Review of research report on “Women in the Security Sector Reform in The Gambia"

Volunteering

Overview

Review research report on women's participation in the security sector in The Gambia.

You have:

• Proven experience in research review, editing, and analytical writing, particularly for policy-oriented or development-focused reports.
• Strong background in gender equality and women’s empowerment, with demonstrated understanding of barriers to women’s participation and leadership.
• Knowledge and practical experience in security sector governance and reform (SSR), peacebuilding, or rule of law programming, preferably in fragile or transitioning contexts.
• Familiarity with UNDP, UN, or international development frameworks, including results-based reporting and policy advocacy.
• Ability to strengthen policy relevance, clarity, and coherence of research outputs for diverse stakeholders, including government, CSOs, and development partners.
• Experience working on or reviewing studies related to governance, accountability, or institutional reform in West Africa or similar contexts is an added advantage.
• An advanced university degree (Master’s level or higher) in Gender Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Security Studies, Political Science, International Relations, Development Studies, Governance, or a related social science discipline.
• A bachelor’s degree in the above fields combined with substantial professional experience in gender, governance, or security sector reform may be considered an asset.

Contract

This is a UNV contract. More about UNV contracts.

This task supports UNDP’s Governance and Peacebuilding work in The Gambia, which aims to promote inclusive, accountable, and gender-responsive security sector institutions. The research report, “Women in the Security Sector: Barriers, Opportunities, and Reform in The Gambia,” examines structural, institutional, and socio-cultural barriers limiting women’s participation and leadership in the security sector, while identifying entry points for policy and institutional reform. Strengthening the quality and clarity of this research is essential to ensure it effectively informs dialogue, advocacy, and evidence-based decision-making with national stakeholders.

The Online Volunteer’s contribution will enhance the analytical rigor, coherence, and policy relevance of the report, enabling UNDP and partners to use it as a credible knowledge product to support gender-responsive security sector reform. This task directly contributes to the achievement of the SDGs, particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality) by promoting women’s participation and leadership in security institutions, SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) by strengthening inclusive and accountable security governance, and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) through evidence-based collaboration with national institutions and civil society.

We are looking for an experienced and creative Online Volunteer who will support our Governance and Peacebuilding Team to review the research report. Specific tasks include:

• Reviewing the draft research report for clarity, coherence, and logical flow. • Editing and strengthening analysis, conclusions, and recommendations from a gender and governance perspective. • Ensuring consistency in terminology, structure, and referencing throughout the report. • Providing suggestions to improve readability, presentation, and policy relevance for diverse stakeholders. • Supporting finalization of the report in line with UNDP quality standards.

For close coordination and discussion, the Online Volunteer is expected to be available for calls via Skype/Zoom/Microsoft Teams.

• Proven experience in research review, editing, and analytical writing, particularly for policy-oriented or development-focused reports.

• Strong background in gender equality and women’s empowerment, with demonstrated understanding of barriers to women’s participation and leadership.

• Knowledge and practical experience in security sector governance and reform (SSR), peacebuilding, or rule of law programming, preferably in fragile or transitioning contexts.

• Familiarity with UNDP, UN, or international development frameworks, including results-based reporting and policy advocacy.

• Ability to strengthen policy relevance, clarity, and coherence of research outputs for diverse stakeholders, including government, CSOs, and development partners.

• Experience working on or reviewing studies related to governance, accountability, or institutional reform in West Africa or similar contexts is an added advantage. A degree in marketing, marketing management, communications or related fields is considered an asset.

• An advanced university degree (Master’s level or higher) in Gender Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies, Security Studies, Political Science, International Relations, Development Studies, Governance, or a related social science discipline.

• A bachelor’s degree in the above fields combined with substantial professional experience in gender, governance, or security sector reform may be considered an asset.

Apply now

Potential interview questions

Added 7 months ago - Updated 7 months ago - Source: unv.org