UN WOMEN Jobs - 71727- UN Women: Policy Specialist, Preventing and Counte

UN Women: Policy Specialist, Preventing and Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

New York, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Type of Contract :

TA International

Starting Date :

Application Deadline :

17-Apr-17 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

P-4

Duration of Initial Contract :

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

6 months

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

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.

Building on over 15 years of experience in women, peace and security, UN Women has been working to ensure a gender sensitive approach to preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism. UN Security Council resolution 2242 (2015) calls for the greater integration by Member States and the UN of their agendas on women, peace and security, counter-terrorism and countering violent extremism which can be conducive to terrorism. It requests the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) to integrate gender as a cross-cutting issue throughout their activities. Resolution 2242 furthermore urges Member States and requests relevant UN entities, including CTED within its existing mandate and in collaboration with UN Women, to conduct and gather gender-sensitive research and data collection on the drivers of radicalization for women, and the impacts of counter-terrorism strategies on women’s human rights and women’s organizations, to develop targeted and evidence-based policy and programming responses.

Under the supervision of the Chief of the Peace and Security Section, the Policy Specialist will support the development and implementation of UN Women programming in the area of Counter Terrorism and Violent Extremism. This will entail the implementation of UN Women’s Global Program on Preventing Violent Extremism, as well as strengthening UN Women’s engagement with the UN’s counterterrorism actors, including the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) and CTED to advance the mainstreaming of gender throughout all UN counterterrorism activities, as outlined in resolution 2242. The Policy Specialist will also represent UN Women at meetings and conferences as required, including in efforts to mobilize resources and engage with donors and other stakeholders including Member States, national or regional organizations and civil society.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide policy advice and technical support on preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism:

Identify and catalyze work through the initiation of/and technical support to global programmes and flagship initiatives;
Develop policy and programming tools, guidelines and manuals related to good practices, for use by UN Women country offices, the UN system, and other partners;
Provide technical support to the development of new global normative standards and prepare analytical summaries of relevant intergovernmental debates, supporting negotiations and analyzing/compiling outcomes;
Provide substantive inputs to the UN’s interagency framework on preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism;
Provide thematic inputs and guidance to corporate strategic planning and positioning;
Provide policy advice and technical support to Regional Offices (ROs)/Multi-Country Offices (MCOs)/Country Offices (COs), including on programme documents, concept notes and terms of reference on substantive issues, country strategies, and knowledge products;
Provide inputs in international fora such as the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) to help shape development of global and regional policies, norms and standards and implementation strategies.

Provide research, analysis and knowledge management support on preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism:

Identify emerging issues, cutting edge knowledge and approaches using diverse formats (e.g. compendium of practice, case studies, training modules, policy briefs, blogs, etc.) for diverse stakeholders;
Oversee comparative research and/or compilations and reviews of relevant research for both internal and external use;
Develop global flagship publications, and provide policy recommendations to address these issues;
Maintain and manage internal flow of information throughout the organization on policy and technical issues.

Represent and advocate for UN Women and build strategic partnerships:

Represent UN Women at inter-agency, intergovernmental and international technical and advocacy fora;
Oversee the organization of, and participate in, relevant meetings at the international, regional and national level, and provide programmatic/substantive expertise;
Contribute substantively to the development of strategic approaches to policy dialogue, resource mobilization, partnerships, advocacy and outreach;
Liaise with relevant stakeholders including research institutes, think tanks and civil society networks around the world, building relationships to promote joint action and resource mobilization, as well as making visible policy driven programming and achievements;
Contribute substantially to high-level corporate advocacy and communications, including through the preparation of quality speeches, talking points, briefs and media/outreach messages for UN senior officials (e.g. UN Women, Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, Under Secretary Generals, etc.).

Key Performance Indicators:

The key results expected will have positive impact on the overall effectiveness of UN Women’s work on preventing and countering terrorism and violent extermism, by contributing directly to achievement of the relevant Goals in UN Women’s Strategic Plan.

Quality knowledge products and publications which lead to the better creation of strategies and implementation of policies and programmes;
Quality and timely support to ROs, MCOs, and COs;
Relevant and topical research and analysis;
Quality position papers and reports;
Quality representation, coordination and input to intergovernmental/ interagency fora.

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: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf.

Functional Competencies:

Proven ability to advocate and provide policy advice;
Ability to lead strategic planning;
Ability to programme development and implementation, results-based management and reporting;
Ability to develop and maintain strong partnerships and mobilize resources;
Strong knowledge of countering and preventing terrorism and violent extremism;
Expert knowledge in developing policy procedures and guidance;
Excellent analytical skills;
Strong networking skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

Master’s level or higher) in Gender, Peace & Women Studies, Law, Political Science, International relations, Humanities or other related area.

Experience:

A minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience working in the field of women, peace and security including counterterrorism and preventing violent extremism;
Experience in field operations, including civil society inclusion desirable;
Experience in programme management and development.

Languages:

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

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.