International Consultant- Gender Data Analysis Expert to support to AUC Regional Data and Research Gender Observatory and Scorecard

Consultant Human Rights

Overview

Support AUC in establishing the Gender Observatory.

You have:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with four additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
• Technical experience in eliminating violence against women (EVAW), women’s human rights and related fields.
• Experience coordinating and liaising with intergovernmental organizations and/or donors is an asset.
• Experience working in regional organizations and UN System is an asset.
• Fluency in both English and French is required.
• Working knowledge of Arabic or Portuguese languages is an asset.

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 and violence 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.

The Spotlight Initiative is a partnership between the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) launched in 2017, to eliminate all forms of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), including harmful practices. The Africa investment is at the heart of the Spotlight Initiative, which has thus far been implemented in 8 African Union (AU) Member States (Liberia, Nigeria, Niger, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Uganda) and through an African regional programme that will complement the country programmes. Stream I of the regional programme for Africa – which has a continental scope – will focus on three pillars: (1) Legislations and policies, (5) Quality and reliable data and (6) Strengthening the women’s movement in its relations with the African Union and other regional players.

The four-year programme is implemented in two streams whereby UN Women leads the overall coordination of Stream I that aims to promote regional response to addressing Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), Harmful Practices (HP), and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Reproductive Rights (SRH&RR) in Africa. UN Women is also leading the implementation of activities under Pillar 6 of Stream I in close collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Under stream I, UN Women, UNFPA, UNDP, and UNICEF are recipient UN organizations (RUNOs) that will jointly implement resources and provide technical assistance and guidance to the AU, regional Civil Society Organization ( CSOs ) and other stakeholders for the implementation of

the regional joint programme. The Africa Spotlight Regional Programme is implemented in partnership with regional and sub-regional organizations, multilateral UN sister agencies, bilateral donors and CSOs.

The African Union Commission (AUC) Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (WGYD) provides political and technical leadership for the implementation of stream I of the Spotlight Regional Programme for Africa. As part of the operationalization of the African Union Strategy for Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment, the African Union’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (WGYD) have long planned to establish the AU Gender Observatory - an Online Knowledge Management Platform to monitor implementation of the said strategy. The Platform will be used to monitor the implementation of regional and international instruments, including but not limited to the Maputo Protocol, the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA), Agenda 2063, AU Strategy for gender equality and women empowerment (GEWE) as well as resolutions and declarations adopted by various regional and international bodies.

Background to the assignment

Despite commendable progress that the African region has made in data collection, analysis, dissemination

and utilization, there is generally a weak monitoring and reporting trend across all AU member states. The continent is abound with frameworks to implement global commitments aimed at promoting women’s human rights, however, limited reporting on the progress of these commitments has been noted.3 The baseline study for the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Program (SIARP) found other challenges including weak monitoring and reporting on regional commitments and frameworks to address violence against women (VAW), sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), Harmful Practices (HP), and the promotion of sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR) across the Africa region.4 Limited capacity amongst institutions responsible for monitoring and reporting has been identified as a major constraint. As a result, accountability for the implementation of GEWE and women’s rights commitments through regional and continental mechanisms could not be strengthened.

As part of efforts to promote gender equality and women empowerment, the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) suggested the establishment of Gender Observatories by each country. These are technical centers as well as political and advocacy spaces that aim to facilitate networking and learning especially through a mechanism of information dissemination and outreach. Gender Observatories also serve as a mechanism to monitor gender equality and the advancement of women’s rights. They are aimed at creating a data and knowledge base that allows multisector stakeholders to monitor progress and challenges of advancing women’s rights in Africa5. In this regard, in line with the commitments under the BPfA, the African Union Commission set up the Gender Observatory to compile national data and provide a continental and regional perspective on the status of women. It contributes towards advancing gender equality, women’s rights, and empowerment of women’s causes and movements.6 The geographic scope of the Gender Observatory will fall under the Regional Component of the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme (Stream 1), and serve 55 African Union Member States.7

The African Union’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate launched the design of the Gender Observatory in late 2018 with the aim of creating a universally accessible knowledge management to monitor the implementation of regional and international instruments such as the Maputo Protocol, Agenda 2063, AU Strategy for gender equality and women empowerment and the Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa (SDGEA).8 The Gender Observatory will stand as the most comprehensive and up-to-date source of information about Member States' efforts towards achieving Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.9 The Gender Observatory’s initial design, including the design of comprehensive indicators was completed in late 2019/early 2020. However, the launch of the platform, including plans to support train States on its use was delayed due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultant will support this relaunched activity between July-December 2021. Specifically, the consultant will achieve outcomes through implementing the following tasks and milestones:

• Work with AUC and UN Women in reviewing the indicators; in conducting the trainings for the Members States and CSOs; and monitoring progress of the overall activity;
• Work closely with UN Women, AUC and UNECA to review thematic areas of the Observatory to include indicators on VAWG, SGB/HP and SRHR and young women indicators.
• Coordinate with UN Women and WGYD teams to update the African Women’s Rights Observatory (AWRO) to include relevant and up-to-date frameworks, commitments, and protocols.
• Support AUC to produce knowledge products and compilation of the results and knowledge products to amplify the work of the Observatory and Scorecard.
• Work with UN Women and WGYD teams to develop a validation process as part of the methodology for the review of the scorecard/indicators and the thematic areas.

Consultant will engage with key stakeholders within and outside the African Union. S/he will identify the focal points, adopt a participatory approach in the conduct of tasks and maintains the commitment of the actors in achieving the assigned objectives. In updating indicator lists, three components of adaptation planning and execution must be monitored.

• the progress of work done during the creation of an adaptation plan (e.g., performance of engagement activities at all steps in the planning cycle).
• pre-determined risk thresholds/trigger levels to determine when adaptive measures should be done.
• Assessing the efficacy of projected output and the consequences of adaptive activities.

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

F****u****n****ctional Competencies:

• Strong programme formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation skills
• Strong knowledge of Results-Based Management
• Ability to synthesize programme performance data and produce analytical reports to inform management and strategic decision-making.
• Strong knowledge of (EVAW), women’s human rights and related fields
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to identify and analyze trends, opportunities, and threats to fundraising and develop strategies.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• Master’s degree or equivalent in social sciences, human rights, gender/women's studies, international development, or a related field is required.
• A first-level university degree in combination with four additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience

• At least 5 years of progressively responsible work experience at the national or international level in design, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects.
• Technical experience in EVAW, women’s human rights and related fields
• Experience coordinating and liaising with intergovernmental organizations and/or donors is an asset.
• Experience working in regional organizations and UN System is an asset
• Experience in leading/managing a team is an asset.

L****anguage Requirements:

• Fluency in both English and French is required
• Working knowledge of Arabic or Portuguese languages is an asset.
• Please note that applications without a completed and signed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.
• UNWomen Personal History form (P-11) can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment.

UNWOMEN is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

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Potential interview questions

Added 4 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: jobs.undp.org