Mission and objectives

Timor-Leste (or East Timor) became an independent nation in 2002 after centuries of Portuguese colonial rule, followed by Indonesian occupation and devastating conflict which left most of the population displaced and 70 per cent of the infrastructure decimated. 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. UN Women’s goal in Timor-Leste is to promote women’s human rights and gender equality as the country works towards sustaining and furthering achievements in stability and development. This includes efforts to ensure women’s right to live free from any form of violence, efforts to advance women’s economic empowerment, and women’s leadership and participation in support of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, and advance international agreements and commitments related to gender equality and women’s empowerment, including through adequate planning and budgeting. UN Women provides support to the Government of Timor-Leste in implementing its commitments to promoting gender equality and women’s rights in line with international, regional and national normative and legal frameworks, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and its Concluding Observation 2023, Beijing Platform for Action, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Programme of IX Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste, National Strategic Plan (2011-2030), National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence (2022-2032), and the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2024-2028 (NAP 1325) and Third Maubisse Declaration for Rural Women.

Context

Under the leadership of the IX Constitutional Government, Timor-Leste officially adopted its second-generation National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security 2024-2028 (NAP 1325) (2024-2028). This comprehensive five-year strategy is designed to advance gender equality and women's leadership in areas of conflict prevention, peacebuilding, post-conflict recovery, and humanitarian response efforts across Timor-Leste, ensuring a multi-stakeholder and gender-responsive approach to sustainable peace and security. The NAP 1325 approval signifies a robust commitment of the IX Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste to plan, develop, implement and invest in its national WPS agenda in the context of post-COVID-19 recovery, and its integration into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). To advance the national WPS agenda in Timor-Leste, UN Women has been providing technical support to line ministries in strengthening institutional capacities to plan, implement, finance, monitor, and report the national WPS commitments. UN Women has been providing support to the Government of Timor-Leste to promote gender mainstreaming and Gender-Responsive Budgeting in policies and programmes, and advance women’s meaningful leadership in decision-making processes at all levels towards accountable policy implementation, gender-responsive conflict prevention and peacebuilding, and to promote services that meet the security needs of women and girls in Timor-Leste. Besides, as Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) stands as a core pillar of UN Women’s programmes in Timor-Leste, it supports government partners through knowledge exchange, research and capacity-building to strengthen gender-responsive policies and address the discrimination and structural barriers that limit women’s participation in the economy and income-generating activities. UN Women works with civil society organizations and women entrepreneurs to build the skills, knowledge, and networks needed to access decent work and sustainable livelihoods. In partnership with government partners, UN Women provides technical assistance in generating and sharing evidence to advance gender-responsive policy making in line with CEDAW Concluding Observations, for example, promoting unpaid care work, addressing discriminatory policies and practices affecting women (particularly women with disabilities) in economic participation, and promoting inclusive social protection. The UNV Programme Support Associate will work with UN Women Timor-Leste’s Women’s Economic Empowerment and Governance, Peace and Security Programme Teams to promote implementation of national commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment in Timor-Leste, and to work with women leaders and local communities in strengthening women’s meaningful participation and decision-making across all spheres of life.

Task Description

Under the direct supervision of the Women’s Economic Empowerment and Women, Peace and Security Programme Manager, and under the overall guidance of the UN Women Head of Office, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks: • Support the implementation of UN Women’s programme activities, events, trainings, and workshops to promote women’s leadership in peacebuilding, and women’s participation in economic activities in Timor-Leste. • Contribute to the development of training materials and implement innovative training programmes to strengthen government and civil society partners’ capacities in promoting gender equality in Timor-Leste. • Contribute to WEE and WPS-related knowledge building, advocacy, and communication efforts. Provide assistance in developing background documents, briefs, and presentations related to WEE and WPS. • Contribute to monitoring, reporting, and documentation of WPS and WEE knowledge products, such as reporting, case studies, impact stories, articles, and newsletters. • Provide assistance in preparing relevant documentation such as project summaries, conference presentations, briefing notes, speeches, and minutes as requested. Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to: • Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and taking an active part in UNV activities (for instance, in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities; • Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Competencies and values

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UN Women; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UN Women procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UN Women in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UN Women’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

Living conditions and remarks

Timor Leste is half of a tropical island on the Australian continental shelf characterized by a rugged mountain chain running east-west that divides the country into a generally warmer north coast and a milder south coast. The capital city, Dili, is located in the north. Climate: The climate along the coast is relatively warm hot year-round with an annual average temperature of 30°C. There are two distinct seasons: the north-east monsoon season, which runs from November to March, constitutes the rainy season throughout the country. The southeast monsoon season, which runs from March to October, constitutes the dry season with some rain on the southern coast but otherwise dry and windy conditions in the rest of the country. The climate inland with its high mountains can be very cold with an annual average temperature of 15°C. Health: Public hospital and private clinic provide services to community. Stamford clinic in Dili serves as a recommended medical facility for UN staff. There is a national hospital with some international staff and a limited number of other private clinics in Dili (such as DMC). For more complex medical treatment and assessment, it is necessary to evacuate to neighbouring cities/countries such as Darwin or Singapore. There is currently no reported cases of Corona Virus in Timor-Leste. Diet, Food and Water: Most staple foods can be found in the markets such as rice, meat, vegetables, cooking oil, salt and sugar. There is a variety of food ranging from Western to Southeast Asian fare. You can also find several local restaurants with less expensive meals. The price range for a meal can range from $3 to $14+. Telecommunications: There are three telecommunication providers in country, Timor Telecom and Telcomcel and Telemor. While Timor Telecom has been long present, Telcomcel and Telemor were newly launched in Timor-Leste, and started operating in February 2013. The SIM cards cost $2-3 and pre-paid/pulsa cards range from $1 to $50. Further, depending on UN Agency, you may receive a PIN code to make international phone calls that will be charged to your VLA. Hotels: The UNV Field unit in Dili will assist to share a list of approved hotels for you to choose from for your temporal accommodation, at your expense. There price of hotel accomodation start from $40 and above per night. Permanent Accommodation: Expect that your accommodation will range from the very basic to adequate, although many private houses in Dili have been renovated to a reasonable or even considered ‘luxurious’ level of comfort. The rate of reconstruction and renovation in the districts has been much slower than in Dili. Accommodation is far more likely to be of a very basic level ranging from $400 per month and above for an appartment and or a house.