Background
The National Peace and Reconciliation Commission(NPRC) is one of the five Independent Commissions established under Chapter 12 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) Act 2013 for the purpose of supporting and entrenching a culture of human rights and democracy; protecting the sovereignty and interests of the people; promoting constitutionalism; transparency and accountability in public institutions; securing the observance of democratic values and principles by the State and all institutions and agencies of government as well as ensuring that injustices are remedied as provided for in Section 233 of the Constitution. The NPRC’s mission is to Unite Zimbabweans for sustainable peace by developing mechanisms to peacefully resolve violent conflicts of the past and institutionalise approaches for preventing their recurrence in the present and future. The National Peace and Reconciliation Act Chapter 10:32 of 2018 was gazetted on 5 January 2018(hereinafter referred to as the Act). One of the key mandatory requirements to guaranteeing sustainable peace in the Act is to ensure that Gender issues are made central to the work of the Commission. Gender mainstreaming will ascertain that no one is left behind in peace building endeavours. The Act has a whole section 9 that is dedicated to addressing issues of Gender within the scope of the Commission’s work. Section 9 specifically requires the commission to do the following:
- The development of specific guidelines and rules on how the Commission will incorporate gender in its work.
- The development of strategies to encourage the participation of women, girls and other marginalised groups in the work of the Commission.
- Gender equity in the structure of the Commission, its secretariat and any other committees that the Commission may set up.
- Mainstreaming of gender imperatives into every aspect of the Commission’s work.
- Ensuring that all organs of the Commission shall consider and address the gender implications of their activities
- developing protocols for statement taking, collection and analysis of gender and sex disaggregated data, the conduct of interviews and hearings and other operational matters to ensure that gender concerns are fully addressed.
- monitoring gender related practices within the Commission and advice on best practice and principles.
- investigating the use of sexual crimes as a weapon during and after conflicts.
- reaching out to and identifying victims of gender-based violations and provide such victims an opportunity, in private or public, to relate their own accounts of the violations or harm thev have suffered and to set out their needs.
- holding specific public or private hearings on the gendered nature and context of violence and marginalisation; and investigate the causes of such violence and marginalisation.
- assessing the needs of victims of gender-based violations and marginalisation and make recommendations which may include urgent interim measures, as to the appropriate measures required to redress such violations and marginalisation, including the policy which should be followed or measures which should be taken to restore the human and civil dignity of such victims;
- ensuring that every report of the Commission shall carry a specific chapter on gender.
Section 9 (2) The Commission shall appoint or second a dedicated gender focal person to every unit, committee or body that it may establish for the purpose of this Act.
It is from this background that a development of an Internal Gender and Inclusion Policy will guide the NPRC’s work internally as well as its interactions with external stakeholders and citizens as it executes its mandate. The Gender Policy will also be a key instrument to ensuring that the Commission aligns with the Constitution, NPRC Act, National Gender Policy, Regional as well as International Gender standards.
Duties and Responsibilities
Specific Objectives of the Consultancy:
- Agree on methodology to be used in the situational analysis or gender self-assessment.
- Review of key documents developed by the NPRC and those related to its work to identify key entry points for promoting gender equality and enhancing inclusivity within the work of the commission;
- Collect required information through participatory processes (Focused Group Discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews);
- Analyze the information and present the findings to the NPRC;
- Utilise a capacity development approach with an emphasis on gender, gender policy development and gender mainstreaming within the peace and reconciliation work. This approach should be used to solicit for and consolidate the Commission’s input for inclusion in the gender policy;
- Write a comprehensive draft Gender and Inclusion Policy for NPRC, with identified issues and recommended action plan.
- Present a final, validated Gender and Inclusion Policy
Expected Outputs
- Inception report and a work-plan
- Facilitate the collection of data through interviews with various stakeholders etc;
- A workshop and report from the consultative process presented to the Commission;
- A report of the findings, conclusions and recommendations from the desk review or situational analysis.
- A summary of recommendations to be used for a Gender and Inclusion Action Plan;
- A Gender and Inclusion Policy.
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:
- Experience in undertaking organizational gender and /or self-assessment processes /methodologies/gender policy development;
- Understanding of organizational structures, operations and policies of large organizations;
- Appreciation of the challenges and limitations as well as opportunities of within organizations to promote gender equality and inclusion;
- Strong facilitation skills and hands-on experience of working in participatory ways with staff groups, partners and communities;
- Strong gender analytical skills and knowledge/experience of different gender tools;
- Ability to create non-threatening environment for open and frank discussions on difficult issues
- Strong understanding of inclusion issues in organizational set-up and experience of using tools to elicit information pertaining to inclusion;
- The ability to select the best approach/methodology for different groups and audiences;
- Qualitative and quantitative data collection skills;
- Openness to listen, learn and accurately record the findings;
- Good report-writing skills are essential;
- An ability to present challenging findings from the assessments with actionable propositions to move forward.
Required Skills and Experience
- Masters or PHD in the areas of Development Studies, Governance, Peace and Security, Law, Gender or Social Sciences
- At least 7 -10 years of relevant professional experience in developing organizational policies using appropriate gender equality participatory methodologies
- Experience in gender policy formulation
- Vast experience in writing reports and publications which have made a significant contribution to gender equality programmes or learning in the field of development practice and studies;
- Working with independent constitutional commissions within the framework of human rights and promotion of gender equality.
- Working with government, UN system and civil society organisations in designing strategic interventions to promote peace and gender equality.
Timeline, Reporting & Quality Control for the Assignment
The assignment is expected to take 30 business days over a 2 and a half months’ timeframe. The Consultant will work in close collaboration with the NPRC.
Applicants must submit a Technical proposal, including:
- CV;
- A brief description of why the individual considers him/herself as the most suitable for the assignment;
- Personal History Form (P11);
- Sample write up or institutional policy developed previously
Attention:
UN Women Personal History form (P-11) can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment.
Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment
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.