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. To fulfil its mandate, the organization and offices work on various aspects of development with the aim of either drawing attention by providing evidence on the existence of a gender gap or directly implementing interventions geared towards closing the gender gap among other sectors, also in gender statistics.

Making Every Woman and Girl Count (Women Count) is UN Women’s gender data programme,  aimed at supporting countries in their efforts to generate data to inform policies and monitor the implementation of the gender equality-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other national policy priorities. The overall objective of the programme is to affect a radical shift in the production, availability, accessibility and use of quality data and statistics on key aspects of gender equality and women’s empowerment through three interlinked areas of work:

• Building a supportive policy and institutional environment for the localization and effective monitoring of the SDGs;
• Increasing the quality, comparability and regularity of gender statistics to address national data gaps and meet reporting commitments under the SDGs; and
• Ensuring that gender statistics are accessible to users in governments, civil society, academia and the private sector, to strengthen their policy and interventions.

UN Women in East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESA-RO) continues to be committed to bridge the gender data and analysis gaps as part of the ‘Leave No One Behind’ commitment  and collaborate closely with other UN Agencies to advance the agenda of Gender Equality and Women Economic empowerment across all areas of work of the United Nations, regional entities, national governments and other entities.

Background to the assignment:

One of the outcomes of the Women Count project has been a significant increase in the availability of gender specific data across ESA. However, the socio-economic impacts of the pandemic, as well as disruption caused by COVID-19 to the face to face traditional data collection efforts have impacted on data availability during 2020. Various entities such as the UNCTs in the region, National Statistical Offices, the World Bank and other producers of data have conducted studies specially adjusted to COVID-19 in the region during 2020. Even though these studies are yielded some data about the differences between men and women most do not cover the gender data gap comprehensively enough. 

UN Women and UNFPA are currently collaborating in East and Southern Africa to fill this data gap by rolling out a CATI COVID-19 gender assessment in 7 countries in the region. These countries are Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda and South Africa.  The survey is generating a comprehensive picture of the impact of COVID-19 on women and men across a wide range of themes including; economic activities, agriculture and food security, education, time use, health and health care seeking behaviours, human rights and gender-based violence.

The findings of this survey are already available in Kenya and will progressively become available for the rest of the participating countries during September and October 2020. The survey data is considered an important part of the knowledge base and contextual framework that will be required for all GEWE work in the region, regardless of implementing agency and sphere of implementation.

In support of this work, UN Women and UNFPA ESA-RO and UNFPA ESA are collaborating on the compilation of a regional COVID-19 Gender Profile that will inform development assistance policies and strategies for intensifying impact on gender equality, women empowerment and poverty reduction. The regional gender profile will focus on key gender inequalities in the region that constrain inclusive growth, identifying key gaps and challenges in current policies and programs, provide an overview of best practices and recommend strategic actions for addressing gender inequalities as the region begins to recover from the pandemic. The study will have to focus on normative frameworks, the demography of the region, economic activities, household income and other resources, agricultural activities and household food security, education, Education, access to basic services, time use,  health and health seeking behaviour, basic morbidity and mortality profiles in the region, maternal and child health, human rights and gender based violence.

The evidence provided through the regional gender profile will be used for regional strategic planning, advocacy and resource mobilization during the post pandemic recovery phase and beyond.

Duties and Responsibilities

Objective and scope of the assignment:

The purpose of the assignment is to conduct an analysis of inequality, poverty and impact of shocks and formulate clear recommendations on policy and programmatic changes and priorities including key communication messages that can be used during the post COVID-19 recovery phase.

The two gender experts will be required to prepare selected sections of the planned comprehensive regional gender profile for East and Southern Africa.

The specific objective of the consultancy is to prepare a comprehensive report that outlines the opportunities and constraints for GEWE in the post COVID-recovery phase and identify the key gaps and challenges in current policies and programs in the region.

The specific thematic focus areas of the report will include; demography, health and health seeking behaviour, morbidity and mortality profiles, maternal and child health and gender-based violence.

The study will be based on existing reports and secondary data that were collected in the region during 2020. Data collected through the CATI COVID-19 gender assessment currently being conducted through the UNWomen UNFPA collaboration will also be incorporated into the report.

The countries to be included in the profile are: Eswatini, Botswana, Burundi, Comoros, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, Seychelles, Sudan, South Sudan, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Consultant 1 will focus on governance and normative frameworks, livelihoods, socio-economic circumstances and time use. The following tasks will need to be done to prepare this part of the Regional COVID-19 Gender Equality Profile:

• Conduct an in-depth gendered analysis of governance and normative frameworks, livelihoods, socio-economic circumstances and time use in countries in the region;
• Identify key issues affecting the status of women in the region with respect to the thematic focus and those hindering their access to resources, opportunities and full participation;
• Evaluate regional normative frameworks from a gender perspective and identify gaps and best practices that can be scaled-up;
• Consolidate data on key gender indicators available from existing sources for various sectors and from UN and country level official data sources;
• Provide concrete recommendations for accelerating the advancement of gender equality through the various sectors involved in the thematic areas covered by the study.

Consultant 2 will focus on demography, health and health seeking behaviour, morbidity and mortality profiles, maternal and child health and gender-based violence. The following tasks will need to be carried out to prepare this segment of the Regional COVID-19 Gender Equality Profile:

• Conduct an in-depth gendered analysis of the demography, health and health seeking behaviour, morbidity and mortality profiles, maternal and child health and gender-based violence of countries in the region;
• Identify key issues affecting the status of women in the region with respect to the thematic focus of the study and those hindering their access to resources, opportunities and full participation;
• Evaluate regional normative frameworks from a gender perspective and identify gaps and best practices that can be scaled-up;
• Consolidate data on key gender indicators available from existing sources for various sectors and from UN and country level official data sources;
• Provide concrete recommendations for accelerating the advancement of gender equality through the various sectors involved in the thematic areas covered by the study;
• Make specific reference in the analysis to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it has impacted on women in the region.

Reporting:

The consultants will report directly to the UN Women Regional Statistics Specialist -gender in ESA-RO, but will execute the assignment in close collaboration with the Gender specialist UNFPA ESA-RO. Both regional representatives will provide technical support where needed.

Outputs:

Key outputs of the consultancy are:

• Inception Report establishing the methodology for the development of the report;
• Two drafts of the reports (one for comments, the final incorporating comments);
• Creative and dynamic PowerPoint presentation summarizing the guidelines (for online advisory support).

Key Deliverables:

1. One inception report per consultant establishing the data sources and report outline for the profile;
2. One Regional gender profile report from consultant 1 of no more than 30 pages (excluding appendices) covering governance and normative frameworks, livelihoods, socio-economic circumstances and time use of the countries of interest in the region;
3. One Regional gender profile report from consultant 2 of no more than 30 pages (excluding appendices) covering demography, health and health seeking behaviour, morbidity and mortality profiles, maternal and child health and gender-based violence of the countries of interest in the region.

Below are the key deliverables and schedule for the assignment

• Phase 1: Inception Report establishing the data sources and report outline for the profile – 3days
• Phase 2: First draft of the gender profile report – 30 days
• Phase 3: Final draft of the gender profile reporting incorporating comments – 2 days

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: https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637

Functional Competencies:

• Extensive knowledge of gender statistics and its production, analysis and dissemination;
• Demonstrated experience in gender equality and women empowerment including solid understanding of linkages between gender, statistics and development;
• Strong knowledge of UN system, 2030 Sustainable Agenda and Leave No One Behind Commitment;
• Leadership and skills to work with autonomy and initiative.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

A Master’s degree or equivalent in demography, social sciences, development studies, development economics, gender/women's studies, international relations or related field is required. PhD is a plus.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of demonstrated extensive experience that combines research and programs in gender and international development at the national and international level is required;
• At least five years of experience in gender issues in Sub-Saharan Africa especially in fragile states;
• Track record of publications on gender issues in peer reviewed journals;
• Knowledge and experience in socio-cultural, economic, and geopolitical contexts of Sudan and Somalia is an advantage;
• Excellent writing and analytical skills.

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Working knowledge of another official UN language is an asset.

UNWOMEN 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.