Consultant to develop a study on gender in the trade agreements that have been signed by the countries of the CARICOM/CARIFORUM Region

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Application deadline 3 years ago: Monday 8 Feb 2021 at 23:59 UTC

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Contract

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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 - in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and European Commission - is implementing the regional programme “Win-Win: Gender Equality Means Good Business” to contribute to the economic empowerment of women, recognizing them as beneficiaries and partners of growth and development, by increasing commitment of private companies to gender equality and women´s empowerment and strengthening companies’ capacities to implement these commitments. The programme will ultimately contribute to the achievement of gender equality through enabling women’s labour force participation, entrepreneurship, economic empowerment and thus their full and equal participation in society.

Targeting women led enterprises and networks, multi-national companies, and relevant stakeholders in Europe and selected Latin American and Caribbean countries, the project will promote business links, joint ventures and innovation between women from both regions, while supporting inter-regional dialogue and exchange of good practices to increase the capacity of the private sector more broadly in the implementation of gender equal business.

The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited, in a 2015 report entitled “Private Sector Development in The Caribbean: A Regional Overview” referred to a scoping study of gender and enterprise development conducted by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The study noted that the Caribbean is characterized by low levels of labour market participation by women. Moreover, where women do participate in the labour market, it is mainly as employees and in low-growth, low-status and low-paying sectors. The suggested reason for this is the high level of gender stereotyping in the Caribbean, which has led to women being segregated educationally and consequently also occupationally and sectorally; this is even though women dominate tertiary education enrolment across the region. A recent study by the Caribbean Policy Research Institute (CaPRI), an economics focused think tank, found that Jamaican women have less access to paid work and resources than men do and bear the largest responsibility for unpaid reproductive work. The study showed clearly that the allocation of Jamaican women's time to unpaid care work has a negative correlation with their labour force participation rates, labour exclusion and gender pay gaps.

The guiding platform to achieve gender equality is the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), launched in 2010 by UN Women and the UN Global Compact. The WEPs are a set of Principles for business offering guidance on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. They emphasize the business case for corporate action to promote gender equality and women's empowerment and are informed by real-life business practices and inputs gathered from across the globe.

In Jamaica, a total of thirty-nine companies have signed the UN Women/UN Global Compact Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) CEO Statement of Support. Having demonstrated their high-level commitment to women’s empowerment and gender equality, it will be necessary to navigate these companies along the WEPs pathway enabling them to translate their commitments into corporate plans that are integrated throughout the business and across the value chain.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultancy is under Win-Win Activity 2.5.1 - Study on the Role of Gender in the Region's Trade Agreements. The Consultant shall develop a comprehensive study on the inclusion and role of gender in the trade agreements that the CARICOM/CARIFORUM Region has entered into and examine whether the countries of the Region have been exploiting any relevant sections.

Under the overall supervision of the UN Women MCO - Caribbean Representative and reporting directly to the National Private Sector Specialist, the consultant will conduct the following tasks:

  • Prepare an inception report , including work plan and timeline
  • Conduct a comprehensive desk review of regional trade agreements and reports.
  • Consultations with relevant stakeholders.
  • Develop a comprehensive assessment report of findings with quantitative and qualitative data
  • Develop a study framework and methodology
  • Prepare a summary report with key findings, recommendations and lessons learned along with knowledge products
  • Provide weekly email updates to UN Women on the progress made on deliverables, identify challenges and request support as needed.

The consultant must be equipped with a fully-functional laptop, which must run at least Windows 7. The consultant must be reasonably accessible by email and telephone (preferably mobile). The use of reliable, internet-based telecommunications application software (Skype or equivalent) is required.

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

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf?la=en&vs=637.

Functional Competencies:

  • Proven ability to draft reports and conduct research;
  • Excellent team building/leadership skills;
  • Ability to engage in substantive technical discussion with all stakeholders;
  • Good knowledge of programme management.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Postgraduate degree in public administration, law, economics, human rights, gender equality, management, social sciences or other related areas is required. In lieu of a post-graduate degree, 8 years of practical experience working in gender issues may be considered in addition to a Bachelor’s degree.

Experience:

  • At least five (5) years’ experience working on trade related issues in the CARICOM/CARIFORUM
  • At least five (5) years’ experience working on gender and development issues, and human rights;
  • At least five (5) years’ experience in the design, development and/or implementation of case studies;
  • At least three (3) years’ experience working in the private sector environment;
  • Experience working with women entrepreneurs is an asset; and

Languages:

  • Fluency in English is required. Working knowledge of Spanish is an asset.

Desirable Skills:

  • Prior experience in the private sector and in the Caribbean is preferred.
  • Excellent communication and analytical skills

APPLICATION

Please submit relevant work samples.

Note:

  • Submissions to UNDP Jobs are limited to a maximum of 10 MB, virus-free or corrupted contents to avoid rejection, and no more than 1 email transmission.
  • All applications must be submitted through UNDP jobs. Please do not send applications to UN Women staff as they will not be accepted.

UN Women is committed to diversity in the world of work in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality and culture. Women and others belonging to groups of people of African descent, indigenous people, LGBTTI, with disabilities, living with HIV and other vulnerable groups are encouraged to present themselves.

Added 3 years ago - Updated 3 years ago - Source: jobs.undp.org