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.
For several decades, Cameroon was considered as a model of peace in Africa. However, nowadays, the country is confronted with enormous security challenges provoked by political instability in neighboring countries Central African Republic and Chad), the unjustified attacks of the islamist sect Boko Haram in the North and the socio-political crisis in the South-West and North-West Regions of Cameroon. This situation has provoked massive displacements of populations into its territory and contributed to the destruction of livelihoods and the socioeconomic system of the society with dramatic consequences as the increase of violence, the death of numerous innocent Cameroonians among whom many women and children, forced and massive displacements of populations, the destruction of whole villages and livelihoods and the slowing down economic activities.
In August 2017, Cameroon adopted its first ever national action plan for UN Resolution 1325 (NAP) on women, peace and security. The vision of the plan of action is aligned with that of the country: “Cameroon, an emerging, democratic country which is united in its diversity”. The strategic objectives of the 1325 NAP is : “ By 2020, the commitments and indebtedness of Cameroon towards women, peace and security are realized through, (a) the leadership and participation of women in the process of prevention and management of conflict and post-conflict situations, to construct peace and social cohesion, (b) the scrupulous observation of international humanitarian law and legal instruments for the protection of the rights of women and girls against sexual violence and gender based violence during periods of armed conflict, (c) a better integration of the gender dimension in emergency aid, during reconstruction in the course of, and after, armed conflicts as well as in the management of the past, (d) the strengthening of institutional mechanisms and the collection of quantitative and qualitative data on the consideration of gender in the domains of peace, security prevention and Resolution of conflicts.
UN Women Cameroon 2018-2020 Strategic Note has identified humanitarian action and women peace and security among its five (5) priority areas. The main actions will focus on building resilience through the reinforcement of capacities of actors and beneficiaries in order to implement sustainable development solutions. The Country office will ensure the effective implementation of the NAP 1325 adopted in 2017, through the setting up of a secretariat, the appropriation and enforcement of the plan of action and the reinforcement of the capacities of the actors, in particular the security forces (police and gendarmerie). In addition, he Country Office will scale up of the holistic approach to EVAWG, which includes protection, prevention, access to services, and to justice as well as reintegration of VAW’ survivors’ trough the nexus between humanitarian and development. Income generating activities will also be promoted to improve resilience of women refugees; displaced and from host communities.
Under the overall guidance of the Cameroon Country Representative, and under the direct supervision of the Deputy Representative, the Humanitarian action and WPS Consultant will provide technical expertise to the implementation of the women, peace and security agenda in Cameroon in support to UN agencies, Government and civil society actors as defined in the strategic note 2018-2020 of the country office as well as mainstreaming gender in humanitarian interventions.
Duties and Responsibilities
- Establishment of the national secretariat for the implementation of NAP 1325
- Provide technical assistance to the Government for the establishment of the national secretariat for the implementation of NAP 1325
- Assist the development of a monitoring and evaluation mechanism of the NAP 1325
- Build the technical capacities of the member of the Secretariat and the focal points of the different ministries
- Support the National Secretariat to organize meetings with sector focal points and civil society actors;
- Contribute to the technical preparation of the meetings of the National Secretariat;
- Support the National Secretariat to produce different implementation reports
- Support the National Secretariat in the development of communication activities around NAP 1325
- Capacity building of women leaders in mediation
- Assess the national capacity of women leaders to develop a mapping of key women leaders to be trained in mediation at national and local levels
- Build a pool of women leaders in mediation
- Develop training materials in mediation
- Support women leaders to develop a women agenda for peace and security
- Organize capacity building sessions on prevention and Resolution of conflicts in the country;
- Organize regular exchange platforms on women peace and security at national and local levels
- Document best practices in women peace and security and share with women mediators
- Develop with the Pool of women leaders, a guide book on the culture of peace
- Facilitate the participation of women leaders in the different fora on women, peace and security at national and local levels
- Capacity building of protection actors (police, gendarmerie, justice)
- Review the different training material produced for the training of police, gendarmerie and justice
- Adjust the training materials and manual
- Organize a refreshment training of trainers
- Facilitate different training sessions
- Assess the operationalization of the different gender desks
- Develop operational manuals for the gender desks
- Support the establishment of gender desks in the south west and North West regions.
- Resource mobilization and partnership for the implementation of NAP 1325 and humanitarian programme
- Support the development of the Flagship Program on Women, Peace and Security (WPS)
- Participate in the implementation of the joint Peace Building Program (UNWOMEN, UNDP, UNESCO)
- Support the Government for the development of strategic partnerships with respective national bodies, UN partners and civil society partners on the NAP process
- Organize meetings with donors
- Coordinate the development of partnerships and resource mobilization events
- Determine programmatic areas of cooperation, based on strategic goals of UN Women needs and donors’ priorities and develop the relevant partnerships;
- Participate in on-going coordination mechanisms to ensure coherence of the Program with other country-level processes;
- Ensure effective coordination and communication among UN partners, national counterparts and stakeholders, with a view of optimizing human and financial resources available, and results achieved;
- Establishment of a national and local women platform for peaceful elections
- Provide technical support to UN Inter-agency platforms and electoral observers on gender responsive electoral violence prevention and mitigation;
- Support the establishment a national and local platform for women and peaceful elections
- In close collaboration with relevant actors, design and implement activities that build awareness amongst relevant stakeholders on challenges facing women’s participation in elections;
- Integrate Electoral and Gender based violence information as a cross-cutting issue in civic, electoral and voter education materials, and provide targeted documentation and training;
- Support sensitization and capacity building on women’s rights, address Electoral and Gender based violence and engage Government and CSOs and private sector;
- Identify opportunities for and make recommendations regarding community-based, gender and youth-focused, political party engagement and other approaches to enhance dialogues and other conflict prevention measures, including capacity development with security sector institutions; Strengthen coordination and collaboration of stakeholders in preparedness and response
- Support a media campaign using messaging that promoted peaceful elections, security and safety for women candidates and voters through various communication channels
- Support documentation of contribution of women to promoting free, fair and peaceful elections in accordance to NAP 1325.
- Gender mainstreaming in the humanitarian Action
- Analyse and research the political, social and economic situation in the country and draft reports to support UN Women Country office/projects planning in relation to the humanitarian context
- Participate in the design and formulation of programme/projects initiatives in the mainstreaming gender into the humanitarian response translating UN Women priorities into local interventions and ensuring substantive rigor in the design and application of proven successful approaches in the humanitarian field
- Facilitate the collaborative relationships with other agencies, experts, government counterparts ensuring timely and efficient delivery of inputs related to the humanitarian context
- Develop annual work plans and budgets and manage and monitor timely implementation
- Write progress reports and inputs to other technical and monitoring reports as required
- Ensure Result Based Management tools in the humanitarian programme and monitor the achievements of results in the humanitarian domain;
- Manage programme appraisal and evaluation according to RBM requirements in the humanitarian context
- Ensure the coordination of the humanitarian programme including GBV holistic assistance and women economic activities
- Support the Humanitarian Country Team and national authorities to understand the importance of gender mainstreaming in the humanitarian planning
- Produce and disseminate qualitative, quantitative and anecdotal sex and desegregated data in all the sectors of the humanitarian response
- Set up a critical mass of the humanitarians for a systematic integration of gender analysis and planning in their interventions
- Ensure that the strategic frameworks (ERP, HNO, HRP, RRRP) and projects in OPS are gender sensitive
- Coordination, policy development, and advocacy;
- Identify and strengthen coordination with the national/regional stakeholders in WPS
- Identify new areas for support and interventions within the WPS areas.
- Substantially participate in design and formulation of program activities, translating the priorities of the Country Strategy in the area of Women Peace and Security into local interventions.
- Undertake capacity development of national stakeholders’ in the peace building process and collect and analyze good practices;
- Work with civil society partners to conduct awareness raising and effective policy formulation and implementation on preventing and countering violent extremism
- Closely work with the other UN agencies, national and regional stakeholders towards policy development and/or implementation related to WPS
- Liaise with UNOCA, RCO/PDA and prepare regular information brief for the representative
- Knowledge management and capacity building:
- Ensure regular assessments of the country office peace and security program and implementation plans.
- Identify lessons learned and areas of emphasis to guide program improvements and future strategic development plan;
- Identify areas that may require improvement and capture best practices/lessons learned, using corporate monitoring tools;
- Manage the process of collecting and sharing lessons learned on women, peace and security to build knowledge and capacity of partners and stakeholders;
- Identify and implement capacity building training activities to enhance skills and knowledge on women’s participation in peace building and all related matters
- Contribute to the development and maintenance of county program knowledge networks and practices, and development of knowledge products
Produce regular articles on the different activities on women, peace and security
Competencies
Core Values:
- Respect for Diversity
- Integrity
- Professionalism
Core Competencies:
- Professionalism
- Teamwork
- Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
- Accountability
- Creative Problem Solving
- Effective Communication
- Inclusive Collaboration
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Leading by Example
Professionalism: Sound knowledge of international legal procedures and instruments, including international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law. Expertise in sexual and gender-based crime. Sound knowledge of the functioning of criminal investigations and prosecutions at the national and international levels and experience in ligation. Ability to apply legal knowledge to analyze a diverse range of complex issues and in developing innovative solutions. Strong analytical skills and proficiency in legal writing and expression and ability to prepare legal documents. Experience and ability to work well in a multicultural environment. Ability to work to tight deadlines and to handle multiple concurrent projects. Good computer skills and ability to use relevant software applications and online legal research tools. Shows pride in work and in achievements, is conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines and achieving results; is motivated by professional rather than personal concerns; shows persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; remains calm in stressful situations. Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.
Communication: Ability to speak and write in a clear manner including ability to draft a variety of reports; correspondence etc.
Planning and Organizing: Ability to establish priorities and to plan work assignments, respond to competing demands and work under pressure of frequent, multiple and tight deadlines.
Teamwork: Excellent interpersonal skills; prior team-leadership experience, ability to work in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity.
Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf
FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:
- Knowledge of international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international criminal law, and the gender dimensions of these legal frameworks.
- Proven ability to work on complex legal cases, including expertise in prosecuting SGBV.
- Excellent legal analytical capacity;
- Knowledge of witness and victim protection and data protection;
- Ability to speak and write in a clear and gender-sensitive language; and
Familiarity with the UN system and knowledge of UN Women is an asset.
Required Skills and Experience
- Advanced University Degree (Masters or equivalent) preferably in law, political science, or international relations.
- At least 7 years of experience in law, human rights, humanitarian, gender or closely related fields. Specific experience in women, peace and security is required.
- Knowledge of the environment of humanitarian and WPS in Cameroon or another African country.
- Experience in strategic and program management, RBM approach including monitoring and evaluation methods
- Comprehensive practical knowledge in the use of information and communication technologies as well as computer applications (such as Word, Excel, DBASE, Internet MS Office)
- Experience working with the United Nations system is an asset
- Female candidates are strongly encouraged.
- Fluency in English and French is required.