Background

I.Organizational context

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; the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security. It works globally to make the vision of the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for women and girls and stands behind women’s equal participation in all aspects of life.

Women’s participation in political decision-making is imperative for the advancement of a real and effective democratic political culture that contributes to good governance and the achievement of sustainable development. UN Women is working to advance towards parity democracy to transform gender relations and to promote and implement women’s rights within the international and regional human rights framework in order to ensure their full political participation on equal terms with men, without any discrimination, in public office and decision-making at all levels — local, sub-national or state level. The scope of the parity democracy concept transcends the merely political. Therefore, it cannot simply be limited to increasing the percentage of women’s political representation, but must also promote a new social balance between men and women in which both assume shared responsibilities in all areas of their lives, both public and private.

The advancement in this thematic area has been significant in the Americas and the Caribbean region. UN Women has contributed to advance the concept of Parity Democracy, with PARLATINO and engaging various counterparts and partners, like the University of Salamanca, UIM, ParlAmericas, CIM, IDEA Internacional, Transparency International etc. The consultant will continue efforts towards attaining parity democracy in the region.

Under the new Strategic Plan and the Agenda 2030, Governance, Leadership and Political Participation thematic area shall cover institutional, legal, political and electoral reforms towards a governance system with gender equality and parity. In 2018, eleven electoral processes will take place in America Latina. UN Women regional office will work with country offices’ teams and with civil society on programmes, events and strategies to guarantee elections upholding women’s rights and campaign free from electoral violence.

Reporting to the Deputy Regional Director, the Consultant will develop a proper strategy for UN Women’s Governance, Leadership and Political Participation thematic area to promote parity democracy in Latin America and the Caribbean as a goal to transform gender relations and achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Duties and Responsibilities

II.Activities and scope of work

Considering the eleven electoral processes taking place in Latin America in 2018, the Consultant will develop a regional strategy for Governance, Leadership and Political Participation thematic area and elaborate an action plan to promote parity democracy in the region. The plan will include the development of programmes and resource mobilization strategies on the areas of gender-responsive governance, national planning, women´s leadership and political participation as well as capacity building support to programme presence offices, country offices and multi-country office in the region, especially the ones involved in electoral processes, where a special support to face and contain those conservative movements and positions that question women’s rights will be needed. Besides, it’ll define how to establish and strengthen partnerships and the relevant knowledge products to be developed.

In addition, the Consultant will provide conceptual and technical support in developing specific activities related to the area of Governance, Leadership and Political Participation. In detail:

Support the partnership with Salamanca University and its Iberoamerican Institute (USAL)

• Elaborate a plan of action and develop a methodology for USAL’s database;
• Provide technical support to USAL’s researcher, guiding them according to UN Women’s interest;
• Provide conceptual and technical support to UN Women’s participation in the 56th International Congress of Americanists (ICA), taking place in July in Salamanca, Spain.

Support the partnership with the Iberoamerican Union of Municipalists (UIM)

• Provide conceptual and technical support to UN Women’s participation in the IV Iberoamerican Summit of Gender Local Agendas, by identifying participants and developing the methodology for a political conversation on Women’s leadership in the framework of the event “Women and Power” led by UN Women. Identify and develop three main topics for a fish bowl methodology. Provide conceptual and technical support to the workshop on political violence led by CIM and OAS;
• Provide technical support to other UIM’s activities.

Provide capacity building support to Programme Presence Office (PPO) and Country Office (CO) teams

• Provide technical support to Paraguay’s country office and to the Minister for Women in elaborating the IV National Plan for Gender Equality.
• Provide substantive technical support to at least 3 PPO or CO (Paraguay, Bolivia, Honduras) teams in developing and strengthening projects and activities to promote the Legal Framework of Parity Democracy.

Topic 1. Corruption and Women’s Political Participation

• Support the partnership with Transparency International and monitor the elaboration of the study on Corruption and Women’s Political Participation;
• Support the partnership with the CIM and the OAS and the creation of an Inter-American Task Force on Women’s Empowerment and Leadership;
• Provide conceptual and technical support to organize a side-event in the framework of the VIII Summit of the Americas taking place in April in Lima, Perú. Develop the methodology of the event, in collaboration with TI, the CIM and the OAS.

Topic 2. Gender Ideology

• Conceptualize and develop a regional strategy to contain “gender-ideology” movements in the framework of the eleven electoral processes taking place in 2018 in Latin America;
• Support the partnership with the CIM and with other allies working with the same issue;
• Raise and include UN Women’s pillars in a wider speech about ethic and Democracy.
• Identify non-traditional allies, also considering conservative and/or religious branches;

Topic 3. Discriminatory Legislation

• Provide conceptual and technical support to UN Women’s participation in the XXVI Iberoamerican Summit of Heads of State and Government, taking place in November in La Antigua, Guatemala; considering the lemma of this year Summit “A prosperous, inclusive and sustainable Iberoamerica”, conceptualize and develop an event on Discriminatory Legislation and on Parity Democracy as a proposal of an inclusive and sustainable type of State.

III.Copyright, patents and other propietary rights

Except as is otherwise expressly provided in writing in the Contract, the UNW shall be entitled to all intellectual property and other proprietary rights including, but not limited to, patents, copyrights, and trademarks, with regard to products, processes, inventions, ideas, know-how, or documents and other materials which the Contractor has developed for the UNW under the Contract and which bear a direct relation to or are produced or prepared or collected in consequence of, or during the course of, the performance of the Contract, and the Contractor acknowledges and agrees that such products, documents and other materials constitute works made for hire for the UNW.

To the extent that any such intellectual property or other proprietary rights consist of any intellectual property or other proprietary rights of the Contractor: (i) that pre-existed the performance by the Contractor of its obligations under the Contract, or (ii) that the Contractor may develop or acquire, or may have developed or acquired, independently of the performance of its obligations under the Contract, the UNW does not and shall not claim any ownership interest thereto, and the Contractor grants to the UND a perpetual license to use such intellectual property or other proprietary right solely for the purposes of and in accordance with the requirements of the Contract.

At the request of the UNW; the Contractor shall take all necessary steps, execute all necessary documents and generally assist in securing such proprietary rights and transferring or licensing them to the UNW in compliance with the requirements of the applicable law and of the Contract.

Subject to the foregoing provisions, all maps, drawings, photographs, mosaics, plans, reports, estimates, recommendations, documents, and all other data compiled by or received by the Contractor under the Contract shall be the property of the UNW, shall be made available for use or inspection by the UNW at reasonable times and in reasonable places, shall be treated as confidential, and shall be delivered only to UNW authorized officials on completion of work under the Contract.

IV.Expected deliverables and payment terms

V.Key performance indicators

• Timely and quality technical advice and support;
• Leadership in area of expertise in the Region;
• Quality reports and other strategic documents drafted and submitted in a timely manner;
• Strong relationships with various partners and stakeholders;
• UN Women is well represented in important meetings on topics related to expertise area;
• Contributions to resource mobilization;
• Timely and quality knowledge products.

Competencies

VI.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

• Excellent knowledge of political issues, governance and political participation;
• Strong knowledge of the Americas and Caribbean Region;
• Excellent networking skills
• Excellent analytical skills;
• Ability to write policy papers, speeches, briefings.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and certification

• Master’s degree or equivalent in law, political science, public administration, gender equality, human rights, international relations or other social science fields is required.

Experience

• At least seven years progressively responsible experience in designing and managing programmes and advocating for gender equality and women´s rights, ideally with some experience in developing countries;
• Experience in political issues preferably with at least five years of field experience in gender-responsive governance and women´s leadership and political participation;
• Experience in strategic planning, capacity building and knowledge management;
• Experience working with the UN is an asset;
• Experience working in the Americas and Caribbean region is an asset.

Language requirements

• Fluency in English and Spanish is desirable;
• Knowledge of French and/or Portuguese is an asset;
• Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

All applications can include only one attachment that consists of a complete and signed UN Women Personal History Form (P11) together with an updated English/Spanish CV and economical offer according to the expected deliverables.

Applications without the complete P11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Please combine all your documents into one (1) single PDF document as the system only allows to upload maximum one document. The electronic version of the P11 can be downloaded from the following website: http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment