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.

In 2015, on 25 September, the United Nations General Assembly adopted unanimously the Resolution 70/1 Transforming our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Gender equality and women’s empowerment is at the heart of the agenda, as numerous goals and targets address structural barriers to achieve equal rights and opportunities between women and men, girls and boys.

One of the key areas of concern is the economic empowerment of women. It is expressed in targets and indicators of SDG 5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls) and SDG 8 (Promote inclusive and sustainable development, decent work and employment for all). Progress toward it depends not only on the adoption of a set of public policies by governments, but also on the existence of an enabling environment and active engagement of the corporate sector. This is also relevant to the achievement of SDG 1 (Poverty Reduction), SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities) and SDG 17 (Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development).

About 90 per cent of jobs in the world are in the private sector. This represents a huge potential to implement transformative actions in the world of work and social responsibility in favour of women, benefiting the whole society. There is an increasing consciousness, interest and commitment of private and public sector companies on the value and benefits of gender equality and the economic empowerment of women and its role to achieve it.

UN Women - in partnership with the European Commission is proposing the regional programme “Promoting Economic Empowerment of Women at Work in Asia – WeEmpower Asia” to contribute to the economic empowerment of women, recognizing them as beneficiaries and partners of growth and development, by increasing commitment of private companies to gender equality and women´s empowerment and strengthening companies’ capacities to implement these commitments. The programme will ultimately contribute to the achievement of gender equality through enabling women’s labour force participation, entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and thus their full and equal participation in society.

The guiding platform will be the Women’s Empowerment Principles. The WEPs are a set of Principles for business offering guidance on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. Coordinated by UN Women and the UN Global Compact, the Principles emphasize the business case for corporate action to promote gender equality and women's empowerment and are informed by real-life business practices and inputs gathered from across the globe.

Targeting women led enterprises and networks, multi-national companies, and relevant stakeholders in selected Asia countries, the project will promote business opportunities for women entrepreneurs and women-owned enterprises in Asia and their business relations with Europe, while supporting inter-regional dialogue and exchange of good practices to increase the capacity of the private sector more broadly in the implementation of gender-sensitive business culture and practices. The programme will cover seven countries: India, Indonesia, China, Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Viet Nam. It will also have a regional component under the responsibility of UN Women Region Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP). 

Reporting to Regional Programme Manager - Regional Women’s Economic Empowerment and Private Sector Engagement Programme in Asia, the Communication Officer works with and provides support to the members of the Programme Team in country offices and ROAP in the development and implementation of effective communication strategies consistent with UN Women rules and regulations.  S/he works in close collaboration with the Programme, Operations and technical teams  in RO, HQ , CO and MCOs at UN Women and will work in strong collaboration with the European Union in Brussels/ Bangkok and within the 7 WEA countries, other UN Agencies, Government officials, media, multilateral and bilateral donors and civil society.

Duties and Responsibilities

1.  Provide substantive support to the planning and design of external communication and outreach/advocacy strategies and plans

• Provide analysis for elaboration of communication strategies; ensure gender perspective;
• Integrate communication, advocacy and outreach strategies into proposals for project/programmes and other initiatives, as necessary;
• Monitor and analyze print and social media and provide analysis to the Regional Programme WeEmpower Asia ;
• Provide inputs and support to the launch of in-country UN Women/ UN system corporate and local campaigns and special events.
• Leads the communication strategy development and implementation of WEA with a strong focus on building sustainable assets that last beyond the program period

2.  Coordinate and contribute substantively to the development and dissemination of advocacy materials

• Draft briefing materials, and press releases and coordinate its dissemination through effective channels;
• Identify storylines for publication and articles;
• Promote and disseminate corporate advocacy materials for launching flagship initiatives, publications, and campaigns;
• Coordinate the translation/adaption/rewriting of information received, printing and dissemination of publications and audio-visual materials;
• Follow guidelines from HQ and RO.

3.  Coordinate media relations for WeEmpower Asia at the regional level

• Coordinate the establishment of relevant relationships;
• Maintain list of relevant media in country;
• Respond to inquiries for public and UN system information materials;
• Organize roundtable discussions, press conferences and briefing session for press, as required;
• Draft talking points.

4.  Development of strategic program branding and communication strategies

• Ideate new ideas to create powerful recognizable WE program materials
• Visualize impactful trainings programs for the Women’s Empowerment Principles
• Coordinate with international partners on joint branding and communication strategies

5.  Build and maintain partnerships and maintain relations with donors

• Maintain relationships with partners and alliances to enhance visibility;
• Liaise with advocacy partners and undertake outreach to civil society organizations, governments, and other groups to ensure that newsworthy information reaches the public and donors, as delegated.
• Collaborate and strongly support the EU at Brussels, Regional Office and in the implementation Country Offices to develop and implement strategic communication assets

6.  Coordinate UN Women web/ online presence

• Coordinate UN Women websites’ content and maintenance based on corporate requirements;
• Coordinate UN Women social media accounts in line with corporate social media policy;
• Upload information to knowledge management system on a regular basis, including news, updates, resources.
• Create strategic partnerships for accelerating communications impact of WEA

7.  Facilitate knowledge building and sharing

• Identify and synthesize best practices and lessons learned directly linked to programme goals and activities;
• Organize and conduct training and workshops on communication and advocacy, as appropriate.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely monitoring of current events and trends
• Quality and relevant advocacy materials and content
• Timely updating of website and social media
• Timely dissemination of materials as shown by knowledge of UN Women’s activities at the regional and country levels
• Regular interactions with mass media, as shown by coverage

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

Functional Competencies

• Ability to communicate sensitively, effectively and creatively across different constituencies
• Knowledge of web-based management systems
• Knowledge of production, graphic design and photography standards
• Knowledge of social media platforms and experience in social media outreach
• Knowledge of local country media landscape
• Communication, networking and advocacy skills
• Ability to be proactive, dynamic, strategic and analytical
• Knowledge of gender and human rights issues desirable

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree (or equivalent) in communications, public relations, journalism or relevant 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.

Work Experience:

• At least 2 years of professional work experience at national or international level in public relations, communications or advocacy;
• Understanding of gender equality and empowerment of women and girls is an advantage
• Experience working in the UN system in the Asia-Pacific region is an asset
• Experience in the use of social media.

Language Requirement:

• Fluency in English and Thai is required;
• Working 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 https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-p11-personal-history-form.doc?la=en&vs=558. 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.