Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination and violence 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 Spotlight Initiative is a partnership between the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) launched in 2017, to eliminate all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), including harmful practices. The Africa investment is at the heart of the Spotlight Initiative, which will be implemented in 8 African Union (AU )  Member States (Liberia, Nigeria, Niger, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Uganda and Malawi)and through an African regional programme that will complement the country programmes.

Stream I of the regional programme for Africa – which has a continental scope – will focus on three pillars: (1) Legislations and policies, (5) Quality and reliable data and (6) Strengthening the women’s movement in its relations with the African Union and other regional players.

The four-year programme is implemented in two streams whereby UN Women will lead the overall coordination of Stream I that aims to promote regional response to addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Harmful Practices (HP), and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights (SRH&RR) in Africa. UN Women will also be leading the implementation of activities under Pillar 6 of Stream I in close collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Under stream I, UN Women, UNFPA, UNDP, and United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) are recipient UN organizations (RUNOs) that will jointly implement resources and provide technical assistance and guidance to the AU, regional Civil Society Organization ( CSOs ) and other stakeholders for the implementation of the regional joint programme. The Africa Spotlight Regional Programme will be implemented in partnership with regional and sub-regional organizations, multilateral UN sister agencies, bilateral donors and CSOs.

The African Union Commission (AUC) Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (WGYD) will provide political and technical leadership for the implementation of the Spotlight Regional Programme for Africa. In this regard, UN Women proposes to provide technical support to the Directorate through the deployment of a Programme and Policy Coordination Consultant as part of an interim arrangement to support the AUC-WGYD’s contribution to the implementation of the programme.

Reporting to the UN Women Liaison Adviser and working in close consultation with the Acting Director, AUC-WYDD, the Programme and Policy Coordination Consultant will contribute to  the planning, implementation, and management  of relevant AU led interventions under the regional programme.  The consultant will  work in close collaboration with other UN Women Spotlight Regional programme teams, relevant staff in UN Women, AU, and other AU organs, UN agencies, multi and bi-lateral donors, and civil society organizations to ensure successful programme implementation.

Duties and Responsibilities

With guidance and overall supervision of the UN Women Regional Liaison Adviser, and under close supervision from the Acting Director, AUC-WGDD, the consultant is expected to undertake the following tasks:

General responsibilities

1. Coordinate AUC’s participation and contribution in the Project Steering Committee, project review and RUNOs meeting.
2. Participate in SIARP programme monitoring meetings as well as policy dialogue and advocacy platforms.
3. Provide coordination support to the RUNO’s technical focal persons to conceptualize the implementation of quarter 1 and 2 priority actions as per the acceleration plan developed.
4. Develop and review background documents, briefs, and presentations related to Spotlight Regional Programme Stream I component.

Specific tasks

1. Technically contribute to the development of a concept note with proposals for the establishment of a regional communication and knowledge management platform for regional CSOs.
2. Provide AUC’s regular programme implementation briefs to the Spotlight Initiative Secretariat Technical Unit and the SIARP programme team in UN Women Ethiopia Country Office.
3. Technically contribute to the development of SIARP and UN Women Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 progress reports.  
4. Write a concept note and prepare a work plan towards the creation of a gender observatory and scorecard to strengthen AU’s regional data and research capacity on VAWG/SGBV/HP and SRH & RR.
5. Provide technical inputs to the conceptualization and initial discussions for the development of continental guidelines for the protection of the rights women’s rights defenders and to prevent VAW related extra-judicial executions and prosecutions
6. Technically contribute to the development of a work plan for the joint AUC-UN Women- CSO task team to support strengthened engagement of regional male and boys’ networks in the implementation of SIARP and linkage with relevant AUC departments.
7. Conceptualize and lead the coordination of a continental dialogue between AU and CSOs for joint advocacy strategy for increased CSO friendly legal and policy environment in AU Member States.

Tasks and schedule of deliverables

The tasks outlined above will be implemented as per the following proposed schedule:

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

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation skills
• Strong knowledge of Results-Based Management
• Ability to synthesize programme performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making
• Strong knowledge of (EVAW), women’s human rights and related fields
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities, and threats to fundraising and develop strategies
• Project management skills and knowledge will be an added asset

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification: 

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required
• A first-level university degree in combination with four additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree

Experience:    

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects
• Technical experience in EVAW, women’s human rights and related fields
• Experience coordinating and liaising with intergovernmental organizations and/or donors is an asset
• Experience working in regional organizations and UN System is an asset
• Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset

Language Requirements:      

• Fluency in both English and French is required
• Working knowledge of Arabic, Spanish or Portuguese languages is an asset
• UN Women Personal History form (P-11) can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment

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