UN WOMEN Jobs - 99007- International Consultant-Consultant to produce a c

International Consultant-Consultant to produce a compendium of exceptional women and girl leaders in Africa

Advertised on behalf of

UN WOMEN

Location :

Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA

Type of Contract :

Individual Contract

Starting Date :

01-Jul-2021

Application Deadline :

31-May-21 (Midnight New York, USA)

Post Level :

International Consultant

Duration of Initial Contract :

20 days within a period of 2 months

Languages Required :

English

Expected Duration of Assignment :

20 days within a period of 2 months

UNDP 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. UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Background

Africa has progressive normative frameworks that guarantee gender equality in social, economic and political affairs. Through years of activism and legal reforms, many countries are seeing progress in terms of women’s rights and status in societies. However, the continent is far behind from living up to the standards of our legal frameworks. Women and girls’ potential has not been fully utilized in various sectors, among others because it is hampered by underlying structural inequalities that perpetuate harmful cultural practices, negative social norms and lack of bodily autonomy resulting in the sidelining of women.

Despite the various challenges, history proves that African women have been the backbone of the continent and continue to be so. Women’s contribution to our economies is evident in agriculture, environment, climate change entrepreneurship, governance, ICT, health, arts, science and many other fields. African women’s contribution is not documented enough because history has been told by men and has little reference on women’s legacy. There are many unsung heroines who are making a difference in their fields at grassroots level, in their communities, and through years of struggle while few have gotten the space in public life including in politics and governance.

The International Women’s day is annually celebrated on the 8th of March. In some countries, the month of March is officially recognized as women’s history month and is commemorated throughout the month. Moreover, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) takes place in March annually along with side- events of the CSW. In 2021, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) stakeholders at a global level including from Africa met and discussed from 15-26 March 2021 the CSW theme for the year which focused on “women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”. Ahead of the global consultations, African Union (AU) Ministers of Gender and Women’s Affairs held virtual consultation on 26 February 2021 and recognized the exceptional contributions of women leaders including in national COVID-19 response and recovery efforts. They further underlined the need to accelerate women’s full and effective participation and decision-making in line with Africa Union’s Agenda 2063 and sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Against this background and in commemoration of the International Women’s month as well as the AU theme of the year 2021 "Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want", the African Union Commission’s (AUC) Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (WGYD) in partnership with the United Nation Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) propose to develop a compendium of stories and contributions of exceptional African women and girls highlighting their leadership journey. The stories will capture women and girls’ lived experiences and the impact of their contributions. The compendium will be a living document that will be updated periodically to promote emerging stories and achievements of African women and girls as leaders in their own fields. The compendium will be launched at the margins of the mid-year AU-Regional Economic Communities (RECs) coordination summit in July 2021.

The objectives of the compendium are to:

Honor the leadership and achievements of African Women and girls in various sectors and share their leadership experience.
Document the stories and achievements of women leaders and inspire African girls and women to see beyond the existing structural barriers and assure them that they can thrive in their chosen field.
Provide the evidence that Africa can prosper, be peaceful and integrated if it leverages on the potential of its women and girls. In so doing,
Mobilize stakeholders to create an enabling environment and support female leaders and their initiatives.

OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY

The purpose of this initiative is to produce a compendium that documents the stories and contributions ofwomen and girl leaders on the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD) 2021 Africa celebrations

Duties and Responsibilities

Towards the development of the compendium, the consultant will support the following tasks;

Conduct research on all the nominations submitted through AU website and authenticate the validity of the nominations.
In close consultation with AUC and the relevant technical teams, support the selection process in line with agreed upon criteria.
Draft comprehensive narration of stories constituting no more than one page dedicated for each selected leader based on the content of submissions.
Compile inputs from the technical team, edit, structure, and proofread text.
Develop a compendium narrates stories of women leaders in an engaging literary style.

Competencies

Compliance with UN core values

Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards.
Commitment to UN Women’s mission, vision, values and strategic goals.
Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
Treats all people fairly without favouritism
Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment

Required Skills and Experience

Education background and experience

Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, gender/women's studies communications 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.
Must possess strong skills in analysis, communication/presentation, research methods and writing.
Demonstrable ability to work under pressure with strict deadlines.
Must be willing to work with others in a team and with ability to meet tight deadlines.
Please note that applications without a completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment
UN Women Personal History form (P-11) can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment

Language and other skills

Excellent knowledge of written and oral communication in English and French
Full command of Microsoft applications, particularly Word, and other relevant software.

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.