Individual Contractor: Accelerating UNICEF’s Gender and COVID-19 Actions in LAC

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy contracts.

The UNICEF Gender Action Plan, 2018–2021 (GAP) is the UNICEF road map to promote gender equality and empowerment of girls and women in all areas of its programme and management work. The GAP establishes UNICEF’s intention to transform into a more gender-responsive organization with enhanced ambitions for gender equality across results areas, including humanitarian action.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) has not been spared the health and socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, becoming the epicenter of the pandemic with over 2 million cases and 100,00 deaths. The bulk of cases in LAC is reported in people between 20 and 40 years of age, with very few cases in children. Most deaths are among people over the age of 60. In terms of infection and death rates, men appear to be more affected. However, the situation shifts in terms of socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, in which globally women and girls are disproportionately affected. Global(1) and regional (2) assessments of the gendered impacts of COVID-19 reveal increases in domestic violence due to containment measures, higher care burdens on women and adolescent girls (within households and in communities), increased risks for female front-line workers to both infection, stigma and gender-based violence (GBV), interruptions in access to sexual and reproductive health services and increased economic fragility for women and female-headed households leading to disempowerment and potentially survival sex to secure basic goods, loss of housing, food insecurity for themselves and children under their care, among other harmful outcomes. Indigenous, afrodescendent, migrant and rural women and girls, already carrying the highest burdens of gender inequalities, are projected to bear the socio-economic brunt of COVID-19 and risk being left behind without targeted measures. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, LAC was a highly unequal region marked by several paradoxes with respect to gender equality that must be central to COVID-19 response and recovery strategies. Translating a range of global and regional guidance to practical solutions adapted to COVID-19 containment measures across the Region is critical to support UNICEF country offices and implementing partners to mitigate deepened gender disparities.

UNICEF promotes the rights and welfare of all girls, boys and adolescents in everything we do. Together with our allies, we work in 190 countries and territories to transform this commitment into practical actions that benefit all children, especially focusing our efforts on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded, worldwide.

The UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office is based in in Panama, operating in 36 territories, including 24 country offices.

UNICEF works to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged boys, girls and adolescents at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children.

For more information about UNICEF and its work on gender equality in the LAC Region, please visit https://www.unicef.org/lac/en/gender-equality

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[1] Care International, Gender Implications of COVID-19 Outbreaks in Development and Humanitarian Settings https://www.care-international.org/files/files/Gendered_Implications_of_COVID-19-Full_Paper.pdf.

[2] Care International, UN Women, The Latin American and Caribbean Rapid Gender Analysis for COVID-19 https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/enlac_rga_report_english_final_junio2_1comprimido.pdf

For every child, equal rights

The purpose of this individual contractor is to provide direct support to the Gender Section on core activities to implement the Regional COVID-19 Strategy, aligned to the GAP, and support other priority gender products affected by COVID-19.

How can you make a difference?

Specific Tasks

The individual contractor will conduct the following tasks, in line with the above objectives:

• Support the coordination and preparation of at least 2 Gender Learning Webinars related to CO COVID-19 responses needs;

• Coordinate at least 1 webinar with external partners related to long-term recovery actions;

• Finalize Gender and COVID-19 Tool kit in English and Spanish and prepare learning series for delivery with country offices (CO);

• Development of CO case studies and forward-looking reflections for inclusion in LAC Regional Mapping of Gender in COVID-19 response;

• Undertake a gender analysis of morbidity and mortality trends related to COVID-19;

• Periodic gender analysis of CO SitReps, socio-economic impact survey data and advances towards the fulfillment of the Gender Equality Core Commitments for Children and monthly updating of LAC Regional Mapping of Gender in COVID-19 response;

• Document GBV and COVID-19 strategies and results, with a focus on migratory flows, in at least 5 CO;

• Support Gender Section with punctual, sectoral document review on gender and COVID-19;

• Develop digital consultation tools for use in internal and external consultations for the new UNICEF Gender Policy;

• Support Gender and Child Protection Sections around Violence Against Children (VAC) and GBV material development;

• Support preparation of digital dissemination events related to the International Day of the Girl (Beijing +25 review results) and the 16 days of activism to end Violence Against Women and Girls;

• Provide punctual support to LAC Spotlight countries.

• Perform any other task to provide general assistance to the RO Gender Section as required by supervisor.

Note that tasks are not chronological and will require simultaneous management. Monthly reports will therefore provide updates in those task areas relevant for the month in question.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

Minimum Requirements and Qualifications Education

• Master’s degree in social sciences (Gender and Development, Political Science, International Relations or Sociology/Social Work)

Work Experience:

• Minimum 3 years of experience in gender mainstreaming or human rights-based approaches
• Minimum 3 years of experience in Gender Based Violence
• Minimum 2 years of experience working on child and/or adolescent rights

Languages:

• Fluency in Spanish or English is required, with good working knowledge in the other.
• Knowledge of French or Portuguese will be considered an asset.

Technical knowledge:

• Knowledge of gender analysis frameworks and their application in development and humanitarian contexts.
• Familiarity with LAC women’s organizations and gender machinery in the Region.
• Understanding of gendered impacts of health, and other, emergencies.
• Knowledge of intersectionality principles and methods to ensure diversity and non-binary gender identities are included within gender analyses and strategies.
• Proven knowledge and understanding of gender frameworks and approaches in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Other skills and attributes:

• Excellent analytic, synthesis and communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience in UNICEF, or other UN Agencies, considered an asset.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

Core values of care, respect, integrity, trust, and accountability.

UNICEF competencies: building and maintains partnerships, demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness, drive to achieve results for impact, innovates and embraces change, manages ambiguity and complexity, thinks and acts strategically, works collaboratively with others and nurtures, and, leads and manages people.

Supervision:

The individual contractor will work under the direct supervision of the Regional Gender Advisor.

Workplace:

The individual contractor will be requested to work remotely, home-based.

Duration:

Estimated start date of this individual contract is 4 months after signature of the contract.

How to apply:

Application should be submitted online and should include:

• CV
• Cover letter and
• Financial proposal - qualified candidates are requested to submit daily and monthly fees in their financial proposal.

Vacancy Announcement Remarks:

Please note only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

UNICEF reserves the right to make additional assessment of the pre-selected candidates, if needed UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.