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.
The Women Peace and Security (WPS) Section of the Policy Division supports UN Women to fulfill its coordination mandate in the area of peace and security and UN system efforts to promote improved implementation, and monitoring and reporting of global commitments on women and peace and security, including as set out in Beijing Platform for Action and in Security Council resolutions 1325 (2000), 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009), 1960 (2010), 2122 (2013), 2242 (2015) and 2467 (2019), relevant Statements by the President of the Security Council, as well as related accountability frameworks established by the UN system. In the area of conflict resolution, the Peace and Security Section works to strengthen the capacity of actors engaged in inclusive peacemaking, conflict resolution and national dialogue processes to enhance women’s participation and influence, and to secure gender-equality outcomes.
UNWOMEN, through its WPS Section, is supporting countries to ensure gender equality is mainstreamed in counterterrorism and Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE) efforts of the United Nations and member states. Such work is being done at country and global level. At global level, UNWOMEN is chairing the Gender-Sensitive Approaches to Preventing and Countering Terrorism (Gender Working Group) of the Global Counter-Terrorism Compact of the United Nations.
As part of this work, UNWOMEN is organizing an international conference in Dakar, Senegal (March-April 2020) and side events during the United Nations High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies of Member States (June-July 2020). These events are an opportunity to better identify structural challenges in relation to gender and counterterrorism and PVE efforts and propose recommendations for action, notably to Member States and relevant UN entities.
To support this work, UNWOMEN is looking for a communication consultant that can provide support for organizing these events (communication), capture substantial contributions made during these events and translate them into reports and communication products for a variety of audiences.
Duties and Responsibilities
Conference Operational Support
- Advice and support designing conferences formats and set-up for effective communication;
- Anticipate event planning needs, consistently track progress and make appropriate suggestions for follow-up and timely address gaps as appropriate
- Gather nominations for participants, prepare and send save-the-dates, letters of invitation; Offer assessments of evolving participant lists, track participant RSVPs and participant questions/requests regularly
- Support administration and logistics, such as processing requests for visas, following-up on flight arrangements, collecting information for DSA, as requested;
- Liaise with conference participants and key-note speakers and provide necessary support for effective communication;
- Be on-hand during event(s) to support as needed.
Strategic Communication, Partners Engagement and Outreach
- Contribute to concept notes and other preparatory documents for the conferences;
- Take notes during the plenary and working sessions; Produce session summaries and conference reports;
- Develop an Outreach Plan and develop partners contact list/database;
- Develop content and communication products for various audiences, based on the conference reports and other background documents (stories, infographics and other features); Organise meetings with donors, as required;
- Identify, develop, distribute and evaluate variety of media materials in multiple, appropriate formats (Press releases, feature stories etc);
- Ensure rapid and accurate information dissemination to the media, UNWOMEN partners, and other appropriate audiences;
- Produce a report with recommendations for UNWOMEN outreach, communication and engagement work in the area of PVE/CT, including a chapter on due diligence and do-no-harm approach.
Candidates must be willing to travel as required, notably a conference scheduled in Dakar in April 2020, as well as events scheduled in New-York in June-July 2020. The communication consultant will be working closely with the Women, Peace and Security Specialist.
Deliverables | Description | Deadline |
Deliverable 1 | Note on the design and format of the Dakar Conference | 20 March 2020 |
Deliverable 2 | Social media package Dakar Conference | 13 April 2020 |
Deliverable 3 | Dakar Conference Report – Draft | 17 April 2020 |
Deliverable 4 | Strategic Communication & Outreach Plan, and concept notes for New-York events | 17 April 2020 |
Deliverable 5 | Dakar Conference Report – Final version | 01 May 2020 |
Deliverable 6 | Social media package New-York events | 03 July 2020 |
Deliverable 7 | Donors engagement products | 03 July 2020 |
Deliverable 8 | Report on Outreach, Communication and Engagement | 31 August 2020 |
Competencies
- Good planning, goal-setting and prioritization for conference.
- Strong communication skills, both written and oral;
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
- Strong inter-personal skills, communicate effectively with staff at all level of the organization;
- Demonstrate sensitivity, tact and diplomacy, comfortable with handling external relationships at all level;
- Work in a highly pressured environment;
- Strong sense of responsibility, confidentiality and accountability;
- Understanding of women, peace and security (WPS) issues
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
FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:
- Knowledge of gender equality and women's rights issues;
- Experience with event management and demonstrated ability to interact effectively with external experts, government representatives and other partners;
- Knowledge and understanding of UN system;
- Strong analytical and interpersonal skills;
- Good knowledge of Middle East region and WPS.
Required Skills and Experience
RECRUITMENT QUALIFICATIONS
Education and certification
- Master’s degree or equivalent in Communication, Journalism or Public Relations, or a related field is required.
- A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
Experience
- Five years of progressively responsible and relevant professional work experience in outreach and communication;
- Demonstrated experience in planning and coordinating large events;
- Experience in gender equality and women's empowerment;
- Experience working in the UN system is an asset.
Language Requirements
- Fluency in English and French is required
- Knowledge of another UN official working language is an asset.
Offer Submission
The candidate will submit a technical offer along his/her CV.