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.

As a standard-setting organization, the United Nations has a particular responsibility to lead by example in ensuring the equal and active participation of women at all levels of the UN system. This is also necessary for integrating a gender perspective into UN policies and programmes. UN Women is mandated to lead, coordinate and promote the accountability of the UN system for women’s equal representation.

The Charter of the United Nations stipulates that there shall be no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate in every capacity and under conditions of equality in the system’s principal and subsidiary organs. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights reinforced this principle, stating that there can be no distinction or discrimination on the basis of gender.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres launched the “System-wide strategy on gender parity” in 2017. This strategy includes recommended actions to reach gender parity by 2028. It covers, amongst others, action on targets and accountability, special measures, enabling environment, senior appointments, and mission settings.

The United Nations, as the principal international standard-setting institution, bears a special responsibility to lead by example and leave no one behind. It has a pivotal role in supporting the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.

UN Women is committed to supporting the UN system to reach gender parity, based on its mandate to lead, promote and coordinate efforts to advance the full realization of women’s rights and opportunities. Implementation, follow-up and monitoring progress are keys for achieving gender parity. UN Women has an implementation plan for its own and system-wide gender parity efforts.

The Consultant will work under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Senior Advisor or other team members, and will have regular meetings with the supervisor and other members of the team on topics of direct relevance, particularly in the context of reporting and monitoring on gender parity progress system-wide, collect and analyze data, assist in drafting the Secretary-General’s Report on the Improvement in the Status of Women in the UN System. The Consultant may also be asked to undertake other priority tasks.

In the beginning of the assignment, a work plan will be developed, including expected outputs and success indicators over the reporting period. Informal feedback will be provided on a daily basis or as needed.

Responsibilities:

• Assist with preparation for the 2023 Secretary-General’s report on the improvement in the status of women in the UN system by collaborating and liaising with the System-wide Network of Gender Focal Points and other networks on data collection, refining the System-wide survey questions, interpreting the quantitative and qualitative data, and drafting. The consultant will also be responsible for editing and proof-reading, in accordance with the guidance;
• Advocate and promote the 2023 SG’s Report, and provide support to the tasks related to the inter-governmental processing including the Third Committee meetings and the UN General Assembly resolutions;
• Support a project on the SG’s report portal, a platform to analyze the quantitative data and produce tables;
• Prepare and review talking points and presentations as needed and requested;
• Perform other official duties and special assignments as needed

Deliverables:

• The 2023 SG’s Report on the Improvement in the Status of Women in the UN System is produced
• Communication products, including power points and visual aids to advocate for the SG’ report on the Improvement in the Status of Women in the UN is prepared
• The GA resolution language is provided
• The SG’s report portal is revamped

Deliverables and Timeline: The period of the consultancy is for the duration of 9 months, with possibility of extension. Payment will be monthly, based on satisfactory performance.

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:  https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

Functional competencies:

• Excellent drafting, editing and proof-reading skills;
• Strong organizational and planning skills;
• Ability to work well under pressure, and to meet deadlines;
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work as part of a team;
• Excellent knowledge of office software packages;
• Excellent writing skills, including drafting, organizing and presenting information well. Demonstrated research skills and knowledge on gender equality. Excellent communication, organizational and coordination skills. Familiarity with UN system or UN Women’s work.
• Familiarity with social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Twitter.

Education:

• Master’s Degree or equivalent in International Relations, Communications, Global Development, Public Policy, Management, Social Sciences, Political Science, Gender/Women’s Studies, or 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:

• A minimum of 7 years of relatable work experience required.
• Previous work experience with United Nations’ organizational context and particularly related to communications and coordination as well as gender parity related issues is preferred.

Languages:

• Excellent command of oral and written English is required. Working knowledge of another UN official language will be an asset.

Interested candidates are requested to submit an electronic application including a copy of their completed P11 downloaded from this link - https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc