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.

Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are central to the United Nations’ mandate and are recognized as key drivers of sustainable development. The UN System-wide Strategy on Gender Parity, launched in 2017, sets ambitious targets to achieve gender parity across all levels of the UN system by 2028. This Strategy emphasizes not only numerical parity but also the transformation of organizational culture to foster inclusive, safe, and enabling work environments. It focuses on five key areas:

1. Gender parity;
2. Leadership and accountability;
3. Recruitment, retention, progression and talent management;
4. Senior appointments; and
5. Creating an enabling environment.

Member States have consistently urged the UN system to achieve gender parity. For instance, in resolution 78/182, the General Assembly called upon entities of the United Nations system, in collaboration with Resident Coordinators and heads of agencies and missions, to significantly increase their efforts towards achieving the goal of a 50/50 gender balance in all locations, including at the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) level.

An important accountability framework to ensure gender equality is the UNCT SWAP Gender Equality Scorecard. The UNCT in Ethiopia conducted a comprehensive assessment of the UNCT Gender Scorecard under the leadership of UN Women and the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO). The objective of the assessment was to evaluate the effectiveness of the UNCT in gender mainstreaming and the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment, and to identify a set of actions to strengthen institutional gender mainstreaming within the UNCT in Ethiopia.

One of the key gaps identified was in the area of gender parity, where the UNCT did not meet the minimum requirement under Indicator 4.3. Accordingly, one of the key recommendations of the SWAP exercise was to develop a comprehensive Gender Parity Strategy for UNCT Ethiopia, aligned with the Secretary-General’s System-wide Strategy on Gender Parity, with specific actions and targets to ensure increased representation of women, including among national staff. The goal of the Strategy is not only to achieve quantitative targets but also to foster an inclusive workplace and transform the institutional culture so that the UN can fully deliver on its mandate.

As part of its commitment to integrating gender considerations into strategic, system-wide processes, UN Women is seeking to recruit a consultant to lead a joint initiative to develop a UN system-wide Gender Parity Strategy to achieve and sustain gender parity within the UNCT in Ethiopia.

Objective 

The primary objective of the consultancy is to support the development of a comprehensive, consultative and actionable Gender Parity Strategy for UNCT Ethiopia, with a robust monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the overall guidance of UN Women Ethiopia and in close collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, the Operations Management Team (OMT), the Gender Working Group, the Human Resources Working Group (HRWG) and other relevant stakeholders, the consultant will report directly to National Programme Coordinator:

• Prepare an inception report, including methodology, timeline, and stakeholder engagement plan.
• Organize a technical briefing session with the Gender Working Group and HRWG.
• Conduct consultations with UNCT agencies, gender focal points, HR personnel, and other relevant actors (virtually and/or in-person, as appropriate).
• Map existing resources, initiatives, policies and practices related to gender parity within the UNCT.
• Design and implement an organizational culture survey (ensuring ethical standards and data protection) to assess perceptions and experiences related to gender equality and inclusivity.
• Analyze survey and consultation data and propose evidence-based interventions to improve inclusivity and gender responsiveness.
• Draft the Gender Parity Strategy, aligned with UN system standards and frameworks, including the UN System-wide Strategy on Gender Parity.
• Develop a detailed implementation plan with budget estimates, specific interventions, responsibilities, timelines and indicators.
• Propose a monitoring, evaluation and reporting framework (including baselines, targets and data sources).
• Present the draft Strategy to the UNCT and relevant working groups, and incorporate feedback.
• Finalize and submit the Gender Parity Strategy and related documentation for endorsement by the UNCT

Expected Outcomes

• A comprehensive Gender Parity Strategy for the UNCT in Ethiopia.
• A report on the data collected and consultations held with relevant stakeholders, including survey results and analysis

Key Deliverables and Timeline

Competencies :

Core Values:

• Integrity;
• Professionalism;
• Respect for Diversity.

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues;
• Accountability;
• Creative Problem Solving;
• Effective Communication;
• Inclusive Collaboration;
• Stakeholder Engagement;
• Leading by Example.

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Values and Competencies Framework: 

Functional Competencies:

• Substantive knowledge and experience related to current analyses, policies and practices in the field of gender equality, including gender analysis, programme planning and policy advice.
• Ability to perform qualitative and quantitative policy and institutional research.
• Ability to advocate and provide evidence-based policy advice.
• Excellent analytical skills, including ability to collect, organize, analyze and disseminate significant amounts of information with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Demonstrated expertise in research, data analysis and report writing.
• Strong skills in developing and presenting findings (written and oral).

Education

• Master’s degree in Gender Studies, Human Rights, Social Sciences, Public Administration, or a related field.
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree. 

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in gender mainstreaming and strategy development.
• Previous experience with the development of gender parity strategies or related documents in a country context is an asset.
• Experience within the UN system is an added advantage.
• Proven experience in organizational culture assessments and policy development.
• Previous experience in gender data collection and analysis, including interviews, surveys and focus group discussions, is required.
• Familiarity with the UN system and inter-agency coordination mechanisms.
• Strong analytical, facilitation and writing skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement abilities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Languages

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of Amharic or other local languages is an asset.

Statements :

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.

Diversity and inclusion:

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.)

Note: Applicants must ensure that all sections of the application form, including the sections on education and employment history, are completed. If all sections are not completed the application may be disqualified from the recruitment and selection process.