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. Placing women’s rights at the centre of all its efforts, UN Women leads and coordinates the United Nations system’s efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. The East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO) works in 4 main areas; Governance & Leadership, Women Peace & Security, Ending Violence Against Women and Humanitarian Actions.

In the area of Governance and leadership, ESARO’s goal is for women to provide leadership in political decision making.  This is line with the AU Agenda 2063 which calls for gender parity in elective office by 2063 (Article 52); SDG 5  which calls for “women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political life” (target SDG5.5.1) by 2030; and the Beijing Platform for Action which has women in power and decision making as one of the twelve critical areas of action.  It calls for “robust laws and policies” to push the agenda.  UN Women’s Africa Strategy, Global and ESARO’s Strategic Notes also supports gender parity in representative office.  A conducive legal and policy environment is key to this as can be testified by the significant number of women currently in representative office in the region through affirmative action provisions in their constitutions. 

Eight countries in ESAR will have elections in 2020 and 2021. To start discussions on the policy environment for women’s equal participation with the electoral process, ESARO is commissioning a gender audit of their electoral laws.

A significant number of countries in ESAR have affirmative action provisions in their constitutions or other policies that has ensured 32% representation of women in national parliaments, with 3 countries having achieved gender balance and one country exceeding.  In many of the countries, women have not exceeded the quota for women significantly.  To push forward the parity agenda, ESARO is commissioning a gender audit of their electoral laws to identify areas to improve the policy and or legal environment for women’s equal and effective participation in elective office.   

Aim of the consultancy:

ESARO seeks a consultant to undertake a gender analysis of the election related laws and policies of the 8 countries in the region that will have elections in 2020 and 2021. The assessment should be based on country commitments to the Maputo Protocol (2003), the Africa Charter on Democracy and Human Rights (2007), the SDGs (2015), the AU Agenda 2063, and other relevant national instruments.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the supervision and guidance of the Regional Adviser on Governance, Women, Peace and Security & Humanitarian Action, the consultant will undertake the following tasks:

• Develop common criteria for conducting a gender audit of electoral laws, policies and practices using international best practices;
• Undertake an audit of election related laws, policies and practices of the countries in ESAR that will have elections in 2020 and 2021 (Burundi, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, South Sudan and Uganda and Mozambique).  Prepare individual country reports that will be validated at the country level. using the criteria developed;
• Identify common challenges in the gender responsiveness of electoral laws, policies and practices in the region and come up with recommendations to address them;
• Facilitate a two-day policy dialogue to present the common challenges to relevant representatives of the eight countries; viz. Ministries of Gender, electoral management bodies, representatives of parliamentary committees, CSOs etc. to come up with areas of action to meet gender parity provisions in elective offices at national and local government levels committed to at the regional and national levels (including AU Agenda 2063, SDG 5, Beijing Platform for Action and CEDAW);
• Prepare a final report on the individual country audits and the Policy Dialogue.

Deliverables:

• An Inception Report with a work plan on the methodology and time lines for conducting the gender audit and a common criterion to be used for the audit of the laws, policies and practices;
• Facilitate a 2 Day Policy Dialogue on Gender Responsive Laws, Policies and Practices for relevant stakeholders from the 8 countries;
• Individual validated report of country audits, and a report of the Policy Dialogue with findings, recommendations and/or plan of action.

The assignment will be home based but with 5 days in Nairobi to facilitate the Policy Dialogue and prepare draft report for discussions with the Regional Office.

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 grasp of gender equality and women’s rights issues;
• Demonstrable programmatic and/or advocacy experience in SGBV prevention and women’s peace and security issues in the Great Lakes region;
• Proven and excellent writing and facilitation skills;
• Ability to and willingness to meet tight deadlines and produce high quality work;
• Ability to work with government, CSOs and Un Agencies;
• Excellent presentation skills;
• Strong writing skills;
• Strong facilitation skills – ability to guide discussions with audiences of varying seniority and backgrounds, negotiate and train.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Master’s degree in a relevant field such as law, gender, international development, public policy, social studies, or other related fields.

Experience:

• Minimum 8 years of extensive experience working on electoral processes, election administration, promoting gender equality and social inclusion in electoral and governance processes;
• Knowledge of key constraints to participation of women and youth;
• Previous experience of providing technical assistance to enable institutions including public, private and civil society organizations) to mainstream gender and social inclusion in electoral processes. 

Language:

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

Note:

Shortlisted applicants will be required to submit samples of previously prepared Gender and Social Inclusion Mainstreaming documents.

Consultancy fees will be determined in accordance with UN Women rates for consultants and will take into consideration levels of experience and academic qualifications.

UN WOMEN 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.