UN Women – In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. In doing so, UN Member States took an historic step in accelerating the Organization’s goals on gender equality and the empowerment of women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system, which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Senior Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW) Consultant
Type of Contract: Individual Contract
Post Level: International Consultant
Duration of Initial Contract: 6 months
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.
UN Women’s office in Nigeria works to advance implementation of the agency’s normative, operational and coordination mandate, in close partnership with the Government of Nigeria, the United Nations Country Team and civil society organizations. The work of the Country Office is guided by its 4-year strategic plan (2018-2022).
The Spotlight Initiative is a global partnership between the United Nations (UN) and the European Union (EU) to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in support of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development. It was launched in September 2017 by the UN Secretary-General and the EU High Representative and Vice President (HRVP).
The 500 million Euro Initiative provides a model for partnerships with donors, civil society, and the UN to deliver on the SDGs in a comprehensive manner leveraging comparative expertise. SDG 5 and the achievement of gender equality are placed at the centre of efforts (alongside Goal 16) with the aim to provide an enabling environment for the implementation of all goals. Within the UN, the Initiative will operationalize the UN development system reforms and model a new way of delivering on the SDGs in an integrated way, leveraging collaborative advantages. Three Core Agencies: UNDP (the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population (UNFPA) and UN Women) will work together with other UN agencies to make large-scale investments in priority countries.
UN Women will recruit a Senior International Consultant on EVAW to support the start-up and the implementation of the Spotlight Initiative in Nigeria. Under the strategic guidance of the Country Representative, and with day-to-day reporting to the UN Women Deputy Representative, the senior consultant provides guidance and expertise in the context of the start-up of the Spotlight programme.
Duties and Responsibilities
The consultant will undertake the following tasks:
Technical leadership to achieve key deliverables during inception phase:
- In close coordination with the UN Spotlight team in country and the RC’s Office, provide support to the baseline development and monitoring and evaluation framework for the Spotlight program, including the development of relevant tools to complete baselines for UN Women activities
- With support from, and in close coordination with the UN Spotlight team in-country, conduct mapping, assessment and validation of relevant networks, platforms and civil society actors working on the issue of VAWG/SGBV/HP
- With support from the Spotlight team and in close coordination with UN Spotlight agencies in country, conduct national and state level stakeholder analysis of diverse constituencies on the domestication and implementation of laws and policies on EVAW/SGBV/HP and women and girls’ access to SRHR
- Lead a review of good practice models and project initiatives that can be adapted/replicated to enhance implementation of the Spotlight Initiative
- Oversee other research and assessments to guide implementation of activities under UN Women Nigeria Spotlight programme.
Lead training and capacity-building activities for partners and beneficiaries:
- Provide technical guidance to inform the selection of implementing partners for the Spotlight Initiative
- Identify capacity building needs of partners and lead the coordination of technical assistance, mentoring, training and capacity development initiatives targeted to partners.
- Provide technical guidance to elaborate partnership entry points with government agencies and institutions towards implementation of the Spotlight Initiative
- Serve as an expert resource to partners on EVAW.
- Complete a mapping of relevant civil society organizations for programme implementation and lead the process for partner selection for pillar 6 and other areas of work that UN Women will implement
Provide expertise and guidance to program management and implementation:
- Oversee and provide technical inputs in the program implementation plans and program strategies on EVAW
- Provide technical guidance to enhance monitoring and reporting frameworks for the Spotlight Initiative and the development of the baseline
- Ensure all UN Women indicators have a baseline
- Provide substantive technical inputs and policy support to Spotlight team in the CO and support the strengthening of strategies to support the implementation of Spotlight project
- Provide guidance to staff and partners on Results Based Management tools and performance indicators.
Development of Partnerships and Networks:
- Build and strengthen multi-sectoral partnerships including with government agencies, civil society and development partners for more effective and coordinated programme development and implementation as appropriate
- Support donor relations and donor reporting requirements, and produce periodic updates and briefs on the country situation to be used by stakeholders, and UN Women in-country and at Headquarters
- Provide substantive technical support to the Country Representative and Deputy Country Representative in Nigeria on inter-agency coordination related activities by attending meetings, events, and participating in groups and committees;
- Coordinate with other UN agencies including Spotlight agencies and the RC’s Office, government departments, donors and NGOs to ensure the project’ capacity development programme is harmonized and aligned with the partners’ efforts
Development of Knowledge Products:
- Provide policy recommendations and guidance to inform UN Women’s interventions to end violence against women and girls
- Work closely with and provide advice to national bodies and interagency groups that influence national policies related to EVAW/GBV/SGBV/HP/SRHR
- Identify promising practices, technical expertise and strategic opportunities relating to EVAW
- Identify and disseminate lessons learned and good practices
Deliverables:
- A mapping of relevant networks, platforms and civil society actors working on the issue of VAWG/SGBV/HP developed
- A national and state level stakeholder analysis of varied shades of opinion on the domestication and implementation of laws and policies on EVAW/SGBV/HP and women and girls’ access to SRHR developed
- UN Women baseline data for the programme including best practices and lessons learned is made available and informs UN Women’s interventions in the context of the Spotlight program
- Strengthened capacity of national partners, including Spotlight beneficiaries, to work on EVAW, SGBV, HP and SRHR issues
- Key activities of the Spotlight program inception timely implemented, with the support and buy-in of national partners and in coordination with the Spotlight team in country
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:
- Knowledge Management
- Promotes a knowledge sharing and learning culture.
Development and Operational Effectiveness:
- Ability to lead strategic planning, results based management and reporting;
- Ability to apply conceptual models in support of formulations, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programs and projects and mobilize resources.
- Strong organization skills and ability to pay close attention to detail;
- Strong policy analysis experience and knowledge of WPS
- Ability to lead formulation of strategies and their implementation;
- Strong networking skills;
Management and Leadership:
- Build strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and results for the client and responds positively to feedback;
- Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
- Demonstrate openness to change and ability to manage complexities;
- Demonstrate strong oral and written communication skills;
- Demonstrate good listening skills and responsiveness to the opinion of others
Required Skills and Experience
Education:
- Master’s degree in Social Science, Gender Studies, International Development, Law, Human Rights, Political Science, International Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies, or other related field.
Experience:
- At least 7 years of relevant professional experience, at the international level in implementing programs on women’s empowerment/ending violence against women
- Excellent knowledge of program management and results-based management tools
- Demonstrated ability to work in an independent manner; ability to organize work efficiently and deal with multiple tasks
- Previous experience working in West Africa is an asset
Language:
- Excellent oral and written English skills.
More Information
- Job City Lagos
