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.
Women’s leadership and political participation is one of UN Women’s primary areas of work as mandated in its inception, recognizing the integral role of women in strong and stable democratic processes. Through its Leadership and Governance section, UN Women works to implement Output 4 of the Entity’s Strategic Plan 2018-21 “More women of all ages fully participate, lead and engage in political institutions and processes”.
To promote the leadership and participation of women in all levels of decision-making processes, UN Women works with a range of stakeholders including women leaders and aspiring candidates, national parliaments and parliamentarians, political parties, media, civil society organizations, and electoral management bodies, in coordination with UN partner Entities, through a wide range of interventions which include: i) support gender responsive legal reforms, and institutional processes to advance women’s participation and representation (including initiatives to address violence against women in politics); ii) build capacities of women leaders and aspiring candidates; iii) promote change of gender norms through advocacy and outreach initiatives targeting communities, political leaders and the media; iv) and support women leaders in gender responsive political institutions.
UN-Women Guatemala County Office (ACO) has identified women’s political participation and representation in elected offices as a key priority within its current Strategic Note and in line with the UNDAF 2015-2019. In 2019, Guatemala will hold Presidential, Parliamentary, and local elections. Within this context, UN-Women, in coordination with national institutions, UN partners and civil society, has identified key targeted interventions to increase women’s representation in decision making at all levels within the current electoral cycle, in line with the recommendations of the UN Electoral Needs Assessment Mission conducted in December 2017.
UN-Women Guatemala CO is now seeking the services of an international consultant to support the coordination of this programming area of work. Under the supervision of the UN Women Representative in Guatemala, the international consultant will provide the technical support and coordination required to effectively launch and roll-out a women’s political participation roadmap/workplan
Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision of the UN Women Representative in Guatemala, the international consultant will provide the technical support and coordination required to roll-out a women’s political participation project.
The consultant will undertake the following tasks:
Oversee the roll-out and implementation of a women’s political participation project in close coordination and as agreed with the government, partners and United Nations Country Team, particularly with UNDP.
Convene and attend meetings with partners to coordinate work plans and programme activities.
Support the implementation and monitoring of the Gender Equality Policy of the Electoral Tribunal (TSE) in coordination with UNDP.
Assist the County Office’s parliamentary support efforts, to promote gender responsive legislation related to women and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in coordination in coordination with national and international partners on the ground.
Support local CSOs and including indigenous peoples’ organisations to deliver gender-responsive messaging and advocacy on Women’s Political Participation with a focus on youth and indigenous groups (Mayan, Garífuna and Xinca).
Develop a strategy, in coordination with key national stakeholders, to prevent and mitigate violence against women in elections (VAWE), including: i) a launch event of the UN Women-UNDP Programming Guide on Preventing Violence Against Women in Elections; and ii) provide technical support to promote legislation on Violence Against Women in Politics.
Conduct an analysis of aspiring women candidates from political parties and support capacity building initiatives targeting women candidates in coordination with UNDP and CIM/OAS.
Undertake other programme activities in support of women’s political and electoral participation as required
KEY DELIVERABLES:
Finalise documents and roll out a Women’s Political Participation work plan and deliverables.
Develop a work plan and methodology to support legislation to advance gender equality and indigenous peoples’ rights
Action plan to implement the TSE’s Gender Policy, in coordination with UNDP.
Advocacy strategy in coordination with indigenous peoples’ organisations, aimed to transform gender norms, and sensitize the electorate on the need for women in public life, developed.
Strategy to prevent and mitigate violence against women in elections (VAWE) developed, including convening a launch event of the UN Women-UNDP Programming Guide on Preventing Violence Against Women in Elections
Inputs to support legal frameworks to address and mitigate Violence Against Women in Politics.
Mapping of aspiring women candidates from political parties ahead of the 2019 electoral process.
Capacity building programme for women candidates, designed and implemented in partnership with UNDP and ICW/OAS.
Preparation of a comprehensive handover note upon completion of consultancy that includes context and programme/policy recommendations, including status report on all tasks and deliverables and any other relevant information
The assignment will take up 120 working days over a period of 6 months. The consultant will report to the UN-Women Representative in Guatemala, with guidance from the UN Women Political Participation Advisor in HQ as needed
Competencies
Core Values and Guiding Principles:
Demonstrates a commitment to UN Women’s mission and vision;
Able to work effectively within a team;
Displays cultural and gender sensitivity and adaptability;
Able to multi-task and juggle competing demands;
Can assess and prioritize work needs quickly; and
Able to relate to external partners, including other international organizations and agencies, NGOs, grassroots community groups, etc.
Demonstrates integrity by modeling UN Women values and ethical standards;
Able to relate to external partners, including other international organizations and agencies, NGOs, grassroots community groups, etc.
Functional Competencies
Sound practical knowledge on women’s political participation programming including on gender responsive electoral processes (i.e. sex disaggregated data collection, prevention and mitigation of violence against women in elections);
Previous experience in field-based election in a variety of cultural and political contexts;
Ability to work effectively and harmoniously with people from varied cultures and professional backgrounds, demonstrating excellent interpersonal communication skills.
Results based management skills;
Ability to produce well-written reports and/or programme documents demonstrating analytical ability;
Excellent communication skills;
Experience in working with UN Women or UN or international NGOs on women’s political participation.
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Advanced university degree (Master's degree or equivalent) Political Science, Sociology, International Relations, or relevant field and/or equivalent practical experience
Experience:
At least 7 years of experience integrating gender equality and political participation and representation; including proven experience integrating gender equality and electoral cycle, women’s political participation, and gender based electoral violence mitigation;
Sound knowledge of international standards on human rights, women’s rights and related instruments;
Experience with UN Intergovernmental processes including those related to women’s empowerment, gender mainstreaming and gender equality;
Experience working with multi-stakeholder organizations is essential: governments, CSOs, and the UN/ multilateral/bilateral institutions.
Experience in programme design and results-based management;
Experience with UN electoral assistance processes
Language:
- Fluency in oral and written Spanish is required.
- Working knowledge in English is an asset