Consultant to Support Business Coaching and Economic Empowerment Activities for Indigenous and Tribal Communities in Suriname (Homebased)

Contract

This is a International Consultant contract. More about International Consultant contracts.

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.

Under the SDG Fund, UN Women is a participating UN agency in the Joint Programme ‘Leaving No One Behind, Building Resilience and Improving Livelihoods of the Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (ITPs) in Suriname.’ The programme is expected to have a positive impact on the quality of life and the inclusivity of the Indigenous of Tribal Peoples in Suriname and aims to contribute to building resilience and to addressing the multi-dimensional vulnerabilities of ITPs, which have been exacerbated by COVID-19.

The Programme will also support closing policy gaps and bringing policies into alignment with the International Conventions, Treaties and Agreements on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples such as the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169), the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples of 2007 (UNDRIP), and the outcome document of the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples. This is all in-line with the “Leave No One Behind” principle and contributes to the achievement and acceleration of SDGs 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 16 and 17. The interrelated nature of the SDGs means that all Goals will be influenced by the implementation of this Joint Programme.

This Joint Programme contributes to the achievement of the Outcome 3 of the upcoming United Nations Multi-Country Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UN MSDCF) 2022-2026: “National Governments and Regional Institutions use relevant data and information to guide and inform design and adopt laws and policies to eliminate discrimination, address structural inequalities and ensure the advancement of those at risk of being left furthest behind and aims to contribute to accelerate the achievement of this outcome and related SDGs”. This Outcome falls under the UN MSDCF’s Priority Area 2: Equality, Well-Being and Leaving No One Behind.

When successfully implemented, the Programme will result in:

• Strengthened policy and regulatory framework to improve inclusion and resilience of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (ITPs);

• Improved public health policy and coverage to 75% of ITPs including public health measures and COVID-19 response and recovery, and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (W.A.S.H.); and

• Improved livelihoods and enhanced food security in 50% of the targeted ITPs communities by 2024.

Duties and Responsibilities

The objectives include the development of a comprehensive and sustainable business coaching programme to provide women ITPs with administrative, marketing and financial management knowledge and skills which will create income-generating opportunities for women ITPs and accelerate progress towards the SDGs as it regards to poverty, equity, inclusion and resilience by reducing the economic and services gaps between women ITPs and the rest of Surinamese. The assignment will also include promotion of economic empowerment activities for women ITPs in Suriname. Consequently, these objectives are meant to support women ITPs in gaining equal access to knowledge, jobs and finance that will enhance their future opportunities and promote economic development and social progress.

Scope of Work and Deliverables

During the livelihoods and economic empowerment interventions, the Consultant will be required to facilitate ongoing consultations with stakeholders to ensure inclusive and participatory approaches to manage and deliver the programme to selected communities and groups.

Inception Report and Desk Review

• Develop a detailed Inception Report and work plan to carry out the assignment which should include the proposed approach and methodology, activities and timelines.
• Conduct a desk review of the situational context in Suriname and within the ITP community, national legislation, relevant policies and plans, programme documents, existing research and assessments, and records of prior consultations.

Stakeholder Consultations

• Lead additional stakeholder consultations to finalise the design of interventions; ensuring appropriate and sustainable solutions within the context, environment and landscape.
• Submit a Consultation Report - data collection and analysis of stakeholder consultations conducted shall be conducted and synthesized, highlighting relevant recommendations and action items.

Development and delivery of a business coaching programme for women ITPs

• Design a business coaching programme for women ITPs in Suriname, with particular focus on topics including business start-up/registration, business administration, financial management, marketing, leadership, legal and regulatory compliance, human resources, procurement and logistics, resource mobilisation.
• The programme should be visually rich, and utilise visual aids. The programme content should be clear and concise so that it can be translated into local Surinamese dialects.
• Finalise the programme based on feedback from key stakeholders.
• Ensure buy-in from stakeholders for implementation.
• Manage the delivery and execution of the programme.
• Deliver at least 2 in-person business coaching and training workshops within identified communities in Suriname.
• In collaboration with the M&E Officer responsible for the Joint SDG Fund Programme – Suriname, develop monitoring tools and mechanisms to track the success and impact of the programme including participatory approaches.

Final Report

• Prepare a Final Report/Close-Out which includes:
  1. A Review of project objectives,
  2. Summary of project objectives,
  3. Lessons Learned; and
  4. Benefits realization.

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.
• Results Oriented

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

http://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/about%20us/employment/un-women-employment-values-and-competencies-definitions-en.pdf

Functional Competencies:

• Integrity and Fairness: Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct.
• Professionalism: Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work. Conscientious and efficient in meeting commitments, observing deadlines, and achieving results.
• Cultural sensitivity and valuing diversity: Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills as well as proven experience in people management and networking skills.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree in Sustainable Development, Gender, Human Rights, Public or Social Policy, Economics, or closely related fields is required.
• 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:

• At least 10 years relevant professional experience in business coaching/consulting and economic empowerment activities is required.

• Demonstrated experience in inter-agency coordination, facilitation and coordination of sectors, reporting and technical writing.

• Experience working within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) or with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) is required.

• Experience working with indigenous and tribal communities, or marginalised and vulnerable groups would be considered an asset.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills as well as proven experience in people management and networking skills.

Languages:

• Fluency in oral and written English is required.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

• The consultancy will be home-based, with trave required to Suriname for the implementation of actvitities.
• The consultant will be engaged for a maximum of 30 working days within the period, 18 March 2024 to 30 June 2024.

Remuneration

• The consultancy fee will be negotiated before contracting. Each payment will be based on a predefined and formal agreement between UN Women and the consultant and will be disbursed based on satisfactory completion of agreed deliverables.
• The remuneration for this contract type is an all-inclusive fee, the organization will not be liable for additional cost or benefits. Hence, it is the responsibility of the consultant to take out adequate medical insurance for the duration of the contract and it is recommendable that the policy includes coverage for COVID-19 related illness. The medical coverage should be international when the contract requires missions or international assignment.
• If selected for this consultancy, proof of medical coverage should be presented within the first two months of the contract.

Hardware, Software, And Communication

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

Other:

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.

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

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