoin countries to take steps to strengthen legal frameworks to protect people living with HIV and key populations at higher risk of HIV exposure and to promote universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

In June 2011, with the UN Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS, Member States committed to reviewing laws and practices blocking effective HIV responses. They also committed to ensuring that national AIDS strategies and plans protect and promote the human rights of all people, in line with existing human rights commitments. More recently, in 2012, the findings of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law show that stigma, discrimination and human rights violations continue to create major obstacles to effective HIV responses across the world, including in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) Strategy 2012-2016 includes the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights as one of its five strategic objectives.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Purpose and objectives of the project: in the African continent, UNDP RSC-AFRICA is committed to follow up on the recommendations from the Report of the Global Commission on HIV and the Law and has been supporting national governments and regional entities in this process. In 2013, with support from the governments of both Sweden and Norway, UNDP RSC-AFRICA launched a project titled “Strengthening Regional and National Legislative Environments to Support the Enjoyment of Human Rights of LGBT People and Women and Girls affected by HIV and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa”. The duration of this project is from 2013 to 2015. The overarching development objective of this project is “to reduce the HIV-related vulnerability of LGBT people and women and girls affected by HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa by helping ensure that their legal rights are realised and stigma and discrimination are addressed. The programme objective is “to strengthen national and regional legal environments to support the enjoyment of human rights of LGBT people and women and girls affected by HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa”. To achieve the purpose and objective of the project, UNDP began working with partners in 10 countries in 2013, the East African Community (EAC), ECOWAS/WAHO, ECCAS and SADC, and the African Union Commission (AUC), and has initiated work in 15 countries in 2014 to:

Develop the evidence base on how countries and regional entities can use law, human rights, action on stigma and access to justice to improve HIV outcomes.
Catalyse, convene and support multi-stakeholder coalitions to review and to promote improvement in HIV-related laws and legal environments.
Strengthen attention to HIV-related legal issues in UNDP’s overall work on rule of law and strengthening of national human rights institutions, including efforts to empower marginalized populations, to address police brutality and inhumane prison conditions.
Catalyse, improve and expand HIV-related legal services and legal literacy for people living with HIV, key populations and women, both through HIV-focused programming and through integration into broader access to justice efforts.

Competencies

Core Competencies

Professionalism:

knowledge and understanding of UN’s operational context in Africa, particularly in the fields of common services, joint premises and common procurement.

Planning and Organizing:

Allocates appropriate time and resources for completing work by foreseeing risks and developing contingency plans accordingly.

Accountability:

Takes ownership of responsibilities and honours commitments.

Communications:

Speaks and writes clearly and effectively;
Listens to others, correctly interprets messages from others and responds appropriately; asks questions to clarify, and exhibits interest in having two-way communication;
Tailors language, tone, style and format to match audience;
Keeps confidential information undisclosed;
Capacity to communicate fluently with different stakeholders (civil society, government authorities, local communities, project staff).

Self-developer/Innovator:

Learn, share and acquire new competencies and seek new challenges by exploring new approaches.

Performer:

Works against an agreed outcome and priorities and seeks performance feedback from supervisors; and
Support staff in the performance review in a constructive and objective manner.

Functional Competencies

Verified practice on coordinating and producing peer reviewed publications for UN, development partners, government and academic journals.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Advanced Degree in Law, Pubic Health, Development or Policy.

Experiences:

At least 10 years professional experience working on HIV, Development, the Law and Human Rights in the Africa Region;Experience in providing evidence-based policy advice is desirable. Candidates with greater number of years’ experience are also urged to apply;
Demonstrated expertise on policy and programmes relating to the Human Rights, Gender and Sexual Diversity;
Experience working with the UN, donors, multilateral organizations and NGOs is necessary and essential;
Experience in working with the United Nations agencies or programmes will be an advantage;
Extensive experience working on legal issues with governments, human rights bodies, civil society, development partners and community based organizations in multiple countries in the Africa Region;
Demonstrable experience in developing guides, tools and manuals, as well as dissemination material pertaining to HIV, human rights and the law will be an advantage.
Computer skills: full command of Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and common Internet applications will be required.

Language:

English language fluency and strong writing skills is mandatory;
Fluency and writing skills in French will be an added advantage as the contractor is expected to provide support to countries in Western & Central Africa.

Application Instruction:

Follow the following link: http://procurement-notices.undp.org/view_notice.cfm?notice_id=19572;
Download both TOR and Procurement Notice from the above link;
Submit your application according to instruction given on the TOR and Procurement Notice.

Documents Required:

Technical Proposals in pdf;
Financial Proposals in pdf.

Instruction:

Thoses candidates who have not submitted technical and financial proposals will not be considered for this consultancy services.