UN Women: Gender Mainstreaming Review Consultant

Grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, UN Women will work 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 centre of all its efforts, UN Women will lead and coordinate United Nations System efforts to ensure that commitments on gender equality and gender mainstreaming translate into action throughout the world. It will provide strong and coherent leadership in support of Member States' priorities and efforts, building effective partnerships with civil society and other relevant actors. The Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review (QCPR) is the mechanism through which the General Assembly assesses the effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and impact of UN operational activities for development and establishes system-wide policy orientations for the development cooperation and country-level modalities of the UN system in response to the evolving international development cooperation environment. UN-DESA has requested UN-Women to undertake analytical work in relation to gender equality and empowerment of women in preparation for the 2012 QCPR of UN operational activities for development. According to the action plan for the 2012 QCPR1: "This [analytical study] will include review of progress at country-level in improving mainstreaming of gender equality and women's empowerment in UN system operational activities. Other issues to be examined include: integration of gender into policies, strategies, medium-term plans and multi-year funding frameworks of UN entities; efforts to improve coordination and division of labour among UNCT members and enhance effectiveness of gender specialist resources, gender focal points and gender theme groups; effectiveness of institutional accountability mechanisms including inclusion of internationally-agreed gender equality results and gender-sensitive indicators in strategic frameworks; improvements in quantitative and qualitative reporting on gender equality, including gender disaggregated data; evaluation of the impact of joint initiatives; inclusion of gender-related information in annual reports of Resident Coordinators; system-wide coherence in promotion of gender equality and women's empowerment; and gender balance in appointments in organizations of UN development system". In response to the request by DESA, UN-Women will prepare an analytical paper which covers some of the conceptual issues and evidence on gender mainstreaming's success. Supporting gender mainstreaming across the United Nations system is an integral part of UN-Women's work. The paper will assess generally what has been learnt about how to mainstream gender effectively and specifically what the United Nations system has achieved so far in mainstreaming gender equality in its programmes. UN Women will recruit a consultant to prepare this analytical paper in preparation for the QCPR.

Duties and Responsibilities

The objective of this consultancy is to prepare a paper that assesses generally what has been learnt about: the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming as an approach for advancing gender equality; how to mainstream gender effectively; and, specifically, what progress the United Nations system has made so far with mainstreaming gender equality into its programmes. The consultant will provide: An analytical framework for gender mainstreaming A summary of what has been learnt about how to successfully mainstream gender in development agencies and other relevant institutions A summary of the major constraints to advancing gender equality by gender mainstreaming A summary about what has been learnt about gender mainstreaming in UN Agencies and Programmes, including through the Evaluation of Gender Mainstreaming in UNDP2 A summary review of the work of Gender Theme Groups of UNDG, annual reports of the Resident coordinators, and annual reports of UN entities to assess the extent to which gender perspectives are included in final documents as well as preparation processes, and to identify how the structures at the country level contribute or inhibit the effectiveness of gender mainstreaming. An assessment of how gender equality issues have been treated in the past TCPRs. An analysis of whether the approaches used in UN Country Teams reflect knowledge about successful gender mainstreaming A discussion of the criteria for gender mainstreaming to be successful, considering the role of individual contributions, national context e.g. where government has positive drive for gender equality, partnership with women's movement and any other factors revealed by the desk review Alternative approaches to the current mechanisms for gender mainstreaming in the UN Country Team Recommendations for QCPR 2012. First draft paper for circulation to key stakeholders for comments, inputs and suggestions (through UN-Women), by 10 March 2011 Presentation of first draft to a UN Women workshop/roundtable Final draft incorporating comments, by 10 April 2012. Executive summary and power point presentations of main findings Presentation of final report to key stakeholders

Competencies

Core Values/Guiding Principles Integrity: Demonstrating consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct. Cultural Sensitivity/Valuing diversity: Demonstrating an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrating an international outlook, appreciating differences in values and learning from cultural diversity. Specific Competencies Expertise and knowledge on gender mainstreaming, in particular in the United Nations system. Knowledge of institutional reform, change management and delivering results Strong analytical, organizational, reporting and writing abilities. Capacity to plan, prioritize and deliver tasks on time. Openness to change and ability to receive/integrate feedback. Ability to work under pressure.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: Advanced university degree in social sciences, or a related area Experience: A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience on gender mainstreaming A good understanding of the United Nation's system's operational work. Language Requirements: Excellent English written skills for diverse audiences. Excellent conceptual, writing and presentation skills Fluency in oral and written English is required. Knowledge of another official UN language is desirable.

UNDP 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.