Antecedentes

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.

Background

The Republic of Kazakhstan is the largest country by landmass in the Central Asian region. Kazakhstan has the biggest economy among Central Asian counties due to vast natural resources. According to the Global Gender Gap Index 2019 Kazakhstan ranks 72 out of 153 countries, a slippage from its 2018 ranking of 60 out of 149 countries.

The Government of Kazakhstan has taken important steps to eliminate gender-based inequalities and improve the status of women. Kazakhstan ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1998 and Beijing Platform for Action in 1995. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) was ratified in 1989. The National Commission for Women’s Affairs and Family-Demographic Policy was created by a presidential decree in 1998, to implement gender and family policy and coordinate work among the Government, Civil Society and International community. Furthermore, in 2009, laws On State Guarantees of Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities of Men and Women and On Prevention of Domestic Violence were adopted.

While Kazakhstan’s gender equality framework is sound, realization of gender policy and implementation of the laws are not yet complete. This Programme intends to improve Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE), including Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) and Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAW) in Kazakhstan and contribute to the strategic goal of the country to join the top 30 most developed countries in the world. Kazakhstan exhibits a high level of interest in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment through implementation of the Concept on Gender and Family Policy in Kazakhstan and achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2030.

The period of implementation is three years 2019-2021. Total budget is $2,143,311 which includes $285,000 contribution of UN agencies (UN Women, UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNDP). The share of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan is $1,858,311.

The Programme is implementing by UN Women CO Kazakhstan as an Implementing party in partnership with UNICEF, UNFPA and UNDP as responsible parties. The roles in the Programme are distributed according to mandates, expertise of the agencies and areas of their interventions in the country according to UNPFD 2016-2020 framework.

The Programme consists of three components:

1. Gender and Family policy in Kazakhstan;

2. Women’s economic empowerment in Kazakhstan;

3. Elimination of violence against women and girls in Kazakhstan.

Reporting to Programme Specialist, the Project Specialist exercises overall responsibility for implementing, and coordinating UN Women interventions on gender policy and elimination of violence against women.  The Project Specialist works in close collaboration with the National Commission for Women Affairs, Family and Demographic Policy in Kazakhstan under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the programme and operations team, Government officials, multi and bi-lateral donors and civil society ensuring successful UN Women project implementation.    

Deberes y responsabilidades

1. Provide advisory services and develop project activities under the oversight of the Programme Specialist and in close consultations with the National Commission for Women’s Affairs and Family-Demographic Policy

  • Oversee and manage the design and formulation of project activities under Component 1 to support interventions within the Gender and Family policy in Kazakhstan;
  • Organize regular quarterly consultations with the National Commission, Ministry of Labour and UN partner agencies to coordinate on project activities supporting capacity development of the National Commission.
  • Maintain close liaison with national project partners, ensuring optimum participation and promoting ownership of the Government in the implementation of the project; as well as ensure coordination of the project activities with other stakeholders at the national level.

2. Under the supervision of Programme Specialist implement activities supporting capacity development of the National Commission for Women’s Affairs and Family-Demographic Policy

  • Finalize the annual workplan and budget and manage their technical implementation;
  • Manage the technical implementation of the project ensuring synergies with other teams (UN partner agencies);
  • Provide input and assist in the submission of donor financial and narrative reports as required;
  • Ensure timely preparation and update of project annual and detailed work plans at the national partners’ request as well as activities progress reports and other related documents;
  • Ensure timely, smooth and effective delivery of project activities and expected outputs through close communicating with the National Commission for Women’s Affairs and Family-Demographic Policy and the Ministry of Labour;
  • Assist in organizing Technical Working Groups, Steering Committees and other necessary meetings.

3. Oversee technical assistance and capacity development to project partners

  • Provide comprehensive support to the Programme Specialist in all aspects of project implementation, in close cooperation with the Programme Unit, in accordance with the project document, annual work plans and other joint agreements between the Government and UN Women CO in Kazakhstan;
  • Support in coordinating/consolidating reports from all partners for presentation to the donor;
  • Under the supervision of Programme Specialist preparing project related documents: terms of reference, request for proposal, request for quotation, concept note, agenda, meeting notes, inputs to donor report, report on implemented activities at the input/activity/output level with photographic evidence (across the components including UN partner agencies’ activities).

4. “Perform other duties in support of the overall project as required under the direction of the Programme Manager / Specialist”

Competencias

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 project formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation skills;
  • Ability to develop detailed operational plans, budgets, and deliver on them;
  • Strong networking skills;
  • Ability to negotiate and interact with donors, identify and analyze trends, opportunities and threats. 

Habilidades y experiencia requeridas

Recruitment Qualifications

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. (Bachelor’s degree with additional two years of experience).

Experience:

  • At least 4 years (or 6 years with bachelor’s degree) of progressively responsible experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects;
  • Technical experience in promoting gender equality;
  • Experience in coordinating and liaising with government agencies and/or donors is an asset;
  • Experience working in the UN System is an asset;
  • Experience in the use of ATLAS is an asset.

Language Requirements:

  • Fluency in English and Russian is required.
  • Knowledge of Kazakh is an asset.
  • Knowledge of the other UN official working language is an asset.

A UN Women Personal History Form (P11) must be completed and attached as part of the online application in place of the CV/résumé.

NOTE: 
This Vacancy announcement is for Kazakh Nationals only or individuals legally authorized to work in the Republic of Kazakhstan.