International Consultant-– GIMAC NETWORK COORDINATOR

Contract

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Background

The UN Women Liaison office to the African Union (AU) and Economic Commission for Africa(ECA) has forged a strategic partnership with regional women’s organizations’ and networks to enhance the capacity of gender equality and women’s empowerment advocates for a coordinated engagement in regional policy and decision-making processes. The partnership facilitated strengthened learning, a forum for the sharing of information and development of action plans and improved collaboration among Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), networks and regional bodies on the continent.

This is in line with Liaison Office Strategic Note (2022-2025) which is aligned with the global UN Women Strategic Plan (2022-2025), the AU GEWE Strategy (2018-2028), Agenda 2063. In this regard, the UN Women Liaison Office proposes to strengthen the capacity of continental civil society actors towards their effective engagement with AU and other stakeholders in influencing the policies, decisions, initiatives of the African Union and AU Member States.

Since its establishment in 2002, Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) Network has served as a platform of over 55 civil society organisations promoting gender equality and accountability for women’s rights. It was established during the transformation of OAU to the AU to ensure that women participate and benefit from the process. The network is hosted by Femmes Africa Solidarite (FAS) and has been holding bi-annual CSOs meetings at the margins of the AU Summit of Head of States and Governments to engage AU Member States on African women rights, issues and concerns. The network with support from the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) has established its secretariat in Addis Ababa. It has also signed an MoU with the African Union Commission through the AU Women Gender and Development Directorate to provide a framework of cooperation and ensure coordination and sustainability of efforts to empower women and promote gender equality.Building on the ongoing partnership, UN Women committed to continue to strengthen the advocacy capacity of GIMAC’s secretariat by engaging the services of an international consultant-home

based a****s “GIMAC Network Coordinator” to lead the effective coordination, communication, and management of the GIMAC Network. The coordinator will work closely with GIMAC Network members, UN Women Liaison office to the AUC&ECA, partners and stakeholders to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in Africa. The institutional support continues to contribute to strategic partnerships through GIMAC’s visible presence and impact at the regional and national levels in Africa.

In particular, through the consultancy, UN Women aims to facilitate GIMAC’s engagement with AU Member States and other stakeholders, promote the implementation of the Maputo Protocol, foster positive masculinity, integrate gender considerations into the AfCFTA related processes in line with AU theme for 2023, and strengthen networking and collaboration among civil society organizations and regional bodies. The consultancy aims to amplify GIMAC's impact at regional and national levels, ultimately contributing to the realization of the UN Women Liaison Office's strategic goals and the broader vision of achieving gender equality and women's rights in Africa.

Duties and Responsibilities

Mandate

Under the overall guidance of the UN Women Liaison Specialist and direct responsibility of the Administrator of FAS and in collaboration with the programs and advocacy teams in Geneva and Addis Ababa, the consultant will coordinate the activities of the GIMAC network, including program implementation, resource mobilization, advocacy, administrative and finance, communication, and reporting related tasks.

III. Key Responsibilities

The GIMAC Network Coordinator will be responsible for:

1. Coordination of the Development and Dissemination of Reports

• Conduct research and consolidate information to produce reports such as thematic cluster meeting reports, RECs meeting reports, advocacy training reports, project reports, online campaigns reports and virtual consultative meetings and other relevant reports.

2. Resource Mobilization

• Support GIMAC Network in resource mobilization efforts by identifying potential funding opportunities, preparing proposals, and engaging with relevant stakeholders and partners.
• Explore partnerships with donors, governments, and other organizations to secure both technical and financial resources for GIMAC Network's activities.

C****ommunication, M****edia and Visibility

• Coordinate the development and implementation of a media strategy, coordinating press releases and media engagements, and utilization of various communication channels to promote GIMAC Network and UN Women's work and achievements.

4. Capacity Building and Knowledge Sharing

• Facilitate capacity-building initiatives for GIMAC Network members, including organizing the 5th GIMAC Young Women Advocacy Training session.
• Coordinate the development of relevant capacity building materials to enhance the advocacy and leadership skills of young women and girls in Africa.

5. Policy and Advocacy Support

• Provide policy and advocacy support to GIMAC Network members and partners in influencing regional policies, decisions, and initiatives.
• Coordinate planned online campaigns, High Level policy dialogue meetings, coordinating of development of policy briefs and engaging with AU bodies, member states, and other stakeholders to advocate for gender equality and women's empowerment.

6. Monitoring and Evaluation

• Coordinate the monitoring and evaluation framework to track the impact of GIMAC Network's activities through the coordination of the production of reports and action plans that measure the effectiveness of interventions and inform future planning.

IV. KEY DELIVERABLES

The key deliverables of the GIMAC Network Coordinator are:

• 4 x weekly Partners Planning Meetings are held in preparation for the 5th GIMAC RECs Meeting with partners and the Steering Committee members. to ensure proper planning, promote transparency and accountability to partners
• 1 x two-day high-level conference is held in July 2023 on the AU theme: “The Implementation of the AfCFTA: Breaking Trade Barriers of African Women and Ensuring their Inclusion” in line with the African Union theme for 2023 - “Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
• At least I x capacity building and sensitization meeting is held in Nairobi Kenya in July 2023
• A press conference is held to galvanise the media and draw attention of policy makers at the AU on the issues being discussed at the 5th GIMAC Meeting including sharing the outcome document.
• At least one online campaign to raise awareness and create public awareness about gender inequality in trade, and to mobilize public support for gender-responsive trade policies and agreements is held
• 1x CSO Consultative meeting on Positive Masculinity is held to support AUC Office of Special
• Envoy on Women, Peace and Security development of Convention on EVAWG.
• Reports of the above events to be developed and disseminated in a timely manner.

Competencies

• Compliance with UN Women Core Values.
• Demonstrates integrity and fairness by modelling the UN’s values and ethical standards.
• Commitment to UN Women as well as GIMAC vision, mission, values and strategic goals.
• Dsplays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability.
• reats all people fairly without favouritism.
• Fulfils all obligations to gender sensitivity and zero tolerance for sexual harassment.

Required Skills and Experience

Education

• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Political Sciences, Gender Studies, International Relations, Law, Social Sciences or Development Studies, or a related field.
• A Master's Degree will be an added advantage.

Experience

• At least five years of relevant experience in gender equality, women’s empowerment, pace and security in Africa and/or network coordination.
• Experience working for national, regional, and continental gender equality and women’s empowerment focused Civil Society Organizations and networks
• Experience working for or with the United Nations system, the African Union or other intergovernmental organizations will be considered an advantage.
• Strong understanding of gender issues in Africa and development challenges in Africa

Language

• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and networking skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and lead teams.
• Fluency in English and French.

Application:

• All applications must include (as an attachment) a completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment.

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.)