Background

In the context of the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Generation Equality Forum, as well as the 20th anniversary of UN Security Council resolution 1325, a Women Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action (WPS-HA) Compact will harness the existing extensive normative framework on WPS and HA, and accompanying institutional and coordinating mechanisms, to carry out and realize commitments on WPS and humanitarian action. The Compact will create a voluntary multi-stakeholder monitoring and accountability process engaging key global, regional and national players to help narrow the gap between aspirations and concrete actions on WPS and HA, while ensuring that existing global and regional processes are harnessed for national and local engagement and action.

The WPS-HA Compact was announced in 2020 as a key outcome of the Generation Equality Forum, which is a civil society-centred, multi-stakeholder global gathering for gender equality and women’s rights. The Generation Equality Forum is convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France in partnership with civil society.

The WPS-HA Compact will mobilize governments, regional bodies, international organizations, civil society organizations/networks, academic/research institutions and the private sector to accelerate implementation of global commitments on gender equality in peace and security and humanitarian action.  As such, the  Compact will serve as a unique, impact-oriented process to mobilize substantive and transformative actions in the next five years to fulfil key existing WPS and HA commitments and to strengthen coordination across existing WPS and HA mechanisms.  .  

The Generation Equality Forum presents a defining opportunity to integrate an inter-generational approach to dismantle discriminatory barriers that prevent women's equal participation at the forefront of peace, security and humanitarian efforts, and to promote and protect women's human rights and the work of women peacebuilders and women human rights defenders, as well as ensure women’s leadership in all peace and humanitarian decision-making processes. The Forum also presents a critical opportunity to strengthen the inclusion of young women peacebuilders and young women affected by crisis in peace, security and humanitarian processes and efforts, including in the context of the implementation of the youth, peace and security agenda. The Generation Equality Forum will kick-off in Mexico on 29-31 March and culminate in Paris in June 2021.

Communications and Stakeholder Engagement

UN Women seeks a strategic communications and stakeholder engagement consultant to contribute to raising awareness, catalyzing momentum and securing commitments for the Compact. The consultant will develop and implement a  strategic communications and stakeholder engagement plan. The plan will entail internal strategic communications aspects along with external, public-facing communications and advocacy objectives. It will include  strategies and tactics to engage young peacebuilders, women peacebuilders and leaders from various sectors. Critical to this will be leading the design of the Compact’s activities at the Mexico City forum and the Paris forum. Media outreach and engagement with journalists and news outlets will be an essential component, as will other advocacy strategies. Objectives will span from internal communications, external awareness-raising and mobilizing the public around specific targets, energizing the public during the Mexico City and Paris events and using the information from consultations and the GEF public discussion platform to catalyze a 5 year movement.

The consultant will report to UN Women as the secretariat of the WPS-HA Compact. A priority action for the consultant will be to conceptualize how the Compact can use the Mexico City and Paris fora to engage and mobilize a broad and diverse constituency who may be interacting with these themes for the first time. The consultant will leverage their existing network of media and communications contacts, draw on their expertise in conceptualizing and executing complex, comprehensive, multi-channel communications activities that will meet immediate, mid- and long-term objectives. The consultant will also have experience with new and novel forms of communication as well as with print, internet, radio and other broadcast media.

The consultant will build on the momentum from the recent activities around the 20th anniversary of UNSCR 1325 in October 2020 to continue to raise the profile of the women, peace and security and humanitarian action agendas globally, to increase implementation of commitments from UN Member States and other stakeholders to the WPS and HA agendas, and to pursue media coverage that prioritizes the role of women in peacebuilding and humanitarian response. 

This is a great opportunity to work in a fast-paced, demanding and dynamic environment with experts and high-level leaders on advancing the women, peace and security and gender-responsive humanitarian action agendas. The ideal candidate will be experienced but flexible to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances and priorities

Full Time from March through June 30 (Paris Forum); Part time from July 1 through 30 November 112 Days total

 

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the Policy Specialist for National and Global Implementation, the consultant will provide leadership and support in conceptualizing and executing strategic engagement, outreach, communications and advocacy activities in support of the WPS-HA Compact.

Activities:

  • Lead on Compact events design and management leading up to and as part of the Mexico City and Paris Generation Equality fora, including design and execution of Forum sessions to ensure maximum engagement and participation of attendees in virtual and in-person formats;
  • Design a comprehensive communications and advocacy strategy for the for the WPS-HA Compact, including tools and strategies for monitoring the reach and impact of these efforts, leading up to, during and beyond the GEF Fora in Mexico City and Paris, including but not limited to:
    • develop a strategic outreach plan and timeline, including calendar mapping strategic outreach opportunities
    • develop content and creative direction for the WPS-HA Compact based on key milestones
    • identify a broad and diverse list of global target audiences, including media outlets to engage with including but not limited to Member States, UN entities, regional bodies, CSOs, feminist activists/groups, gender studies programs at universities, academics, professional groups, organizations dealing with gender, etc.;
    • Identify avenues for publicizing WPS-HA key messages and content, including through media interviews, blogs, podcasts, Op-Eds, alignment with UN International Days, engagement with WPS Champions,  etc., as well as interaction with the Generation Equality and UN Women communications team, website and social media.
  • Contribute to key message development drawing on the annual Secretary-General’s reports to the Security Council on Women, Peace and Security, [what is the equivalent for HA?], new research and analysis
  • Develop content for communications assets for outreach and advocacy efforts, including stories of women peacebuilders and humanitarian actors, young women and others, using infographics, data stories and other features
  • Lead on Compact communications, outreach and engagement efforts outside of the Mexico City and Paris Fora in coordination with the Compact Secretariat
  • Liaise with the GEF Communications and UN Women Corporate Communications Teams to contribute Compact content to GEF communications activities
  • Pursue and catalyze partnerships with potential new partners in media, communications and policy analysis spaces, which can then be leveraged for future engagement and amplification of the WPS-HA Compact.
  • Liaise with team members to support and contribute to Knowledge Management and M&E activities

Deliverables:

  • Plan and execute up to four  sessions, segments, and “Moments” each during the Mexico City and Paris Fora engaging key stakeholders
  • Report on participation and engagement at Mexico City and Paris Fora
  • Strategic outreach and communications plan and calendar leading up to, during and beyond the GEF
  • Communications assets including social media content, press engagement products and other content
  • Editorial stories and news items for websites, newsletters and media engagement
  • List of potential media, communications, policy and private sector partners
  • Final report identifying lessons learned and opportunities for continued engagement beyond the GEF

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

  • Demonstrated experience designing and managing highly engaging, interactive events, including virtual and in-person
  • Excellent spoken, written, external and strategic communications skills
  • Strong knowledge of social media platforms and trends
  • Strong analytical skills
  • Desktop publishing and graphic design skills highly desirable
  • Familiarity with women, peace and security and humanitarian issues
  • Firm grasp of women’s rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment issues
  • Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats to advocacy, communications and outreach messages

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification:

  • Post-graduate degree or professional certification in events management, media/communications or a related field
  • 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:

  • Minimum of 5 years of professional experience combined at national and/or international levels in events design and management, outreach and strategic communications;
  • Previous experience coordinating strategic engagement on gender advocacy products and/or major institutional events required; Experience working on WPS a plus;
  • Excellent writing and editing skills, including for diverse assets targeting a broad range of audiences;
  • Experience working with media outlets, journalists and social media tools.

 

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English is required;
  • Knowledge of the other UN official working language, especially French or Spanish, is an asset.