Background

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. UN Women merges and builds upon the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

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.

The UN Women Civil Society Advisory Groups (CSAGs) are advisory bodies established by UN Women at the global, regional and national levels to facilitate effective, ongoing and structured consultations between the civil society and UN Women.

As stated in the UN Women Preliminary Strategy for the Civil Society Advisory Groups (developed in November 2015), these constitute an institutional mechanism for regular dialogue between UN Women and women's movement leaders on priorities and key issues on gender equality at national, regional and global levels. They inform strategic policy and regulatory perspectives as well as normative and intergovernmental processes. They are a strategic and substantive network of eminently qualified people of the civil society with experience and knowledge of UN Women’s priority areas. The CSAGs have a dual and complementary role - as an advisory body of UN Women and as an advocacy platform to advance the gender equality agenda.

In their advisory role, the CSAGs are a dynamic resource for UN Women, proposing innovative initiatives, ideas, strategies and political perspectives. In their advocacy role, the CSAGs play a key political role in promoting common objectives for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women.

The Civil Society Advisory Group for Latin America and the Caribbean (CSAG-LAC) was formed in May 2012 as the result of a rigorous and highly competitive selection process which included nearly 120 women and men with outstanding track record and prestige. The final selection was carried out by peers of the civil society. Fifteen members and three permanent observers were selected, in addition to four reserve candidates (one per sub-region). As of 2016, the group is composed of 11 members in total.

Currently the Advisory Group has a very broad representation, with respect to organizations and fields of action, as well as geographical representation. The members represent the four sub-regions: Mexico and Central America, the Caribbean, the Andean countries, and Brazil and the Southern Cone. They have proven experience in the areas of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Among them, there are women's rights defenders, scholars specialized in gender and endorsed by institutions of recognized prestige, indigenous women leaders, champions of the rights of Afro-descendant women and well-known activists defending the political, economic and reproductive rights of Latin American and Caribbean women.

The Advisory Group meets face-to-face once per year and it holds bi-monthly virtual meetings with UN Women Regional Director for the Americas and the Caribbean. Since its creation annual meetings have been held in Panama, Santo Domingo, Panama, Santiago de Chile, Montevideo and Panama. In addition to these meetings, it is expected that the CSAG-LAC members hold ongoing dialogue and regular exchanges to share its contributions, feedback and recommendations for UN Women’s regional leadership.

Duties and Responsibilities

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• To motivate and promote ongoing dialogue and exchanges among CSAG-LAC members

Deliverable(s):

• Regular virtual meetings scheduled to ensure regular dialogue and exchange.
• Agenda set in coordination with the other co-moderator, and shared with the group in turn.
• Minutes of the meetings prepared in turn with the other co-moderator, and shared with the group to ensure communication and due follow-up on agreed action points.
• Regular monitoring undertaken and reports presented to the group with regard to the situation in two LAC sub-regions: the Andean countries, and Brazil and the Southern Cone.
• Relevant topics for discussion proposed in alignment with the monitoring and reporting activities mentioned above.
• Time and space provided before/during/after the meetings for CSAG-LAC members to set forward topics of their particular concern;

• To ensure active and regular participation in virtual discussions of all CSA-LAC members from the sub-regions of the Andean countries, and Brazil and the Southern Cone.

Deliverable(s):

• Problems and queries reported by members adequately and timely addressed, if necessary to the Regional Director or the liaison focal point in UN Women Regional Office.
• Brief monthly reports prepared in turns with the other co-moderator for the Regional Office and the liaison focal point on participation levels and issues discussed, summarizing highlights of the discussions and recommendations from the CSAG-LAC to UN Women.
• Translation during the calls facilitated when necessary (English-Spanish).

• To support the annual face-to-face meeting with the Regional Director.

Deliverable(s):

• Minutes of the meeting prepared in collaboration with the other co-moderator, and shared with the group.
• Discussion during the meeting moderated in turn with the other co-moderator and according to sub-region and/or area of expertise.

• Report presented to the Regional Director before the meeting, highlighting the main issues raised by the group and recommendations for UN Women, focusing in particular on the sub-regions of the Andean countries, and Brazil and the Southern Cone.

• To support the selection process of new members of the CSAG-LAC upon the expiry of term and renovation of membership and produce a complete report of this selection process.

Deliverable(s):

• Complete report of the selection process produced and presented to the Regional Director.
• Information about the selection process shared with the group to encourage commitment and participation in the process as members of the Selection Committee.

III. OFFICIAL TRAVEL AND OTHER REQUISITES

The Consultant is expected to travel at least once a year for the annual meeting of the Civil Society Advisory Group. Travel that may be required inherent to her/his responsibilities in this contract will be borne and arranged for by UN Women Regional Office.

IV. RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CONSULTANT

• It is the responsibility of the consultant to obtain primary and secondary information from other sources, if required, for the finalization of the agreed products. 
• The consultant is not a staff member of the United Nations and will carry out the activities of the consultancy in the UN WOMEN Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean, with the premises of technical equipment and the necessary technology to finalize the agreed products.

V. EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND PAYMENT TERMS

Payments will be made within 30 days of the satisfactory submission of the deliverable/s and approval by the Director, UN Women Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean.                               

VI.       COPYRIGHT, PATENTS AND OTHER PROPRIETARY RIGHTS:

Except as is otherwise expressly provided in writing in the Contract, the UNW shall be entitled to all intellectual property and other proprietary rights including, but not limited to, patents, copyrights, and trademarks, with regard to products, processes, inventions, ideas, know-how, or documents and other materials which the Contractor has developed for the UNW under the Contract and which bear a direct relation to or are produced or prepared or collected in consequence of, or during the course of, the performance of the Contract, and the Contractor acknowledges and agrees that such products, documents and other materials constitute works made for hire for the UNW.

To the extent that any such intellectual property or other proprietary rights consist of any intellectual property or other proprietary rights of the Contractor: (i) that pre-existed the performance by the Contractor of its obligations under the Contract, or (ii) that the Contractor may develop or acquire, or may have developed or acquired, independently of the performance of its obligations under the Contract, the UNW does not and shall not claim any ownership interest thereto, and the Contractor grants to the UNW a perpetual license to use such intellectual property or other proprietary right solely for the purposes of and in accordance with the requirements of the Contract.

At the request of the UNW; the Contractor shall take all necessary steps, execute all necessary documents and generally assist in securing such proprietary rights and transferring or licensing them to the UNW in compliance with the requirements of the applicable law and of the Contract.

Subject to the foregoing provisions, all maps, drawings, photographs, mosaics, plans, reports, estimates, recommendations, documents, and all other data compiled by or received by the Contractor under the Contract shall be the property of the UNW, shall be made available for use or inspection by the UNW at reasonable times and in reasonable places, shall be treated as confidential, and shall be delivered only to UNW authorized officials on completion of work under the Contract.

VII. SUPERVISION OF THE CONSULTANT

The consultant will be supervised by theDirector, UN Women Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean

Competencies

VIII. CORE VALUES AND COMPETENCIES

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 (Ex.)

• Familiarity with the LAC Region.
• Good knowledge of UN Women and the UN system, an asset

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Degree in Gender, Development Studies, or other relevant area of Politics and/or Social Sciences (with a focus on gender issues) or similar.

Work Experience

• At least 6 years of proven relevant experience in the promotion of gender equality and women’s rights in the Latin American region.

Knowledge

• Understanding of gender issues, development issues related to gender quality and women’s empowerment, and global and regional intergovernmental processes related to women’s advancement and rights.
• Knowledge of UN Women and the LAC Region.
• Proficiency in Spanish is required, working level knowledge of English an asset.

Communications Skills

• Communications skills, both written and oral, including the ability to stimulate others to participate in discussions and demonstrate respect for diversity of views and background.
• Ability to conciliate differenced and reach compromises in face of diverging views or opinions.

Applications consists of one attachment that include of a completed and signed UN Women Personal History Form (P11) with an updated CV.  Applications without the completed P11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.  Please combine all your documents into on (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document.  The electronic version of the P11 can be downloaded from the following website:    http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment

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.

If you are experiencing difficulties with online job applications, please contact jobs.help@undp.org.