UN WOMEN: POLICY SPECIALIST, HIV/AIDS AND HEALTH

Background
UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works 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. The Policy Division develops and implements the UN Women program of work on analysis, research and knowledge management that provides the evidence base for the advice and guidance UN Women provides to the intergovernmental process, the UN system, and to UN Women staff working at country and regional level on issues of gender equality and women’s empowerment. It identifies emerging issues and trends, and develops and proposes new strategies for achieving the agreed goals through innovative approaches and lessons learned about what works in practice. It also designs and oversees the training and capacity development programs of UN Women, working closely with the UN Women training facility in Santo Domingo. The Policy Division staff is organized in Thematic Clusters, bringing together technical experts who: undertake issues-based research; analyze data on country, regional or global trends; build a knowledge base on policy commitments and their implementation; propose evidence-based options for global policy, norms and standards and for UN Women global programme strategies; and contribute substantive inputs to policy advocacy and technical cooperation programmes. Under the supervision of the Policy Advisor (HIV/AIDS and Health), the Policy Specialist is responsible for supporting the integration of gender equality and women’s rights into HIV reponses. He/she provides technical, policy and programme support for policy development, policy advocacy, and for the development and implementation of global programme .strategies.
Duties and Responsibilities
Summary of Key Functions: Technical and Programme Support; Research and analysis support; Support to Inter-governmental Processes and Policy Development; Knowledge Management. Description of Key Responsibilities: Technical and Programme Support: Support the Policy Advisor in providing technical support to regional and thematic programmes, and country strategies in addressing gender equality/women’s rights in HIV and health programming; Support the Policy Advisor in developing workplan for the section and monitoring its implementation (identify key deliverables, develop implementation time line, etc.); Provide programmatic and operational support for the development and implementation of global programmes and related thematic initiatives. Research and Analysis Support: Support the Policy Advisor in conducting research and analysis of global, regional and national trends to capture useful data in order to prepare material for internal papers, speeches, briefing notes and other products; Contribute to the development of flagship publications related to HIV/AIDS and gender equality and women s rights. Prepare select written contributions and knowledge products for various purposes, i.e. case studies, short topical papers, briefings to leadership, speeches, and related products for wider dissemination. Support to Intergovernmental Processes and Policy Development: Contribute to the preparation of position papers and reports related to gender equality and HIV/AIDS for presentation to intergovernmental bodies such as Commission on the Status of Women, , Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly and other policy-making organs, as appropriate and prepare analytical summaries of debates, supporting negotiations and analyzing/compiling outcomes; Support the Policy Advisor in coordinating the development of analytical reports to contribute to the Secretary-General’s mandated reporting to intergovernmental forums; Liaise with UN Women colleagues and others, as relevant, to ensure coordination with intergovernmental initiatives; Participate in and/or represent the Section in internal and external committees, inter-governmental, inter-agency task forces, and technical advocacy as required. Knowledge Generation: Facilitate the effective planning and exchange of materials and knowledge products related the thematic area; Contribute to the development and maintenance of a roster of gender experts who can develop/ provide technical support to UN Women offices,national partners, UNCT’s or other UN system entities in the related thematic area; Contribute to the production of knowledge products that meet UN Women needs and standards of quality; Establish and nurture relationship with academia, research institutes, civil society and experts in Human Rights to expand and share knowledge, exchange views on latest findings, incorporate cutting-edge thinking in UN Women work. Impact of Results: The key results expected will have positive impact on the overall effectiveness of UN Women’s work related to HIV/AIDS and gender equality and women’s rights, through contributing directly to achievement of the relevant Goals in UN Women’s Strategic Plan.
Competencies
Core Values and Guiding Principles: Integrity: Demonstrate consistency in upholding and promoting the values of UN Women in actions and decisions, in line with the UN Code of Conduct. Professionalism: Demonstrate professional competence and expert knowledge of the pertinent substantive areas of work. Cultural Sensitivity and Valuing Diversity: Demonstrate an appreciation of the multicultural nature of the organization and the diversity of its staff. Demonstrate an international outlook, appreciating difference in values and learning from cultural diversity. Core Competencies: Ethics and Values: Demonstrate and safeguard ethics and integrity. Organizational Awareness: Demonstrate corporate knowledge and sound judgment. Development and Innovation: Take charge of self-development and take initiative. Work in Teams: Demonstrate ability to work in a multicultural, multi-ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different national and cultural backgrounds. Communicating and Information Sharing: Facilitate and encourage open communication and strive for effective communication. Self-management and Emotional Intelligence: Stay composed and positive even in difficult moments, handle tense situations with diplomacy and tact, and have a consistent behavior towards others Conflict Management: Surface conflicts and address them proactively acknowledging different feelings and views and directing energy towards a mutually acceptable solution. Continuous Learning and Knowledge Sharing: Encourage learning and sharing of knowledge. Appropriate and Transparent Decision Making: Demonstrate informed and transparent decision-making. Functional Competencies: The Policy Specialist has the necessary skills to support the integration of gender equality and women’s rights into HIV responses, including a broad based understanding of the epidemiological and public health aspects of HIV in relation to women’s overall health and well-being. Good knowledge of gender related issues and human rights in the context of HIV/AIDS and health; Good understanding of epidemiological and public health apsects of HIV in relation to women’s overall health and well being; Ability to undertake policy research and prepare quantitative studies, utilizing statistical methodologies, knowledge of database applications for statistical analysis; Ability to organize and complete multiple tasks by establishing priorities; Ability to handle a large volume of work possibly under time constraints; Establishes, builds and sustains effective relationships with clients, demonstrating understanding of client’s perspective; anticipates client needs and addresses them promptly; Ability to draft policy papers, speeches, briefings etc.; Ability to develop and maintain roster of experts, and a databank of research institutes, academics, civil society experts, etc. of direct relevance to the Focus Area.
Required Skills and Experience
Education: Master degree (or equivalent) in development related disciplines, gender issues, public health, public policy/administration, human rights, or other social science fields, of direct relevance to the Focus Area. Experience: A minimum of 5 years of increasingly responsible professional experience in gender programming, policy research and gender analysis and at international level, at least two of which should be directly related to the focus area . Language: Written (excellent drafting skills) and oral proficiency in English is required; Knowledge of another UN working language is desirable. Application Information: All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from http://www.unwomen.org/about-us/employment; Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment; UN Women will only be able to respond to those applications in which there is further interest. Note: In July 2010, the United nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
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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.