Gender Equality Facility (GEF) International Senior Gender Mainstreaming and EU Integration Consultant

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. Placing women’s rights at the center of all its efforts, the UN Women leads and coordinates United Nations system efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action globally. It provides strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States’ priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors.

North Macedonia’s progress in recent years respecting and promoting Gender Equality is highlighted in a series of international commitments and in national legal and policy frameworks. The main achievements in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment reside in the Country’s institutional capacity development for the work on gender equality; and the legal provisions guaranteeing women’s rights and gender equality are largely in place. However, the Country still copes with deep-rooted, patriarchal stereotypes regarding the role and responsibilities of women and men in the family and in society at large. Women in North Macedonia remain underrepresented in central and local government, , and violence against women prevails. Gaps in policy development and slow implementation of the adopted legislation constitute important structural obstacles to achieving gender equality. Improvements are needed in both strengthening institutional capacities and enhancing cooperation between the gender mechanisms, the key ministries and civil society organizations in order to increase gender mainstreaming in all aspect of government work - primarily policy development and budgeting - as the means for achieving gender equality.

In line with the European Council’s decision of March 2020 to open accession negotiations with the Country, through the Sida-funded “Gender Equality Facility” (GEF) in North Macedonia, UN Women aims at strengthening the effective implementation of national and international legal frameworks on gender equality and women’s rights, mainstreaming gender equality into EU integration and planning processes for pre-accession assistance, and strengthening institutional mechanisms for gender equality in line with EU standards. Expert support will be provided for the integration of the EU Gender Equality acquis into sector dialogue, policy revisions, recovery programmes, and ongoing reforms, including EU-funded IPA programmes and actions, the Government’s Annual Work Programme, and the strategic planning of line Ministries. Thereby, GEF supports institutions to correctly align with the EU Gender Equality acquis. The intervention will also address challenges in implementation of laws and gender equality policies by providing support for enhancing coordination and monitoring of gender equality policies and measures. In the medium to longer-term, the Project aims to secure implementation/application of gender equality legislation, policies and standards through policy dialogue, technical expertise and guidance, development and sharing of good practice, and strategic partnerships and cooperation. GEF will be implemented in partnership with the Secretariat for European Affairs (SEA, the main project beneficiary), Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) structures, the Equal Opportunities Department at the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP), and National Gender Machinery institutions.

The UN Women Office in North Macedonia is seeking to recruit a senior gender mainstreaming consultant who - under the direct supervision of the UN Women Head of Office and in close collaboration with GEF partners – will provide technical guidance and support, strategic advice, gender mainstreaming expertise, and coaching to the GEF team.

Duties and Responsibilities

Provide substantive, strategic guidance and technical support on gender mainstreaming and EU Integration to the GEF programme intervention

• Under supervision of the Head of Office and in close consultation with the GEF Project Manager and main stakeholders and partners, provide expert advice on EU-aligned gender mainstreaming in the implementation of GEF activities;
• Provide comments on conceptualizing GEF products and core output documents such as analytical reports, briefings, background papers, summaries, knowledge products, and similar;
• Provide coaching and guidance to the GEF team and troubleshoot as needed;
• Engage in appropriate follow-up on missions (subject to COVID restrictions);
• Technically and strategically advise on planning, meetings, and milestone events of the project;
• Support processes of strategic importance for UN Women, such as cooperation and collaboration with national counterparts and international development partners, to enhance achievement of results on gender equality;
• Provide advice on contextualizing GEF, linking and networking with similar UN Women initiatives in the region and fostering collaboration and synergies;
• Contribute to identify promising practices, technical expertise and strategic opportunities for promoting gender equality in the context of EU integration;
• Contribute to UN Women North Macedonia’s virtual library/repository of essential documentation and literature on the Gender Equality Facility approach, the EU Gender Equality acquis, and with gender mainstreaming experts
• Maintain close contact with the Head of Office and GEF Project Manager and provides regular briefings;
• Coordinate and exchange information with the Consultants with sector-specific knowledge for the 12 Sectorial Working Groups, and provide support if need be, in consultation with the Head of Office
• Promote the project and contribute as agreed with the supervisor in relevant national and regional fora;
• Provide expertize and support for improved monitoring of gender indicators;
• Provide advice related to communicating the agreed upon priority points on gender equality for UN Women;
• Contribute to the corporate reporting on GEF (quarterly, annual)
• Participate in relevant online and in person meetings with the stakeholders and in staff meetings as requested;
• Provide support for the mid-term review workshop and revise the evaluation notes/report;
• Any other tasks assigned by the supervisor within the subject area of this TOR.

Impact of results:

The intervention will enhance the effectiveness of UN Women/GEF team in addressing challenges in implementation of the national and EU legislative and policy framework for gender equality through the support to institutions mandated for gender equality, and through coordination and monitoring of gender equality procedures and measures among them.

Deliverables and Timeline

Deliverables

Timeframe

Bi-monthly Workplan including tasks and deliverables, signed off by Head of Office

Within 2 weeks of start of the consultancy

Bi-monthly review and update of Workplan and confirmation of deliverables achieved.

Summary report of tasks performed

On a bi-monthly basis

Contribution to Mid-Term workshop report

As per given deadlines

Final report with indication of key achievements, deliverables and recommended follow-up action

Two weeks prior to the end of contract

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

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES

• Preparing information for advocacy

• In agreement with the Head of Office identifies and communicates relevant information for a variety of audiences for advocating UN Women’s mandate

• Contributes into results through primary research and analysis

• Assesses project performance to identify success factors and incorporates best practices into project work

• Researches linkages across project activities to identify critical points of integration
• Monitors specific stages of projects/programme implementation
• Analyzes country situation to identify opportunities for programme development

• Participates in the formulation of project proposals and ensures substantive rigor in the design and application of proven successful approaches and drafts proposals accordingly

• Maintaining a network of contacts

• Maintains an established network of contacts for general information sharing and to remain up-to-date on partnership related issues

• Analyzes and selects materials for strengthening strategic alliances with partners and stakeholders

• Enhancing processes or products

• Generates new ideas and proposes new, more effective ways of doing things

• Documents and analyses innovative strategies/best practices/new approaches

• Fundamental knowledge of own discipline

• Understands and applies fundamental concepts and principles of a professional discipline or technical specialty relating to the position

• Possesses basic knowledge of organizational policies and procedures relating to the position and applies them consistently in work tasks
• Strives to keep job knowledge up-to-date through self-directed study and other means of learning
• Demonstrates good knowledge of information technology and applies it in work assignments
• Establishing effective client relationships
• Researches potential solutions to internal and external client needs and reports back in a timely, succinct and appropriate fashion
• Organizes and prioritizes work schedule to meet client needs and deadlines
• Anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced academic degree (minimum Master’s or equivalent) in Gender/Women’s Studies, Development Studies, European Studies, Public Policy, Law, Public Administration, Social Sciences, or closely related fields.

Experience:

• At least 12 years of relevant professional experience and engagement in designing and managing gender mainstreaming/GEWE programmes with international organizations;
• A minimum of 5 years of hands-on experience in implementing EU gender equality policy in processes of European Integration and IPA programming;
• Proven evidence of in-depth knowledge of the international and EU legal and policy frameworks on gender equality, the relevant international instruments and mechanisms, and thorough conceptual understanding of gender inequalities and the status of women in EU (pre-)accession countries, preferably the Western Balkans;
• Demonstrated experience in programme/project design, and coordination and managerial tasks with UN agencies or similar international organizations is considered an advantage;
• Experience in working with, and building and maintaining strategic partnerships with governments, donors and civil society organizations internationally and in the field;
• Strong analytical and communication skills; previous engagement in guiding, advising and coaching within a multicultural environment and in a team is considered an asset;
• Good computer skills in Windows environment, knowledge of internet communications and command of MS office applications (Word, Excel, Power Point)

Language requirements:

• Excellent English language skills.